Chapter 21
Jasper shivers, goosebumps springing up across his back as I run my hand down his spine. He curls into me, pressing his forehead into my chest, his hand fisting against my sternum. The reaction has my purr kicking to life, and Rylan chuckles from where he lays on the other side of Jasper.
“Didn’t know you could do that,” Jasper mumbles against my skin.
Rylan laughs harder. “All Alphas purr. Even ones on small doses of rut suppressors.”
Jasper grunts but plasters himself harder against me—an incredibly Omega move despite him being Beta. It’s one of the things that attracted me to him in the first place, his inability to keep his hands off me at that pinball arcade bar.
“Not what I meant,” he says.
I mess with the chain of his necklace.
“It’s not instinctual with a Beta,” I tell him. “Purring with one means there’s more than just biology going on.”
“And here I thought I just knew how to give a damn good blow job.” He presses his smile into my chest, and I laugh, kissing his temple.
“Doesn’t discount that you do,” Rylan says, a wry lilt to his tone before he sighs and stretches. “Can we please move to a bed? This rug is not nearly as comfy as it looks.”
I grab the shirt he ripped off Jasper and smack it across his chest.
“Fuck off, Dom,” he mutters, rubbing his shoulders as he rolls to sitting.
Jasper sighs and pulls away, the moment effectively broken. His stomach growls, and Rylan springs into action before I can manage to lean against the couch.
“I brought Chinese food,” he says, grabbing his abandoned shirt as he crosses the apartment, stretching his neck as he goes. “Didn’t realize you would be here, or I would have gotten extra. I can order some more if you need it.”
He cocks an eyebrow as he glances over his shoulder, and I smirk.
“I’ll be fine, amico,” I murmur.
I help Jasper to his feet, luxuriating in the fact he lets me dress him despite there being no biological urge for it. It’s like he was wired specifically for me. No heats. No children. No ruts. Just naturally wanting enough touch and support to ease the Alpha instincts.
When I straighten, he cups the nape of my neck, pulling me into a languid kiss, his tongue exploring. I let him do as he pleases until my sated dick starts to twitch. His grip tightens, his nails scratching my skin, and I pull him closer, grinding my erection into his hip. The smell of grapefruit fills the room, overpowering the smells of sex and bodies from the earlier threesome.
Rylan groans. “Not yet. I’m too hungry for another round.”
“You don’t need to be involved,” I mutter, palming Jasper’s cock over the top of his boxers. He grunts, pushing into me, and I smirk.
“Dominic.” Rylan’s tone grows sharp, and I blow out a sigh, pulling my hand away from Jasper as I offer him a soft, chaste parting kiss. He intertwines our fingers, guiding me across the living space to the island’s bar stools.
He offers me the plate Rylan sets in front of him, loaded with Szechuan chicken and fried rice. I ignore Rylan’s frown, indulging Jasper in being able to care for me, remembering how much he smiled at the restaurant last week when I shared that dessert with him.
“I have an… unusual request,” I say after a bit, once Rylan is settled on the other side of Jasper and focused on his own food. He glances at me, an eyebrow raised, but goes back to eating when I give him a single nod.
Jasper sets his fork down. “Like… you want me in a leather bodysuit kind of unusual? Or you want me to join you on a midday date to the pier that you loathe entirely type of unusual?”
He props his chin on his palm, a smile tugging at his lips, and I can’t help but chuckle. Palming his thigh, I turn him toward me, bracketing his legs with my own as I invade what bit of personal space he has left. His breath hitches, and my purr starts again.
“Kind of surprised you didn’t think about him coming up with a way to knot you,” Rylan says, his nonchalance managing to add to the moment instead of detracting from it.
Jasper’s eyes widen before flaring with heat. “Aren’t those stimulants expensive?”
I shrug, but Rylan’s the one that answers. “Yeah, but Dom doesn’t care about cost. At least not until it hits five figures.”
Truth.
Which brings me back to my problem.
“My request is more along the lines of registering with the Council,” I say, deciding to just get it out in the open and leave it up to Jasper if he wants to know why.
