Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Kiara
Monday night arrives, and with it comes our date with Davis.
Our date with Alexander was everything I didn’t know I needed. Not just the spa night and the relaxation that came with it, but also spending time with Alexander and Crew.
Now that I’ve—mostly—gotten over my jealousy and self-doubt issues, I’m loving watching the men I love get to know one another.
Because they’re scent matches, they share a connection that I don’t, but I’m glad for it. It means their courtship—or whatever you want to call it—is expedited, and so is mine.
I’ve loved all four of these men for years, and now they’re learning to love each other.
It’s beautiful, and I want to pinch myself over how perfectly this has worked out.
The only thing that would’ve made it better is if I was scent-matched to them as well. But I’m beginning to understand why that wouldn’t have worked. If I was scent-matched to my teen crushes, would I have given up Crew? And vice versa if I was scent-matched to Crew.
I didn’t react well to finding out they were scent matches, but now I accept it as the blessing it is.
Fate was really looking out for me.
Although I’ll admit to being jealous that they can scent each other.
I won’t be able to share that with them until I wear their marks.
Which is something Crew has wanted for years, and I quietly berate myself about being too stubborn to say yes.
Now, I’ll have to share that moment with Alexander, Davis, and Mason. Although I guess that isn’t too bad.
“Damn, baby. I really love this dress.” Crew’s voice pulls me from my thoughts as I glance up to meet his gaze in the mirror.
I just roll my eyes before going back to applying my mascara. “As if you haven’t seen me in it before.”
“That doesn’t mean I love it any less,” he argues, stepping up to press his body against mine.
“No, sir,” I tell him as I close up the mascara and set it on the counter. I spin around to push against his chest. “I know you’re all horny omega right now, but we have a date with Davis that we’re going to be late for if we don’t head downstairs now.”
He pouts, wrinkling his nose. “It’s not my fault, Kiki. It’s like I can’t get away from their scents. It’s all I can smell, and my damn cock won’t stay down.”
“Oh, I’m well aware.” I laugh as I grab my purse and head for the door.
Crew and I have always had a healthy sex life. I don’t know if all omegas want sex as much as he does, but since moving back to Champagne Falls, he hasn’t been able to keep his hands to himself.
It’s making me very aware of why most omegas need more than one mate—at least the ones not taking suppressants. I like sex as much as the next girl, but even I have my limits, and as much as I don’t want to admit it, we’re getting closer and closer to mine.
I’m not sure how much longer I can keep up with him.
“Well, suck it up, buttercup,” I toss over my shoulder as I step into the hallway. “Hopefully, this date will allow you to think about something besides sex.”
“I think I might be okay with his thoughts remaining on sex.” Davis’s voice is husky as he laughs.
I startle, letting out an embarrassing squeak. “Fuck. I didn’t see you there.”
“Clearly.” Davis is biting back his laughter as he glances between me and Crew. “Are you ready?”
It feels like he’s mocking me somehow, but I choose to ignore it. “Yes, thank you.”
“Oh, I like it when she gets all prim and proper like that,” Crew drawls, finally joining us in the hallway. “It makes me want to muss her up.”
Davis throws his head back as he laughs. “I can see the appeal in that, but how about we head out for our date instead?”
I don’t answer, choosing to move to the stairs and head downstairs. The two of them can catch up.
Even if I can’t scent them, it’s hard to ignore their obvious arousals, and I’m really not sure I can deal with more sex right now.
Fuck.
I’m going to have to send Crew to one of them soon because I’m not sure how many more days I can get fucked for most of the time we’re awake.
We need to get new hobbies or something.
I laugh to myself because I never imagined I’d be complaining about too much sex. I didn’t think there was such a thing, but I guess there is when there’s an omega involved—or at least my omega.
“Where are we heading tonight?” Crew asks as they trail me down the stairs.
“There’s a new vineyard about thirty minutes from here. They’ve only been open for a few months, but they’ve been crazy busy. It’s helping increase tourist traffic in the area.” Somehow Davis makes it down the stairs and around me to open the door before I reach it.
