Chapter 49
Chapter Forty-Nine
“No freaking way.”
That’s my reaction when all three of my Alphas report to me that Roman and Christian had been chatting Bec up all night. Or trying to.
“I talked to Bec a thousand times today, and she never mentioned any of this.”
Will smiles warmly. “She probably didn’t want to steal the party thunder.”
“‘Party thunder’?” Asher repeats with a laugh.
“Yeah, like, it’s Izzy’s party and she didn’t want to be the focus.”
“Still,” I say with a frown. “She could have told me.”
“She’s staying a few more days, Iz,” Matthew chimes. “Give the woman a chance.”
He’s right, of course. But that’s not going to stop me interrogating her tomorrow.
With extreme prejudice.
“I did catch my brother eye-balling her,” I mutter. “I just thought he was being his usual womanizing self.”
Will looks a touch concerned. “Is Christian really like that?”
I wince. “Well, he was. In high school and college. And at least a few years after.” Sigh. “Once he moved to New York, I just stopped paying attention. He never got into trouble, and he’s an adult who can take care of himself.” I hope.
“We should exchange gifts,” Asher offers with a grin, and I’m thankful for the distraction.
A few days ago, Will put up the cutest, tiniest tree in our downstairs living room and placed it on the coffee table with little battery-powered lights. Beneath it are several wrapped gifts with small tags.
Asher rises, pulls three gifts from under the tree that are all wrapped in the same paper, and hands one to Will, then Matthew, then me.
In my family, we always opened one gift at a time, allowing each person to revel in their prize before the next was given the same opportunity, and so I wait, as does Matthew, who’s smiling beside me.
Will waits for us to gesture for him to continue before carefully running his finger along the seam of the wrapping paper, then popping the tape off one end, then the other.
“Bloody hell, mate,” Asher says through a laugh. “We’ll be here all night with you going on like that.”
Matthew and I laugh, too, especially when I see Will’s embarrassed expression.
“Will, open the gifts however you want,” I tell him. “We’re all adults here. There’s no bedtime to worry about.”
He grins at me, then tears the paper with glee, revealing a fancy electric slicer for the kitchen.
“Oh, no way,” he breathes, unable to take his eyes off it for a long time, then peering up at Asher. “I can’t believe you remembered.”
Asher’s smile is so warm, I can feel it in my chest. “Of course I remembered.” Then, breaking the heavy moment, he turns to Matthew. “I believe you’re next.”
Matthew tears the paper off in record time, unveiling a framed art print that looks signed, and from a first-person shooter that Matthew loves to stream.
“Ah, bro,” Matthew is in awe, his eyes darting from his gift to Asher and back. “How did you get this?”
Asher’s smile is like the Cheshire Cat's. “I’ll never tell.”
The excitement in the air is thick as all eyes turn to me, a bit of a twinkle there. I rip open the paper, heart racing, and reveal—a pack of AA batteries.
I eye the batteries for a moment, school my disappointed expression, and blink up at Asher. “Um, thank you?” It definitely comes out more like a question.
Asher laughs before I jump up and dive for the gifts I’d gotten my men, handing one package to each of them.
I had custom Christmas ornaments made for each of them at a nearby shop with their names written in fancy lettering, each representing a special location that holds memories for us.
Asher gets a fancy tea cup in a saucer because of our Cuppa runs.
Matthew gets an acrylic depiction of the frozen lake with a couple skating on it.
And Will… well, I may have done a little extra for his.
“Izzy…” his breath catches, eyes swimming as he looks at me over the small ornament in his hands. A lovingly sculpted replica of The Cozy Crescent that he can hold onto always.
“I don’t know what to say.” His voice cracks the slightest bit, and I pull him into an embrace immediately.
“I know you’ll always have your years of memories here, but I thought this might be a nice keepsake.”
“I love it,” he breathes. “And you.”
I smile warmly, but don’t miss the worried glances he sends to a very subdued Asher and then Matthew, who’s next to pass his gifts out.
Asher receives a very fancy wooden box filled with an equally fancy tea assortment. Will gets an apron with a wild design on the chest, the words “Alpha Cook” emblazoned on it, along with a new electric milk frother I’d caught him eyeing online.
And then, it’s my turn. Feeling how light the package is, I’m at least pleased that it can’t be batteries again. But when I unwrap it, I find a big spool of fancy red fabric gift ribbon.
And… now I’m just confused.
“Thank you, Matthew. It’s very pretty.”
