Page 26 of Bloom in Darkness

Caelan reaches back to slap Bryn just as the Valla gently pulls back, his knot already deflating. Bryn pulls Caelan up against his chest, holding him there while the Alpha tries to catch his breath with a thoroughly satisfied smile on his face. I keep looking between them, trying to fit what I’m seeing against everything I thought I knew about Alphas and Valla.

Caelan catches me staring as Bryn sits him down on the lounge before disappearing into the attached bathroom.

“It’s not always about strength, is it?” I ask.

Caelan shakes his head as Bryn disappears into the attached bathroom. “No. This is the part I love.”

I sit up fully, my legs dangling over the edge of the table. “I already know he cares.”

Caelan smiles at me. “Not like this, sweetheart.”

Bryn comes back into the room with several wet cloths, rumbling and purring like a damn animal. He’s always been sweet with me when we were together. But watching him bend down and kiss Caelan before cleaning him up, every pass of the cloth comes with another kiss or a stronger purr, and I can’t stop watching them.

Caelan hums through every touch, his lids falling closed as Bryn undresses him completely and then wraps him in a towel. Then Bryn turns to me, the look in his eyes changing from dark desire to the softness I’m starting to recognize.

Bryn lifts me with one hand, strips away my ruined shorts, and slowly drags the warm cloth along my thighs and cock. The tenderness after everything we just did catches me harder than I expect. “Valla?”

Bryn’s large hands continue to gently clean the slick from my thighs before he steps back and sits on the coffee table in front of me. He pulls me with him until I’m straddling his thighs, one hand cupping my cheek before he kisses me.

When he pulls back, I look over his shoulder at Caelan, who is shifting his weight and rubbing one hand over his hip.

I glance past Bryn when Caelan shifts and rubs a hand over his hip. “You okay?”

Caelan stares at me like I’ve asked the stupidest question imaginable. “I don’t know how you can ask me that after what Bryn just did.”

Bryn looks over his shoulder with absolutely no remorse.

“Don’t look smug,” Caelan tells him. “I love your knot, but fuck, it’s huge.”

I lean back into the cushions, warm and far too pleased with myself. “I’m an Omega. I’m made for it.”

Caelan laughs hard enough that he has to brace his hand against the wood to keep from sliding off the lounge. Bryn shakes his head, but his mouth is doing that tiny, almost-smile again.

I watch the two of them, listening to the easy rhythm of their breathing. My breathing is easy again, and the tightness that followed me off the auction stage is gone.

I settle more comfortably against Bryn, still warm from the cleanup and the purr moving through his chest. “I want to do that again. Preferably somewhere with a bed next time.”

Caelan’s amusement turns warmer as Bryn’s hands tighten slightly on my thighs. “Wholeheartedly agree. And next time, you’re getting the knot.”

Bryn

Afternoon light cuts through the blinds of Caelan’s office and stripes the floor. I sit at the edge of the desk, reviewing the weekend security roster, while Caelan types steadily on his laptop on the other side of the room. Astra is curled up on the leather couch beside the desk, a mug of coffee cradled in both hands. I look over often enough to make sure he’s still there that I barely notice myself doing it anymore.

Caelan looks up from his laptop. “Tell me why Mercer has changed his availability three times since yesterday.”

Astra glances over the rim of his coffee. “Maybe he enjoys making your eye twitch.”

Caelan goes straight back to the screen. “It doesn’t twitch.”

Astra smiles and sets the mug down before stretching his arms over his head. “I’m going to get some beauty sleep. You two can bore each other to death with logistics.”

A few minutes later, Astra shoulders his bag, and we follow him through the front of the Forge and out onto the sidewalk. He pauses at the curb instead of calling for a ride, shifting his weight while he looks toward the bus stop. “I can just take the bus, you know. It’s only a few stops.”

Caelan shakes his head immediately. “Nonsense. You’re not taking the bus.”

His phone vibrates before he can say more. He checks the screen, and the easy amusement leaves his face before he answers. He listens for a few seconds, jaw tightening. “Fuck. There’s a problem with the card. I have to go.” He hangs up, taps at his phone for a few seconds, then looks at me. “I ordered him a cab. Stay with him until it gets here.” Caelan blows me a kiss before disappearing into the Forge.

I step up to Astra to find him already watching me, a faint line of worry pulling between his brows. “Is everything okay?”