24. Ember
Ember
A few days later, we managed to have our date over at Ben and Rian’s house.
I had barely spoken to Ben or Rian in the meantime and I was crawling out of my skin.
Work progressed, some of the bugs were fixed, and I had intakes.
I went home and fucked Alejandro and West senseless.
But it felt like I couldn’t sit still for long, like I was thirsty and couldn’t find a drop of water.
I needed, craved, and it wasn’t only sexual.
I heard a song on the radio and wanted to know what Ben thought about it. I saw a guitar and wanted to know what sort Rian played.
If I had those thoughts about Alejandro, I could text him in the middle of the day and ask. I went back to the cottage and scented his tropical citrus everywhere.
If I wanted to rub my face on West’s shoulder, I could drive down to San Francisco or go home for lunch when he worked remotely.
My omega did not have open access to Ben or Rian yet, and apparently that was not acceptable to my instincts. I told myself to calm down; we were going on a date.
By the time the date night came, I was climbing the walls. My skin flushed at the idea of being near them, like I was in withdrawal. West and Alejandro were anxious too, but I wasn’t sure if that was my fault. I was a bad influence.
I’d hoped that Ben or Rian would randomly appear in my office, but they didn’t.
I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed and then chastised myself.
They had jobs. They knew I worked, and probably didn’t want to bother me.
I knew where they worked, but if they were recording, they’d be busy for long hours.
Sunday night came, and I was ready to spend the evening touching them as much as I could. I would try to contain myself since West for sure would need time, and I wasn’t sure how Ben or Rian felt about my two.
This was complicated. I never understood how an omega walked into a completed pack, like they were just the missing piece and things clicked together. I always wanted to do the picking myself, even if that was selfish.
But now that we were dating as a group, suddenly everything got difficult. What if Alejandro didn’t like Rian? What if Ben didn’t care for West’s scent? What if, gasp, they all thought I was too high-maintenance?
I liked all of them, but I was the only common denominator at this point. I’d have to wait and see how the men got along, which was why a date at their place was a great idea.
Their house was located along the coast, between Half Moon Bay and San Francisco. We pulled up a long driveway and Alejandro let out a low whistle. “Looks like the music industry has been good to them.”
I kissed Alejandro on the cheek. He wasn’t wrong.
The house was secluded and the grounds sprawling.
Cosmic Bonds was on a massive amount of land, and we’d be millionaires if we ever sold it, but we couldn’t personally afford to buy that sort of land these days.
My grandparents had bought it in the 1970s when land in middle California hadn’t been quite so dear.
The house was long, with wooden walls and stacked stone pillars on the side.
It felt like we were at a mountain retreat, and I liked the aesthetic right away.
The glass windows were paneled with black metal, feeling modern but still warm and cozy.
Rian texted us the guest code to the security gate earlier in the day.
Alejandro drove up the smooth pavement and stopped at the front door. Rian opened the double doors right away. “You made it.”
He was smiling and it took my breath away. I’d never seen him smile like that before, catching mostly moody or grumpy expressions. But his eyes lit up and he looked genuinely happy.
I got out of the car. “I love the house.”
“Wait until you see in the inside,” Rian looked at West and then Alejandro. “We’ve got snacks waiting.”
He almost seemed…bouncy. Excited to have us here.
“After you,” Alejandro said. West stayed close by the alpha’s side, so I stepped forward.
An unexpected blessing of having a third person around. West was the exact opposite of extroverted, so I could run ahead without feeling like I was leaving him behind.
Inside was a tall cactus in a gray pot, and some other succulents were potted to the left. The foyer was expansive, with warm inlaid stone.
Ben waited to the side, smiling. “Welcome, welcome. I was beginning to think we’d have to close the studio for the night just to get an evening free.”
“Right?” Rian said. “You want the tour now or should we relax first?”
“Tour please,” I said. “I’m nosy.”
Rian led the way, Ben following to the side.
The main floor had a massive living room that led into a kitchen and breakfast nook with a formal dining room to the side.
To the side of the living room was a spacious office.
Between the office and living room was a door, and when Rian opened it, he revealed a small nest.
“I have them all over,” he said. “I get urges to nest everywhere. I know that’s weird.”
“Not weird,” West said. “We basically turned the couch in a mini nest.”
