45. Quinn
Chapter 45
Quinn
“A re you awake?”
Rosie shakes her head, burrowing under the covers and scooting closer until she’s nuzzled into my chest. She rubs her cheek against me, and my purr kicks in at her scent-marking.
Dane is already up for his morning workout, and I can hear Nash cooking breakfast in the kitchen. I hit snooze on my alarm for work. I’m entirely too comfy to move. This week has felt like a marathon, and after our big plans tonight, I want to spend the weekend doing nothing but relaxing.
When we came here, I was worried about what moving back might mean for Nash, but the irony is that after the initial bumps of reuniting with Rosie, he’s doing more than fine. It makes my heart happy to see him with her and to feel the way it’s healing something inside him. It’s kind of funny how I loved both of them but seeing them together brings out a whole new type of love.
I’ve heard of, and even studied in school how the presence of betas develops stronger connections within packs, but I didn’t realize the impact sharing a mate with my alphas would have. Maybe that’s just Rosie and her beautiful heart, but there is also something really special about the trust of sharing your mates, of having to rely on one another. That’s the malleability of love—it bends and stretches, shaping itself to every new need until souls are interlocked by thousands of tiny intricate stitches. But those stitches take time.
Watching Dane fall for Rosie has been a totally different kind of surprise. It’s cute how the two of them are fumbling their way together. Dane’s worried about tonight and what Rosie will say when we ask her to formally join our pack. I think he needs to stop holding off on his instincts. Rosie is nervous because she needs reassurance, not because she doesn’t want us.
The two of them started out so awkwardly together it makes me want to pinch their cheeks, but maybe they’ve finally stopped dancing around each other.
And that’s made me curious. Last night, something shifted between them.
“Just ask. I can hear you thinking,” Rosie mumbles into my chest.
My hand slips under the blanket to rub along her back.
“You and Dane last night?”
She nods into my skin, her scent blooming into a bouquet of roses.
“We talked. It was embarrassing at first, but there was stuff I needed to say. He was really sweet about it.” She pulls back to look at me, her eyes searching my face. “I know you know we were together last night because of the bonds. Is it difficult? Sharing them with me?”
I cup her chin, letting her look her fill so she can see the seriousness in my eyes. “I love sharing them with you just like I love that you’re mine. I want you to find your own relationship with them in the same way I want to keep some things just between me and my Raven. That’s pack—all the pieces help make us whole. It’s new, the dynamic, but I like it. It makes me feel closer. That may be weird?—”
“No, I think I get it. It’s like I feel the links between us. They stretch out, make my safety net wider.” She reaches for a kiss, her soft lips against mine, and my half-hard cock takes interest. Her pillowy curves brush against me, the silk of her nightgown cool on my heated skin. “I’m really lucky you found me, Quinn Kelly.”
My tongue twists with hers, and I savor the way she whimpers when I suck it into my mouth. Her leg hitches around my hip, and I thrust into her heat, grinding until we both moan.
Nash’s deep laugh booms from the door. “No, you don’t. We have plans to keep today.”
The second alarm sounds, and I groan, pulling myself away. Rosie laughs into my chest before rolling off the bed. “Come on, I’ll help you with that while we shower.”
“Take longer than ten in there and I’m coming to get you,” Nash grumbles, eyeing both of us with mock sternness. “Breakfast is in fifteen.”
I salute Nash, sending Rosie into a fit of giggles as we make our way into the bathroom, hands wandering as we shed clothes and turn on the shower. Our mouths find each other, our fingers digging into wet skin as we stumble under the hot spray. I pull her back to my chest, sucking along her neck as I trail my hands down her stomach and make my way to her clit.
The steam rises around us, and the shower makes her scent thick. I suck it in, and the notes unfurl into a sweet meadow. My blood boils, turning to liquid fire at the sound of her gasps when I strum across her clit, giving her what she needs without teasing. I’m on a time crunch, and I want to wring every ounce of pleasure from her I can. She reaches behind her, cupping my hard length before dragging her hand along my cock.
Her tight grip on the downstroke makes me see stars, the pressure spurring my orgasm to tingle in my balls. It’s messy and full of soft sighs that become sudsy moans until we come apart together. She twists in my hold, her mouth seeking mine.
“Good morning, beautiful,” I murmur in her ear, cupping her chin and kissing her forehead before I claim her mouth again.
Nope, I’m not worried about tonight. We just have to be patient with her, but I think she’s ready.