Chapter Thirteen
I wake slowly, stretching as I roll over. I’m sore in all the right places as I search for Wyatt, but the bed is empty.
Frowning, I sit up. A glance at the bedside clock shows I haven’t been asleep long—no more than twenty minutes. Where could he have wandered off to in that amount of time?
I don’t think I’ve ever woken up after sex with him gone—especially not this close to my heat.
The sound of murmured voices has my frown deepening as I jump to my feet and grab my robe.
Who the hell is in my house right now?
At least I know why I woke up alone.
Before I have a chance to do anything else, the door swings open and Wyatt steps inside.
“Oh, I thought you would have still been sleeping.” He quickly closes the door behind him, leaning against it .
Cocking an eyebrow, I wait for him to tell me what’s going on, but after a moment of silence, he says nothing.
“Who’s in my house?”
“Ummm…well…about that…”
I snort when he trails off again. “Have you forgotten how to speak?”
He snickers. “Maybe. How can I not when you’re standing there in nothing but a robe that’s wide open?”
Glancing down, I shrug. Guess I missed a step in the whole getting dressed process. I belt the robe before lifting my eyes to him expectantly.
“Don’t get mad—“
“No good ever comes from a statement that starts like that.”
He makes a face. “Can I continue?”
He waits until I nod before continuing, “Carter, Aidan, Ty, and Oliver are here.”
“What the fuck are they doing here?” I demand, already moving toward the door, pausing when he doesn’t immediately get out of the way. “Move, Wyatt.”
“I know you’re upset with them—angry even—but I think you should hear them out.”
I jerk back like he slapped me, eyes wide as I stare up at him. “Excuse me? ”
“Not about what happened while they were gone,” he says quickly. “Just about why they’re here today.”
I bite my cheek to keep myself from snapping at him. He sounds so earnest, and I have to remind myself that he always has my back. He knows the entire story. He’s witnessed more than a few times where I’ve fallen apart thinking about them.
“Fine. I’ll hear them out, but I’m not promising anything.”
Wyatt nods, hesitating for a moment before stepping aside. I throw open the door and stomp toward the kitchen, where I hear their voices. Anger and hurt build inside of me as I listen to their murmured voices. I can’t make out what they’re saying, but it doesn’t matter. Heats tend to enhance our feelings, and right now, I’m feeling a lot of different emotions.
Stepping into the kitchen, my words burst from me. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
They all stop what they’re doing, eyes wide as they take me in. They look the way I remember, not seeming to have aged at all. When none of them says anything, I throw my hands up in the air .
“I feel like that was a pretty simple question. What are you doing here?”
“Uh…” Carter trails off, his eyes running up and down my body.
“Lila.” Aidan’s voice is soft as he draws my attention, and I give a sharp shake of my head.
“We’re not doing this. I’m not going to listen to you explain what happened. I don’t want to hear it.” Well, I do, but not right now. Hell, I don’t know when I’ll be ready to hear it, but with my heat kicking in, now definitely is not the time. “I want to know why you’re in my house, and that’s all I want to know.”
Ty clears his throat, eyes on the floor. “Since you left the meet and greet because of us, we wanted to make sure you had help for your heat.”
“Which I obviously do,” I state, my hands landing on my hips. “So, why are you still here?”
There’s a shuffling behind me, telling me Wyatt has joined us. “That would be because of me. I know I told you I could handle your heat alone, and I would’ve if I had to. But it would be easier if I had help.”
“And you thought I’d want the four of them to help?” I scoff, glancing over my shoulder at a sheepish Wyatt .
“It’s not like we’re talking about forever,” he says slowly. “But they’ve been through a heat with you before, so it’s not just some random strangers like we’ve done in the past. I don’t know. I guess I wanted to leave the decision up to you and not just automatically send them packing.”
Taking a deep breath, I squeeze my eyes shut and remind myself that he was only doing what he thought was best. And I do hate it when people take decisions out of my hands, but I could’ve done without seeing them.
Turning my back on them, I focus on Wyatt. “Be honest with me. How bad would it be if it was just you?”
“Obviously, the heat would keep my powers fully charged. I’d be able to keep it up and satisfy you, but once the heat is over? I’d probably have to sleep for a few days straight to recover.”
Sighing, I nod. I should’ve known better than to ask him to do this with me alone. It’s just the idea of any of the incubi he knows joining us hadn’t felt right. The four behind me, though?
Yeah, nope. Not even going to pay attention to that thought.
“Fine,” I hiss. “You can help me through my heat, but don’t think this is the time for you to make explanations I’m not ready to hear. I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for that. The first one of you who tries to bring it up, you’re all gone. Do you understand me?”
“We’ll follow any and all rules you set for us,” Oliver says, going back to whatever he was doing.
Ty nods, moving back to Oliver’s side to help him make food, it seems. “This is your show, Lila. We just want to make sure you’re taken care of during your heat.”
My heart melts at Ty’s words. He’s the one who it’s going to be hardest to stay mad at.
Clearing my throat, I tear my eyes away from him. I can’t let him make me soft. The four of them disappeared and broke my heart. I’ve been living half a life for the last ten years because of them.
“I hope you have condoms with you, unless you managed to get tested since you reappeared.” Who the hell knows what they’ve been sticking their dicks in for the last ten years.