Sneaky fucker.
“Thank you.”
He grins. “It’s my pleasure, little K.”
I don’t know why that makes me blush, but my cheeks definitely heat, and I hurry past him.
“It’s called Mountain Top Vineyards, and they have an attached winery,” Davis continues.
“I’m the one who sold them the property and hooked them up with Mason for some of the work that needed to be done.
They gave us an open invitation to come out any time, so I called in a favor and got us set up for a unique date night. ”
“Unique, you say?” Crew opens the passenger door and helps me inside before climbing into the backseat. “Are you going to give us a little more than that?”
Davis chuckles as he climbs into the driver’s seat and shakes his head. “Absolutely not. Why don’t you tell me how the two of you are enjoying your jobs at the rural hospital while we drive? You’ll find out more about the date when we get there.”
Before Crew can start whining, I tell him about how much we love the nurses and doctors we’re working with.
About how I can’t wait until my parental pack returns so I can see Dad and Adan at work.
Although it won’t be often that we see them, since they’ve been there long enough to mostly work day shifts.
Crew joins in quickly, and I’m glad he let it go.
While he loves surprises in theory, he hates not knowing things. It’s a conundrum—just like him sometimes. It’s why I don’t plan surprises for him.
Not only am I bad at keeping things from him, but he’ll drive me crazy until I just tell him.
It’s already dark, quite late for a date to be starting, which is why I’m surprised we’re going out somewhere. Then again, Davis said he called in a favor for this date, so maybe they’re staying open late for us.
We take a lot of back roads, mostly state highways that I once knew like the back of my hand, before Davis turns off onto a road with a sign that reads Mountain Top Vineyards.
The only light comes from strings of bulbs that run from high poles alongside the road and the moon. I can’t see much beyond the road, but it feels peaceful out here.
The road eventually opens up to reveal a massive lodge-like building. Lights shine from the building, and I can see more of the surrounding area.
I bet it’s gorgeous during the day.
Davis pulls into a spot in the mostly empty parking lot. He hops out of the car and opens Crew’s door for him, making me smile. When I reach for my door, he makes a noise.
“Let me, Kiki.”
I lift my hands in the air to show him I have no intention of opening my door, causing both men to chuckle. As soon as Crew is out of the car, Davis races around to help me out.
“Thank you, Davis.”
He lifts my hand to his lips, brushing them against my knuckles as he grins. “It’s my pleasure.”
I take his arm when he offers it to me, grinning when Crew takes his other arm.
Just two betas and their omega out on a date.
Why did I freak out about this so much again?
“Davis!” A masculine voice calls out as we approach the porch, a man stepping out the front door to grin at us. “I’m so glad you could make it.”
“It’s good to see you, Harrison. I’d shake your hand, but as you can see, my arms are spoken for.” Davis sounds proud of himself. “Harrison, this is Kiara and her omega, Crew. My pack is courting the two of them.”
Harrison flashes his pearly whites at us once more, running a hand through his thick blond hair.
He’s attractive enough, I guess, but he screams city boy to me.
I’m surprised he chose to run a vineyard in the middle of the Tennessee mountains.
“It’s nice to meet both of you. Did Davis tell you what you’d be doing tonight? ”
“No.” Crew is back to pouting, and he’s lucky he’s an attractive pouter. There aren’t many grown men who still look attractive when they pout.
“That’s okay. I’ll explain as we head around back.” Instead of entering the building, he leads us around the side. I fall in love with this place a little bit more when I realize it’s a wrap-around porch.
I fucking love wrap-around porches.
“Thank you so much for hosting us so late.” Part of me feels bad that they’re working so late, but I’m also excited to see what Davis has planned for us.
“My pack mates are just finishing setting up,” he tells us.
“We do events at the vineyard at all times of day and night, so don’t worry about it being late.
Just last week, we had an event that started at two in the morning.
