Chapter 11 #2
Abruptly pushing off his chest, I put a few inches of space between us. My skin flushed hot with embarrassment over my total lack of control. “Sorry.” I cleared my throat, forcing my spine straight. “Wow. Boundaries. I didn’t mean to just—invade your space like that.”
Ransom let out a fractured sound at the loss of contact and chased my movement forward an inch before forcing himself to stop. He gripped his own thigh, his knuckles turning white as though he were physically restraining himself from dragging me right back into his lap.
“Don’t apologize.”
Gideon’s calm voice halted my scramble for composure. I looked up. The Beta sat on the edge of his armchair, watching me with absolute focus.
“You don’t have to fight your designation here, Julia,” Gideon said quietly. “And you definitely don’t need to apologize for marking what’s yours.”
I swallowed the knot in my throat, trying to hold onto my pride. “I’m just a little scent-drunk. I’m fine.”
“You survived a nightmare, and your Omega needs comfort,” Gideon corrected. He held my gaze, leaving zero room for argument. “You don’t need to be polite about it. You’re a confident woman. Ask for what you want.”
I stared at the Beta. I wanted to straighten my spine, smooth my skirt, and pretend I had everything under control. For six years I’d mastered that exact lie. But their pheromones battered my defenses until they finally crumbled.
Gideon was right. They were offering me everything I wanted, and I was done being polite.
I turned back to Ransom who was practically vibrating with that playful energy I was already falling for. But he held himself back, biting his bottom lip while he waited for me to make a move. Shifting my weight, I swung a leg over his hips and straddled his lap.
Ransom let out a guttural groan and wrapped his arms around my waist, hauling me flush against him.
I framed his face with my hands, scraping my thumbs over the harsh stubble along his jawline.
He tipped his head back as I dragged my cheek firmly against his.
Rubbing my scent directly over his pulse point once more, I reveled in his toasty sweetness.
He shuddered beneath me, burying his face in my neck and inhaling like I was his only lifeline.
Satisfaction flared in my chest, but my Omega wasn’t finished.
I pushed off Ransom’s lap. He made a desperate sound at the loss of contact, but I was already turning toward his twin.
River hadn’t moved while he watched me with his brother. I crawled across the cushions and crowded right into his space. Grabbing the front of River’s shirt, I fisted the fabric and pressed him flat against the back of the couch.
River went willingly with a sinful smile curving his lips right before I leaned down and buried my face in the crook of his neck.
I dragged my cheek aggressively across his throat, claiming the warm graham cracker scent and leaving mine on his skin in return.
River exhaled a long breath and brought a hand up to cup the back of my head, holding me there as he submitted to the scent-marking.
By the time I pulled back, my lungs burned. I felt utterly intoxicated, but it didn’t stop me from looking across the coffee table.
August stood near the hearth, the flickering firelight casting deep shadows over his mountainous frame. I stepped off the sectional and crossed the woven rug, enjoying the burst of his scent as he tracked my movements with anticipation.
The giant chef didn’t wait for me to reach him.
August dropped straight to his knees, leveling his face with my sternum, his broad chest rising and falling in rapid intervals.
I stepped into his space, tangled my fingers in his long dark hair, and bent to rub my cheek along his temple.
A rumbling purr burred in his chest, and he wrapped his thick arms around my thighs to hold me steady while I marked exactly what belonged to me.
“That’s it, honey,” he growled. “Put your scent all over me.”
I did exactly that until my Omega was satisfied her mate was successfully marked with her scent. Only then did I slide my fingers free of his dark hair and take a slow step back. August let out a rumble of protest, but he didn’t try to stop me from going to his packmates.
Gideon remained seated on the edge of his armchair.
He didn’t scramble to meet me when I turned his way.
He simply waited. I stepped right between his parted knees, loving how he bared his throat for me, tilting his head back to give me access.
I leaned down and pressed my nose directly over his erratic pulse.