“There’s no reason to be tested,” Carter assures me. “We have only been with each other for the last ten years. You’re the last person we had sex with outside of the pod. ”
I stare at him blankly. Surely, that can’t be right. “And I’m just supposed to take your word on that?”
“We can go out and get tested right now if you don’t want to take my word on it, but it’s the truth. We—“ he cuts off with a shake of his head. “Anything more than that would be information you don’t want to hear.”
Is he serious right now? There’s no way they didn’t fuck someone else. It’s been ten fucking years.
“I want to hear what you were going to say,” I finally say, unsure if I really do or not, but I think I need to.
He lifts his eyebrows as he considers me. “Are you sure?”
My only answer is a nod.
“We could only think of you for the last ten years. There was no one else that even tempted us. There was never anyone besides the four of us and you.”
I blink at him, panic rising in my chest.
Yeah, I really didn’t need to hear that.
Glancing at Wyatt, he shrugs. “As always, it’s up to you, babe.”
No matter how much Carter’s words surprise me, I think he’s telling the truth—which is tearing me up inside. It’s definitely time to change the subject.
“Fine. No condoms, but if I find out you’re lying to me—“
“We’re not,” Aidan says, cutting me off. “Lying to you right now is the exact opposite of what we need to do. But if we are, I’ll make sure we line up to take whatever punishment you have for us.”
I consider him for a moment before nodding. Maybe Carter really is telling the truth.
“Are you hungry, Lila?” Ty asks, startling me.
Turning my attention back to him and Oliver, I find him watching me earnestly. My stomach growls, answering his question for me. “I could eat.”
“Good. Anything in particular sound good?” It’s Oliver who speaks this time. “We’re putting together some snacks and meals for your heat now.”
“Ummmm…no?”
Ty nods. “I’ll make you some eggs and bacon, then. You do still like breakfast at all times of the day, right?”
I’m shocked that he remembers that.
“I do.” I hesitate. “Thank you. ”
“Then have a seat. We’ve got this,” Aidan says, dipping his head toward the table. “You too, Wyatt. Ty will make enough for all of us to eat. Gotta keep up our strength for your heat.”
Glancing back at my best friend, I shake my head. “Put on some pants first. You’re not sitting your bare ass on my chair.”
“Awww, why not? You like my ass,” Wyatt says with a grin.
“I do. Just not sitting bare on my furniture.” I pause because we’ve definitely fucked on a lot of the furniture in my house. “Or, at least, not when we’re waiting to eat.”
Wyatt is still grinning as he strides over and kisses me, his cock pressing into my stomach so I can feel it as it hardens. When he pulls back, he shoots me a wink before heading back to my bedroom.
“Wyatt says you’re just friends.” Carter sounds annoyed as I turn my attention back to him.
“We are.”
Carter scoffs. “Do you kiss all your friends like that?”
Grinding my teeth, I bite back the comment that wants to spill from my mouth, saying instead, “Not that it’s any of your business, but no. Wyatt’s the only one of my friends I kiss.”
I don’t point out that it’s mostly because I only have two friends, the other being a female. But that’s not information they need to have. They don’t need to know anything about my life, and I hate that I’ve given them even that much.
Shaking my head, I make my way to the table and decidedly ignore the four hot men moving around in my kitchen. When Wyatt returns, he presses a kiss to the top of my head before handing me my phone.
“I thought you might want to check it now before your heat hits. It’s not going to be much longer.”
Aidan frowns at him. “How do you know that?”
“Incubus, remember?” Wyatt chuckles as he taps his nose. “I’m a great heat detector.”
I scoff, not bothering to hide my smile. “That you are. How long do you think we have?”
“An hour or two at most,” he says, face going serious. “Long enough for us to eat and make sure everything is ready. ”
Honestly, that sounds great. It means less time with the chance of having to speak to them.
“Okay. Good.” Nodding, I almost miss Ty approaching with two plates in his hand.
“Here you go. The four of us will eat in the kitchen while we finish up so we’re not overwhelming you.” Ty hesitates before opening his mouth and immediately shutting it again. “Enjoy.”
My hand reaches out of its own accord, grabbing his wrist. A frown mars my face as I watch the shiver run through him at the touch. “Ty? Did you have something else you wanted to say?”
“I’m okay,” he says, his voice tight.
“Ty…” My tone holds a warning in it. One he takes heed to as his shoulders droop before he turns around to look at me.
“It’s just really fucking good to see you again, Lila. That’s all. Now, eat up. You’ll need your energy.”
I release my hold on his arm as he moves away from us, my mouth dropping open in shock.
Why the hell did he say that? They’re the ones who left me. Clearly, they hadn’t wanted to see me, so how am I supposed to take his comment?
“Don’t think about it right now, Lila. Eat your food and focus on your heat. There will be time to deal with all of that bullshit after.” Wyatt runs his hand down my arm, squeezing my wrist before it falls away.
I nod, bringing my fork up to my lips, humming around the perfectly cooked eggs. I know Wyatt is right, but how can I not think about it when they’re right fucking here?
Maybe inviting them to join my heat was a mistake.
But I didn’t do it for them or myself. I did it for Wyatt. He’s the one doing me a favor, and I refuse to allow him to exhaust himself.
I might not be ready to hear them out, but for Wyatt, I will allow them to join in my heat. As soon as it’s over, they’re out the door.
Feeling better about my decision, I go back to devouring my breakfast.
At least I won’t have to wait long for my heat to start.