It was nice being around another omega who understood our urge to layer scent and pillows everywhere.
I fell in love with the décor right away, and I couldn’t help but ooh and aah over the colors.
It was a beach coastal scheme, but most of the time the color scheme felt too airy or sterile for my taste.
But the living room had a mint green couch with light pine wood floors, soft blue walls with a fireplace that had a tile mosaic going around the mantle in all sorts of shades of blues and greens.
It was soft and warm, and I understood Rian’s random urges to nest everywhere.
“I love the color palette.” We passed a hallway that was layered with oil paintings of the beach with a thick white rug as a runner.
“I worked really hard on it,” Ben said. “Thanks.”
I laughed and touched his arm. “You did a great job.”
Ben seemed much more comfortable at home and moved around without his cane. West kept giving him puzzled looks, until Rian gestured at the state-of-the-art kitchen. “Ben doesn’t use his cane at home since he has the place memorized.”
“Makes sense,” West muttered and looked away.
“If you could do me a solid and not leave chairs sticking out or rearrange the furniture, I’d appreciate that.” Ben shifted closer to West, not quite touching him.
“I suppose so.” West’s voice was dry. “The first thing I do whenever I visit another person’s house is redo their floor plan.”
“Doesn’t everyone?” Alejandro wondered, stroking his chin. “But for you, my alpha, we’ll make an exception.”
Ben grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “I appreciate it.”
Rian included spare bedrooms on the tour, which were spacious, and also what was clearly their bedroom judging by the massive bed and the strength of their scents together.
We didn’t walk inside, and I was grateful because the smoky woods–sweet amber combination made desire race over me.
Judging from West and Alejandro’s scents, they weren’t unaffected either.
Rian also opened the door to a few other nests, one that looked like a bookshelf nook, and one that was like a cave.
I squealed at how cool it was to almost crawl into the nest. How satisfying would that be, to be removed from the rest of the house?
A secret tunnel nest, considering how personal it was.
But instead, he almost seemed to want my and West’s approval.
Downstairs was a small music studio. I clapped my hands. The walls were lined with records, hanging guitars, and a piano tucked away in the corner. It was funky and cool, like a recording studio from the seventies.
“Sweet magnolia cupcakes, this is amazing.” The rug was thick, and the wood paneling I assumed was soundproofing.
“We like to play around down here,” Ben said.
“I bet you do,” West said, his voice heated. He stood near Alejandro, occasionally brushing his hand over the alpha’s arm.
Ben smirked. “That too.”
The entire place smelled like Ben and Rian. It was heady and erotic, but with a layer of safety and comfort.
“Do you want to go upstairs?” Rian looked at us. “We could watch something or eat? We have a firepit, a heated pool, and a Jacuzzi off the back porch.”
I looked at Alejandro. “You know that doesn’t mean cook for us, right?”
He took my hands in his. “I know that, carina. Maybe I’ll let you order takeout on the next date, yeah?”
I gave him a quick kiss on the mouth. “Fine, but we’ll hang out in the kitchen.”
“Awesome,” Rian said, glancing around again. I wondered if he was nervous. Or horny. Maybe both, judging by the strength of his scent, and I remembered that he was worried about being the third or fifth wheel. Silly omega boy. Grumpy and aloof was basically my catnip.
The music studio wasn’t a nest, but I wanted my way with these men here, on the floor, on the piano bench, against the wall, whatever. I shoved the curl of desire down and followed everyone upstairs.
Rian showed Alejandro where most of the kitchen stuff was, offering to help chop.
“I can chop things too,” I added.
“I’ll be here for moral support,” Ben said, leaning against the doorway. “I can cook, but I suck at it.”
“Same.” I brushed against him. “I can’t promise anything I chop will be even, but Alejandro doesn’t seem to mind.”
“That’s because everything you do is perfect, reina.” Alejandro kissed my temple as he passed by.
“Music?” Rian gestured at a little white box built into the wall. “We have speakers in every room of the house, set up for our music library.”
“Hell yes,” I said.
“Oh no, now you’ve done it.” West shook his head, pulling vegetables out of a bag. “She’ll never let you control the music again.”
I stuck my tongue out. “That’s not true.”
“Here.” Rian brushed close to me, showing me the display screen. “You can be DJ. We obviously love anything already in our library, but you can download new songs if you want.”