“I thought you didn’t want to match,” Jasper says, pulling away from me, his gaze wary. “No children. That’s what we discussed at the restaurant. What I agreed to when I agreed to you both.”
I nod, dropping my other hand to his knee, tracing the inside of his thigh. His pupils dilate as he takes a shaky breath, his dick pressing against his boxers.
“My trust fund matured this year,” I say, squeezing his knee. “But my parents informed me last week that they won’t release it until I’ve attended a damn gala. I have no intention of being matched.”
Jasper frowns. “You can’t guarantee that. Once you’re at a gala, it’s at the discretion of the Council.”
“We could get matched with a male Omega,” Rylan says softly. “And Dom could take rut suppressors when they go into heat if he really doesn’t want to be involved.”
Jasper twists, breaking my hold on him.
“One Alpha for an entire heat sounds awful,” he says.
Rylan only shrugs. “Or we don’t get matched at all. Most registered packs attend three before finally being selected for matching by the Council. Odds are we go, have a fun night of partying, then come back and build whatever we want together here. Dominic’s parents release his trust fund, and we deactivate with the Council.”
Jasper narrows his eyes. “You knew about this?”
Rylan blushes and ducks his head. Jasper twists back to me, suspicion in his gaze.
“He didn’t know I wanted to ask you, just the ultimatum. I told him earlier this week after it happened.”
That has him relaxing. He eats in silence for a few minutes, but I opt to watch him instead of digging into my own food. After a few minutes, he pushes the plate away and stretches, lacing his hands above his head.
“No rigging it,” he says, looking first at Rylan before back at me. “We do it properly. If there happens to be the exact perfect Omega for us there, we don’t sabotage the match just to spite your family.”
I cock an eyebrow, resting my elbows on the counter as I perch my chin on my fists. Absolutely not agreeing to that. Jasper and Rylan are enough for me.
It’s an easy enough form to fill out, requesting the match be negated and the Omega matched with the second best option, but that doesn’t mean it’ll process before whomever is matched makes it out here.
Jasper reads my silence too quickly and far too accurately.
“That’s the only way I say yes, Dominic,” he whispers, dropping his arms to the counter, crossing them and tapping his forearm. “Those Omegas get one night and one chance. If, for whatever reason, the Council decides we’re perfect for one of them, we give it our legitimate best. It’s what they deserve.”
Rylan catches my gaze from over Jasper’s shoulder, nodding once, his lips pulled into a thin line. Wouldn’t that just make him smug as hell? I go to all the work to make this a fake match up for the sake of the Council just to end up fucking paired with someone anyway. I shove the thought away.
The reality is that we probably won’t even get shortlisted—the odds of being matched are even slimmer.
“All right,” I agree, dropping my voice and enjoying the way Jasper shivers in response. “If for whatever reason we get matched, I won’t sabotage it to spite my family.”
He nods. I finally start eating.
“I suppose this solves my apartment problem,” Jasper says, running his hand across his head, making his short hair stick up in little puffs.
Rylan glares, his lips bunching into a pout as he shoulders Jasper. “You know as well as I do that you weren’t moving back into that little shoebox either way.”
Jasper laughs, grabbing Rylan’s chin and pulling him closer for a kiss.
His whispered voice is light and bright. “Just nice to hear you admit it, Rylan.”
I focus on my food, giving them the small moment, organizing the to-do list that has now exploded for me over the next couple weeks. General profiles for each of us. Group picture. Proof of income. Proof of designation. Proof of address.
Cazzo.
Will they require me to stop the suppressor? The thought sours my stomach, and I set my fork down, running my hands down my face.
Jasper palms my thigh, pulling me from my thoughts.
“You sure about this?” he asks. I drop my hands and focus on him, his bright eyes seeing through me so thoroughly I wonder why I tried to hide my worry at all.
“Sì, Tesoro,” I murmur before kissing him.
“Tesoro?” Jasper asks against my lips. He doesn’t get the accent quite right, but I smile anyway.
“Treasure,” I murmur.
He hums and runs a hand down my chest. “I like the sound of it. You finished eating?”
I nod.
“Good.”