Chapter 8
I'm pinned to James' lap by Ralph's blue-grey gaze. Ralph's palm is warm and smooth against my cheek. "Well, sweetheart? What is it? Good? Or more?"
I bite my lip.
They think I'm worth listening to.
My omega and my gut are both screaming for more, but the rest of me is screaming, what the heck are you doing?!
Ralph runs a gentle thumb over my cheekbone.
My eyes close involuntarily as my head tilts into his palm.
Melting into the soft thrum of James' purr, the solid yet padded wall of muscle of his chest and stomach cushions me, as Seb rubs a knuckle into a particularly tense spot in my arch. A moan of pleasure escapes my lips.
James' hands are slowly drifting their way up my torso, fingertips whispering across my dress and up my arms. They come to rest on the planes of my shoulders, and start gently rubbing.
"Hey, lovely, it's okay. Why don't we just try this for now, and you can let me know when you are ready for more. Or, uh, something else—any—anything else, really, whatever you want."
My teeth tug against my lower lip again.
My stomach is flipping around like a cat in a sack.
My heart is racing in my chest, the thud of my pulse warm and heavy in my neck.
I should be panicking. But that purr of his melds with the scent of the room—of their pack—and drapes a layer of static over the panic.
My eyes sink closed. I'm cocooned in a feeling of…
safety. Like I've found the home I never knew I didn't have.
"Yes. Please," I breathe, letting my eyes sink closed as the pressure from his hands sinks deeper into my muscles.
"Sorry, lovely, my alpha is a bit overwhelmed right now," James murmurs into my ear. "I'm not that good with words when he's getting, uh, enthusiastic."
I chuckle. "No idea what that's like." I lean back further against his fingers, his purr coursing through me.
Seb slowly lowers the foot he's been rubbing onto the bed.
I open my eyes languidly and watch as he places a kiss at the fold of my knee, and rests my foot on the bed so my knee is comfortably upright, but my legs are spread wide by James' hips and thighs.
He nudges his way between James' legs and lifts my other foot.
A breathy gasp escapes my mouth as his fingers find a spot on my sole that I hadn't realised needed attention.
Ralph's hand slips away from my face. I feel the bed shift as he slowly drifts back towards the wall near where Allen is standing.
My omega whines at the loss. She wants Ralph to stop moving away from her. She wants her beta.
It isn't until I notice that they have all stopped moving that it hits me that "stop" just exploded out of my mouth as Ralph stepped away from me. I sink back into James' comforting purr, my ears reddening.
"Little star? Is your omega sad that our beta moved?" Allen's voice is gravelly. His gaze is fixed on mine, his eyes hooded with concern.
"Yes," I whimper.
Ralph steps back towards the bed and sinks down onto it, sitting next to my leg. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to upset your omega. I'm honored she thinks so highly of me."
My omega lunges forward, tugging me with her, and wraps him in a hug. At this angle, my dress is tight across my torso, my breasts almost spilling free. Ralph drapes his arms loosely around me.
"More, please," I whisper in his ear. He chuckles lightly.
"Anything for my omega," he murmurs into my neck, brushing his lips over my collarbone.
My pussy clenches and flutters as his mouth flits over my skin, the fragrance of freesias blooming through the room. A tiny squeak escapes my lips. Ralph pulls back slightly, glancing down, but doesn't release me. He rests his head gently against mine.
"I'm worried that this gorgeous dress of yours will get hard to breathe in. Would you be more comfortable if James loosened it?"
My head dips in a shy nod, and I glance backwards at James. A soft smile flits across his lips.
"Yes," I mutter.
James' hands rest against the tops of my shoulders. His lips brush the other side of my neck as his fingers trail down to the zipper that rests between my shoulder blades.
The sound of the zipper is loud throughout the room.
Ralph slowly nudges me into a recline against James' rumbling chest with a pressing kiss, his tongue making my core ache as it probes my lips. I can feel James' thick length pressing between my buttocks. And… something else.
What the heck is this man packing down there?
But the purr and the heady scents sweep away everything but the sensations.
Something inside me is salivating. I turn my head, even though I don't want to pull away from Ralph's kiss, and look up at James.
He is staring at me through blown pupils.
My hand reaches behind me, and scrambles against his stomach until it catches the hard metallic belt that was digging into my lower back.
I tug at the buckle. His purr stutters. His hands freeze.
I feel his Adam's apple bob as he swallows.
"Less," I breathe.
His hands slip between us, shakily undoing his pants. "Should… should I take these off?" he asks, his voice tight.
The little core of hungry lust inside me loves this idea. "Yes," I whisper.
Seb lowers the foot he was holding to the bed, on the outside of James' other thigh, leaving my knees bent and legs splayed wide.
I let out a squeak as James' strong fingers grip my hips, lifting me as he inches down the bed beneath me, letting him lean back a little further, then sits me back down on his stomach.
