37. Maia
37
MAIA
“ H ey, sorry we woke you,” I whisper, my voice hoarse with my tears. Alex just waves off my worries and charges forward. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you in bed?”
“Pass her here,” he commands.
His voice is thick with sleep, and it makes it more gravelly than normal. It would be hot if I wasn’t on my second night of no sleep with a hysterical baby who seems to hate me, her crib, my boobs, and the dark.
She was very unsettled last night after Iris, Talia, and their mates went home, and Ben had a meeting this morning, so I sent him to his own room—reluctantly, but it was needed for his own sake.
I spent most of it walking her back and forth around the room, shushing her to sleep. Today has been hectic for my mates as they deal with the blowout of last night, so I’ve had very little sleep, and it’s starting to wear thin.
Tonight, Topher was meant to be my bed partner, but he wasn’t home when we got settled, and he’s not snuck in yet.
I’m a big girl. I can handle it.
It’s just hard .
“Babe, I’ve been watching you on that damn monitor of yours for the last few minutes, and it’s clear that you’re wrecked but weren’t planning on getting one of us to come and help. Sit your pretty ass down and let me take a turn with her.”
“Alex—”
“Now,” he says, and I sigh but obey him, even without him using his alpha voice. He’s right, even if it makes me feel guilty.
Phoebe’s cluster fed for two hours, draining me dry— literally and mentally —and now she just won’t settle unless I’m moving around the room. I’m happy to do it, but it’s exhausting when I’m running on empty. I pass her over to Alex and frown when she cuddles in and instantly closes her eyes.
“What in all of the magic?” I demand as exhausted tears well up, and he smirks at me as if he’s so talented.
I can’t even appreciate how attractive he is right now, dad-bossing it, because I just want to curl up in a ball and cry my exhaustion out. I’ve spent hours with her, trying to calm her down and soothe her unhappiness, and she has given me nothing .
But for Alex? Phoebe curls up and closes her eyes, acting like the little princess I know she is, taking the offered comfort and cuddles.
She’s a baby, and she’s not doing it to be vindictive. Logically, I know that. I can understand it. But right now, as I see her practically asleep in his arms, I’m filled with such anger. I’m exhausted. I’ve spent two whole days soothing her and loving her through this unhappy period.
And she doesn’t care. She chooses Alex over me. She thinks he’s better than I am.
And at this point, he probably is.
“Close your eyes, little butterfly,” he says, and I do, just as he starts humming a very melodic tune. I don’t know which of us is more into his voice, but both me and my daughter relax to it.
“She’s down,” Alex says softly, and my eyes fly open. How long has it been? “I’m going to settle her down in the crib, and you can come lay next to her.”
“She’s going to wake up,” I say, shaking my head mournfully. My voice is laced with my resignation, a bone-deep exhaustion filling my bones.
“Then she’ll cuddle with her mama in the big girl bed whilst I supervise,” he says, and I frown. “I know you’re against the idea of bed-sharing, but I promise you, I will not fall asleep. I’ll be sitting here the entire time, watching over you both until morning.”
“I… what if I hurt her?” My argument is weak, but I can’t shake the fear.
He moves towards me so impossibly fast my eyes can’t even track the movement, with his delicate hold still on my daughter.
“I’d never risk her, and I’d never allow you to, either,” he says, and I nod. Just like that, he’s got me in a trance. “If it would make you feel better, I can have one of the others sit with us, too, just in case I drift off.”
I shake my head, and he smiles. I move over to the bed and lay down, but I can’t figure out how to do this safely. What if I roll onto her? What if I put her on my chest, but she rolls off?
“On your side,” Alex says, and I hurry to obey. “And curl up into a c-shape.”
Once I’m in position, he gently places Phoebe in the gap between my arm, chest, and knees, and I relax when she cuddles in close. I smell her hair, the sweet baby smell overwhelming me, and I start to drift off, knowing that she’s okay.
When Phoebe starts rooting sometime later, I just tug my T-shirt off, throw it across the room, and help latch her to my boob. I fall asleep with her feeding, and it’s so fucking relaxing to be able to just sleep without thinking about anything except how adorably tiny her fingers are as they hold onto me.
I sleep better knowing she’s here with me, and she seems to settle better being with me. I don’t know how long the two of us sleep for, before I’m woken up again, but, god, do I feel rested. My eyes aren’t grainy, and my head doesn’t ache.
“Pass her here, love.” My eyes fly open, and I see it’s not Alex here with me, anymore, but Ben. Their voices are identical, as are nearly everything else about them—but their eyes are the only place where I can tell the difference. “She’s just finished another feed, and I heard a very loud trumpet sound, so unless you want to get that shit on your hands…”
I giggle and let him steal her from me. Alex appears with a glass of water for me, and I push up to a sitting position in bed as the two brothers start changing her nappy for me.
