Chapter 29 Walker
Walker
Privacy is a luxury I don’t usually have to think about.
Between the tinted windows of my villa home and the tinted windows of my back deck, I stay concealed from the vineyard world, even though my villa is maybe four city blocks away from the main building where I work.
But as Eli carries Lia up the stone pathway toward my front door, making sure we have privacy is the only thing I can focus on.
No one will see her in this state. Not if I have anything to say about it.
I unlock the front door to my home just as Knox barrels past me.
“The back deck covered?” he asks, making his way toward the sliding glass doors.
“And tinted,” I say as I hold the door open for Eli. “You won’t need to close the privacy panels unless you want to.”
Knox is through the sliding glass door before I finish the sentence.
My place is far enough removed from the main building that no one should come wandering by, but with precious cargo in tow, I give a quick sweep of my eyes around the place, anyway.
Thankfully, days when school isn’t in session aren’t the busiest days here at work, since the gaggles of mothers that frequent my business for wine tastings and finger foods rely on school hours to keep their kids occupied.
Which means no one will accidentally catch a whiff of an Omega in distress and come sniffing around out of instinct alone.
“She’s shivering,” Eli says from behind me.
I turn and see Lia wrapped in that silk blanket he gave her, listening to her teeth chatter together.
“Let’s get her in a shower,” I say, pointing in the direction where he needs to go. “Knox is setting up the back deck. I’m sure he’ll be with us shortly.”
I lead Eli through my home as Lia’s chattering teeth follow me. The sound breaks my heart. She’s miserable, and her scent is fraught with the emotion. A soft, broken sound slips from her lips that makes my chest tighten painfully.
This tea shit had better kick in soon.
That’s all I’m saying.
“What if it doesn’t work?” Lia shivers.
She doesn’t have to explain for me to know she’s talking about the tea and the pill. “I’ve got more tea to brew. Dr. Quinn says you can have up to three cups.”
“I want another,” she whines.
“I can get her in the shower if you want to brew her another one?” Eli asks.
I just nod as we weave through the villa before I push my bedroom door open. “Go in, look to the right, there’s a door that’s painted crimson. That’s the bathroom.”
“Got it, thanks,” Eli says as he slips by me.
My nostrils flare for Lia’s scent greedily as she passes by me. Cinnamon rolls drenched in icing.
I want to lick her icing from between her thighs.
“Come on, Alley Cat,” Eli coos at her, “let’s get you settled in a hot shower.”
“Oh, yes,” Lia groans.
My cock pulses with the sound.
I leave Eli to it while I backtrack into my kitchen. I waste no time getting a kettle plugged in and I ratchet up the heat.
I have to head back out to my convertible to get the brown paper bag of things Dr. Quinn sent me with, and when I look toward the main building of the vineyard, I see a few of my workers standing there.
Staring at the villa.
“Get back to work!” I boom in their direction.
They scurry like mice.
Good.
I snatch the bag out of the backseat of my car before heading inside. The electric kettle’s already bubbling by the time I get inside. I drop the tea bag into a mug and pour the hot water over it just as Knox steps back inside from the deck where the hot tub is located.
He thumbs over his shoulder. “Got the panels pulled anyway. Not sure how sensitive she’ll be to the bright sun out there.”
“Did you find the low lights to turn on?” I ask.
Knox pauses. “Didn’t know where was any.”
I flicker my gaze toward him. “Stick your head inside and look to the left. There’s a series of light switches. Just flip them until you find a setting she might like.”
Knox disappears again before a warm glow undulates across the back deck. The light switches again and a cool glow mixed with reds and pinks fills the space. With every click of the light switch, a different colored light pops up. Some of them move, others are stationary.
Knox finally settles on a stationary warm white light.
“You’re bougie as fuck,” Knox says with a grin as he steps back inside.
I shrug. “Better bougie than boring. Here, this tea should be ready. I’m going to steep the other one and keep it on hand, just in case.”
Knox comes and takes it from me. “You think she’ll need all three?”
I shrug as I dump the last tea bag into another mug. “I don’t know, but I want it ready just in case.”
“All right, where am I taking this?”
After walking Knox through the directions on where Eli and Lia are, he disappears again. I take the moment by myself to draw in air through my nose, feeling my chest expand.
My lungs come alive with the heady scent of cinnamon rolls and a growl springs up in my chest. It rumbles through my clenched teeth. My cock stands at full attention behind my pants, aching to be buried inside of her.
Even if we can put this off for a few more days, there’s no mistaking it.
