9. Bailey-Rose
My dreams were filled with visions of the most perfect pack of Alphas coming to rescue me from the cursed tower I’d been locked away in.
They whispered sweet words as they lovingly stroked my skin, making me believe it might almost be real.
The craziest part of it all was Ulysses making an appearance and sweeping me off my feet.
Together with his packmates, we rode off into the sunset where the happily ever after I’d always wanted waited for me.
Now as my stomach grumbled and my bladder screamed at me to get up, I had to admit defeat.
No longer could I stay in this magical world.
Instead, once again, I’d be forced to face the reality of my life alone, unwanted, and broken.
Rolling onto my back—or should I say attempted to—I ran into something hard and warm.
Instantly, arms wrapped around me, and I was submerged into a warm summer afternoon sitting on the patio with a glass of cool lemon sweet tea.
Even more shocking is when the perfect summer moment started to purr.
Snapping my eyes open, I found my cheek plastered to someone’s bare chest.
Holy shit, it wasn’t a dream!
The reality of what occurred yesterday came crashing back into my brain. Ulysses had been in my room, there was a pack of Alphas who were my scent matches, and I had a cardiac episode in front of them.
Wait… why was one of the Alphas in my bed?
Movement like someone else was stirring in my bed told me there might not just be one of them here with me.
Popping up like a meerkat searching for danger, I glanced around my room, finding not one or two of them but four.
Gareth was holding me, Warrick was to my back, and Vili was sprawled like a starfish on the foot of the bed.
I spotted Yun-Sun sleeping on my sofa but didn’t see Lysse.
As if thinking of him was all it took to make him appear, the bathroom door opened.
Out walked the man I’d been pining after for years, wearing only a pair of boxers.
Fearing he’d see me gawking at him with my eyes about to bug out of my head, I collapsed onto the bed.
Unfortunately for Gareth, I forgot he was between the mattress and me.
A grunt burst from him as I practically body-slammed into him, causing Ulysses to notice that not only was I awake, I’d just assaulted his packmate.
“Fuck, baby girl, you’re stronger than you look,” Gareth grumbled as he peered at me with sleepy eyes. “We need to work on a better plan than a full-body tackle if you need to get up.”
“Sorry,” I squeaked. “I got a little disorientated having people in my bed. I panicked.”
Gareth nuzzled my hair and kissed my head before releasing me. “That’s fair. We didn’t really discuss sleeping over before you passed out.”
I was going to ask him why they stayed, but hands scooped me up and lifted me out of the bed.
The tang of orange quickly followed by the warmth of milk chocolate told me it was Lysse who decided to extract me from my nest. His skin was silky to the touch which I didn’t think would be possible with how much time he spent outside.
Yet everywhere I let my fingers wander over his chest and shoulder was incredibly smooth.
Realizing what I was doing, I snatched my hand back, clasping it to my chest like I’d been caught doing something wrong.
Lysse chuckled and turned on the bathroom lights before setting me on the tile floor. “There’s no need to be shy, Rosie. What’s mine is yours to do with as you please.”
Struck dumb as my tongue became glued to the roof of my mouth, I just stared at him.
How my eyes stayed in my head, I’ll never know, but go me for not making this weirder than it already was.
He just stood there watching me with such an intense expression that made me want to melt, so I gave him two thumbs-up. “Cool beans,” I blurted.
Horrified at what I’d just done, I darted for the door that led to the toilet and slammed it behind me. Feeling like I might just throw up due to my embarrassment, I slid to the floor and dropped my head to my knees.
“Oh God,” I groaned. “Could I be even more of an idiot?”
A knock sounded on the door. “Rosie, you good?”
“Oh yeah, doing super-duper,” I answered, grabbing the safety bar and hauling myself up. “Be out in a sec.”
His snort of laughter told me the dripping sarcasm had come across loud and clear.
Pulling myself together, I did my business and marched out ready to face Ulysses head-on, but he wasn’t there.
Apparently, he was fine letting me be alone in the bathroom after sounding like a deranged idiot, but not when my heart monitor went off.
