Chapter 44
FORTY-FOUR
Laz
Okay, so I should be working on my next assignment. Luckily, I still have two more days to finish it. I mean, how am I supposed to work when my muse is so distracted? Cole will never understand that. He thinks in logic and figures. Although it’s actually his fault I’m on my way.
He left his laptop open, and I may have seen photos of the beach house he and Faye are viewing.
The images sparked a flood of inspiration, my brain working overtime, thinking up color schemes and furniture combinations.
Cole will only cover the features of the house, but I’ll do a better job of bringing the place to life by describing how we can style it.
I know exactly what paintings I’d hang where and how we can make Faye her dream nest.
I hum to myself as I skip along the beach, tablet tucked under my arm, packed with some quick sketches. Hopefully, Cole hasn’t bored her to tears, talking about air-conditioning before I get there because I have a good feeling about this. A feeling that it is meant to be ours.
“This is it.” I press my face against the window in the door when I reach it. Spotting Cole’s shoes, I enter without knocking as it’s already unlocked.
As soon as I step inside, Faye’s scent hits me harder than a wrecking ball. Damn, if I drowned in it, I would die a happy man. Her scent floods all my senses until all I can focus on is my desire for her.
Where is she?
My heart pounds loudly in my ears. With her scent calling to me, I need her. Now.
I stalk into the kitchen like a hunter tracking its prey. “Faye?”
My cock presses against my zipper when I find a pool of slick glistening on the counter, calling my name.
Gazing around, there are also a few drops on the floor.
How dare Cole waste her precious slick? I slide my finger into the puddle then put it to my mouth.
It tastes like heaven. I coat my hand in it then lick my fingers clean.
So delicious, but a small taste that only whets my appetite.
That’s when I hear their voices. I head through the open patio doors onto the private beach, where Cole and Faye are looking out over the ocean.
“Laz?” Cole spins in surprise. He’s only wearing pants, and Faye is wrapped up in his T-shirt. “What’re you doing here?”
What am I doing here? I can’t remember. Any thought about cushions, coordination, or artwork is a distant memory.
The sun shines down on Faye’s flawless skin, highlighting her beauty.
She’s so perfect. Her long, golden hair looks almost auburn in the light and is messy, rippling in the gentle breeze, and her creamy thighs call out for my face to be buried between them.
Her nipples harden against the thin fabric, begging for my attention.
“Laz?” Her gorgeous pink lips will look even better with my cock sandwiched between them. “Are you okay?”
My hands curl into fists. I don’t know what’s happening to me. My need to have her, to claim her is, is uncontrollable.
“Fuck.” Cole sounds distant. “He’s going into a rut.”
I need my omega.
I march over to Faye. When Cole tries to block my path, I push him out of the way with a strength that I didn’t know I had. I’ve never even won against him in an arm wrestling match.
“It must have been your scent,” Cole says to Faye as he stumbles a little, eyes widening. “I’ll get him out of here.”
“No!” Faye objects. She clears her throat then asks Cole in a much softer voice, “Tell me what to do. How can I help him?”
My breathing is ragged, coming in sharp bursts. It feels like a wild animal is prowling under my skin, primed to take over.
“The same way we help you get through your heat. He needs relief.” Cole stands mere inches from me, like he can sense the beast inside of me waiting to pounce. “But this could be dangerous. Alphas in a rut are unpredictable.”
I let out a primal roar, forgetting where I am and furious that another alpha is encroaching on my territory. If someone asked me my name, I wouldn’t be able to tell them because all I can focus on is the beautiful omega in front of me. An omega who I want more than anything.
“Laz would never hurt me.” She beckons me over. “Let me take care of you.”
I quickly comply, stalking over to her then leaning down, breathing her in.
My knees wobble the moment she strokes my cock through my pants, and I seem to have forgotten how to breathe when she drops to her knees on the sand.
Lacing my fingers through her hair, I wrap it around my knuckles as she releases my cock, and I guide her mouth over to it.
Her mouth feels incredible unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Moaning, I let go of her hair to grab her head, forcing her down deeper. My balls rise when she gags, an alpha from behind growls in a warning.
My omega! I turn and snap my teeth at him. Mine!
“It’s okay, Cole,” she murmurs. “I’ve got this.”
Her tongue gets to work, teasing my shaft. The velvety warmth accelerates my already racing heartbeat, whipping me into a frenzy. My knot feels like it’ll explode. The skin is stretched so taut that my need to lock is almost painful.
She pulls away again, looking up at me. Fuck, if it isn’t the most perfect sight I’ve ever seen.
But it’s not enough.
“Need to…” I grunt. My knot strains, desperate to be bathe in her slick. “Knot.”
She bats her eyelashes innocently. “Do you want to fill me with your knot, alpha?”
Her innocence makes me want to defile her. “Fuck, yes,” I growl.
I drop to the sand to join her, barely registering our surroundings, ravishing her mouth as I tear the T-shirt from her skin and hurl the ripped remnants away.
She can’t smell like another alpha while I’m knotting her, not when she belongs to me.
I push her back onto the sand then part her legs to see her glistening pussy. All that slick. Just for me.
“Use me, alpha,” she purrs, spreading her legs wider. “Take what you need.”
I barely comprehend what I’m doing as I bulldoze into her.
I thrust deep, her moans vibrating through me as I take everything I can from her.
My knot seems to have a life of its own, pulsing in a juddering fashion that sends shockwaves down my spine.
I grunt when I lock unexpectedly, releasing my cum.
Her pussy clamps down, squeezing every last drop from me while she writhes in pleasure.
It’s only when my knot finally deflates a little that I return to my senses and see Faye panting below me, her hair splayed over the sand.
