25. Ember
Ember
W e piled downstairs, and Ben immediately turned into a bossy alpha. He sat at the piano and patted the bench next to him. “Ember, you sing along. West and Alejandro, you too.”
Alejandro took a seat on the couch near the piano, and West sat next to him.
“I couldn’t carry a note if you gave me a bucket,” Alejandro said. “I’m just a pretty face and a good cook.”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t have fun,” I said. “If this isn’t fun for everyone, we can watch a movie.”
“No, please go on, mi vida.” He gave me a heated look. “It is a delight to hear your voice.”
Heat flushed through me at the sexy things his voice promised.
Rian sat on the couch with other two, pulling an acoustic guitar out of its case.
“Yes, Rian’s going to back me up.” I clapped. This was so much better than going to a movie or some restaurant. “Best date ever.”
Rian looked surprised. “I thought you’d be a lot harder to impress.”
“What, music?” West scoffed. “Between the musicians and the chef, you’ve got all her favorite things covered. I should have thought of this years ago.”
“Yes, you’re the mastermind behind this all, honey,” I said, watching Ben run his hands over the piano keys. I wanted those long fingers on me.
He started with a few soft opening notes, Rian lightly strumming, and I tried to place the song. “Oh, it’s on the tip of my tongue.”
“‘Burned My Name,’” West said. “The acoustic version.”
“Yes, thank you, West.” I blew him a kiss.
“No cheating,” Ben said, amused.
“You never said I couldn’t help,” West said defiantly. He was looking at Ben like he was having the same thoughts about his fingers.
I sang the opening notes of the song. It was one of Juliet Vale’s biggest hits, and I knew the words by heart.
It was slow and sad and somehow exactly what I wanted to sing. Rian strummed along on his guitar, adding a backup vocal to mine.
Feelings welled up as the song wound through love, heartbreak, and loss, and I touched my chest, moving my hand like I could strum invisible notes too. I stayed as close to Ben as I could without bumping his arm, putting my left hand on his back.
The music shifted into Juliet’s other piano-heavy ballad, and I laughed a little as I switched into the lyrics of “Letters I Never Sent.”
“Tricky,” West said with a laugh.
Ben gave us both a devious grin, knowing he was wrong for doing a mash-up.
West was wrapped around Alejandro and watching the three of us, looking relaxed.
We did the bridge of “Letters I Never Sent” and then the notes shifted again, and I knew we were switching back to “Burned My Name.”
The song ended and I let out a big sigh, my body tingling from joy. It was like being drunk and high without the actual drugs. No wonder people made this into an entire career.
“One more?” I asked, hopefully. “If you’re not too tired?”
“We make music because we love it.” Rian nudged Alejandro’s foot with his own. “What did your alpha say? Let us show off.”
“Playing songs with you is not a hardship.” Ben ran his hand down my back, his touch featherlight. “Let’s see if you know this one.”
The opening notes started on the piano, and Rian picked up strumming.
I recognized the song right away and I wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. They were trying to woo me in the best possible way, with heartfelt emotional songs. Like love letters in the form of music.
I looked at West, and he had such a soft look on his face it crumbled my heart even further.
West knew what this song meant to me, what singing it out loud in front of these men would do to me.
He’d held me as I curled up on our bed, night after night, crying over losing myself, my family, what I thought my future would be.
It had gotten better, and now “Always on My Mind” meant better things for me, like missing West when he was at work. I’d texted him, “I miss you, and wish you were here.”
West gave me a small nod, his way of telling me I could do it. I could be brave and vulnerable.
I gave Ben a quick kiss on the cheek, my heart swelling as he moved through the long piano intro. “You’re evil for this.”
“I am,” he agreed.
Tricky alpha. I sang soft and slow, the same couple of notes on the piano repeating to create a lull. The song didn’t have a lot of guitar notes, but Rian improvised easily, matching the melody.
I sang with my heart in my throat, trying to think about the men in the room with me and not the losses I felt to get to here.
But the bridge kicked in, and I lost it a bit when I sang, “Every fleeting dream feels like your face, but I wake to the cold of empty space. You’re part of the sky and I’m bound to the ground, searching for echoes of a love profound. ”
Rian sang along, and it felt like a life raft when I was drowning in a stormy ocean. He locked eyes with me, his face filled with longing when we hit the part about a love profound.
My heart lodged tight in my throat. Now I knew where the phrase “sing your heart out” came from, because it felt like I laid my soul open and bare for them to see.
