Chapter 15
15
brIAR
It didn’t take smelling Jasper to recognize who he was.
Just like the first time I saw Ronan across the yard outside the building, I knew he was mine.
Call it intuition or omega instincts, but there was no mistaking that ruthless yank in my belly that seemed to connect us.
Jasper, with his mossy green eyes, blond hair thick with streaks of brown throughout that make it appear a shade darker than it actually is, and a warm, comforting aura to him that immediately makes me feel at ease, is perfect.
His soft voice, which I have no doubt could comfort even the most terrified omega, strokes delicate fingers down my spine, urging me closer.
It’s our close proximity that short-circuits my brain.
I reach for him on instinct, too busy contemplating the quickest and easiest way to turn around and present for him in this tiny walkway to think properly.
Feeling the strong muscles in his back makes everything so much worse.
Yes, he’s tall and broad, but I didn’t expect him to feel so .
. . hard.
I release a weak breath and whisper his name, feeling my head cloud, thoughts scattering.
My scent grows thicker in the small space as I shiver, drawn closer to him.
I’d give anything to smell him right now.
To turn him around until we’re chest to chest and pull myself up his body, bringing my nose to his throat.
A tight, gruff puff of air escapes him before he’s twisting, a hand moving to grip the countertop directly beside me.
His pinky brushes my hip, sending a wave of arousal pulsing through me.
I blink up at him lazily.
I need him. I need both of them.
A dull ache grows low in my belly as slick fills my panties.
The scent of warm, clean laundry manages to swirl around us before a sharper bite of leather appears.
I whimper without thinking, my first whiff of his scent sending me into a tailspin.
It’s Jasper. My Jasper.
A purr rattles in my chest as I breathe him in, leaning away from the counter to smush us together.
He groans when I wrap my arms around him, dipping his head to bury his nose in my hair.
Everything feels stronger today than it did when I was in this position with Ronan.
I’ve been alone without him too soon after we met.
Everything is more intense now, a storm of desire trapped for days with no escape.
Jasper brings a hand to my spine, stroking a hot line up to palm the back of my neck.
“You smell so good. You’re perfect for us. We’re pack.”
I moan at his words, rubbing my cheek against his sternum, marking him.
He doesn’t so much as sway when I press against him, searching for more of his scent and growing frustrated when it’s not as strong as I need it to be.
The blockers in the air are wrong.
They make my skin itch where it should be buzzing.
“I want more,” I demand, pushing up on my toes to chase the tease of his scent.
“Please.”
“Want more what, love? Tell me what you need.”
My chest tightens, a swell of emotion suffocating me as I paw at him.
“I need more of you. All of it. Please .”
I can’t smell Ronan, but I know he’s joined us.
His energy is dark, but I welcome it with open arms, knowing I’m safe, protected.
It should be mortifying to be having such a visceral reaction so quickly to these men and to be able to trust them the way I do, but that’s what biology does.
It takes control when our mind flounders, second-guessing the good things we’ve been handed.
And these two alphas are the best things.
“It’s the de-scenter,” Ronan grunts, his voice tight.
“She can’t smell you properly.”
My eyes burn as I whine, “You either.”
Ronan starts smoothing his hand down my hair.
Through heavy-lidded eyes, I examine the strain pulling at his features.
His eyes are so dark they’re nearly black as he watches me.
“The balcony is in the bedroom, right, Petal? Can we take you there?”
I nod, gripping Jasper tighter.
He must have heard what I said to Jasper earlier.
“Yes.”
There’s a moment of silence while the two men stare at one another, a silent conversation happening that I can’t listen to.
I trap a moan in my throat when Jasper shifts and a thick bulge brushes my belly.
“Hold on, love,” he murmurs before I’m being lifted into his arms.
It’s unnecessary, but the move pleases my omega.
I clutch onto him and nuzzle against his shoulder while we move through the small apartment.
My bedroom door is already cracked open when Ronan pushes it aside and hangs back, waiting for Jasper to bring me in first.
As soon as we’ve passed him, Ronan’s heading for the balcony door.
He slides it open with one pull while Jasper sets me down on the bed.
I close my eyes and wait for the breeze to come.
“Is that better?” Jasper asks, a cautious note to his tone.
I keep silent as the fresh air blows through the room, clearing out the de-scenter enough to give me what I want.
The full force of their scents hit me a second later, yanking a needy noise up from deep in my chest.
Words are too hard.
Leather and whiskey mix with that soft, warm laundry scent before a hint of coffee swirls around it.
My eyes roll back behind my lids as I curl my fingers in the comforter beneath me and gasp, that low pitch of arousal flaring into an inferno beneath my skin.
A gravelled noise appears in front of me, and I swallow, desperate to get a hold of myself.
My heat isn’t here. This is something different.
A tease of what’s to come now that I’ve found them.
It’s a good sign.
“What do you need, Petal?” Ronan grits out.
I breathe deeply. “Can you . . . touch me?”
They don’t reply with words.
Instead, I feel their fingers on my arms, my shoulders and legs.