Her heat is approaching.
After steeping the tea and rearranging myself in my pants, I head back toward my bedroom. Already, I hear Knox and Eli with their reassuring voices on.
Lia’s whimpers rocket shockwaves through my body, and for a split second, I wonder if I’m strong enough to do this.
Can I keep my instincts at bay to give my Omega what she needs?
“Walker?” she croaks out.
Her voice is defeated, and I won’t have that. “I’m right here, beautiful.”
“Walker,” she whimpers. “I don’t know if the tea is working.”
“That’s why we’re taking sips of this one,” Knox says.
“And I’ve already got the third one brewed up,” I say as I undo my belt buckle, listening to it clatter against the tile floor. “If you need it, you can have it while we’re relaxing in the hot tub.”
She groans, and I have to draw in a deep breath to keep in control of myself.
“We’re in our boxers, by the way,” Eli says as he pokes his head out of my walk-in.
“Sorry,” Lia says breathlessly.
Honestly, that’s probably for the better. Three hard cocks staring her in the face will probably put pressure on her to do something about them.
I give a nod as I leave my boxers on and strip out of everything else.
“No apologies.” I make my way into the steamy stone shower. “Here, let me hold you while Eli and Knox finish cleaning you up.”
Her body is already sudsy with soap. Eli’s already got conditioner in her hair. I slide onto the floor, the four of us fitting with room to spare.
Both of the rainfall shower head nozzles are on, blasting us with warm water. Steam envelops us, and when Lia’s head touches down against my chest, my instincts flare to life.
Mine.
“I’ve got you,” I murmur as my fingertips slide up and down her back. “Just relax.”
“I’m gonna get this conditioner out of your hair, Alley Cat,” Eli says.
“Spread your legs for me, I’m gonna clean up this slick real quick,” Knox says.
I shoot him a warning look that says, “stay in control of yourself.” Knox gives me a nod, and then Lia’s thighs are parted. I band my arm around her belly, my hand splaying over the excess around her midsection.
The scent of her slaps me across the face, and even Knox has to pause when his nostrils flare.
“All right, we’ll take this slow,” he says.
“Sorry,” Lia whimpers.
I kiss the back of her head, not caring about the conditioner on my lips. “No apologies. Just hold still for us. We’ll get you cleaned up.”
Eli is a tense, distracted mess as he washes the conditioner out of her hair. I can only imagine the memories this kicks up for him. Knox’s hands shake as he washes between her thighs, her glistening slick shimmering as it rushes down the shower drain.
I lean my head back against the stone wall behind me, my hand mindlessly massaging her hips, trying to keep them busy. Trying to do anything but pin her down and claim her as mine.
“Haven’t had a cramp since getting into the shower,” Lia whispers.
“Good,” I rumble, my own voice sounding foreign to my ears, “that’s good. Means the tea’s finally kicking in.”
“Here,” Knox says, his voice choked off, “take another sip.”
He pauses his cleaning efforts to hold the covered cup up to her lips. She takes a few sips before her head falls back against my chest.
While the other guys are working to get her clean, I do the only thing I can with my instincts on full display like this.
I let my scent loose.
“Easy,” I murmur into her ear. “We’ve got you. Just relax. You’re safe with us.”
“Ooooh,” she groans as the smell of warm earth and aging wine wraps around all of us, “I love the way you smell.”
My cock kicks at her words. “You want theirs, too, beautiful?”
“Yes,” she whimpers. “Please.”
Within moments, Eli’s scent of citrus and honey and Knox’s scent of rain and mocha fills the space along with my own. It should be an odd mixture, and yet it brings a sense of calm to me.
Loneliness has hung over me for almost two decades. Our scents, intermingled with hers, chase it all away in seconds.
I close my eyes and relish it.
By the time we get her rinsed off and wrapped into one of my towels, her demeanor has improved. She still hasn’t complained of a cramp and the flushed color of her skin is receding back to the milky glow of her natural hue.
I lift her up, not caring about the water the three of us are dripping all over my floors as we head to the back deck.
I turn on fans as we go.
Water dries. It’s not that big of a deal.
“Ready for a hot soak?” Eli asks as he gets in first.
“Oh, I can feel it already,” Lia moans as I pass her off to Eli.
Knox leans in and murmurs. “Should I go get that third cup? Just in case?”
I watch Eli get her settled into the steam, and Lia’s sigh makes me smile.
“We can get it if she needs it, but she seems steady right now,” I say as I usher my hand toward the hot tub. “In you go.”