12. Claire
Waking up naked and satiated next to your best friend, the person you’ve wanted your entire life, but never thought you could have, was indescribable.
Happiness brimmed from my chest as I awoke cuddled in Riley’s arms, his fresh rain scent and mine blended together in the sheets. If I wasn’t so damn comfortable in his arms I’d want to roll around in them and soak it all up.
“I can hear you smiling from here, Claire Bear,” he murmured, not opening his eyes.
“I have a lot to smile about,” I countered, placing a kiss against his muscled chest, my hand caressing the light smattering of hair there. “I’m surprised you’re still in bed.”
Riley tended to wake with the sun, a hazard of working on an orchard, and while I was used to waking up early as well for the shop, he was much more of a naturally inclined morning person than I was. Then again, it was his slower season at the orchard and sometimes relaxed his schedule then.
“Wild horses couldn’t drag me away from you. You’re mine now,” he said, finally opening up those chestnut eyes for me to see.
The world seemed to pause for a moment, the sunlight filtering through the blinds turning brighter as we took each other in.
“I love you, Ri.”
A grin stretched across his face. “Not as much as I love you, Claire Dawkings.”
“Pretty sure that’s not possible, but we can spend the rest of our lives trying to one up each other,” I offered.
“Now that sounds like a hell of a way to spend a life,” he said, pleased as punch, pulling me tighter against him. “But for now, I want to spend the rest of the day together.”
“In bed?” I asked hopefully.
“Minx,” he said, playfully. “Yes, in bed, but out of it too. I just want to enjoy being together and neither one of us stupidly holding back anymore. I know it must have been terribly hard to have resisted my charms.”
“It was the absolute worst,” I said, a mix of sarcasm and honesty in my words. “But now that I have you right where I want you, you’re never getting away. We get the rest of our lives together.”
I tilted my lips to press against the tender flesh where I’d bitten him the night before. I knew it wasn’t conventional, but every fiber in my body had begged me to claim him.
Sure we didn’t have a traditional bond, omegas and betas couldn’t form bonds with their bites like alphas, but seeing my teeth marks on his flesh was something I desperately needed. I wanted to shout from the rooftops that he was mine.
He was the boy who had cleaned up my scraped knees and built forts with me, he was the one who showed up in color coordinating outfits to homecoming that I’d knitted, just to make me smile. Now he was the man who’d literally swept me off my feet and taken me back home and into his arms, exactly where I belonged.
Suddenly all those years of seemingly unrequited love were worth it, nothing more than a temporary stage to get us where we needed to go.
His phone beeped on the nightstand and I couldn’t help but think it might have been a message from Vance and Adrien, the memory of the photo I’d let Riley send the night before coming to the forefront of my mind.
“You’re thinking about them aren’t you?” He asked, his fingers skimming over my cheeks where I was no doubt flushed.
“I don’t know how to describe it,” I admitted. “I’ve never been drawn to alphas before, hell, anyone but you really, but there’s something special about them.”
“They could be our mates,” Riley suggested. “I like to think that the two of us were always destined to be together, one way or another. Nothing says they can’t be too. It would explain why things feel so natural with them.”
“But we’re just getting to know each other,” I reminded him, thinking of how Vance and Adrien had made that clear when we’d had dinner at their house.
There had been teasing and flirting in abundance, sure, but neither of them had crossed that line.
“I’m pretty sure after how they acted at the auction last night, and after that little display you put on, they won’t be holding back for long,” Riley said. “They were waiting for me to get my act together, which I most certainly have, so it’s only a matter of time.”
A knock sounded on the door, the two of us looking at each other questioningly as his phone beeped yet again.
“I’ll bet the alphas are here to check up on us,” Riley mused as he reached over for his phone. A sleep-roughened chuckle escaped as he flipped the screen over to show me a text from Adrien saying they were outside.
“Text them back, I have to find clothes and a shower would be amazing,” I admitted with a frown. I was excited to see them but a sweat covered post sex body was not how I wanted to greet them today.
“You shower. I’ll text back and throw on some clothes,” Riley promised with a brush of his lips over mine. I watched as he rolled out of bed and flashed me his bare ass. Knowing I was watching, he wiggled it at me as he pulled fresh clothes out of his dresser and pulled them on. “Chop, chop, Claire Bear. You don’t want to keep them waiting.”
“Why do I feel like you’re going out there sans shower just to torture them?” I accused playfully as I finally got up and went across the hall to my room with the sound of his laughter filling the air. Riley was a brat through and through, and I loved him for it.
My shower wasn’t as long as I’d have liked but by the time I’d washed my body and hair, did my curly hair routine as quickly as I could, and found something to wear, the smell of coffee filled the air.
I came back to see a flushed Riley pinned between two alphas, his lips swollen, and his fresh spring rain scent, still tangled with mine, burned brighter.
“There she is,” Vance said when I walked out, holding an arm out for me. “You look beautiful today.”
I hummed happily. “I’m sure I’d look even better if you gave me a kiss too.”
Walking into their arms felt right, the only thing that would make it better is if I was smothered with all of their scents.
Vance cupped my face tenderly before pressing his lips to mine, sparks shot between us and before I could move to deepen the kiss, Adrien was there, pressing his lips firmly to mine. The dominance and possession in his kiss made me feel a bit weak in the knees.
