Emily
I don’t wait for Finn’s reply, grabbing a blanket off the back of his chair and wrapping it around myself as I pad out of the room. I can feel him staring after me, and while my chin is up, my skin aches like it’s sunburned. It’s not my heat, I realise, but the loss of his touch, as fleeting as it was.
What is he waiting for? I feel a pang of irritation as I clutch the blanket around me, the wool scratchy against my sensitive skin. What I really wanted to do was strip him of his hoodie, but that was one boundary I wasn’t confident enough to test. I’m not sure what that says about me, given I just had my thighs open and his fingers in my pussy, but Finn Visser is enough to scramble any girl’s brain.
Does he really think his secrets will drive me away? I touch the bite on my neck, Lang’s face flashing in my mind. I’ve bonded his best friend, and he’s bonded my boyfriend, so even if he keeps his distance, I’m not going anywhere. I’m pack, and he’s my alpha, although I’m starting to wonder if that will mean what I want it to mean once my heat is over.
Scowling at the thought, I walk through the house, not so much exploring as following my nose. Discreet downlights flicker to life as I pass, and it’s hard not to stop and gape at the beautiful furnishings, textured walls, and elegant artwork. Whoever their decorator was, it’s like they reached into my hungry little heart and plucked out all the features of my dream home. But I stay focused on my mission, taking the beautiful jarrah staircase all the way down to the bottom floor. I smell Creed’s iron and sandalwood musk long before I hear the thud of fists against leather, but I’m still not prepared for the sight of him in a thin black tank and grey sweatpants as he pounds a massive punching bag.
I drift into the gym, looking around the space curiously. At one end of the room is an assortment of steel and rubber torture devices, including a bench press with weight plates the size of cartwheels. The other end of the room, however, is a serene space with yoga mats, a drinks station, and potted palms in vibrantly painted pots. I’m not sure if that’s the decorator’s influence, or if Soren has a more relaxed fitness vibe.
While I’m looking around, Creed pauses his routine and turns to look at me. One pass of his hot, dark eyes over me and I have to swallow around a needy whimper. Licking my dry lips, I cross the rubber floor mats to stop in front of him. “Why are you working out?”
“Habit,” he replies, tugging a towel from the back of his sweatpants and passing it over his face. It wipes away his perspiration, but doesn’t do anything to douse the heat in his eyes. “I didn’t think you’d come looking for me.”
“I woke up and you were gone…” I look around the gym, realising this is his happy place. In a weird way it reminds me of my nook in the library, although comparing my pretty notebooks to the torture devices in the corner is a bit of a stretch. “Clark said you train people in command resistance.”
He looks surprised by the comment, but then gives a slow nod. “I do. Want me to show you the basics?”
I shake my head, memories pecking at the edges of my mind like hungry crows. “I might go check out Kat’s gym one day, but I don’t need the training. Our entire childhood, my father practiced his commands on my sister.”
Creed arches a brow, his lips pulling into a thin, hard line. “You knew he was doing that?”
“When I was sixteen, Claudia picked the lock on his office door, and we read his clinical notes. She was pissed he’d been messing with us like that, but I was happy. All those things he said about me being mediocre, but he couldn’t command me to do what he wanted.”
It’s a part of my life I don’t like to think about too often, but Creed’s dark eyes gleam with pride as he pulls me towards him. His body is scorching hot from his workout, but I bask in the glow of his approval, not to mention the massive muscles moving against my sensitive skin. “You’re pretty amazing, Nash. And fuck your father for not telling you that every day he was lucky enough to know you.”
His fierce words melt something inside me, and I nuzzle into his neck, breathing in the bloom of sandalwood under his metallic musk scent. It’s a strange mix of my past and present coming together, and I realise that even though I barely know him, I feel completely safe in Creed’s arms. Is that just because of who he is, or is there something more between us? Or maybe I’m just projecting, because all I wanted when I was growing up was to have a man like this standing in my corner.
“What have you got there, sweetheart?” His thumb feathers over my neck and I bite my lip. Crap. In my haze, I can’t remember if he was there for the big moment, or if this is a rude surprise. And while Finn didn’t seem to mind that I’d broken their rules, Creed is still very much a soldier and might feel differently.
“Um. It’s Lang’s bite.” I pull back to study his face. “I’m sorry I broke the no bonding rule, but it just happened. Not that it was an ‘in the heat of the moment’ thing, because I wanted it. Lang tried to tell me to wait, but I’m pretty sure I forced him to do it…”
His thumb presses to my lips, smothering the rest of my stumbling explanation. “I seriously doubt you had to twist Lang’s arm, and if that’s an apology, I don’t need it.” He leans forward and presses him mouth to my throat, his chest rumbling as he teases the tender skin. “This makes me so happy, sweetheart.”
I moan at the sensations sparking down my spine. “Really?”
“Yeah. I’ve wanted to be a real pack… forever, it seems.” He pulls back to look into my eyes. “I couldn’t have dreamed you up in a million nights of wishing, though.”
