49. Rosie
Chapter 49
Rosie
W e didn’t really talk about the logistics of Quinn’s surprise heat, but we should have because shit is getting real—fast.
During the last week, Quinn was definitely having preheat symptoms, but even after the pack’s trip to the farmer’s market, his early bedtimes and tiredness, and Nash’s cook-a-thon, he never did want to acknowledge the elephant in the room. And now that I’ve said yes to being pack, does that mean bonds and bites?
Quinn has hinted that’s what he wants, and they’ve been treating me as though I belong here. They asked me to be pack… but a heat is a pretty big deal. Do they want me here? They don’t need a beta, not for this. But I want to be here, and even though I’m scared, I want to bond with them. My nerves flare with anxiety and a heady rush of lust fueled by the three men near me.
Dane opens the front door of the pack house, and I follow in behind Nash, who has a squirming Quinn in his arms.
“Which way?” Nash asks.
Quinn doesn’t even register the question. He’s got his sweater off, his slacks undone, and Nash’s shirt unbuttoned. Their bare chests slide together as Quinn devours Nash’s mouth in a kiss so freaking hot it makes my clit throb.
I’ve seen them make out in the mornings, and once I heard Nash fucking Quinn in the shower, but I’ve never really seen them together. Not like this. The idea of a pack and how everyone fits together has always been hot, but seeing Quinn and Nash tearing at one another to get their clothes off does things to me.
It makes my heart squeeze, and my body tightens in anticipation at the needy way they hold one another, the love and lust palpable between them.
Dane heads toward the master bedroom off the kitchen, but as soon as we get to the door of the nest, Quinn tenses, letting out a low whine.
“What’s wrong, babe?” Dane asks, his face crumbling at the sound.
I’ve seen omegas in preheat, but obviously I’ve never been around for the real deal. The pheromones are no joke. Quinn and the alphas are clouding the room, making my head swim and my body ache.
Nash speaks softly to Quinn, but the whine doesn’t dissipate. It’s a soul-deep grater, shredding my heart. The sound is so intense and wrong that it makes my stomach heave.
Dane looks frantic, his hands pumping in fists at his side as he looks around the room for a threat. Nash is no better, his eyes wide and his purr spluttering.
I don’t have a plan, but I can’t take that sound. Backtracking into the kitchen, I suck in deep breaths of mostly clear air. Already the scent is wafting out here, but without the whine or the intense pheromones, at least I can sort of think.
It’s difficult, my body frantically trying to pull me back toward my mates.
Racking my brain, I call up my talks with Bambi about heats and the shit I learned in school. Heat nests need to feel safe so an omega can let go and give in to their instincts. Quinn had the same nest for years and who knows how many heat cycles. Now he’s here, and it’s been chaos. No wonder he’s fighting it.
But he has nested.
Gathering the pile he’s amassed on the couch during the week, I haul it back to the nest. Our alphas hover around him, their purrs rumbling as they try to soothe him, but Quinn’s whine duels against them.
Quinn blinks at me from the cradle of Nash’s arms, his face pale and his lips trembling.
“Empty,” he whispers before wincing as a shiver of pain runs through him.
The room fills with another plume of perfume. Watching him like this is killing me. He’s such a sweet, joyful person. Sexy and larger than life. But right now, he looks lost.
I can’t think about that or be drawn in by his pleading look. I’m in the best shape to find a solution since, even with my latent omega traits, I’m still the most able to resist the pull of heat. Following my hunch, I open the nest door. The closed-off space is bare, with three boxes neatly off to the side and a sunken mattress that takes up most of the space.
Yikes. When Quinn said he was having trouble nesting, he meant he had no nest at all.
“Dane,” I snap, drawing the alpha’s eyes to me. He looks out of sorts, and I can tell he’s been sucked into the alpha fog. “Go to my room and grab things that smell like pack. Hampers next, several items for each person.”
His lip curls, a low, rumbly growl building in his chest. It’s probably meant to be a warning, but I don’t care.
“Move. We need to build a nest!” I push on his rock-hard biceps but he doesn’t budge.
If he wasn’t in an alpha fog, he would know this. The man is normally the most by the book out of all of us.
After setting the blankets on the bed, I turn my focus on Nash and Quinn. “Come on, loves. Let’s start a bath. You two relax while we get everything ready.”