“Faye.” We’re locked together, but I’m horrified at myself. “I’m so sorry. I lost control, I—”
“It’s okay.” She strokes my hair. “You didn’t mean to. Besides, after that incredible orgasm, you won’t hear any complaints from me.”
Cole grumbles something sarcastic in the background that sounds like, “Speak for yourself.”
Cole’s obviously been keeping watch to make sure I didn’t hurt her, which makes me feel even worse. How could I have lost myself like that? My pack leader shouldn’t have to act as a bodyguard to protect our omega from me.
“Can you give us a moment, Cole?” Faye asks. “Please, alpha.”
He mumbles in reluctant agreement, stomping off. I hear the patio doors slide shut, leaving us with only the sound of rolling waves.
“I’m so, so sorry,” I say again. If there’s something to fuck up, I’ll do it. “Are you hurt?”
“Hurt?” She grins, giving me a sleepy, sex-hazed smile. “I feel amazing.”
“I came here to show you a mood board and talk you through how we could renovate the house. Then I caught your scent. I don’t know what came over me.”
“Hey, I understand.” She cups my cheek, her tone gentle. “You helped me through my heat, remember? I’m glad I could help you.”
“Fuck.” I suddenly notice her fresh bite marks. “Did you and Cole…?” My mind is spinning. “I ruined it, didn’t I?”
No wonder Cole didn’t want to leave her. They just bonded, and I crashed their once in a lifetime moment like a young buck with zero self-control. Well done, Laz. This may be my worst fuck up yet.
“No,” she insists. “Of course, you didn’t.”
“I always seem to do or say the wrong thing.” My knot deflates, and I slide out of her. “Why would you want to bond with an idiot like me?”
She nuzzles into my shoulder, her scent instantly alleviating the guilt and anxiety clawing at my chest, reassuring me that everything will be okay.
“Because you’re you, Laz.” We roll onto our sides, facing one another. “Because you’re funny. You make me smile. You smell like a ray of sexy sunshine. I’m not just Damon and Cole’s omega. I want to be your omega too.”
She always knows the right thing to say.
“Really? Even though I’m a goofy gamer idiot?” I’m not smart like Ren, protective like Damon, or strong like Cole. I’m the pack wild card.
“You’re my goofy gamer idiot,” she corrects then turns her head.
“Do you…?” I swallow hard. “Want me to…?”
“Bite?” She grins, her eyes sparkling. “And claim me? Yes.”
“Right now?” I hadn’t prepared for this, especially after a rut. I thought she’d be scared of me, perhaps question whether she wants to be with me at all, but she wants to bond? “Are you sure? After what I just did?”
“You’re my alpha.” She runs her fingers through my curls. “I want to wear your mark too.”
My canine’s tingle.
“Only if you bite me first,” I decide.
“I can do that.”
“There’s something else too,” I push up onto one elbow, peering down into her stunning, brown eyes. “I know it’s silly, but—”
“What is it?”
“Whenever I’m drawing, I want to be reminded of you. There’s nothing wrong with a claim mark on your neck, but I want to be able to see your mark without looking in a mirror.”
Sitting up, she takes my wrist and delicately cradles it before brushing her soft lips on my jumping pulse. “How about right here?”
I smile. “I’d love that.”
“Are you sure?
I nod as I tense, waiting for the moment, bracing myself.
When her teeth sink into me, I moan. My knot swells, eager to be inside her again.
After the bite, I’m captivated by the way she laps at the wound when she’s finished, leaving two cute indentations.
A permanent reminder that she accepts me.
I’ll never stop looking at it. Even though her bite doesn’t seal our bond, I’m glad that she went first to be sure that this is what she wants.
She holds out her wrist for me. “I want mine to match.”
“Really?”
“I want you, Laz.” She nods. “Exactly as you are.”
“I don’t know if I’m supposed to bite you in a certain way for it to work.”
“Just follow your instincts.” She inches her wrist closer to my mouth. “I trust you.”
Faye was right; my body instinctively knows what to do. I bite down. As my canines pierce her creamy flesh, my knot instantly swells as her calming presence tempers my excited energy, binding us together.
Her perfume blooms. One of the perks of being an alpha is as soon as you come, you need little recovery time.
Guiding her back down to the sand, I delicately spread her legs before hovering over her.
This is the opposite of my rut-fueled motions.
When I enter her again, it’s full of tenderness, promises, and acceptance.
Whatever she needs, I’ll be there. When she’s having a bad day, I’ll be there to make her laugh.
I’ll forever make stupid fruit animals to make her giggle at the breakfast table.
When she’s feeling insecure, I’ll put her at ease.
I know my strengths, and I know how I can make her happy.
“I love you, Faye Nightingale,” I murmur, gently rocking into her body as her thighs wrap around me, drawing us closer.
“I love you too.”
When we come this time, it’s not a feral outpouring.
It’s a conscious act. As her hips rock in tandem with mine, I sense her want, her desire, her need for me, and I finally know I’ve found what I’ve been searching for.
A woman who loves me for me. A woman I’ll thoroughly and unconditionally love, cherish, and do anything for.
When we come down, I hold her in place, not wanting to let her go. Our scents intertwine—her vanilla honeycomb meeting my spicy cinnamon—creating a smell so heavenly, I wish I could bottle it up to wear as cologne.
Even though this wasn’t how I thought we’d bond, it sums up Faye’s and my relationship. A little chaotic at the beginning yet ending up exactly where we were meant to be. Perfectly imperfect.
The sun peeks out from behind a cloud, illuminating her eyes so I can see tiny flecks of amber in them. And I’d thought she couldn’t be any more beautiful.
“I really hope you signed the lease on this house,” I chuckle. “Otherwise, they could probably sue us for what happened during this viewing.”
“We did.” Her laugh jingles through me like a sparkly windchime. “This is our new home.”