Chapter 34
T he boys were asleep— finally —after hours of bouncing off the walls with excitement over their new rooms, and Beau was busy trying to catch up on work, but I couldn’t sleep. I was all keyed up, knowing my other matches only a wall away. The fresh reminder of their touch wasn’t helping either.
I tiptoed to peek in on Beau. “Would it be okay if I went next door?”
He turned from his laptop screen to focus on me. “Are you coming back tonight?”
“I don’t know.”
“Can you scent mark my bed before you go?”
“Of course.” I climbed underneath the blankets of his pitiful single bed and swiped my cheeks over his pillows, wiggling all over his sheets.
I froze when he leaned over me and dropped a kiss to my mouth that had my perfume exploding. Apparently I was easy to set off lately.
“That’s better.” He lifted away with an amused smile. “Come get me if you’re back tonight. Otherwise I’ll see you at breakfast?”
I nodded, body still tingling. “Do you want?—”
“As much as I would love to take you apart, I have to prepare for a meeting, and we moved here so you would have opportunities with the others. Don’t you dare stay because you’re feeling bad for me over here.”
I sucked back the pout that tried to form. “What if I wanted all of you right now?”
“Give me a couple days to adjust before I start stripping down in front of them.”
A giggle burst out of me. “Okay, that’s fair.” I climbed out of his bed and pulled him down by the collar of his shirt to kiss me again. “Sweet dreams when you get around to them.”
“You too. Go have fun.”
I grabbed my key by the door and poked my head out into the hall, slipping over in my nightgown and into their apartment. Each of their doors were closed. I locked up behind me and padded over to Francisco’s door, knocking quietly.
His pupils instantly dilated when he saw it was me, orange liqueur and clove filling the air like a fog that had desire pulsing in my core. “I hope you’re here for what I think you’re here for.”
“I need you.” My voice came out all harsh and husky.
He scooped me up and pressed me back against the wall, his hips pressed flush between my spread thighs, his mouth on mine. I shuddered at the rock of his hips and clung tightly, devouring my fill of him.
“You’re exactly what I was craving.” He let his forehead rest against mine, his hands flexing where they cradled my thighs.
My pussy throbbed, a silent demand to be filled and knotted by my alpha. “Fuck me.”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
He spun us around and laid me out on his bed just like the first time I had been here. Memories of his touch mingled with the current reality, my body more than ready for everything I knew he could give me.
“I don’t need to be warmed up.”
“So eager.” He bunched up the hem of my nightgown, exposing my bare pussy to the air. “And so prepared.”
“Panties slow things down, and I don’t want slow right now.”
Francisco stripped down and my eyes greedily drank in every bit of him. It wasn’t fair for him to look that beautiful.
“Duchess, you came all the way over here and you want me to rush ? What if I wanted to pin you down and tease every gorgeous inch of you until you were a desperate, dripping mess just begging me to fuck you?”
My pussy clenched, heat rising through my limbs. “I can want both things at once.” My throat was dry as a desert as I took in the visceral desire in his eyes.
“Let me have some time with you. Indulge both of us. When was the last time you let yourself steep in the sensations instead of getting off and sprinting out the door?”
I squirmed, unable to meet his gaze. He was right. That had definitely been my MO lately. I shivered. “We can play for a while, but I don’t like edging.”
“Not a problem. I’m going to make you come so many times you’re going to lose the power of speech.” He lowered down to kiss me until my toes curled. “How do you feel about being tied up, Duchess?”
“I don’t know.”
He stepped up to his closet and picked out two neckties. “Bought these for meetings when I took over, but they don’t get much use. I’ll let you out of them if you want, but try to relax and enjoy, see how you feel.”
Francisco stepped out into the living room and came back a moment later with a candle and a towel.
“What are those for?”
He held the candle up. “Mood lighting, but also it’s soy wax and I want to see if you like it. The towel is because I intend to make you an absolute mess. If we’re going to play, we might as well go all out. Strip down for me.”
My cheeks were already burning hot, my blush warming down my throat and onto my chest. I pulled off my nightgown and lay back down on the towel. The candle flickered cheerfully on his bedside table and I held my breath as he carefully secured each of my wrists in the tie and used the second one to fasten it to his headboard.
His purr was audible even standing as far away as he was. “Duchess, you look good enough to eat.”
“Maybe you should have a taste? I’d hate for you to go hungry,” I replied in a fit of boldness.
Francisco propped each of my ankles on his shoulders and lowered down, lips caressing my inner thighs until his tongue found my clit. I arched off the bed with a whimper. His palms spread me open, pinning me in place and keeping me bare to his gaze. I tugged against my restraints, finding myself unable to move. The simple knowledge of that ratcheted up every sensation, the press of his skin against mine, the suction of his lips, and the graze of his teeth.
My pussy throbbed, desperate for a knot. Francisco seemed in no hurry. He lapped up my slick, content to tease me until every inch of me was shaking.
