CHAPTER SEVEN – OTLEY
“Otley! I’ve got Ellis on the phone!”
I can hear Tristan’s feet flying up the staircase and have a moment to worry that he’s in socks and not holding the handrail before he bursts into my office, his cell phone held aloft.
Heat fills my chest as I take in his beautiful face, still flushed from the fucking I gave him the moment I got home from Lily’s farm.
After leaving True Value, she’d declared my work day done and dropped me back to my rental car, the shutters firmly down over her luminous blue eyes.
I’d argued that she needed help unloading her truck, but she’d nodded in the direction of a pair of field hands and then continued up the gravel drive without a backward glance.
I’d been so pent-up and frustrated, I leaped on Tristan as he came out of the gym after a yoga session.
Thank God he was already feeling warm and pliable from his workout, because the positions I bent him into were nothing short of brutal.
I wave him over towards me, and he winces slightly as he perches on my lap.
I drop an apologetic kiss on his bonding scar as Ellis’ greeting echoes in my ear, his voice strained with frustration.
The film location is so remote he can only contact us by text or satellite phone, and he’s clearly desperate to see our mate’s face.
“Describe him to me, Ot,” he groans down the phone, and I look into Tristan’s twinkling eyes.
He really is the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen, which is saying something, since Ellis has graced more magazine covers than any other actor of his generation.
“My memory is good, but my left hand needs a little boost.”
Which means he’s found a quiet spot and is jacking off to thoughts of our mate, while I’m sitting here cuddling the real thing.
“Well-fucked,” I reply, the sadist in me enjoying my pack brother’s drawn-out moan.
Ellis has a deep, melodic voice that’s made for the big screen, with a raspy edge that even gets me hard in the right headspace.
“He’s just finished a yoga workout and he’s wearing those thin lounge pants with the drawstring at the front.
” I stroke the soft cotton on Tristan’s thigh, making him squirm.
Teasing Ellis is fun, but getting Tristan all hot and bothered is only going to work in my favor.
“Remember how you tried to pull the cord with your teeth and ended up ripping out the crotch?”
They both groan, Tristan’s cock twitching against my thumb as I squeeze his thigh. The tension is even more delicious because I can hear Ellis stroking himself from thousands of miles away. “Kiss him, Ot,” he begs, already right on the edge. “Tell me what he tastes like.”
“Happily,” I murmur, before sinking my tongue into our beta’s pliable mouth.
Tristan is as beautiful to taste as he is to look at, and I give a possessive growl as he clutches at me.
I changed into a business shirt after my shower, and he doesn’t hesitate to pluck at my buttons, sliding his hand inside and stroking my chest. I deepen the kiss, claiming every inch of his mouth, while he grinds needily on my lap.
“Perfect,” I declare when I finally pull back, my thumb lingering on his plump bottom lip “Like a decadent mint I found perched on my pillow.”
I squeeze his ass for good measure, but Ellis groans in frustration. “Yes, but how does he taste?”
I grunt, nuzzling my bonding bite on Tristan’s neck. “You sure you want to torture yourself like that?”
“I want him to come,” Ellis grumbles, “even if it’s your damn hand having all the fun.”
“And my mouth,” I remind him, sucking gently on Tristan’s throat, “because our mate’s bonding bites are as sweet as his tongue.”
“Just stop gloating and get him off, asshole.”
Tristan grins at Ellis’ bossy tone, but the smile morphs into pure need as I slide my hand under the waistband of his lounge pants. He’s hard and leaking, and it only takes a couple of strokes before he’s gripping my shoulder and moaning into my neck.
“I love you, Tris,” Ellis pants, his voice all needy growl. “I miss you so much!”
“I love you, too, Alpha!” Tristan’s bliss-smeared gaze finds mine, and I give him a soft smile as he tenses, his thighs clenching and quivering against mine. “Alpha!”
“Spill for us, sweetheart.”
It’s all it takes for them to both find their release, Tristan crying out as he sucks on my throat and pumps into my hands. I can hear Ellis puffing and spluttering on the phone, no doubt cursing every mile between him and our cum-drained mate.
“Mmm,” I purr as I withdraw my hand and lick my palm. “I can taste more than a hint of green apples. The fresh air definitely suits you, sweetheart.”
“Okay, you can stop torturing me now,” Ellis huffs, the frustration back in his voice despite what sounded like an epic orgasm. “This long-distance shit is going to fucking end me.”
I smirk at his dramatics. “Not long now, Ellis, and then you’ll be with us for six-months straight.”
“Think of all the lounge pants you can chew through in that time,” Tristan adds with a cheeky grin. “I’ll make sure I stock up before you get home.”
“Ugh. Yes, please. Although, you know how Otto is. He’s already going on and on about the publicity tour, and we haven’t even finished post-production.”
Despite his grumbling, Ellis always leaps at the chance to work with Otto Franz.
Regarded as the director of his generation, his ego is monumental, even by Hollywood’s standards, and he treats his actors like well-groomed props that only exist to do his bidding.
He once told Vanity Fair that Ellis’ birth was the day they met, like he’d molded his genius out of a random lump of clay.
Casting Ellis in his first blockbuster definitely boosted his profile, but it was his hard work and family connections that got him on the map in the first place.
Which brings me back around to his manipulative asshole of an uncle and the secret he took to his grave…
“So, tell me more about Idaho,” Ellis says, a note of exhaustion creeping into his voice. “Is it everything you hoped?”
“It’s stunning,” Tristan replies, biting his lip. “We found some perfect locations for the photoshoot, if I can convince the owner to work with us.”
“You’ll have them eating out of your hand in no time, beautiful.”