Taking advantage of the alone time, I brushed my teeth, but looking in the mirror, I noticed there was a slight mark on my face telling me I’d drooled in my sleep.
Great, now not only did I act like a moron as I tried to give a sleeping person the Heimlich maneuver, I probably slobbered all over them too.
God, I’ve been awake for all of five minutes, and it’s already a disaster of a day.
Glancing at the clock, I noticed it was six thirty in the morning, causing my jaw to drop in shock.
Never have I claimed to be a morning person.
In fact, it went against everything I stood for to be awake right now.
What time had I fallen asleep to feel so well-rested? You know what, I don’t want to know the answer to that. It will only make me upset since I’m pretty sure I didn’t have dinner. No wonder I was so hungry.
As I looked in the mirror again, I noticed I was still in my dress and shorts from last night.
I should probably be relieved by that, but it was simply another acknowledgment of my epic fail of an introduction to these men I was supposed to spend my life with.
Cracking open the door, I peered into my bedroom, trying to take stock of what was happening before I entered.
“Rosie, what exactly are you doing?” Lysse asked as he moved from where he’d been standing.
Okay, so he didn’t really leave like I thought.
He just knew I’d kick him out if he tried to creep in while I was in the bathroom.
Clearly, I was going to need to put in some ground rules if this was going to become a regular occurrence.
I cleared my throat, stood tall, and tried not to show that I was being weirder than normal.
“Nothing… just not used to having men I’m not related to in my bedroom,” I answered, opening the door fully.
Ulysses raised a brow as he took a step forward, causing me to back up a step. “Does that mean you think of me as someone you’re related to?”
“What?” I asked, not following his train of thought as I continued to back up while he advanced one step at a time. My retreat was halted when I bumped into the wall, allowing Lysse to cage me in with his broad body.
He reached out and gently wrapped a hand around my throat, stroking his thumb over my pulse, making me shiver. “You said you weren’t used to people you weren’t related to being in your room.”
It was hard to process what he was saying as his scent, touch, and the sight of his bare skin left me in a daze. Then the bastard had the audacity to lean in and whisper in my ear with an edge to his voice that made me want to melt.
“Now, Rosie,” he continued, his hot breath on my neck. “I distinctly remember being in this room. With you as you painted while your brother and I read comic books. So does that mean you view me the same as your brother?”
Like hell, I viewed him the same as Crew.
“N-no,” I stammered. “You are definitely not like my brother.”
“Good…” Ulysses pressed a kiss just below my ear, “… because the intentions I have toward you are anything but brotherly.”
My chest tightened as my heart rate sped up, and my breathing became more rapid.
I tried to calm myself down since the last thing I wanted was for my monitor to go off and ruin the moment.
Ulysses gazed down at me with a heat in his gaze that I’d dared to dream about as I scratched an itch.
I might not be able to have a heat, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t get horny.
Sex was great, but it didn’t happen often for me, so I was left to tend to my own needs.
Before I could think better of it, my hand connected with Ulysses’ chest, fingers splayed wide to touch as much of him as I could.
A possessive sound erupted out of the Alpha before me as he stepped closer, pressing me between him and the wall.
Lysses’ hand gripped my hips and lifted me until we were at eye level.
Wrapping my legs around his waist to secure myself to his body, I used one hand to free his hair from its loose bun.
It fell to his shoulders in a thick sheet of blond silk that would make any woman jealous.
Leaning in, I caressed my cheek along his neck.
I wanted his scent on my body, proving I was his while leaving mine on him marking him as taken.
“Rosie,” Ulysses bit out. “You are making it rather challenging to be a gentleman.”
“Hmm,” I hummed, then nipped at his ear. “Since when have you ever been a gentleman around me?”
That comment seemed to be what made Lysse snap.
A hand fisted the hair at the base of my neck and pulled, forcing me to look up at him.
Without a second thought, his lips were on mine as our bodies melded together.
I could feel his other hand on my ass, gripping it so tightly I wondered if he might leave a bruise.
My fingers sank into his hair to make sure he wouldn’t pull away from me.