This is nothing. The pack and I do the admin work for the vineyard and run some of the events, but we have a staff to help with all of that.
We’re used to keeping odd hours—especially now that the babies are teething. ”
Empathy courses through me. “You have newborns and a new business? I don’t envy you that.”
Harrison chuckles. “We didn’t expect to be chosen to adopt so soon after opening the vineyards, that’s for sure. But we wouldn’t change it for anything. Now, here we are. These are my pack mates, Tyler, Samson, and Yuri. Matthew is the one with the twins sitting on the swing.”
I greet them, but my eyes are drawn to the easels. “Are we doing a paint and sip?”
“We are. You’ve always mentioned wanting to do it, so I figured this was the perfect opportunity. Yuri is an artist himself—his pieces sell for hundreds of thousands—so we have the best teacher.”
“Don’t forget the best wine,” Samson adds with a smile. “Choose your seats while Tyler pours the tasting flights. Yuri is really excited about this. If it goes well, we might start offering it regularly.”
I don’t have to be told twice as I pull away from Davis and choose the stool on the right. As soon as Crew and Davis join us, Yuri dives right into the class.
I lose myself in the process, a little sad when we’re interrupted to taste the wines. At least until I taste them. I don’t drink much wine, but theirs is amazing, and I’m definitely going to need to buy a few bottles for the house.
Once we finish our paintings, we pile into golf carts with Harrison and Yuri, and they drive us away from the bright lights of the winery.
They drop us off with a blanket, snacks, and a bottle of wine to do some stargazing.
They promise to be back to pick us up in an hour, but as I stare up at the wide open sky, I don’t think I’d mind them leaving us out here all night.
Once Davis unfurls the blanket and lays it on the ground, Crew pulls me down beside him so I’m curled into his side as we stare up at the star-filled sky.
Nothing beats the mountain sky, where the light pollution from major cities doesn’t hide most of the stars from sight.
Davis lowers himself on my other side, and I roll onto my back so I can see him. I smile when he takes my hand in his, entwining our fingers.
“Are you having a good time?” he asks quietly, as if he’s afraid to disturb the peaceful atmosphere.
“You know I am,” I assure him.
“Not that anyone asked me, but I’m also enjoying myself.” Crew grins. “Thank you, Davis, for setting this up for Kiara. It was a lot more fun than I thought it would be.”
Davis’s smile is beautiful as he stares at my omega. “This courtship isn’t just about convincing you we’re the pack for you, Crew. It’s also about convincing Kiara of the same thing. A lot of packs would cater to the omega’s desires only, but that’s not the kind of pack we are.
“I’d know that best since I’m in a pack with two alphas that I adore but who drive me crazy on the regular.
They’ve never been selfish men, but as we know, alphas and omegas have to deal with hormones that can overrule their brains.
Kiki and I don’t have those same instincts overriding us.
You being my scent match makes it a bit more intense for me, but it’s not the same.
It’s my job to make sure we’re considering both of you. ”
I grin up at Davis. “It’s our job to make sure the rest of the pack doesn’t devolve into the worst of their designation’s instincts. This will be much easier with a second beta in the pack.”
“That’s my thinking as well.” He boops my nose.
“Thank you, Davis.” The seriousness in Crew’s tone has both of us turning to look at him.
Davis’s smile falls away. “You already said that.”
Crew nods. “I know I did, but I don’t think you understand why I’m thanking you.
Yes, it’s about thinking of Kiara when your focus could be on me, but it’s more than that.
You understand each other in a way that Alexander, Mason, and I can’t.
Thank you for loving Kiara and for being that touchstone for her. ”
“You don’t need to thank me for that,” Davis says softly, cupping Crew’s face in his hand before leaning in to kiss him.
Crew hums, following Davis as he pulls away. “But I’m going to anyway.”
Davis chuckles before leaning down to kiss me. He pulls away too soon, but I can’t complain when they surround me in their warmth.
This isn’t exactly how I saw this date going, but I can’t say I’m disappointed in the least.