They’re adorable as they tag team it, and I’m curious as to how much their heightened sense of smell seems to affect them. Ben’s trying to hide his gags—since Alex told him off for showing such displeasure—but he seems to be genuinely affected by the smell.
My heart warms seeing it, and apparently, Phoebe really wants to make this a memorable morning for them both because, as they’re trying to tug the baby wipes out of the packet, they’re not giving her their full attention.
“Maia! Maia, help!” Ben shrieks, and I burst into laughter as she wees all over the mat and Ben’s hands. He was holding her in place, and I duck my head to hide my giggles.
Alex snickers at his brother, not offering any help at all.
“She’s going to need a whole new change of clothes now,” I say, nodding my head over to the chest of drawers on the back wall. I’ve got a few sleep suits and vests in there, to save me going through to her room where the vast majority of her clothes are, each time something like this happens.
Alex goes over to grab them, holding up options for me to choose, as Ben starts to clean her. Neither of them complain as they get her changed, Ben going as far as to tickle her chest and coo at her as he gets her into clean clothes.
It’s the sweetest thing .
I may not have chosen to have their child… but choosing to raise my daughter with them was a very good decision indeed.
“ A re you sure you can handle her?” I ask, yawning through my entire sentence.
Topher chuckles. “It’ll be good for you both. We’ve got her, and Alex has you, princess. Just rest.”
“Sleep,” Ben adds, giving me a tight hug before kicking Seb’s shin. “Get the baby, and let’s go.”
Seb frowns. He eyes Phoebe, and then me, before sighing. “Really?”
I laugh but nod. “Really. You guys will be fine.”
I’m so exhausted, I can’t really fight it. They’re going to take her for a short drive as they go to the offices. Topher’s going to stay there and get some work done in an effort to calm his anger at his parents, delaying their trip a little to return later today.
But after two nights of rubbish sleep—even if I got some help in the early hours this morning—I need a nap.
“I’ve got her,” Alex says, wrapping his arms around me. He presses a soft kiss to my cheek, and we wave off my mates and daughter.
“I thought I’d be nervous,” I say softly.
“And are you?” he asks.
I shake my head. “Not really. I miss her and feel a little bad that she’s not with me. But I know she’s with her daddies and will be okay. They can handle her, and I don’t need to worry.”
“Your trust means so fucking much,” Alex says, squeezing me tightly.
I turn in his arms, looking up at him with a big smile. “And your love and support means so much more. I trust you because you’ve earned it. You’re worthy of it. You’ll never know how much that means to me.”
We stare into each other’s eyes for a moment, the silver flecks in his hazel eyes seeming to swirl around, and it’s like time has completely paused outside of our little bubble.
Alex leans down and kisses me gently, his hand brushing through my hair as he does so. "Let's get some rest, okay? The others will be back soon, and I don’t want your brain worrying.”
I groan, taking his offered hand as we head up the stairs. “My brain only worries when there’s something to worry over. The fact that an anxiety attack threatens to overtake me at the mere thought of your parents…”
“That’s tomorrow’s worry. Today, just let us keep your mind worry free.”
I’m trying.
He pushes the door to my bedroom open, but rather than stopping in the room, I go straight through to the bathroom and get myself sorted.
Once I’ve had my wee, I join him in the bedroom, grinning at how he’s already dimmed the entire room and is lounging in my bed.
He lifts an eyebrow, looking up at me with that smirk that always manages to set my heart aflutter. "You don’t look like someone who is carefree."
“Shut up.” I mumble my words, climbing on the bed with him. “I’m not worried.”
“A master of denial, it seems.” His tone is teasing, and as he tucks me under the duvet and rolls onto his side, I reach out and flick his chest.
“Ah, ah, ah.” Alex grabs my wrists, the tight hold sending shivers down my spine as my core clenches in anticipation. “You, my little butterfly, are a menace. Close your eyes, stop talking, and go to sleep. We both know that sleep is what you need right now. ”
"You're right," I say, nuzzling my head into his neck. "I'll try to let go of my worries for today.”
It’s just easier said than done.
His hands move under my baggy shirt, trailing up and down my back. Sparks are forming along the trail, and I shiver at each pass.
“I love you.” He brushes a soft kiss to my forehead, and I sigh into his hold, murmuring the words back.
We fall to a silence, my brain calming with each of his touches, the quiet of the outside starting to match the inside. It’s a nice kind of silence. The softness of our breaths, the niceness of his hold on me.
