Chapter 29
TWENTY-NINE
After Puck dropped the bombshell that Kieran would offer me on a silver platter if Puck didn’t manage to “procure” a male Omega, I couldn’t stand anymore. I was gently carried to the nest by Emmanuel, with Gage and Maverick trailing dutifully behind him.
They all cuddled up with me, and I found myself drifting off to sleep in the arms of my pack.
Gage sure did get thrown into the deep end with me. We’ve never even kissed, yet he’s learned I’m part of a criminal organization, and I’m just a few weeks away from being forced to -
I’m not even going to think about it.
Puck is going to figure out a way to get me out of this without offering up some other Omega to get abused.
He promised.
And for all his faults, for all the things he’s kept from me, I believe him.
“Hey, Crys, you awake?” I startle at the voice at my back before turning around to look into Gage’s pretty green eyes.
“You’re still here.”
“‘Course I am,” he chuckles. “I had to run back home last night and get Burger squared away for the night, but I came right back. I’m not going anywhere, ever.”
“Why? You don’t have to be a part of this mess.” My chest aches at the idea of him leaving me, but I need him to take the out and stay safe. “We barely know each other.”
“If you want to get technical, Crys, we’ve known each other for four years.”
“For two hours every three months. How can anyone know each other in that amount of time?”
He chuckles. “Every three months, for four years. Seventeen times. That’s thirty-four hours. Are you going to say that after talking for almost a day and a half, we don’t know each other?”
When he puts it that way, arguing that we don’t know each other feels silly.
But he continues, not waiting for me to answer. “Sure, we still have a lot to learn about one another. I’m sure you’re a psychopath and squeeze toothpaste from the middle of the tube.”
“How dare you! I would never !” I shove him playfully.
“Or worse,” he places a hand on his chest, “you could hate pineapple on pizza.”
My mouth drops open. “Don’t tell me you put fruit on your pizza, Gage. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to look at you the same.”
He ruffles his auburn hair. “Are you kidding? Salty pepperoni, sweet pineapple, throw in some spicy jalapenos, and I’m the happiest Beta on the block.”
“What pizza place does gluten-free crusts?”
He snorts and rolls onto his back. “Some delicacies are worth the pain.”
I struggle to keep my laugh quiet, rolling onto my side and burying my face under his arm to keep from waking the others.
After a few quiet moments of cuddling, he whispers, “We owe it to ourselves to give this a chance. I’ve been drawn to you since the beginning. There had to be a reason you kept coming back to me, right?”
“It wasn’t even a thought, honestly. After the first one, seeing anyone other than you never even crossed my mind.” My breath catches in my throat as his hand wraps around my waist, tugging me closer to him.
For a moment, we’re both still, breathing the same air as one another as we sink into the comfort of my nest. And then, as if he were a magnet and I metal, we fall together, our lips clashing in a passionate tangle.
Kissing Maverick is exciting and electric.
Kissing Emmanuel is sensual and romantic.
But kissing Gabe is fun. It’s like our lips and tongues are chasing one another. Very soon, I’m on top of him, squirming as I try to keep my lips on his while he tickles me in an attempt to gain the upper hand.
He drags his hands up my sides, sliding under my shirt and tentatively touching the underside of my breasts. He kneads his fingertips into my flesh.
He’s asking a question, I realize.
“Touch me,” I say against his lips. He doesn’t hesitate, slipping his hands higher and rubbing my nipples with his thumbs. Immediately, I feel an electric current zapping through me, and I groan against his lips. He rocks his hips up, and I feel his hard length against the thin fabric of my panties.
He pulls back some, sucking my bottom lip into his mouth and nibbling on it as he continues his gentle assault on my nipples.
It’s not enough.
I want more.
Pulling our bodies closer together, I angle my hips so my slit is right over his cock. His sharp intake of breath as I grind across it is going to make me drunk on desire. I feel like a teenager dry-humping in the backseat of a car, and I don’t hate it.
I think a hump and grind is very underrated.
Our lips tangle, our tongues battling for dominance as I pick up the speed of my hips. Gage gives my nipples a final squeeze before he grabs my hips, pushing me further down on his cock and speeding up my ministrations.
Pleasure whirls inside me, running up from my toes, and I am so close to falling over.
Warm lips caress my neck. “This looks fun. Can I join?” Maverick whispers.
And I fucking explode.
My orgasm is overwhelming, and I fall back into Maverick’s arms as I come down from it.
“That was fucking beautiful,” the Alpha whispers as he kisses my temple. “I think your Beta enjoyed it, too.”
My eyes flutter open and zero in on the wet spot on his boxers.
Did Gage come in his pants?
Fucking hell, that is so hot.
His face heats at Maverick’s attention. He scrambles up to his knees, giving me a sweet kiss before heading out of the nest. “I, uh, I’m gonna get cleaned up.”