The song faded off slowly, the notes slowing down until it ended. For a minute I held my breath, and then Ben pulled me against him.
“I didn’t know.” He held me against him like I would fly away, just like in the song, and never return.
“It’s fine.” I sniffled, my eyes stinging with tears. “It feels better.”
Ben nodded like he understood, and I pressed my face into his neck, taking in his scent with deep breaths. Spicy woods, dark and inviting, with a sharp currant scent enveloped me. My omega instincts calmed, having his arms around me.
It was the most natural thing in the world, to tilt my head up as Ben leaned forward and kissed me. His mouth brushed mine, partially comforting, partially erotic. Warmth snaked through me like an electric spark.
The alpha cupped my face, fingers stroking my cheeks. My body relaxed. He was touching me; everything clicked into place just like all the songs said.
His mouth was hot and wet, his tongue brushing against the seam of my mouth and I opened for him immediately. Electricity raced over me, and I wanted more.
I slid into his lap, and he shifted his hands down my body slowly, like he wanted to memorize every inch of me. He was hard against me, and I moaned into his mouth.
“Oh, my dear heart.” He pulled away from the kiss, rubbing his cheek over mine, marking me.
Rian made a noise, and I looked over my shoulder. The other boys decided Ben and I had a good idea.
Westd was stroking down Rian’s pants, while Alejandro kissed Rian’s shoulder. The sight made a fresh wave of heat rocket through me.
“Can we sit next to each other?” I asked, looking at Ben and then the other three.
“Fuck yes,” Rian said, his eyes glassy with lust already. “Let’s get on the floor.”
My brain high-fived my libido. I was getting fucked on that plush rug on the first night.
Ben stood, wrapping my legs around his waist, and I squeaked. He carried me over to the other three like I weighed nothing. He laid me on my back next to West.
Ben leaned over. All of my attention snapped back to the delicious alpha. I wrapped my legs tighter around him, bringing him against my pelvis. He groaned in my ear, nipping my neck.
“I’m going to touch every inch of your body, angel.” He licked my neck. “You have no idea the amount of restraint I’ve shown.”
I rocked my hips against him, the friction delicious. He grunted, grinding against me for a minute before pulling back.
“You’re only torturing yourself.” He sounded breathless. He worked his hands down my sides, moving in circles.
Maybe he was. The thought was intoxicating.
He reached my breasts, and I arched up. “Ben, please.”
“Rian was right. You have amazing breasts.” He cupped them in his hands. Delicious fire raced over my body, and wetness gushed between my legs. We were reaching slick territory, and he’d barely touched me.
Ben pulled my shirt off, licking across my collarbone. I looked to my side, and West had Rian’s pants open, his cock in his hands, and was slowly stroking him.
“Oh god, they both like edging,” Rian moaned and looked at Alejandro. “Alpha, please tell me you’re not going to edge me too.”
Alejandro grinned. “ I’m not, but West is calling the shots, mi amor. Better do exactly as he says.” He kissed Rian.
Ben’s mouth made it to my breasts, and I gasped, arching up into him. “Ben, alpha, please.”
“Anything, sweetheart, anything at all.”
I grabbed his shirt, a vintage Ghost of an Angel, and pulled it off. “You’d better hide the shirts you don’t want me to steal.” The shirt was made of soft cotton, and it was heaven against my skin.
“They’re all yours. You three omegas can fight over them.”
“We’re going to need to double our wardrobe,” Alejandro gasped.
“Maybe triple.” Ben cupped my face in his hands, the tip of his nose almost touching mine. “Is that what you want, omega? Our scents?”
“Yes.” I whined, his alpha scent rolling over me. I was in the same daze a heat brought on, just a creature of need. “I started sitting on the couch after you and Rian left.”
He smiled at that and kissed my forehead. “Needed our scents that badly?”
“Yes,” I panted, close to orgasm even though he had barely touched me. I lifted my hips against him, whining pitifully.
“That’s it, sweetheart. That’s it.” He licked and kissed his way down my body, his tongue finding every sensitive spot on my stomach, on my sides. By the time he made it to my hips, I was trying to rub my legs together to get some friction.
He was too smart for that; he pulled my pants down and put his knee between my legs. My sweet lemon vanilla scent got so much stronger, I heard all four men next to me groan.
Ben pressed his face right into my pussy. I cried out, expecting more buildup, but he plunged his tongue inside me, lapping at my wetness.
I grabbed his head, intense pleasure racing through me. He fucked me with his tongue, and then pushed his fingers in.