“You said no edging.”
“And I haven’t edged you.” He nuzzled my thigh. “Edging would be letting you taste that orgasm and taking it away. Being leisurely about getting you to the peak is not the same thing.”
“But I need it.”
“You’ll get it.” He adjusted my legs, folding my knees to my chest so he could hold the backs of them with one arm and return his mouth to its task, adding his fingers one at a time in an agonizingly slow pattern.
“Please,” I whimpered.
“Tell me what you want, duchess.” His fingers moved marginally faster, enough that I felt the shift from teasing to purpose.
“I want to come.”
“You can beg better than that, beautiful. I’m not a mind reader. I want to know every filthy thought in that gorgeous head of yours.”
Words tangled on my tongue. “Fuck me, alpha. Please . I need it. Your knot, your cock. Ruin me. Give me everything.” Was I coherent? Maybe not as much as I’d like, but he’d get the idea.
“I’ll give you my cock, omega. Let’s take the edge off first, shall we?”
He curled his fingers, striking my G-spot hard and fast, his thumb brushing my clit until my eyes crossed. Pleasure coiled tight as a spring, Francisco’s gaze relentless on my face, watching every shift in my expression as he finger-fucked me. The tension released in a rush of slick and a cry that left my throat raw. Sparks danced across my skin, delirium brushing my mind.
Francisco let my legs down and withdrew his fingers, bringing them up to his lips to lick them clean. “What a good omega, coming all over my fingers like that. You taste fucking delicious.”
My purr kicked on at the praise.
He picked up the candle, the top layer melted, its faint berry scent reaching my nose. “Ready for something new?”
I’d probably have agreed to anything at this point. “Yes.”
“Soy wax doesn’t typically get hot enough to burn skin, so don’t worry about that. Just see how it feels.”
He tipped the container, a few droplets cascading down and striking my stomach with little bursts of heat that made me gasp. My nipples tightened, my body primed for more.
“Again,” I whispered.
“That’s my brave girl.” More droplets rained down on me, each one making me twitch. They danced down my midline before he teased over my breast.
One droplet landed on the peaked tip. “Fuck,” I whispered, bowing up into it.
He set the candle aside, but before I could mourn its loss he arranged some pillows beneath my hips and leisurely thrust his way into me until he was seated deep. When he picked up the candle again, my pussy clenched around him.
“That’s exactly what I was looking for. Having fun, duchess?”
I nodded frantically, already arching my back again for more. Francisco didn’t make me wait, tipping more droplets across the tender expanse of my skin.
He groaned long and low. “I’m going to have to play with you forever just so I can feel that squeeze.” Reaching out, he pinched one wax-coated nipple between his fingertips, rolling it until the cooled wax broke apart, my breath caught in my throat. His gentle grip grew stronger with each roll, my pussy spasming as pleasure shot like electricity from my nipple down to my clit.
When all the wax was caressed away, he poured fresh droplets, every inch of me shaking at the sensation. I was half convinced I was going to die when he traded the candle to his other hand and set about teasing the wax off the other peak.
I couldn’t even string two thoughts together, my body begging for more and more.
“You tell me when you’re ready to move on.”
I lost track of how long he played with me, testing out a myriad of touches to see how I responded to each until I was so sensitive I probably could’ve come with a simple breath ghosting over my skin. When he bent over to suck one nipple, I nearly leapt out of my skin, slick gushing between my thighs, the orgasm stealing every incoherent thought out of my head.
Delirium was climbing its way in.
“Fuck me, alpha,” I gasped out. “I need—I can’t?—”
“My perfect omega. I’ve got you. All you have to do is take what your alpha wants to give you. Can you do that?”
I nodded again, a whine slipping from my throat. Every inch of me was vibrating from all his teasing. His thrusts pushed me closer to the edge and Francisco didn’t even slow when my pussy clamped down on him, my body convulsing with waves of pleasure. He fucked me through each one, my legs locked around his waist, eagerly accepting the barrage of sensations.
“That’s my good girl. You’re doing so fucking well. Ready for your alpha to fill you up?”
“ Please ,” I begged, tugging against the ties holding me down.
Delirium won the war, sweeping over me as his knot sent me spiraling. My teeth ached so badly. His lips brushed over my throat and I turned, sinking my teeth into him until copper bathed my tongue and the ache subsided. Frozen and floating with nothing but the taste of him in my mouth and his knot buried deep, anchoring me into reality by mere threads.
I knew he was talking, but my brain wasn’t parsing the words, and then a deep primal pain blended with bliss, radiating out from my shoulder. Francisco flickered in the recesses of my mind. Like the crack of a glow stick, he lit up the dark.
Who knew how long we lay like that, wrapped up in each other?
Hands brushed over my hair and I cracked open an eye to see Beau. When did he get here? His mouth moved, but my ears didn’t process any actual sound.
“ Charlotte .” Beau’s voice broke through finally, his eyes wild.