I’m mortified that I forgot the others were sprawled around the nest. I guess I just expected them to leave after I fell asleep. But nope, a glance shows Emmanuel propped up on the side of the nest with a sleepy smile.
“Sorry,” I say sheepishly as I crawl to the quiet Alpha and kiss him softly. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You didn’t, mi amor. I’ve been up for a bit now.” He gestures vaguely to his head, and I get what he’s trying to say.
He’s in pain.
“But I did enjoy the show.” He boops me on the end of the nose playfully.
“You… if you need to go, you can,” I say quietly. Luckily, the lights are always low in the nest, so at least those aren’t beating down on him.
But the Alpha wraps his arms around my waist and buries his nose in the crook of my neck. “No, this is all I need right now.”
Gage returns to the nest in his jeans, a grimace on his face.
“Do you know what time it is?”
“Shit, no, I don’t. And it’s Thursday! I have to work today.” I try to search for my phone, but Emmanuel clings tighter to me.
“It’s six-fifteen.” Gage leans against the door frame.
“Oh, shit,” Maverick whispers. He chews his lip as he looks around the nest with unseeing eyes. Out of nowhere, something is bothering him. I’m unsure where his worry comes from, but I’ve never seen him look so uncomfortable.
Gage notices, too.
“Mav, buddy, you okay?”
Maverick looks stricken as he eyes the Beta. “Oh, uh. I didn’t take my meds last night. I should be fine. I can take one of them in the morning. It just makes me a little groggy. But it’s better than missing them, you know? No one would want to see that.” He chuckles, but it’s humorless.
Before I can speak, Maverick leaps to his feet. “Anyways! Do you have coffee, sugar tits?”
“Not if you call me sugartits, I don’t. No way,” I shout over Gage’s peals of laughter.
“I’ll get there eventually!” Maverick says with a forced cheer. “What about tea? Who wants tea? I’m going to go make something hot and caffeinated for everyone.”
And he’s out the door.
Emmanuel, Gage, and I look at each other with equal expressions of confusion. “Is he okay?” I don’t know who I’m asking, but I need to know.
“He seems a little uncomfortable about missing his meds. I’ll go check on him,” Gage says as he clamors out of my tiny nest.
“You’ve got to get ready for work, mi amor,” Emmanuel says softly.
“I have to be at Prism tonight,” I whisper. “How am I supposed to face Kieran, knowing what I know now?”
“We’re going to figure this out, Crystal. I promise.”
* * *
Tyler tosses a bar rag at my face. “Do not lie to me,” he admonishes sternly. “Something is different.”
I roll my eyes and turn my back to him, arching my back to look at him upside down over the bar. “Nothing is different. I am the same broken bitch you’ve known for years.”
“Ah, yes, broken. You love to say that like you think you’re a toy discarded on the ground. But you’re not. You’re broken in the way Kintsugi pottery is broken.” He grabs the sides of my face, forcing me to stay arched backward, unable to look away from his intense gaze. “Fixed into something stronger, something precious.”
A lump forms in my throat, and my eyes start to water. “And for the pottery so far gone that it cannot be repaired?”
“Then you build a beautiful mosaic with it. Honoring where it came from and celebrating something new.” He kisses my forehead before letting me go with a little shove. “Now, what do you know about our clients for the evening?”
I clear my throat, forcing the emotions down beneath a layer of resilience. “If my outfit is any indication, they’re young and rich.”
In my locker this evening was a tight, red latex catsuit. Though most of my skin is covered, I still feel on display. It’s like a second skin and was a pain in the ass to get on.
The ladies in the pleasure den had to help me cover my entire body with baby powder before I could even get it to move an inch up my body.
My breasts peek out of a heart-shaped cutout on the chest, and the boots I’m wearing could probably kill someone if I stepped on their face.
Tyler whistles as he drags his eyes up my figure. “You’re going to be popular tonight in that getup. Even I want you to step on my balls in that.”
Before I can retort, Puck comes striding through the open door.
“Queenie,” he says sharply. I suppose we’re going to pretend last night didn’t happen.
It’s for the best, but it still gives me a pang in my chest.
For a moment, I could pretend he came to me last night to tell me everything because he cares for me. And, honestly, over the years, I have seen signs that he at least feels a small attachment to me.
But it’s better not to examine those feelings.
“Who’s on the docket for tonight?” I ask, wincing at how my body squeaks when I cross the room to the big Beta.
His dark brown eyes flick down to my breasts for half a second before landing on my face. “Bachelor party.”
Tyler’s dismissive snort causes Puck to glare at him. “Since when does Kieran use the Queen for a bachelor party?”
“Since the bachelor is the chief of police.”
My stomach bottoms out. “What… he wants me to sell fizz to the police chief?”
“Kieran gave a significant donation to the chief’s reelection fund. You are to treat him as the highest VIP we’ve ever had.”
I can read between the lines, and I don’t even have to squint that hard.
The police chief is in Kieran Cobb’s pocket.
We’re all fucked.