I soak my panties further, perfume pluming in the room.
“You’re in control here, Briar. Tell me what you’re feeling. What’s happening?” Jasper asks.
Their lack of omega knowledge pleases me.
It means they don’t have much experience with them.
I could be the only one.
“I think it’s a heat spike. Scenting the both of you together has triggered something,” I explain, my speech thick with lust.
Ronan grunts.
“So that’s why you smell so fucking good.”
“Would you prefer us to go, love? We can give you privacy,” Jasper offers.
I snap my eyes open, shaking my head furiously.
A sharp yearning punches straight through me.
“Don’t go. I just need . . .”
Ronan licks his lips, expression tortured.
“You need to find release. Will that help? Will coming help the spike?”
Oh, my god.
I moan loudly, my muscles turning to jelly.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen yet. We haven’t spoken at all,” I whimper.
“You don’t have to do this.”
“We have time for all of that. Right now, you need to find relief. Do you want us to help you? We won’t touch you without permission,” Jasper declares.
“Yes! Yes, I want you to help. Please, touch me. Help me before I go up in flames.”
They pounce.
Jasper settles on the bed beside me while Ronan gathers me in his arms and lifts me before taking my spot.
I know before we even start that this will be quick.
Now seated on Ronan’s thick thighs, I wiggle, anchoring my arms around his shoulders.
They don’t make a move to shed their clothes and instead focus on mine.
Ronan brings his face to rest against my throat while Jasper plucks at the button on my jeans and slides the zipper down.
I expect them to be pulled off completely, but Jasper only wiggles them down enough to make some room near my groin.
My heart flutters with both excitement and nerves as I continue to burn.
The ache in my belly grows in strength, making me hiss.
I drop my head and watch what’s happening between our bodies.
Ronan’s coffee scent sweetens with caramel before I gasp, two curious fingers slipping into the opening of my jeans.
It’s distracting enough that I don’t realize Jasper’s begun peppering soft kisses up the side of my throat.
I shiver, bucking against Ronan’s fingers as they explore my bikini line and blaze further down.
“Still okay, Petal?” the gruff alpha asks, halting his movements.
Jasper sucks gently at the underside of my jaw while cupping my breast over my shirt.
My nipple aches against his palm, hard and sensitive.
“Yes. Yes, it’s okay,” I breathe out.
Ronan’s chest rumbles with a deep noise, and then his fingertips are brushing over my clit, never slipping beneath my panties.
I cry out at the touch, so overly sensitive that it’s almost painful.
“So wet,” he rasps.
All I can do is nod.
My hips lift, forcing my pussy harder against his fingers.
It won’t take much to orgasm.
I just need a little bit more .
. .
Jasper takes my nipple between his fingers and plucks it before squeezing.
“You’re safe, omega. We’ve got you.”
I let out a high-pitched, pleasured noise and dig my nails into Ronan’s back.
He applies more pleasure between my legs and starts to roll circles around my clit.
My panties are drenched with my slick, no doubt wetting his fingers, but he still doesn’t slip them beneath the fabric.
It’s not necessary.
With Jasper’s mouth latched around my scent gland and Ronan’s breath on my cheek, I push into the fingers and roll my hips.
The orgasm is quick but strong, expelling every last breath from my lungs and weakening me to the point I collapse against Ronan.
He slips his hand out of my pants and curves an arm around my back, holding me steady.
Jasper places a lingering kiss on my cheek before pulling back and tucking my hair behind my ear.
I fill my lungs again with their scents.
My omega knows we’re safe to stay in our alpha’s arms, but Jasper wouldn’t be included then, and I want them both around me right now.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, slowly peeling myself away from Ronan.
“Don’t apologize, love. I think it’s normal for scent-matched pairs to feel like this. It’s an intense connection being activated all at once,” Jasper says.
Ronan strokes a knuckle down my jaw.
“Safe to say you’re officially pack.”
The confident statement makes me feel uneasy.
Am I really pack? How is it possible that they’re sure about that already, especially when Dash doesn’t share the same connection with me that they do?
“What’s wrong?” Ronan asks sternly, most likely scenting my anxiety.
I look up, focusing on the soft pink shape of his mouth.
He has perfectly symmetrical lips, somehow made better by the white scar that cuts through the very corner of the bottom one.
“You said there are two other members of your pack. Jasper is one, but so is Landon. And Dash . . . I’m not his scent match. How is this supposed to work?”
Ronan’s mouth tips down into a scowl before Jasper takes my hand, flipping it over to trace the lines in my palm.
“We would need to discuss Landon. He’s our pack leader. And Dash . . . that’s another discussion to be had. All we know is that you’re a part of us now. There’s no changing that.”
“What do we do, then?” I ask.
Ronan tips my chin back with the pad of his finger, forcing my eyes to clash with his.
“Now, you tell us everything about you, and we answer all of the questions you want an answer to.”
It sounds simple, perfect.
All I have to let myself do now is trust that when I crack myself open, they’ll stay true to their word and keep me forever.