“I hope so, but… there’s actually a lot more to the story.” Tristan looks at me with raised eyebrows. “Ot, I think we should talk about this now.”
I study his face, his eyes pleading as he chews on his lip. We’ve never kept secrets from each other, and it’s not like I want to keep Ellis in the dark. I would prefer to tell him the truth face-to-face, but at least this is better than a text. “Are you sitting down?”
“No, I’m jerking off in front of the entire crew,” Ellis snorts. “Of course, I’m sitting down. Why? What happened?”
“Nothing bad. In fact, it’s good news.” I feel an unfamiliar flutter under my breastbone, and Tristan winds his arms around my neck, like he’s trying to soothe my racing heart.
“We found her, El. Lily is in Idaho. It’s a small town called Knotty Falls, and her farm is one of the locations we’ve looked at for the campaign. ”
I expect some kind of reaction, but all we get is silence - that stretches on and on and on. Was he really sitting down, or has the idiot slipped off an icy prop and broken his damn neck?
“Ellis?” Tristan frowns at his phone, tapping the screen with an anxious finger. “Are you still there?”
“You found her?”
The words are a ragged whisper, and the painful longing in Ellis’ voice makes Tristan clutch me tighter.
“Yes,” I tell him quickly, not wanting him to suffer a moment longer.
When Lily walked out on us, I was frustrated and disappointed, but Ellis was inconsolable.
He hired a private investigator to track her down, and when that didn’t work, he flew out to Boise every year on the anniversary of her heat.
Wandered around the airport and bus stations in a hoodie and dark glasses, hoping he’d catch a glimpse of her somewhere.
“Her details were in Crest’s papers. She wrote to him, asking to get in contact with us.
” It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him why, but Tristan gives a quick shake of his head.
“It’s why I got this house,” I admit. “And I would’ve told you sooner, but-. ”
“Fuck this long-distance shit.”
There’s a sudden clatter on his end and the line goes dead.
“Crap,” Tristan says, his eyes like moons as he stares at his silent phone. “Did his head just explode?”
I pull a face. “More likely he’s gone to commandeer a helicopter.”
Tristan leans back to gape at me. “You think he’s coming here? Now?”
I think Ellis would boycott his own Oscar party if it meant solving the mystery of Lily Percy.
Which is a thought I keep to myself, despite Tristan looking at me with so much love and understanding in his eyes.
Any other mate would be pissed at the situation unfolding around us, but I remember the way he smelled when he came back from his late-night visit to Lily’s house.
Like chocolate-coated peppermint, his arousal clinging to his skin until I’d licked him from head to toe.
“You mean everything to us, Tris,” I tell my mate, placing a gentle kiss on his plump lips. “I’m sorry if the mauling I gave you earlier didn’t communicate that properly.”
“Never apologize for worshipping my ass.” He nuzzles me back, breathing in my scent like it’s ambrosia. “And for what it’s worth, I think you did the right thing by not telling Ellis about Leo over the phone. He needs to be here with us when he finds out.”
“Agreed.” I sigh and tilt my head back as he runs his fingers along the line of my jaw. “But every day he’s not here, he’s missing out. It’s another day he can never get back. With Leo, but also with Lily.”
I know I’m arguing with myself, but I can’t shake my feelings of guilt and regret.
Ever since I went through Crest’s papers and discovered the truth, I’ve contemplated chartering a flight up to Ellis’ location.
But the safer approach seemed to be to scope the situation out myself before I got his hopes up.
What if Lily refuses to see him? Or Leo’s camping trip becomes an extended vacation, somewhere far away from Ellis’ reach?
There’s a lot about this situation that’s out of my control, but Ellis suffering a broken heart is never going to happen on my watch.
I look at the framed picture on my desk of Lily and Leo that Tristan took the day they met.
She’s looking down at her son with so much love, it makes my chest tighten, and I wonder for a moment what it would take for her to look at me like that.
I can tell by the state of their finances that things haven’t always been easy, but Lily has built a good life for them here, and it’s clear that she will defend that with every breath in her body.
I feel a flare of pride, which I know I have no right to claim for myself.
I’m also well aware that I’ll have to work hard to win her trust. My stomach sours as I recall the fear in her voice when she asked if I was going to take Leo away from her.
It’s a valid question, I suppose, but it stung worse than any of the barbs and threats that have been leveled at me over the years.
Am I ruthless? Yes, but only because I know the value of the things I want.
“The best things are worth fighting for,” I murmur.
“She’ll come around,” Tristan says softly, no doubt feeling my turmoil through our bond. “How can she not? You’re the best alphas I know.”
I press a soft kiss to his perpetually smiling lips. “We don’t deserve you.”
“I think I came out pretty well in this partnership,” he hums, circling a teasing finger around my bonding mark.
“But if you’re worried about deserving Lily, my advice is to show her the real you, Ot.
Not just the strong alpha and killer businessman.
Let her get to know the guy I fell in love with. ”
His words wash over me like a caress, but I can’t help wondering if he’s a little blinded by love. I’m not exactly known for my warm and inviting disposition, after all. But then I remember the way Lily clung to me in her truck, her scent so potent I could almost taste her slick on my tongue.
She wasn’t immune to this connection between us, and I’ve won over pricklier people with bigger grudges in the past. I just need to roll up my sleeves and be useful in a way she can appreciate.
Buoyed by the thought, I run a thumb down Tristan’s twitching spine. “You think I should launch a charm offensive on Rosie’s Blooms?”
Tristan’s lips crimp, and I can tell he’s holding back a laugh as he leans over to steal a kiss. “Focus on the charm part of the equation, Mr. James, and Lily will be the luckiest omega in Idaho.”