Nash grunts in approval, following me into the master bathroom. After starting the bath, I hunt for supplies while Nash tries unsuccessfully to set Quinn down. Eventually, he gives up and undresses himself while Quinn hangs on like a too-tall koloa.
I help them, tugging on Quinn’s slacks and his soaked boxer briefs. My poor omega is drenched in slick, his skin burning up, his whine simmering in his throat. Nash steps into the tub, Quinn still in his arms.
They settle, and I add the bath oil I found before leaning in to kiss Quinn’s forehead. “I’ll be back. We’ll fix the nest, and everything will be okay.”
Quinn raises glassy red eyes, and though he doesn’t say anything, they’re filled with gratitude.
“We’ve got this,” I promise him, turning my attention to Nash. “Help him, alpha. Make him feel good.”
Nash nods, one of his big hands squeezing my hip. He’s all alpha like this, his designation at the forefront, but I find I like the wild look in his eyes.
In the nest, Dane has already left piles for me. I look around the room, and my heart twists into some funny shape. Thinking I would make one of these for myself one day, I grew up playing pretend over and over, trying to get it right.
The old shit tries to rear its ugly head again, panic welling inside at the idea that I’m not gonna be able to do this, that I may make it worse. I close my eyes and stop the voice in my head that sounds suspiciously like my mother.
I may be a beta, but I know my omega and this isn’t the past. This is me building a nest for a man I didn’t think I would get a chance to love face-to-face. And I’m building it for a pack that has done nothing but show up for me in big and small ways.
Thinking about my Kelly and all our long chats, I try to draw on my memories of imagining us together. It brings warm and fuzzy feelings, and I layer those with the new memories I’ve collected over the past few weeks with this pack. These are my mates, and they want me here. I let that feeling settle, a giddy sense of excitement bubbling.
Hunting for my purse, I find it by the front door and grab my phone to pull up a playlist Kelly sent me ages ago.Returning to the bare room, I hit Play while I study the space. Opening the boxes that must have come from his old nest and peeking at what Dane’s gathered, I see a hodgepodge of all four of us—jerseys, workout gear, old quilts, soft blankets, and worn-in shirts.
Colors call out to me, then worn pieces, and I picture it. This is the story of us made in the love language of fabric and scent.
Dane joins me a couple of minutes later, his arms piled high with sex toys, cords dangling, and this manic look on his face, but the alpha presence has taken a back seat in his eyes.
“I had to take a breather outside. Shit,” he mumbles, looking around. “He wouldn’t let us in here, and I didn’t know… He’s never?—”
“Hey, put the dildos down and take a breath,” I say confidently. “You know him and his heats. All we’re doing is making him feel comfortable and safe. So, help me by telling me about his nest before.”
Dane’s head cocks to the side, and he gives me this look I can’t decipher before tossing the pile of sex toys on the mattress and lunging for me. He crowds me against the wall, his hands bracketing me on either side, before taking my mouth. It’s a bruising kiss, fleeting but hungry.
“You’re a genius, and before this heat is through, I’m going to mark this neck of yours and make you ours,” he murmurs, his mouth feathering along my neck. “You said yes, and I intend to make good on that promise, sweetheart.”
“If that’s your way of asking for a bond, it needs some work. Starting with an actual question,” I goad him, pushing his chest.
He gives me this cocky grin that should be studied for its ability to make me wet on command, but he doesn’t speak.
“See, a question is when you ask and wait for the answer. Try this: Rosie Braxton?—”
“Rosie Braxton, I’ve fallen in love with you. Please put me out of my misery and tell me you’ll bond with me during this heat.” Dane rubs his knuckles along my cheek, that smile of his moving to his eyes.
“Better,” I say, turning my face to nuzzle into his palm. “But still missing a question.”
He leans in, his voice rough in my ear. “Will you accept my mate claim, sweetheart? Bond me and our omega?”
My answered, “Yes,” is cut off with a kiss.I get lost in it, in him. His tongue swipes across my lips until I open for him. The way he’s kissing me telegraphs in every move that he’s determined to make me his.
I force myself to rip my lips away, squirming from his hold. I’ve got to keep my wits against his crisp, heady cider-and-leather scent and masterful kisses. “Focus! We have a nest to finish.”