James' fingers relax their grip on my hips and start to firmly caress the sides of my arse.
Basil blooms around me. I close my eyes, and lean back against his collarbone, breathing his calming scent.
His fingers trail soothingly up and down the skin that my open zipper reveals.
One of the shoulders of my dress falls away, exposing my collarbone.
I take a sharp breath that sticks in my chest. Oh God. Ralph took my underwear off in the car. He didn't give them back. I've been leaking slick all over James' shirt.
Before my cheeks can even finish their flush, a gentle but annoyed muttering and faint clinking tugs at my attention. I open my eyes and turn to face the foot of the bed. Zeke burrows his face into the crook of my neck.
Seb has crawled up the bed, and kneels, level with James' hips. He's fiddling with James' buckle. His eyes catch mine. He winks. "He has his hands full."
Allen snorts a laugh from over by the wall. He hasn't moved from the edge of the room since we came in.
I frown. My omega doesn't like seeing one of her alphas all by himself.
Stop it. He is an alpha. Not our alpha.
But still.
I glance at Allen, as James curses quietly while Seb pulls off James' pants. "Alpha?" I ask, catching his gaze, my voice soft.
Allen peels himself away from the wall and slowly paces his way over to the bed.
The air shifts as his lemony, herbal scent rolls towards me.
He stands by Ralph, stroking his shoulder with one hand, cupping my face with the other.
He lifts his hand, my body following his gesture unconsciously until I'm kneeling over James.
My skin flames under his palm. I rub my cheek against it, scent marking him.
"What a thoughtful omega," he murmurs, his eyes warm and kind. "You don't like letting people feel left out, do you?"
I shake my head. "No."
Ralph leans comfortably against Allen. "You know, Allen, it strikes me that Dellie might want to be able to get comfortable on top of any of us. All of us. Do you think she might want us to remove anything that could scratch her or hurt her? Just in case she wants a cuddle?"
Allen chuckles. "You have always been the smartest person in any room you're in, Beta. Well, Omega? Should we make sure none of us are wearing something that might be uncomfortable for you?"
My mouth twitches into an involuntary grin. "Yes, please."
Seb has stripped James down to a light blue soft cotton t-shirt and navy boxers, and slid back off the bed to strip himself down. James' arms carefully wrap around my torso as he pulls me back against him onto his lap, his erection dominating the sliver of space between us.
Another hungry noise escapes my lips.
Ralph chuckles as he folds his pants. "Are you a little bit needy, omega?"
Needy. It's how they described me back then—A flush of shame flashes across my chest. I swear, my whole body must be turning red. My head droops slightly and I feel myself curling inwards; but then, James' hand brushes against my cheek.
"None of that, lovely. The only thing that matters with us is what you want and what you don't want. The things other people think you should or shouldn't want are not relevant." His arm drops back to my waist, encircling me in warmth.
Ralph, who has stripped down to a pair of Armani boxer briefs, drops his pile of nearly folded clothes, and kneels on the bed next to us. His lips brush against my forehead. "Knowing what you want is a beautiful thing, sweetheart. I'm sorry if I made you feel anything other than that."
Something inside me relaxes just a little.
Do I still want tonight?
I suck in a deep breath that is way more calming than it has any right to be. Petrichor and mint and herby lemon and basil and lavender whirl together in an overwhelming cloud. The scent whispers to my omega that everything will be okay. And she believes it.
They're talking with me, not about me.
Yes. I'm… safe here.
"Good." My voice is more decisive than I feel.
Seb, who is hopping across the room, his skinny jeans halfway down his knees, while he struggles with a shoe, bursts out laughing, then disappears below the edge of the bed as he overbalances.
His slightly shaking hand appears just above the mattress, and clenches into a fist, giving a thumbs up.
Allen, who has stripped down to a pair of soft looking black boxer briefs, bites down a laugh, rolls his eyes, and holds out a hand to him.
Another tiny mewl slips out. Along with a burst of the scent of freesias.
"Oh, sweetheart, don't worry, I promise you will have everything you need." Ralph's chuckle is gentle, but has a strong heat in its undercurrent. "What if James takes care of you for a bit?"
He strokes my forehead, then scoots down the bed so he's perched on the corner. James nods into my neck as he strokes my hair as he pulls us both back up, so he's sitting up again. I let my body melt back against his.
Oh holy heck. I really do want all of this. All of them, even if it's only for a little while. "Yes," I breathe, closing my eyes.
James hums in approval and rests his lips against my neck, his knees slowly drawing up between my legs, pulling my thighs apart. "What are your six words, omega?" he asks, his hands drifting down my sides.
"Stop. Less. Good. Yes. No."
His hands pause momentarily, coming to a rest on my ribcage. "That's only five."
I turn my head sharply, and raise my hand to his head, grabbing a fistful of his hair and tugging his face closer to my mouth. "More," I growl into his ear.