Chapter 30 – Lacey
Chapter Thirty
Lacey
Christmas music plays softly in the background as the four of us decorate the tree. It dawns on me that I have no gifts for them, which is probably going to make Christmas rather awkward.
Wilder comes up behind me as I stretch to hang a bulb on one of the higher branches. His warm hand lands on my middle as I manage to get it hooked on the limb I was eyeing.
“I would have been happy to lift you,” he coos, brushing his fingers over my abdomen.
“I probably should have left the top branches for you guys.” My hand falls to his, and I interlink our fingers, glancing over my shoulder at him.
His stubble is thicker than it has been. It’s more of a short beard than a five-o’clock shadow, and it makes him even more deliciously handsome.
“Nah, I love seeing you hanging the ornaments we haven’t touched since my mom was alive,” he murmurs, leaning down to kiss my temple.
My stomach tightens.
I hate that he had to experience that kind of loss, and I’m even more emotional that he brought them out after keeping them packed away for so many years.
“She had beautiful taste in Christmas decor.” I wish I was better at knowing how to put someone at ease, but I spin in his hold, wrapping my arms under his. “The train set was hers too?”
“It was,” he agrees. “And the entire Christmas village that we have yet to unpack, but I don’t want to overwhelm you when there’s so little time until the holiday. It might be best not to go overboard, considering we don’t know how out of it you’ll be for Christmas. There’s always next year.”
“If this damn tinsel doesn’t take me out first,” Grim grumbles from over by the fireplace.
I twist to face him and laugh when I see the shiny strands hanging from his beard. “Yeah, maybe we can put that back in the box.”
“It’s probably not safe when you have animals with more intrigue than brains, anyway,” Callum says, laughing.
“I’m sorry. Do you have pets I don’t know about?” I turn to the other side, quirking an eyebrow. “If so, why haven’t I been introduced to them?”
Cal laughs. “Not yet, but I’m always willing to expand the family.”
Why is he so good at blocking his emotions in the bond?
How?
Grim grunts, ripping the tinsel from his beard. “We have gingerbread houses to make. Let’s focus on that.” He does his best to block something from spilling through our connection in the bond, and I get even more suspicious.
If they have sweet animal faces I could be squishing, they better introduce me to them, and fast.
“Something is wrong with mine,” I say, frowning as the frosting melts off the side of the roof of my gingerbread house.
“It looks cute to me.” Callum shrugs. “I see what you were going for with the icicle lights. Those drops of frosting pull it off perfectly.”
“I think it’s supposed to be dripping snow,” Grim says, scratching his beard.
Except…
Neither option was what I was trying for.
Not in the least.
I was trying to line the edge of the roof in a puff of frosting, but mine keeps melting, while theirs does not.
Grim frowns, tilting his head.
I can feel him poking around in the bond, and he nods at Wilder, who sits next to me on one side of the table in the breakfast nook. Callum is across from me and Grim is next to him.
Wilder drops the bag of gummy candies he was decorating his door with and turns toward me. The backs of his fingers brush my cheek, and he quickly pulls my hair up, teasing over the skin of my neck. “You’re feverish. I shouldn’t have pushed to do this tonight.”
“No, no way.” I shake my head, twisting toward him.
Callum has his phone out, taking pictures, and I think he can sense my confusion. “Just taking pictures to document our first Christmas together.”
That wasn’t entirely truthful based on the bond, but whatever.
I roll my eyes and focus on Wilder. “I loved decorating the tree. This is great too. I just think maybe my gingerbread didn’t cool all the way. I can’t figure out why else my frosting would be melting, but don’t apologize.”
“All the gingerbread was cooked at the same time,” Wilder says softly. “You must be heating the frosting with your body temp.”
“No, dammit,” I grumble, rubbing at my eyes. They do burn, now that I think about it. “This heat is not allowed to ruin our first real Christmas.”
“Aww, beautiful,” Wilder coos. “Even if we have to celebrate a different day, I promise, you’ll get to enjoy the Christmas magic.”
On one hand, I’m a little disappointed. You only get one of each first holiday together, but I’m also really excited to finally present. No more considering myself a broken omega.
The guys try to coax me upstairs to the nest, but I napped with Grim. I’m not tired, and I really want to watch a movie before bed. They finally give in under the condition that I promise to let them know if I get crampy.
I’m warm, but not boiling, as the movie plays in the background and the fire crackles in the fireplace. It’s peaceful, but with Callum curled around my body, it’s hard to focus on anything.
I’m not in a wave of heat yet, though with a few tender touches, I could see myself getting there fast.
Callum holds his top half up on one elbow, but he uses that hand to pull my hair back from my face.
“You were sucking on Grim’s fingers earlier. Can I get in on that action?” He grinds against my ass. “Look, I’ll even make it easier for you. Lift your head for just a second.”
I blink at the TV as I process his words but follow his instruction.
He works his arm under my head and pulls his hand back toward my face.
I’m not sure that position can be comfortable for him, but he’s an adult.
He’ll speak up or ask me to move if it gets that bad, and I do have quite the oral fixation.
It was very calming to fall asleep sucking on Grim’s fingers that tasted like me.
Pulling my hand from under the throw blanket, I guide his fingers to my mouth. Callum rewards me by sliding his free hand under my pajama bottoms. He doesn’t even dip lower toward my sex, but I’m content with the way his hand splays on my abdomen.