He may have cringed a little before I put the ribbon down on the floor beside the batteries.
Then, Will hands out his gifts.
At this point, I’ve stopped paying attention to what the others get. My hope that Will, my sweet Alpha, has given me something more sentimental, is the only thing keeping my mind from spiraling when he hands me a large, weighty package, lovingly wrapped with a pretty stick-on bow.
I take my time unwrapping this one, and finally unveil a box with a photo of a spool of LED Christmas lights on it.
Part of me really expected to start bawling if even Will’s gift was so…
I don’t know what to call these. So I turn my confused face up and find all three of my men standing in front of me, Will’s hand extended for me to take.
When I do automatically, he pulls me off the couch and wraps his arms around me before saying over my head, “I told you guys.”
Asher’s, “Ehhh,” rings out, making me turn to him in Will’s arms.
“Sorry, love,” he says with kind eyes. “We wanted to get a little something for us all to enjoy tonight.”
“For… what?”
Matthew chuckles before he picks up the batteries and ribbon from the floor, tucks them under his arm, and runs the back of his hand down the side of my face. His eyes grow heated as he looks at me, a lopsided grin on his face. “We want to play a game.”
My breath catches, heart giving a thump in my chest. “W-what game?”
Asher’s gaze narrows on me as he licks his lips. “Happy Christmas Shag.”
Will groans, “We are not going with that name.”
“The game is called ‘The Gift,’” Matthew corrects.
Warmth spreads across my body, my pussy aches, and suddenly, I don’t care about crappy presents anymore.
Once I’m led to Will’s room, I’m quickly stripped down, my breathing hitched, but my Alphas don’t make any moves to touch or please me.
Instead, they’re taking my gifts out of their packages, placing the batteries into a compartment on the lights, making all the different colors come to life before my Alphas converge on me.
I’m silently positioned into an all-too-familiar T-Pose, just like the characters I’d design in Maya for games, and the string of lights is wrapped around my body, slowly.
I barely register that the lights aren’t too hot, and later I figure it’s because they’re LEDs, as they’re intricately looped around my arms, wrapped around my back, under my breasts, then down my sides where they’re wrapped across my hips, down, then up both my legs.
Will allows me to lower my arms, then steps back to admire the sight of their handiwork, staring at me like I’m a meal he’s going to devour, and boy, do I hope he makes good on that look as my slick starts to weep from my pussy.
“You’d better hurry,” Matthew says, sounding breathless. “I’m ready for my gift right now.”
“Easy,” Asher cautions as he approaches me with the roll of ribbon. “This will be worth the wait, I assure you.”
He starts to wrap me in the ribbon around the lights already on my body, creating a kind of cupless corset on my chest, my aching nipples bare and wanting, then dipping the ribbon low, creating crotchless panties around my hips and pussy lips, all while I moan and gasp at the scrape of his knuckles or the tightening of the ribbon against my skin.
The wrap all ends with what I think is a tied bow just above my ass.
“Help her onto the bed,” Matthew commands as he begins to strip.
Asher and Will gently lift me, Will grabbing my torso, Asher handling my legs, and they lay me on my back on the bed, arms at my sides, knees bent and spread. The cool air touching my clit through the small gap in the ribbon makes me hiss, slick seeping down my ass.
When Will and Asher step back to strip themselves, a very naked, very hard Matthew approaches the side of the bed, reaches over to push the hair from my forehead that had settled there.
“You be good, Iz. Quiet and still.” His fingertips glide down my cheek, along my shoulder.
“We’re selfish Alphas who turned your gift into one for us.
” The pad of his thumb runs down my nipple, and I cry out, hips bucking off the bed.
Asher comes up on the other side, those dark eyes running leisurely up and down my form. “You should be quiet, love. Your family is right upstairs.”
I freeze at the thought. There may be a whole other floor between us, but I have no idea how thick the walls and ceilings are.
“She’ll be good for us, won’t you, Iz?” Matthew croons. “You want to be our Christmas gift, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I breathe, a whine laced with a moan in my voice.
“That’s what I thought.”
The lights in the room are flipped off, and Will stands at the foot of the bed, sapphire eyes hungry as he stares at me. The holiday lights wrapped around my body are the only light source here, and Asher hisses beside me.
“Do you see how bloody perfect you are?”
I look up at him, lips parted but silent. I never considered myself perfect, but the looks on my men’s faces scream that they do, forcing any of my reptilian thoughts to hide in a dark corner.