Inhaling the comfort of his scent, I dragged my cheek firmly up his jaw, grazing my lips over his neck.
Gideon let out a shaky exhale and brought his hands up to frame my ribs, pressing his long fingers warmly into my sides as he accepted the claim.
Colt was next, and I turned to where he was leaning against the archway, half-swallowed by the shadows.
His hands were balled into tight fists at his sides, turning his knuckles white, and I knew he wasn’t going to meet me halfway.
I didn’t know what was up with him, but I had an inkling that he refused to reach for something he didn’t think he deserved.
And if that were the case, I was determined to show him he was wrong.
I crossed the room, stopping inches from his chest. Colt clenched his jaw and stared straight over my head until I reached up, grabbed a fistful of his dark Henley, and pulled him downward.
Before he had the good sense to retreat, I pushed up on my toes and scraped my cheek over his heavy stubble.
His restraint shattered. Clamping his hands onto my hips, he dug his fingers into my flesh hard enough to leave bruises. Burying his face in my neck, he drew in a ragged breath. For the span of a heartbeat, he took exactly what I offered.
Then he forced himself to let go and stepped back, his chest heaving, looking like the physical separation had just gutted him.
I let him go, let him retreat. My Omega hummed with dark satisfaction as I turned around to face the last man in the room.
Stetson watched me from his armchair. Feral hunger was written all over his face, matching the arousal in his scent that was driving me wild. I pressed my thighs together, unable to believe how wet I was.
“You gonna take what you want, Trouble?”
He smirked at the challenge while I narrowed my eyes, because hell yes, I was.
I walked straight to him, climbed into his lap, and straddled his thighs. The big, tough, Pack Leader hissed through his teeth. He gripped my waist tightly as I settled my weight directly over his hard erection.
The long, thick ridge of his cock pressed right against my slick heat through the layers of our clothes, and a shiver wracked me. I dragged my hands up his chest, feeling his hammering heart beneath his black button-down.
“Is what Gideon said true?” I asked, quiet enough that Stetson had to lean in to catch the words. “The part where I don’t have to fight my instincts? That you actually want this?”
Stetson’s large hands flexed on my hips, his thumbs pressing firmly into my skin. His green eyes darkened, his pupils a bottomless black. “Yeah, Trouble,” he rasped, breath hot against my mouth. “It is.”
I didn’t give him a chance to say anything else. I leaned in and crashed my mouth against his.
With a feral groan, he slid his hands up my back to tangle fiercely in my dark hair.
He parted my lips, his tongue sweeping in to taste me.
His coffee flavor burst across my tongue, and I kissed him back just as hard, pouring every ounce of my pent-up, touch-starved energy into his mouth.
I scraped my nails lightly against his scalp, and his strong arms tightened like he might never let me go.
“Damn, that’s hot.” Ransom groaned. “The only thing hotter would be if it was my tongue in her mouth—or on her pussy.”
A collective growl rang through the room from the others, but Ransom’s filthy words went straight to my core, making my pussy clench achingly.
Breathless, I broke the kiss, more than a little pleased when Stetson chased my mouth with a broken growl that said he wanted more. I pulled back just enough to nip sharply at his bottom lip, enjoying the way his hips kicked.
Dragging my hands down his chest, I gave him a wicked, swollen-lipped smile, and slid off his lap.
Stetson’s hands fell empty to his sides as he stared up at me, breathing heavily, his erection painfully obvious against his dark jeans. River, August, Gideon, Colt, and Ransom were all watching me with variations of shell-shocked hunger.
I took a deep breath, and my inner Omega practically preened that I had the scent of every single man in this room on my skin.
“Goodnight, boys,” I called, smoothing my hands down the front of my skirt.
I turned on my heel and walked out of the den. I let my hips sway a little more than necessary as I took the hardwood stairs, leaving my six thoroughly wrecked mates sitting in the dark.