“Yes?” I croaked out.
“Are you okay?”
I shifted, pushing at Francisco until he climbed off me, and shivering now that my skin was exposed to the air. Everything throbbed with a dull, pleasant ache.
I shook my head, blinking rapidly until reality rolled in like a freight train.
Bonded .
What the fuck happened?
How had I done this again ?
Numbness traveled up my fingertips and toes, my heartbeat revving up until it was a jackhammer against my ribs. My chest constricted, struggling to draw in air. Francisco jolted out of sleep.
“Duchess, what’s happening?”
“Questions later,” Beau ordered. He climbed onto the bed, half-dressed, freed me from the ties, and drew me up into his arms, cradling me against his chest. I huffed in his vanilla musk and cinnamon, hints of lavender calming me. “Breathe for me.”
I followed his own exaggerated breaths, until I got my own under control. As soon as that happened, the tears took over. I reached out and dragged Francisco closer. Having both of them nearby soothed as much as it agitated. Why was I losing control? That was the one thing I had going for me.
I lost track of how long I fell apart, cradled between them. At some point I heard Dylan and Eduardo, but they didn’t join us.
Beau and Francisco wedged into the shower with me, getting me all rinsed and scrubbed down, Francisco picking bits of wax off my skin until I felt steady.
Beau breathed a sigh of relief, his calmness floating through the bond toward me. “Good, you’ve got some clarity back in your eyes.”
“What the fuck happened?” Francisco asked.
I flinched even though I felt no animosity in the bond, only simmering panic.
“I suspect the same thing that happened with me,” replied Beau.
“What do I do?” I whimpered. Was I just never going to be able to have sex again without slipping into a heat flare? This was ridiculous.
“What we’re already doing,” said Beau. “We take things one day at a time.”
I blinked up at Francisco. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”
He drew me into a kiss, soft and sweet. “Duchess, it’s okay. I can feel all your panic, so I know you can feel that I’m not mad. Might be a little early, but this was always my eventual hope.”
I groaned and let my forehead rest against his shoulder. “I fucked up.”
“You didn’t.”
“I used to be so in control of all of this omega nonsense. Why is it getting away from me now?”
“You didn’t have scent matches before,” he pointed out.
“Or a nest,” Beau added. “Or frankly any freedom to indulge in that part of who you are. How long have you been off suppressants?”
“A little over two years. When my heat never came after my first two times going off them, I just stopped taking them.”
“So, with your body finally adjusting to not being suppressed, you finding scent matches, and getting your first nest in way too long, it makes sense to me you wouldn’t be used to everything that’s going on.” Francisco kissed my forehead. “You’re an omega who was denied the chance to be who you truly are. I know it’s probably scary, but we want to support you exploring that part of yourself.”
Beau took my hand. “Since Francisco and I are already bonded to you, if you’d like to reduce your risk of this happening with the others before you’re ready, maybe things will require more supervision.”
I was torn between being weirded out over needing to be watched like I was a naughty child, and being thrilled at the idea of my alphas watching me get ruined. “I’ll consider it.”
“Good.” Francisco kissed me again and drew me out of the shower, wrapping me in a plush towel. “Let’s get you dressed back in your nightgown and we’ll head over to your place.”
I kept a towel wrapped around my hair and pulled my nightgown on over it. Francisco opted for pants only, and the three of us slipped over to my apartment.
I stopped short in the doorway, seeing Eduardo in the kitchen making breakfast and Dylan helping the boys pick out their clothes for school.
“Good morning, querida,” Eduardo greeted, abandoning the stove just long enough to give me a quick kiss.
“Mommy’s back!” Ollie shrieked. He slammed against me, pressing his face into my stomach.
“Good morning, baby. Are you two being good for Dylan and Eduardo?”
“So good.” Ollie looked up at me, driving his chin into me.
“Let’s get you dressed.” I hustled him back to his room and helped him into the outfit Dylan had laid out before checking on Sammy, who was busy talking Dylan’s ear off about horse facts he’d learned at the library while Dylan nodded, smiled, and reacted like everything was brand-new information. “Sammy, have you brushed your teeth yet?”
He shook his head.
“Okay, go do that. You can talk to Dylan more at breakfast.”
With a dramatic sigh, Sammy tromped across the living room to the bathroom he now shared with his brother, climbing up on the stool to complete his task.
I sat down on his bed near Dylan. “Thank you for watching them.”
“You’re pack,” he said emphatically. “The kiddos are all our responsibility and we knew you’d need some recovery time today.”
“Are you upset I bonded Francisco?”
“Nah. Just sad I didn’t get to go first.” He parked himself next to me, and shot me a wink. “I’m happy to wait my turn.”
It seemed silly to say I wasn’t sure it would ever be anyone else’s turn when I was bonded into their pack. My choice of timing was obviously very different than my body’s preferences. I just had to trust that everything would be all right in the end. It was either that or cry, and I didn’t have time to give in to despair.