It’s soothing.
And I truly relax.
I press myself closer to him, and my brain comes back to life the moment I feel his hardness pressing against me.
“You’re feeling a little… off.” Alex’s words are almost amused as his touches become a little firmer.
“Feeling or smelling?” I mumble.
He laughs. “Smelling.”
“Of?” I ask, pulling back to look into his eyes.
He doesn’t disappoint, the brightness of his eyes meeting mine, full of amusement and desire. "Your arousal, little butterfly. The way you’re leaking, and I can smell it."
I blush, mortification filling me. “Sorry.” I try to pull away, but he tightens his hold.
“Sorry?” he growls the word into my ear and gently puts some space between us. He keeps my left leg over his, letting the position hold me open for him. He takes my hand, presses a soft kiss to the pulse on my wrist, and then places it on his neck.
He’s forming so many connection spots that the sparks are going wild between us.
Alex chuckles in my ear, and his hand moves between my legs, rubbing my still-damp core through my underwear. “ Don’t you ever be sorry. I love smelling you, I love feeling you.”
My blush deepens as I try to focus on the words he's murmuring against my ear. His fingers expertly trace patterns on my clit, and I gasp as pleasure radiates through me.
I don’t think I need a nap. Not as much as I need him, anyway.
“We're not going to be able to sleep if you keep doing that,” I say, my voice breathy with arousal.
“Stop worrying,” Alex says, his lips finding my neck, biting down gently on the sensitive skin. His fingers move faster, teasing me, drawing out the pleasure.
There's no time left for words, just the sound of our ragged breaths and the thud of my heart against my chest, as my orgasm builds. He slows his pace, giving me a chance to catch my breath, and I can feel him hard against me.
“I want you to come, with me inside you,” he says, his husky voice as affected as I am.
I nod and reach down into his shorts, pulling them down slightly to free his erection from them. There’s a wetness from the pre-cum of his cock, and I can’t help but circle my thumb over his tip to get some of the creamy fluid.
I pop it into my mouth, and he groans, his eyes tracking the movement with pure desire pouring from him. I run my other hand up and down, tracing over the ridges and veins, as I pull his shorts down further.
He feels amazing, so big and firm. Just like his brother, he's thick and long, and my mouth waters at the thought of the taste of him.
Alex groans, his hands driving down to my hips, as he thrusts in and out of my hand. “I need you.”
I let go, moving closer, and positioning myself so that he can line his cock up properly. He does, pressing the head against my entrance, and he looks at me, cocking a brow, waiting for permission .
“Now.”
If it were Topher, he’d have done something deliciously punishing for my attitude.
But Alex is far more indulgent, and instead, slowly pushes into me, his eyes locked onto mine, our breaths in sync as he moves.
The slow glide is perfection, stretching me so beautifully as he goes, and it feels intense.
His thrusts become more urgent and intense as he picks up speed, pumping into me deep and hard. The pleasure is overpowering, my nails definitely having drawn blood from my grip on him, as I meet his every move.
With Topher, it was a surrender, letting him pull the pleasure from me, use me, mould me to his desires. He gave, but he took in equal spades, and the dynamic was hot.
With Alex, we’re on the same wavelength, equals, both needing and wanting to merge as one.
I can feel the bed moving beneath us, the frame hitting the wall as we move.
“I need more,” I beg, aching for him to go a little harder.
He obliges, picking up the pace, quickening as his breaths come out faster.
“I want you to come,” he growls, his voice low and rough.
“Then make me.” I hiss the words, and his hand slides between us, reaching for my clit.
He starts to move his fingers in circular motions, applying pressure, and a few flicks, as we continue to move, his rhythm increasing, our bodies slick with sweat.
“Come for me, baby,” he growls into my neck, his voice low and gruff, arousal lacing his words.
I start to unravel, the tension building in my core, his touch, the thrusts, the electricity between us, causing my whole body to hum with need.
“Fuck, yes,” he hisses, his voice strained with his own release being close. I can feel his erratic movements, and I know he’s going to fill me up. “Mark me, mate.”
And it’s like my orgasm just stops. My entire core freezes, my brain not liking that in the slightest. I cringe, doubt filling me, and he stops, too, his eyes full of confusion.
“What—”
“Is this… you don’t just want me to bite you because of… because of the court case, right?” I don’t know where the hesitation came from. The worries have been there on the back of my mind, and I’m a little ashamed at uttering them when I see the hurt on Alex’s face.
“How could you…” He sighs, holding onto my hips to stop me pulling away from him. “You’re worthy of my love, Maia. You’re an amazing woman, and I’m so fucking lucky to be able to call you mine. I’ve spent my entire life waiting for you, and I…” He trails off, his cock twitching inside of me. “You said it yourself in the court office. I’m sick of it being a someday. I want it to be today.
