Chapter 43
Isank my teeth into Jude’s skin. Pomegranate and cranberry bathed my tongue, all tart sweetness and perfectly him.
Belatedly, I remembered I was coated in scent-neutralizing spray. I swiped the hem of my dress through my slick and scrubbed a space on my throat for him.
He chuckled softly. “Putting icing on the cake for me?”
Before I could answer, he took full advantage, holding me close and biting down until he burst in a flood of warmth in my cunt and in my chest. His moan against my skin mirrored my own. The pleasure of the bond searing into my being pushed me over the edge, and I pulled him with me.
Refusing to let go, I worked within the limitations of movement. Jude wedged his fist between us so I could grind my clit and satisfy the urges of the heat flare. My vision warped at the edges. I was too sweaty, but I wasn’t about to slow down now, not when I had him in my arms.
Jude maneuvered me around, lifting me off his cock and slotting his fingers into me instead. I rode them with every ounce of strength in my body, fucking myself down while he panted against my skin.
My beta.
My Jude.
He pulsed like the coziest campfire at the center of my being. Sparks of Alve and Leo’s surprise tumbled to join us. I wanted them, too. My pack was close, Jude had said so.
I detached my teeth, driving myself as hard as I could onto his fingers. The pressure fed a craving, but I wanted more. Needed more. I whispered as much into his skin.
That resulted in me being pulled off his fingers. His semi-hard cock tucked back into me, stiffening further when I squeezed around him. Jude’s fingers joined the party, sliding in alongside to give me the boost I needed.
“Maddie,” he gasped out. “The others—”
“Call them,” I managed to say before a wave of lust took me over.
More hands tugged at me, rearranging. I whined through the loss of Jude’s touch, only to melt when an alpha cock filled me up.
Relief fizzed down the bond.
Leo.
Jude stretched out beneath me, cradling my body and letting me devour his mouth while Leo took on the heat flare. My beta drank up every whimper. I fed him well in that regard, if the bone-deep satisfaction I felt from him was a good indicator.
Doors clicked shut. Lights dimmed.
Alve settled by my head, cradling my chin when I rose to breathe. “How far gone are you, treasure?”
I understood the question, but forming a response was another story. He shuddered as an orgasm swept over me, Leo’s hips driving against my ass.
“Clarity going in and out.” Nathan leaned into my line of sight. “Yeah, there she goes…”
I sank beneath the waves.
When I surfaced again, I was knotted. Leo massaged my hips and Jude stroked my hair, his breathing slow and even.
“She lives.” Nathan chuckled. “How are you feeling, sweetheart?”
Instead of answering, I burrowed my face against Jude’s chest. The flare wasn’t over, the heat of it beating against the glass, ready to exploit a weak point and carry me away again.
I reached for Nathan’s hand and wedged it between my cheek and Jude, inhaling balsam and blueberry, letting it ground me as much as it made my pussy clench.
Leo puffed out a breath. “Never getting used to that.”
“Treasure,” Alve said softly. “Can we take you home?”
“Okay.” The word was crackly as it came out.
With some careful maneuvering, we got me turned around so I could wrap my limbs around Leo and he could carry me out to the car. Nathan belted both of us in, traffic laws a temporary suggestion. In the back of my head, I knew it wasn’t very safe, but exceptions had to be made.
Leo’s knot went down in the time it took us to get home, though I had no interest in moving from where I was. They got me inside quickly. Rather than go straight to the nest, we went to the shower, my pack stripping down around me and removing my clothes for me.
I sat warm and cradled in the stream of water, soapy washcloths cleaning my skin until my scent overpowered everything else.
Nathan stood there looking so delicious, I couldn’t help myself. I curled my fingers around the base of him, tugging him closer so I could bend and suck the tip.
“Motherfucker,” he gasped out. He gathered my wet hair into his fist and let me play with him.
Leo hardened again and I figured out a pace that let me sink down on both of them at once. Who needed to breathe when I could coax that strangled sound out of Nathan?
Somehow, they managed to get us from the shower into the nest without detaching me from anyone.
I wasn’t capable of questioning what witchcraft they enacted to accomplish it, but I did appreciate it.
Sprawled out, surrounded by my pack, and being ridden into my mountain of pillows was exactly where I needed to be.
I dipped under the waves, waking each time to welcome a new alpha into my arms until we were all the way back to Jude.
His thumb tenderly stroked my cheek, his smile sleepy as he gazed down at me. “I know I’ve seen you like this before, but it keeps hitting me how much better it is in reality than anything I could’ve fantasized about before having you.”
My purr roared.
A straw tapped my lips and I gratefully drank water until my stomach grumbled.
“On it.” Nathan bounded out of the nest and returned with some sort of stuffed pastry. “We ordered gorditas from Leo’s favorite place. There’s other stuff in the fridge, but I figured this would be the easiest for you to eat while horizontal.”
I bit into the crispy exterior, moaning as the warm cheese hit my tongue.
“Is the heat flare over, treasure?” Alve kissed my hair and lifted me enough to slide in behind me, supporting my weight.
“I think so.” I inhaled the rest of the gordita, looking plaintively at Nathan for more. He dashed off to fulfill my silent request. He came back with a full plate in one hand and a bowl in the other, Poppy and Pepper on his heels.
Nathan fed me some of the best tortilla soup I’d ever had in my entire life, Alve and Leo stopping the cats from going after the food.
They strained little giraffe necks, sniffing the air until Jude took pity on them, giving them the tiniest sample from the edge of a gordita.
Content with their miniature pillaging, they wedged themselves into empty bits between us, purring away.
“Wait until you see what Alve picked out for them.” Nathan grinned. “Pops and Peps are living like queens.”
I inhaled the rest of the soup before my curiosity got the better of me and we all ventured to the living room. “Holy shit. That thing is enormous.”
The cat tower took most of the windowed wall. Poppy and Pepper slunk past me, hopping up to separate platforms to stare out the window.
Emotion tightened my throat. Even when I had panic-bolted from them, they had been thinking about building a home together. “When did you get this?”
“While you were stress-organizing,” Jude explained. “Jazz ordered us to give you space, and it gave us something to do in the meantime.”
I traced my fingers over the sisal rope and fluffy carpet. “It’s perfect for them. I was never able to give them something like this before.”
“Our cats deserve the best,” Alve said, stepping up to my side.
Our cats.
They thought of my babies as their own and provided for them accordingly. I’d always wanted that for them, to live in a home where they were beloved by everyone.
Now they had that.
Now we had that.
Tears slipped over my cheeks, my bonded mates moving instantly to check on me. Nathan, not to be left out, joined us, too.
“What’s wrong?” Alve asked, his nerves twitching in the bond.
I laced my hand in his. “Nothing. I think I just keep realizing I’m living a dream come true.”