Chapter 27
Chapter twenty-seven
Solana
The shower helps more than I expect, my face still flushed with embarrassment by the time I slip into a nightgown and bury myself beneath the blankets in my nest. Dustin is right there, pulling me against his chest as he presses a kiss to my forehead.
“For the record, I would have let Moo-Shu stay. Maybe like off to the side and not in the nest but...”
I manage a smile as I look up at him. “I just didn’t know what to do.”
“I know, sunshine. I know. Kade’s going to make sure Moo-Shu is set up for the day and I get to hold you. How’s that?”
“Perfect,” I mutter, letting myself relax against his chest. I’m not sure how long it takes me to pass out but it feels like the next moment a thunderclap is forcing me awake.
A cramp tears through my abdomen at the same time, a cry bubbling up my throat at the sudden heat blooming through me.
My eyes fly open in the darkness, rain pounding against the windows and lightning briefly illuminating the nest around me.
The cramp doubles me over, worse than the ones before, my body curling into itself as I gasp.
I feel around desperately for one of my Alphas, my hand finding warm skin and solid muscle. Dustin. Relief floods through me even as another cramp hits, this one making me whimper.
"I need you," I whisper, gripping his arm. "I need you, please."
Dustin wakes immediately, his body going from relaxed sleep to alert in seconds. "I'm here, sunshine. I've got you."
His hands find me in the darkness as they help me sit up. Another cramp tears through me and I cry out, the pain sharper than before.
"Let's get you out of this," Dustin murmurs, his fingers finding the hem of my nightgown and carefully pulling it up and over my head. The cool air hits my overheated skin, providing momentary relief before the heat builds again.
I try to drag him closer. "Please, it hurts."
"I know, baby. I know." Dustin positions me carefully in the nest, arranging pillows beneath me for support. His hands stroke down my sides, soothing and arousing at the same time. "I'm going to take care of you."
He settles between my legs, his body covering mine, Dustin shrugging out of his clothes before pressing his cock against my entrance, already hard and ready. I'm soaked with slick, my body preparing itself for what it needs.
Dustin pushes inside slowly, filling me inch by inch. The stretch is intense but not painful, my body opening for him eagerly. A moan tears from my throat as he bottoms out, the fullness immediately easing some of the cramping.
"That's it," Dustin praises, his lips finding mine in the darkness. "That's my good girl."
He starts moving, making love to me in the nest surrounded by our combined scents. Each thrust hits something inside me that makes stars burst behind my eyelids. The pleasure builds steadily, washing away the pain and replacing it with something infinitely better.
Rain continues to pound against the windows, thunder rumbling overhead but inside the nest, there's only us. Dustin's body moving against mine, his hands holding me close, his breath hot against my neck. "So perfect," he murmurs between kisses. "You feel so perfect around me, sunshine."
The praise makes my core clench around him, drawing a groan from his throat.
He adjusts his angle slightly, hitting a spot inside me that makes me see white.
Pleasure coils tighter and tighter in my belly as Dustin's knot starts to swell at the base of his cock, pressing insistently against my entrance with each thrust. The pressure is intense, my body stretching to accommodate him.
Then, with one final deep thrust, his knot pushes inside and locks us together.
I fall apart instantly, my orgasm crashing over me, my whole body shaking, pleasure whiting out everything else as Dustin pulses inside me, filling me with his release. The cramps that were tearing through me minutes ago vanish completely, replaced by bone-deep satisfaction.
I curl into his chest, my body going limp as the aftershocks fade. Dustin holds me close, one hand stroking up and down my back while the other cradles my head against him.
"I've never had the cramps go away that fast," I mumble against his skin, amazed by how quickly the relief came.
"Your body knows what it needs now," Dustin says softly, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
I look around the nest, suddenly aware that we're alone. "Where's Kade?"
"He's just tying up some loose ends so we can be with you when your heat fully hits.
" Dustin's hand continues its soothing motion on my back.
"Making sure the horses are fed and taken care of.
We have a business transaction in a few days and need to make sure it all goes smoothly while we're completely unavailable. "
A business transaction. Code for whatever illegal dealings they're involved in that pay for this ranch and everything else.
I should probably care more about that and ask questions about what exactly they do.
But right now, locked on Dustin's knot in our nest while a storm rages outside, I can't bring myself to worry about it.
Especially because the alternative is ending up with an Alpha who treats me like dirt and using his designation against me.
I smile against his chest. "I know not everything you do is all good, but this is better than anything I've ever had."
Dustin laughs, the sound rumbling through his chest where my ear is pressed. "That's a low bar to clear, sunshine. Harmony House set us up for success by being absolutely terrible."
"Still," I insist, tilting my head to look up at him. "This is everything I never knew I could have."
He captures my lips in a sweet kiss. When he pulls back, his eyes are soft in the dim light filtering in from the hallway. "You deserve this. You deserve everything good."
We stay like that for several more minutes, locked together while his knot slowly softens. When it finally releases, I feel the gush of slick and his release pooling between my legs. Heat floods my cheeks at the mess, embarrassment making me want to hide.
Dustin notices immediately, his hand coming up to cup my face. "None of that. Nothing about this is shameful."
"It's just so much," I mumble, still blushing.
"Because you're perfect." He kisses my forehead and carefully extracts himself from the nest. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."
Dustin scoops me up in his arms, carrying me toward the bathroom like I weigh nothing.
I wrap my arms around his neck, resting my head against his shoulder.
He sets me gently on the edge of the tub and starts running the water, testing the temperature with his hand until it's just right.
While the tub fills, he gathers my braids and piles them on top of my head, securing them with a hair tie to keep them from getting wet.