He tore his lips from mine, his thumb swiping my cheekbone.
“Worth the wait? Wasn’t it?” Riley whispered, placing a kiss on my shoulder over his bite, looking at Adrien wantonly.
“I’m afraid you’ll both have to wait a bit more, even if you both look utterly delectable with those fresh bites of yours on display. As much as it pains us, if we don’t stop now you’ll both be pinned to the counter and laid out for breakfast while we devour you,” Adrien said.
“Yes, that,” I said, wanting to feel them. “You should definitely lay us out for breakfast.”
Unfortunately my stomach chose that exact moment to rumble.
“We want to do things the right way with you both,” Vance said, finally stepping back and breaking our bubble.
“Let us take care of you in a different way,” Adrien said. “We thought you might be hungry, so we brought you breakfast. Plus, this is a wonderful time to celebrate. I know you’re the morning pastry expert, but there are a few things I know how to make to perfection.” The fact he bragged so casually meant he was confident, not arrogant, and I loved that he knew his abilities and could be proud of them.
My curiosity was piqued, and I walked over to peek at the counter where the travel container rested. Adrien obliged me, opening it up, so the smell of vanilla, chocolate, and custard hit me full force. The groan was involuntary, and I felt like a hungry cartoon character, their body floating toward the scent automatically.
“Well, I’d say you’ve got her approval,” Riley laughed as he pressed a warm mug into my hand. “We never shy away from good food around here.”
“Noted,” Adrien said.
“And I’ll leave that up to Adrien. I can make basic food, so I’ll keep dinner on the table, but fancy desserts, pastries, and even coffee is not my best skill,” Vance admitted.
“The dinner the other night was amazing, I’d say you’re quite skilled,” I offered with a smile. He smirked at the words, and I had a feeling he was biting back a teasing ‘I’ll show you how skilled I am’ type of comment.
“Then shall we dig in?” Adrien offered as he cleared his throat pointedly. Riley grabbed dishes while I went to our fridge and pulled out fresh berries, rinsing and cutting them and putting them on a serving dish alongside our treats.
Adrien slid a plate toward me as he dished up the mille-feuille and I didn’t hesitate to take a bite and pop it into my mouth. It was rich and creamy and bursting with flavor, such a perfect morning pastry since it wasn’t overly sweet.
“This is incredible, and definitely a treat. Usually, I eat random bites at the cafe or grab a granola bar,” I admitted.
“Consider it one of many,” Adrien said evenly. Both Riley and I looked up at him. We’d talked about seeing where this would go, but his statement was so blunt that it took me by surprise. He smiled softly and looked at Vance.
“We want to officially start courting you both,” Vance explained. “We’ve discussed it, and after how well we all seem to be getting along, we’d like to take it further. If you are also wanting the same?”
Riley’s little snort of laughter had me biting back my own. I knew damn well where his mind was going.
“He said the c-word,” Riley sang out. That alone had my laughter escaping, and both alphas looked downright shocked.
Before they could be hurt by our laughter, I explained the reason behind it.
“Courting in Holiday Hollow is not for the faint of heart. On top of that? Meeting our families is also not for the faint of heart. You’ve opened a whole can of worms you might not be prepared for. Are you positive?”
Despite their confusion and our reaction, both alphas nodded without missing a single beat.
“Of course we’re positive. We’ve survived French culinary school, moving out of the country, and our families. How bad can this be?” Adrien mused.
“If they’re laughing this gleefully? I’d say we better strap in for a wild ride,” Vance laughed and adjusted his glasses. “I’ve met his sister once. She saved us from meeting his mom.”
“By saved, he means practically shoving us out of the door,” Riley countered. “And mom is amazing. She’s just a lot to take in if you don’t know her.”
“Well, as long as they aren’t judgmental and rude, I’m prepared to handle anything.” Adrien’s declaration had a bit of vulnerability coloring it.
“They aren’t that at all,” Riley promised. “And our parents are best friends. We’re all practically family. Prepare for a huge meet-the-parents dinner in your future. If you’re courting us, then you’re meeting them as well. It’s the proper way to handle it. Right?”
“Right,” Vance said slowly. As if he was now officially worried about how this would go. In truth, they’d both love our parents. And our parents would love them. The fact they were two alphas would have no bearing on any of our family’s opinions.
“Honestly, if you bring an offering of chocolates, they’ll never stop praising you,” I promised. “My mom has a huge sweet tooth. The only one who can rival it is Riley’s mom. The two of them together on movie nights is almost worth documenting.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Adrien said with a grin. “I’m just relieved you two have finally expressed how you feel to each other and that you’ve agreed to the courting. We are trying to take it slow, but we can’t seem to get you out of our heads.”
“Couldn’t be that naughty little picture we sent last night, could it?” Riley asked with mock innocence that they both easily saw through. Both of their eyes darkened, and Vance let out a little growl that had me squirming in my seat.
“Let’s focus on more immediate things. Like, what are your plans for today?” Adrien said, steering us back to safer conversation. We’d just agreed to courting, and if we continued on this flirty path, it’d be the quickest courting known to man.