“You’re my mate. A beautiful miracle of a woman, and I couldn’t imagine someone more perfect. I want you. I need you. I’d have marked you on the first day if you were receptive to it. You mean so much to me, and I’m in awe that you find me worthy .”
Tears prick at my eyes, and I lean in to brush a soft kiss to his cheek. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to doubt you.”
“No, I know.” His large hands palm my thighs, and he pulls me in closer, his cock burying in that little bit deeper. I gasp, and he smirks. “Now, mark me, mate, and then I’ll use your feelings to guide me to give you the fucking you so clearly need.”
I gasp and nod.
He grips the back of my neck and pulls me to him. Our lips crash together, the kiss hungry and desperate. He uses my hips like a handle, as my hands wander over his body, leaving a trail of sparks in their wake .
With a low growl from him, I break the kiss and select my spot. It’s a little higher on the neck than Topher’s was, but I’m more nervous. I bite down, and he moans, begging me to do it harder, begging for me to seal us together.
I let the empowering words motivate me, and my teeth break the skin.
He becomes feral underneath me as the bond snaps into place. His soul merges with mine as he shoves Topher to the side to make space for him, too. White noise blurs through my ears, my vision short-circuiting for a brief moment.
When I finally come down from the huge high, Alex is still fucking me, not having stopped.
Our souls are now linked, our bodies working as one, to reach our pleasure.
With one final thrust, Alex's muscles tense, and he groans my name, filling me completely. The warmth and fullness are electric, and it triggers my own release.
He’s perfect, and now, we’re one.
“ D o you want more kids?” Alex’s words are as soft as his gentle touches across my shoulder and upper body. He doesn’t even seem to be thinking about his touch as his hands move around me.
We pulled our clothes off after our… mating, and I’m loving the feel of his bare skin against me. He seems the same way, so unable to stop touching.
I can feel his genuine curiosity right now at his question, but my brain is still reliving the amazing sex we had that I don’t even think I can think deeply about.
“Maybe.”
He nods, kissing my shoulder. “I want more kids. ”
I roll to my side, facing him properly, and smile. “You do? How many?”
“As many as you’re willing to give me.”
I raise an eyebrow, and he shrugs. There’s a blush across his cheeks, and he’s focusing on my lips and not my eyes. “Max wants… I want…” He groans, shaking his head. “As many as you want.”
“What do you want?” I ask, moving us so that I’m straddling him. We’re naked, but I just sit on top of him, his dick sliding in nicely between my folds, as I rest my hands on his chest.
There’s a guarded expression on his face, a little feeling of embarrassment hidden underneath his contentment.
“Nothing.”
I tut at him, shaking my head. “Don’t lie to me, baby. I can see your cute little blush?—”
“I’m not cute.”
“And that adorable little pout?—”
“I’m not pouting.” He narrows his eyes, and it’s so funny.
I giggle, and he lifts his head, attempting to bite my wrist. I laugh even harder, pulling it away from him. “What do you and Max want?”
“We’ve got a bit of a breeding kink,” Alex mutters before reaching over to cover his face with the pillow.
“Oh.” I tilt my head, his words washing over me properly. “ Oh .”
“Yes. Oh.” He groans into the pillow, and I smirk, rocking over him slightly. “What are you doing?”
“I could find a breeding kink a little hot,” I murmur, and he tentatively raises the pillow. His cheeks have a little bit of a blush, his beard hiding most of it, and his eyes are raking over my face as he assesses my truth.
But deep down, he can feel my intrigue, my eagerness, and my desire.
“You could? ”
I nod, grinning at him. “I’m on birth control. But that doesn’t mean you can’t… try. ”
He laughs a little. “That’s not how it works.”
I lean in closer and whisper in his ear, “So, if I begged you to fill me up with your cum, to put a baby in me? If I begged you to take me over and over until my entire inside was coated with your cum?”
He shivers, becoming putty under my touch.
I rock back and forth over him, feeling him grow harder under me. “It’ll be a shame,” I whisper, letting my teeth brush against his earlobe, “if I have to do all the work here, and this cum you’re going to give me gets wasted, now won’t it?”
His want is like a tsunami in my chest, I can feel it building and growing, and I reach down, pick up his hand, and rest it on my stomach.
He groans.
“Please, Alex, think how full my belly will feel when you’re through with me.”
And he snaps.
He grabs my hips, lines up, and fills me in one fluid motion.
I gasp but grin, and I’m very content to spend my nap time doing this instead.
Or really… doing him.