“You make me so fucking happy,” Callum coos close to my ear. He tugs my ass back into his cock, showing me exactly how hard he’s becoming. “The most perfect omega I ever could have dreamed up, and you’re all fucking mine.”
My heart rate picks up, but I can’t talk with his fingers resting on my tongue, so I nod to let him know how much he means to me.
If I had asked the universe for my perfect pack, I would have asked for all the wrong things. Somehow I got exactly who and what I needed to be happy, and I still don’t understand how they fell into my lap.
I was just stubborn enough to stick it out through the entire cheesy Christmas movie, and the guys were thoughtful enough not to complain.
Cal did get a little frisky during the last thirty minutes, shoving his cock inside me while telling me to keep quiet. His slow grinding thrusts led to an earth-shattering orgasm that gave away what we were up to, no matter how hard he tried to muffle my begging moans with his fingers.
Not that Grim didn’t know. He picked it up in the bond pretty quickly. Keeping eye contact with him while Cal rocked my world was strangely erotic.
The fact Callum pulled out of me, kissed my temple, and tugged up my pajama pants without a word still turns me on for some weird reason. Almost like he used me to get himself off, but in a not gross way because I enjoyed the hell out of it too.
I’m lost in thought about why that was so sexy as the four of us make our way to the nest.
It really is incredible.
The room is spacious, but the ceiling is low compared to all the other areas in the house.
It has a tiny half bath attached, despite the fact there is already a full bathroom in the pack bedroom.
This one only has a sink and a toilet, but it’s small and cozy.
Even the thought of having to trek into the other bathroom stresses me out.
Omegas do best in confined spaces during heats, after all.
On one wall of the nest, there’s a huge bay window that has a cushioned bottom. It looks out over the backyard, and while the view is beautiful, it’s way too open for this point in my heat.
Luckily, the center of the room has a large sunken cushion that is accessible by three steps down. The ceiling has runners that hold huge curtains, and when they’re pulled closed, it cordons off the entire area.
The wall to the left of the bay window seat has a massive plush sofa with throw pillows and a blanket tossed over the long end of the sectional. The ceiling also has a curtain runner. While the area is open to the rest of the room now, it could be pulled to close off just the couch.
It’s a very convenient use of the space, with three distinct options for different times during my heat or if, say, one gets to be too covered in bodily fluids and no one wants to clean just yet.
Two walls are covered in floor-to-ceiling cabinets for storage, and Wilder kept me company earlier as I dug through each and every one. He helped pass me each set of sheets, blanket, and pillow so I could personally test them out to see which worked best with my senses.
That’s why I’m confused when I spot the giant bins next to the door as we walk inside the nest. That wasn’t here earlier. I know for a fact that I would have noticed.
“What’s this?” I ask as Callum, Wilder, and Grim spill into the room.
“You didn’t think you’d get away without opening at least one courting gift tonight, did you?” Wilder chuckles.
My head tilts.
I wasn’t expecting anything but a night filled with them shoving their knots inside me.
Hopefully simultaneously.
God gave omegas three holes, and I have three alphas at the ready… So basically, for once in my life, the math matches. Wow. I’ve got some foggy omega logic going on for sure.
“Give it a look through,” Grim rumbles, coming to a stop behind me. “If it gets to be too much, we can put a pause on it until tomorrow morning.”
“Okay,” I agree, kneeling next to the first bin.
“If we were pretending to be gentlemen, we could have carried it over to the couch.” Callum laughs, squatting down at my side. “Go on, baby girl. Check out your goodies.”
Tugging the lid off, I dig inside.
The first thing I pull out is a small case that reminds me of a makeup bag or the toiletry containers that people pack to go on vacation. Unzipping it, I find a variety of soaps, lotions, and creams.
“That should have scent-blocking soap for if you start to get too overwhelmed by your own pheromones,” Wilder says. “It also has scent-enhancing soap and cream for the three of us. It’s supposed to make us smell even riper, which should soothe your system if you get unsettled.”
“Those sound perfect,” I say, zipping the bag up again and handing it to Callum. “Thank you.” The next package I grab is clear, and when I lift it to peek at what’s inside, I snort.
“Never discount the importance of lube,” Callum says like he’s imparting some sage wisdom. “Slick is convenient as fuck, but having a backup plan is never a bad idea.”
Grim scoffs.
I, however, can’t fault the logic.
Twisting to face Cal, I shove the package at him and kiss his cheek. “Makes sense to me.”
A big red first aid kit with the words Omega Essentials on the front is the next thing I grab out.
“Ah, yes, we’re going to need that,” Wilder says, stretching around me to pluck it from my hands.
“It has an omega thermometer, ice packs, an eye mask, fever reducers, and a care sheet with information about when certain symptoms are dangerous. It should also have charts for us to track all of the important stuff, so you don’t go too long without eating and drinking.
It’ll also remind us how long your fever has been at a certain level. ”
“That’s kinda scary,” I say before I can stop myself.
“It’s only a precaution,” Wilder says.
“You let us worry about all of that,” Grim says. “It looks like you’ve got a blanket or two to test out.”
“Want me to cut them open for you? Or you want to save that for tomorrow?” Callum asks, patting the vacuum-sealed package on top.
I shrug and smile. “Might as well see what they feel like on my skin.”
Truthfully, I’m just trying to be polite. What I want most is to strip out of my pajamas and cuddle naked with all three of my men.