I almost purr at the compliment, rubbing my face against his sweaty chest as he engulfs me in his big arms. His heart is still racing from his workout, and I soak it in, loving his warmth, and iron scent, and the fact he could snap me in his arms but is holding me as if I’m something rare and delicate. “Does it feel like this with you and Soren? Like he’s a firefly trapped in your chest, buzzing around and warming you up at the same time?”
Creed smirks as he nuzzles my skipping pulse. “More like a sledgehammer. Talk to Soren about it, but it didn’t go as I would’ve liked. He was in a rut when he bit me…”
I jerk back, peering up into his face. “ He bit you ?”
“Mmm. We were out of control, but there’s no doubt we both wanted each other.” Something flickers through his eyes, a mixture of admiration and regret. “I just thought I’d be the one doing the biting.”
“Can I see?”
There’s a lot to take in as he peels his tank over his head, but my focus snaps to the silvery scar over his heart. It’s not wide but it’s deep, and I swear I can see Soren’s sly grin in the imprint. “That’s so pretty.”
I expect a manly grunt, but Creed just gives a wistful sigh. “Strangely, he never looked more beautiful than when he was taking a chunk out of me.”
I trace the scar, picturing the Soren I first met, livid with frustration and pain. He was like an iridescent candle, more likely to burn the world down than light up his mate’s soul. “I’m sorry it happened like that for both of you.”
“I don’t regret it; I just wish I could’ve cuddled him a little after.”
I bite my lip to hold in my grin. “I just came from the nest, and he seems pretty cuddly now.”
“He does, doesn’t he?” He leans down and runs his lips over Lang’s bite, making me shiver. “And you, sweetheart? You think you’ll ever have room on that pretty throat for me?”
I hum as he mouths the skin, nipping just enough to make me whine. “I think so, but you should sort things with Soren first. He’s your mate, and he needs you.”
That makes him draw away, his eyes a soft chocolate brown as he studies me. “You’re a beautiful person, . We’re lucky to have you, even if you only ever belong to Lang.”
Strangely, those words send a painful spark through me. I love the warmth I can feel in my chest, and I take comfort from knowing that even in his dreams, Lang is aware of me on some level, but I don’t want Creed to think that’s all I want from his pack. “That doesn’t mean I don’t need you, too.” My belly chooses that moment to give a painful clench, and I whine as I plaster myself against him. “I need you now , Creed.”
He groans, his nuzzling taking on a frantic element as I squirm against him. “I can feel your heat licking over my skin like little hooks. Fuck knows how Finn stayed glued to his chair through that.”
I shake my head, because my feelings about Finn are too raw to think about right now. While I believe I could get comfortable with Creed very quickly, I’m not sure I’ll ever really unlock Finn enough to really know him.
Why does that knowledge make my heart ache?
To distract myself, I tilt my head so Creed can nibble across my neck, a wave of heat turning liquid between my thighs as he sucks gently on my mating mark. I don’t understand all the changes happening inside me, but I’m pretty sure that my younger self is in ecstasy right now. For years I wondered if I’d ever earn the love and protection I was denied growing up, and while it’s maybe too early for love, I know I’ll never have to doubt Creed’s protective instincts.
“I want you, Creed.” I wind my fingers through his hair, tugging sharply on the silky strands. But that’s not strong enough for the way I’m feeling, and I drop the blanket, rubbing my breasts against the rigid muscles of his chest. “I need you inside me, Alpha.”
Heat crackles in his dark eyes as he scoops me up, hitching me over his hips. “You want me to take you back to your nest, so you can be comfortable?”
“No, I like the way it smells in here.” I lean forward and lick the side of his neck, tasting the amber musk in his sweat. “And every time you work out, you’ll be thinking of how you knotted me on these gym mats.”
“Oh, fuck,” he groans, his hands pinching the soft skin of my butt. “You keep talking like that, and I won’t last long enough to knot you.”
“I have tremendous faith is your ability to go the distance.”
He snorts at my sly grin. “That makes one of us.”
“Does that mean you don’t want me to do this? ” He watches me like a hawk as I slither out of his arms, his pupils blowing wide when I land on my knees. He stoops like he plans to follow me down to the mats, but I grip his thighs, smiling up at him as I bite my lip. “I’ve been thinking about this ever since I sat on you in your car.”
“Shit.” He rocks back on his heels as my meaning sinks in. The flush that works its way up his neck makes my mouth dry, and I can’t resist a needy moan as he grips his hard length - which is currently living up to every sweatpants fantasy. “But I should be taking care of you , ,” he says as he gives his erection a hard squeeze. “It’s your heat, and you deserve all the attention to be on you.”