"Can't have these getting soaked," he says, his fingers gentle as he arranges the last few strands. The thoughtfulness of the gesture makes my chest ache. Such a small thing, protecting my hair, but it speaks to how much attention he pays to my needs.
Once the tub is full, Dustin helps me in and then climbs in behind me, settling so I'm cradled between his legs with my back against his chest. The warm water feels incredible against my overheated skin, soothing muscles I didn't know were tense.
Dustin reaches for a washcloth and soap, lathering it up before dragging the cloth up and down my arms. His fingers trace my skin slowly, like he's worshipping every inch of my flesh. "You're so beautiful, sunshine. Do you know that?"
I shake my head, still not quite believing it even after everything.
"Well, you are," he insists, the cloth moving to my chest. "Most beautiful Omega I've ever seen. Inside and out."
His hands work lower, washing my stomach and hips with the same careful attention. Then the cloth dips between my legs, cleaning away the evidence of what we just did. But his fingers linger there, abandoning the cloth entirely to stroke through my folds.
Pleasure sparks through me, my body responding immediately despite having just come. Dustin's fingers find my clit, circling it with just the right amount of pressure. I gasp, my head falling back against his shoulder as he works me toward another orgasm.
"That's it," he murmurs against my ear. "Let me make you feel good."
His fingers slide lower, two of them pushing inside me while his thumb continues working my clit.
The dual sensation is overwhelming, every touch amplified.
Dustin's other hand comes up to cup my breast, his thumb brushing over my nipple.
The added stimulation pushes me over the edge, my orgasm hitting suddenly.
I cry out, my body clenching around his fingers as waves of pleasure wash over me.
"I'm going to get addicted to those sounds," Dustin says, his voice rough with arousal. "I think I'm going to make you fall apart all the time."
I laugh breathlessly, still trembling from the aftershocks. "That's not practical."
My Alpha chuckles behind me, the sound rumbling through my back. "I don't really care."
A short knock on the door interrupts us. I look up to see Kade standing in the doorway, his dark expression softening into a smile when he sees me looking at him. "Would you like something to eat?" he asks, leaning against the doorframe.
Dustin perks up immediately. "Actually, yes, I'll take—"
Kade snorts, stomping over to the tub. He roughly pinches Dustin's chin, tilting his head up before capturing his lips in a demanding kiss. When he pulls back, he moves to me, giving me a much softer kiss that's no less thorough.
"That question was more for our sunshine here," Kade says, his eyes still on me. "You smell wonderful."
I blush under the compliment. "My heat is almost here, and I don't know..."
"You do whatever feels right," Kade says immediately, his hand coming up to stroke my cheek.
"I'm restless," I admit, trying to put words to the feeling thrumming through my veins. "I kind of just want to wander, but I also don't want to leave my nest."
Kade sits on the edge of the tub, his hand still cupping my face. "The ranch is secure, so you can go wherever you'd like. I'd just ask you to do one thing for me."
I frown up at him, tension creeping into my shoulders. Here it comes. The rules and restrictions I've been waiting for. "What's that?" My voice comes out smaller than I intend.
"You call if anything happens," Kade says simply.
I blink, confused. "That's it?"
"That's it." Kade's thumb strokes across my cheekbone. "I just want to know you're safe."
The tension drains from my shoulders but confusion replaces it.
"It's still strange that you're not actively being dominant like those other Alphas.
You're just..." I trail off, not sure how to finish the thought.
At Harmony House, every Alpha who came through was controlling, demanding, issuing orders they expected to be followed without question.
But Kade and Dustin are different. They guide and suggest, but they don't command. Not like that, anyway.
Dustin kisses up the back of my neck, making me shiver. "Because you're not property. You're ours but not something to be owned and told what to do."
"I'm beginning to believe it," I say softly, meaning every word. "I promise." Soft laughter escapes me as the truth of it settles deeper. They really don't see me as property. They see me as an equal, someone deserving of choice and agency.
Kade smiles, the expression transforming his usually serious face. "Let's get some food in you and then I think there's a certain pet who would like some attention."
I grin, already knowing who he means. "Moo-Shu?"
"Moo-Shu's in the living room," Kade confirms.
My eyes widen in shock as Dustin laughs behind me. "Oh, you caved, didn't you?"
Kade shoots him a look. "He's not allowed past the living room, but yeah, Dusty, don't make me regret this."
I'm already scrambling out of the tub before they can change their minds, water sloshing over the edge. Kade steadies me with a hand on my elbow, reaching for a towel, drying me off with the same care Dustin showed earlier.
When I'm dry, he hands me a soft velvety red dress, obviously already preparing for my eagerness to see Moo-Shu. I slip it on quickly, barely waiting for Kade to finish zipping it up before I head for the door.
I take off down the hall and round the corner into the living room and there he is.
The small black and white cow sitting by the couch, looking completely out of place and absolutely perfect.
He immediately perks up at my arrival, his ears swiveling toward me.
He lets out a little moo, the sound making my grin widen impossibly further.
I drop to my knees on the floor, not caring about the dress or dignity or anything else.
My arms wrap around Moo-Shu's neck, my face burying into his soft, fuzzy coat.
He smells like hay and cow and outside, my body relaxing a little more at how surreal all of this is.
Like something from a dream I might wake up from at any moment to find myself back in that gray isolation room.
I know it has an end date. Harmony House will be back at some point to check on me, to evaluate whether this placement is working. They'll look for any excuse to take me back, to prove that I can't function outside their control.
But as I bury my face deeper into Moo-Shu's coat, listening to his contented breathing and feeling his warmth against my cheek, I decide not to think about that. Right now, I'm going to focus on what will be the best month of my life, however long it lasts.
That has to be enough.