Chapter 18
eighteen
. . .
Miles
The final session adjourns with polite applause, handshakes exchanged across tables like peace treaties.
I scan the room, finding Elle immediately—her dark hair pulled back in that severe bun she favors for professional settings, her posture perfect as she collects Adrian’s materials with efficient grace.
Across the room, Caleb catches my eye, a slight nod acknowledging what we both know: the summit succeeded beyond expectations, not just in business terms but in the unexpected alliance we’ve forged.
Three rivals transformed into something else entirely, orbiting the same center. Her.
I sign the last of the partnership documents and slide them across to the representative from Titan Global, watching as he adds his signature to those already there—Adrian’s precise handwriting, Caleb’s flourishing scrawl, my own economical marks.
What began as competing proposals has transformed into a collaborative venture that serves all our interests.
Without discussing it explicitly, we’ve maneuvered our companies into complementary positions rather than adversarial ones.
The irony isn’t lost on me: it took three Alphas sharing an Omega to learn how to share the market.
“Congratulations, Mr. Harrington,” the Titan rep says, offering his hand. “This initiative should secure the funding you need for your medical tech division.”
I nod, keeping my expression neutral despite the satisfaction coursing through me.
“The joint approach made sense.” Understatement of the year.
Adrian’s software infrastructure, Caleb’s distribution network, my financial backing—three pieces fitting together with unexpected precision. Just like our bodies did around Elle’s.
The summit’s final dinner is winding down, investors and executives mingling over brandy and desserts.
I make my way to where Elle stands with Adrian, her professional mask firmly in place despite the subtle ways her body leans toward him.
Only someone who’s seen her completely undone would notice the micro-expressions that flash across her face when he speaks close to her ear.
Someone like me.
“Miles,” she acknowledges as I approach, her voice carrying that particular note of warmth she reserves for the three of us now. “The Meridian funding came through.”
“I heard,” I reply, allowing myself to stand closer than I would have before the storm, before her heat, before everything changed. “Your presentation on regulatory compliance was persuasive.”
Adrian’s eyes meet mine over her head, a silent communication passing between us.
We’ve already begun discussing a secondary initiative—lobbying for changes to Omega medication regulations.
The storm that trapped us in that villa exposed a dangerous gap in health access.
Elle’s situation wasn’t unique; Omegas throughout the business world face similar barriers to carrying their necessary medications across borders.
I find myself unusually invested in this cause, driven by the memory of Elle’s suffering before we helped her through her heat.
The protective instinct that flared to life then hasn’t diminished.
If anything, it’s grown stronger, more determined.
I want to build systems that shield her—not because she needs my protection, but because she deserves to move through the world without arbitrary barriers.
“The regulatory panel tomorrow is just networking,” Elle says, checking her tablet. “Nothing essential on the agenda.”
“We could skip it,” Adrian suggests, his tone casual though his intent is anything but. “Take the morning to prepare for departure.”
I watch Elle’s reaction carefully, noting the slight quickening of her pulse at her throat, the barely perceptible dilation of her pupils.
Despite her composed exterior, her body betrays her interest. I’ve become fluent in these subtle signs, cataloging each response with the same precision I bring to financial analysis.
“That seems sensible,” she agrees, her professional tone at odds with the heat in her eyes when they meet mine briefly.
Caleb joins our circle, champagne in hand, his usual charming grin firmly in place though his eyes remain serious. “Deal’s signed,” he announces. “The collaborative approach impressed them.”
“The numbers were solid,” I acknowledge. “Your distribution projections complemented Adrian’s implementation timeline.”
“Who would’ve thought?” Caleb laughs, but there’s genuine wonder beneath the surface humor. “The three of us working together instead of trying to outmaneuver each other.”
“Efficiency,” Adrian states simply. “Combined resources yield better results.”
Elle’s lips twitch, amusement flickering across her features at Adrian’s characteristic reduction of our complex situation to pragmatic terms. I find myself fighting a similar reaction.
Our newfound ability to cooperate professionally may have practical benefits, but we all know the catalyst was anything but practical.