Maybe that’s how other omegas prefer it, but I’ve always believed there’s just as much reward in giving as receiving. “Finn said I need some alpha juice after taking Lang’s knot. Maybe you could take care of that after…”
“Why wait?” He moves so fast, I’m flat on the mat with my thighs open before I can blink. He drops beside me, and I think I’m about to get a wrestling lesson, only his attention is all on the slick dripping down my thighs. He grips my knees in his huge hands, staring down at me in awe. “That’s the prettiest pussy I’ve ever seen.” He brushes a finger over the edge of my folds, making my hips twitch. “But Finn’s right. There’s a little abrasion here, right on these sweet, pink petals.”
I think I’m a little shocked by the flowery compliment, but nothing prepares me for the slow, raspy slide of his tongue. Soren took me apart in the shower with just a few quick touches, but his mate seems to have all the time in the world as he licks me. He takes extra care with my puffy folds, and I writhe at every tender stroke. I’m not sure if it’s his alpha juice that is making me shudder, or the way his dark eyes burn as he tends to me. “Sweet and spicy,” he murmurs, a thick finger dipping inside me and swirling through my juices. “Who’s been in here other than Lang?”
“Just Derek…” I bite my lip as he hums. “And Soren kissed me. He tasted like cloves and vanilla.”
“And you taste like pack,” he says, his eyes dark and hungry as he buries his face back between my legs.
A few more greedy licks and the orgasm rolls over me in a thundering rush, my thighs quaking as slick spurts into his eager mouth. I’ve never come so hard, and I dig my nails into his shoulders as he chases every drop with his tongue.
“Creed, please .” I mewl, gripping the edge of his sweatpants and pulling them down enough to work out that he’s going commando. My thighs are still shaking as heat flashes across my skin like wildfire and moisture floods my mouth. “Feed me your juice, Alpha. I want to lick your knot.”
He curses against my thigh, but tilts his hips enough for me to shove his sweats down a few inches. “I haven’t showered,” he warns me as I pull his throbbing length free.
“You smell like pack,” I reply, reaching up to grip his arse until he’s hovering above me. He’s caged me with his massive thighs, and my eyes roll back at the musky scent of him. “Make me come again, Alpha.”
He groans, but flicks my clit with his tongue, while I lavish his shaft with hungry kisses. I slurp on his mushroom head, my hips dancing as he brings me to the edge of another climax. I’ve barely taken him into my mouth when pleasure assaults me again, and I feel him throb against my tongue. His precum is so delicious, I’m still sucking hard when he pulls free and flips me around. He holds me still, eye-to-eye, until I give a furious nod, and then he pushes deep inside me.
I moan, his lips slamming into mine as he fills me to the brim.
I’m certain I’m still coming, sparks of pleasure erupting all over me as he slides back with a groan. “You’re in heat now, baby. I can feel you burning up inside.”
“I never want this to end, Creed,” I pant, swirling my hips and almost screaming at the stretch. He’s not as long as Lang, but thicker, and the thought of taking his knot almost sends me feral. “More, Alpha. I want you to come inside me and lock us together.”
He huffs, his back muscles shifting like boulders under my hands as he pounds into me. “I can’t wait to bite you, , and make you mine.”
“I want it,” I moan, my head digging into the mat as his knot swells and presses against my clit. “You, me, and Soren.”
“God, you’re perfect,” he groans, his knot stretching me so wide I see stars behind my eyelids. “I’m coming, baby. I’m going to flood you with every drop.”
He makes good on his promise, thick spurts of cum filling me as his knot seals me tight. The pressure is enough to set my nerve endings alight, and I burn through another orgasm that leaves me weak and shaking in his arms.
“So much for taking care of you,” he huffs as he finally comes down from his high, his biceps bulging as he balances above me. His expression is rueful, but there’s no missing the possessive glint in his dark eyes. “Did I hurt you too bad?”
I’m pretty sure he’s looking for an excuse to lick me better again and I give a shaky laugh. “Any more healing and you might put me in a coma.”
“Sorry, Em,” he groans as he rolls us onto our sides and pulls me into his arms. The tug of his knot is almost painful, but it comes with a delicious kind of ache that has me nuzzling into his chest. “Bet you’re missing your comfy nest right now.”
“Not in the least,” I reply, leaning my head on the more than adequate cushion of his bicep. “Although, I’m not sure this is what Soren meant when he told me to kiss you for him.”
His head tips back and he gives a laugh I can feel all the way to my aching toes. “Knowing my mate, he’d probably give you a standing ovation.”
My lips quirk as I think of Soren’s wicked smile. “Then why don’t we go back to the nest and snuggle with him?”
Once again, he moves so fast I lose my breath, rolling us to our knees then lifting me into his arms. It’s an impressive display of power, but maybe a little premature, given his knot is still buried deep inside me. “Like this? ” I squeal, clenching down so hard on him he staggers for a step. “I thought you’d wait until we were…”
“Detached?” His lips quirk at my wild stare, but he marches across the room, clearly intending on carrying me all the way back to the nest. “As far as I’m concerned, this is how I’m going to start every day from now on.”
I moan and let myself go limp in his arms, because after all, I’m exactly where I want to be, so who am I to complain?