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“You can sit closer if you’d like,” I offered.
Nicky looked up at me with those beautiful doe eyes, practically begging me with her silence to take the final step for her. I draped my arm over her shoulder and reached beneath the water to turn her so her legs went over my lap and I could cradle her easily.
She squeaked, and this close her scent overpowered the bubble bath. The sour notes were gone, leaving only the rich, spicy sweetness. She really wasn’t kidding about her body outrunning her brain. It would be easy to shift her and indulge in that craving, but that wasn’t what she needed right now.
I guided her head to rest on my shoulder so she could get the most potent source of my scent, and then I got my purr going. She relaxed bit by bit until she was half asleep and pliant in my arms. I was used to going without sleep for long stretches, and didn’t mind staying up for her while she settled.
“Is this Hana’s?” she asked, tracing her fingertips over the bondmark on my throat.
I shivered at the tentative contact. “Yeah, that’s hers.”
“Billie told me a bit about her, and you. You and Hana were together before the pack formed?”
“Yep. Friends for a year, lovers for another. Then Billie found us, and, well, you know how that turned out.”
Nicky fussed in my arms, sighing and drawing patterns on my skin. “I feel so out of my depth. Everyone is so nice, but my brain is low-key screaming in the background.”
“If it makes you feel better, mine did that too when Billie first rolled up with Tony and Jasper.”
“Really?” The tip of Nicky’s nose brushed Hana’s bondbite.
“Absolutely. It’s a massive adjustment all around. Adding three people into my relationship with Hana took a hell of a lot of communication and precarious balancing. Not to mention introducing a pack to friends and family. Not everyone gets it.”
“Oh god. I don’t know how my family would react.” She tensed back up. “I shouldn’t be worrying about that. It’s been two dates.”
I pulled her around so she straddled me, cupping her face. “Breathe for me.”
Nicky closed her eyes and followed my instructions.
“If your mind wants to go that direction then I think you should let it. There’s no pressure. Allow yourself to experience those feelings. If it only takes you two dates with Billie to get those thoughts going, then who cares who thinks it’s too fast? They’re just thoughts, and you’re allowed to have those. God knows I had them about Hana from the moment I met her.”
“But…”
“Listen, I know what it feels like when Billie sets their sights on you. They pour their entire self into situations, and when they want you there is zero question of that, but I also know that can be overwhelming if you’re not used to that kind of energy. Billie makes people feel good, and it’s normal to want that to continue, and to think about it.”
I’d learned to trust Billie’s instincts over time. I didn’t know what it was about them, but they’re damn good at sussing people out, and I can’t fault the results of their choices when they gave me my pack.
Nicky snuggled closer. “No one thinks anything when omegas have multiple lovers,” she said softly.
“But they do with betas?”
“A lot of people, yeah. They’re very forgiving of omegas and their needs. Betas don’t have that same drive, the same need to have sex. I wasn’t expecting to want it as much as I do.”
“For some people that's dependent on their partners.”
“It seems that way. I definitely slept with past partners, and I had a good time, but I never really felt…what I felt today.”
“Have you ever been with an alpha before today?” I asked, and Nicky shook her head. “You’re not an omega, but you’ll still respond differently to each of the dynamics. It could be as simple as that.”
“Maybe. I’ve only ever dated betas. But it was just as strong with Billie yesterday, and they’re not an alpha.”
I stroked a hand down her side and cradled her head with the other, blatantly ignoring the growing response of my body to her nearness.
“I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I do know that Billie is a force of nature. They come into someone's life like a hurricane, shake up absolutely everything, and then you have to decide what to do afterward.”
Nicky giggled and laid her palm against my chest, just over my heart. “Sounds accurate. I really like them.”
“Me too. Circling back for a moment. No one is going to judge you for wanting sex, or for acting on that desire. We’re a pretty sexual bunch, as you might’ve noticed.”