As the evening progresses, my mind drifts to the night before—specifically, to Elle in the hotel suite’s oversized shower, water cascading over her golden skin as she stood with her back pressed against the tile wall, her dark hair slick and heavy against her shoulders.
The memory hits me with physical force, my body responding immediately.
She had been insatiable that night, despite her heat having passed days ago.
Adrian and Caleb had already taken their turns with her, filling her with their release until she was dripping with it, their combined scents marking her in the most primal way.
But she’d wanted more. Needed more. And I’d been there, ready to give her exactly what she craved.
“Miles,” she’d whispered, her voice rough with desire as steam billowed around us. “I need your mouth. Please.”
I’d dropped to my knees without hesitation, hands gripping her thighs as I spread her wide, exposing her to my hungry gaze.
She’d been a beautiful mess—swollen and red and glistening with her own arousal mixed with Adrian and Caleb’s cum.
The sight had made something primal roar to life inside me, a possessive hunger that demanded I claim her even more thoroughly than they had.
My tongue had slid through her folds, gathering the combined taste of all four of us together. I’d groaned against her flesh, the vibration making her gasp and clutch at my hair. She tasted like heaven—sweet and tangy and musky all at once, the most addictive flavor I’d ever experienced.
I’d worshipped her with my mouth, licking deep into her, French-kissing her cunt like a man starved.
My tongue sought out every drop of pleasure, slithering into her hole and then flattening against her clit in alternating patterns that had her legs trembling.
Her hands had fisted in my hair, holding me against her as she ground herself against my face, desperate and demanding in a way that only heightened my desire to please her.
“Yes, yes, fuck, Miles, right there,” she’d chanted, her usual composure shattered as I sucked her clit between my lips, flicking it with my tongue while two fingers pumped inside her. “Don’t stop, please don’t stop.”
I’d driven her to the edge and over it, again and again, until she was sobbing with pleasure, her body convulsing around my fingers, against my tongue.
Only then had I risen to my feet, lifting her with ease and pinning her against the shower wall.
She’d wrapped her legs around my waist, eager and willing as I pushed inside her in one smooth thrust.
The tight, wet heat of her had nearly undone me immediately. She’d been so well-used by the others, yet still impossibly tight around me. I’d fucked her with measured control at first, each thrust deliberate and deep, angling to hit the spot inside her that made her cry out my name like a prayer.
As her pleasure built again, I’d felt my knot beginning to swell—something that hadn’t happened with either Adrian or Caleb, their bodies spent from multiple rounds.
But I’d been saving myself, waiting, wanting to give her this final, most intimate connection.
The pride I’d felt when she’d gasped, feeling the first press of my knot against her entrance, had been overwhelming.
“Yes,” she’d breathed, eyes wide and locked on mine. “Knot me, Miles. Please. I want to feel you lock inside me.”
I’d pressed forward, watching her face as my knot stretched her, slipping past that tight ring of muscle to lodge deep inside.
The sensation of her body gripping me, holding me, had been transcendent.
We’d stayed joined as I pulsed inside her, filling her with my release, marking her as mine in the most primal way possible.
The memory fades as Caleb says something that makes Elle laugh, the sound pulling me back to the present.
I watch her, cataloging the subtle ways she’s changed since that first night in the villa.
She stands taller, more confident. Her professional armor remains intact, but beneath it, she glows with a certainty that wasn’t there before.
I haven’t told her yet—haven’t told any of them—but I have no intention of returning to our previous dynamic.
The thought of stepping back, of pretending the storm and what followed never happened, is unacceptable.
I want to remain in her orbit permanently.
I want to continue sharing her with Adrian and Caleb, this unexpected harmony we’ve discovered together.
As if sensing my thoughts, Elle looks up, her dark eyes finding mine across the room. A small smile touches her lips, private and knowing. I don’t smile back—not visibly—but I hold her gaze, letting her see the intensity of my focus, the certainty of my intent.
We’re not rivals anymore, Adrian, Caleb, and I. We’re hers. And I, for one, have no plans to change that arrangement.
***