Chapter 18
GRAYSON
“You’re thinking of her again, aren’t you?” Wolf blurts out, ripping me from my thoughts. The ones where I’ve got a goddess on my lap, riding my cock.
I grin his way because I know it annoys him.
“Yeah, I thought so,” he states with sarcasm, then drinks from his coffee as we stand outside behind the lodge, taking in the fresh morning air. “While the rest of us managed the guests last night, you two vanished up into her bedroom.”
Roman chuckles at us, then sips on his own coffee.
“Come on, I got stabbed last night, and our little Omega tended to my wounds. I could have died.”
Wolf bursts out laughing, coffee spurting out everywhere from his mouth, while Roman and I step back, covering our own cups with our hands. “I call bullshit!”
“Yep, I’m with Wolf on this one,” Roman finally speaks up.
A flurry of wind rushes past, sending the pines around us swaying and their branches rustling. Overhead, the sky is darkening, mist crawling across the ground deeper in the woods. I love mornings like this, all cold and haunting.
I take another gulp of my black coffee. “Look, you two need to learn some damn sympathy for your fellow pack member being attacked.” It’s close to impossible to keep the smirk off my lips.
Wolf’s eyeing me like a beast this morning. “Convenient. You get scratched up, and go upstairs for bandaging, but end up falling with your dick right into our Omega.”
“Christ!” Roman chokes on his coffee. “That mouth belongs in the drain.”
“Hey,” Wolf states. “Calling it as I see it, and stop defending him, Roman. You were talking so much shit last night too.”
I glance at Roman, who’s chuckling, and I just shake my head. “Well, looks like we all had fun last night.”
“Don’t even,” Wolf snaps, and I laugh because I’d step in front of a bullet for these two guys without a second thought. “Anyway, she’s the one for all three of us.”
“That she is,” Roman says, staring out into the woods for a moment.
“Yeah, well,” Wolf states. “Now both of you stay out of my fucking way, as I’ve waited long enough.”
“We hear you,” I say, warming my hands on the mug. “Now, that fucking stripper asshole from last night. What doesn’t sit right with me is that if he wants to hurt Lucy, why hasn’t he done it already? He’s had two clean runs at it, so what’s going on? What does he really want?”
“He wants to hurt her all right,” Roman says. “To break her from the inside. Just not sure why he’s doing it now after all this time.”
“From what I experienced last night,” I begin, “the bastard was carrying rage, as if this is personal to him and it’s been chewing him up for years. I mean, he fucking knew Jerry. So, what, he’s pissed at her for his death?”
Wolf’s shaking his head. “Fuck, who knows, but this guy must have set it up. Ethan said the bride-to-be’s best friend booked a cop stripper if you read his schedule.
For all we know, this stripper could have jumped the original one to take his place.
We have no fucking idea until we speak with Ethan.
But this idiot got himself an invite to get closer to Lucy again. ”
That notion burrows into my chest because he’s been planning a way to get back to her since she arrived in town. Was he going to hurt her last night and I interrupted, or is he toying with her mind?
“Is she awake yet?” Wolf asks.
“On the phone with Eve,” I answer.
And my little bird is at the forefront of my mind once more, waking up with her naked body against my side.
My arm had gone numb under her, but fuck if I was going to disturb her, so I sucked it up.
Then last night, her on her hands and knees, crawling toward me, sucking my cock…
fuck! I’ll never forget that, as I nearly went off the rails.
Roman finishes his coffee, then says, “Well, with the guests gone home early this morning, we have the place back to ourselves. Lucy doesn’t sleep in the lodge alone anymore. We’re moving in after work to spend the nights with her.”
“Fuck yeah, we are,” Wolf replies instantly, and I’m nodding, drinking down my ambrosia. “First, work, as we’re behind on our quota and it looks like it’s gonna storm later.”
“Okay, let’s swing,” Roman adds, collecting all our cups to take inside.
“I’m going to check on her first. I won’t be long,” I say, following him.
Both of them stare at me. “Why do you get to go up?” Wolf demands.
“Because I called it.” I head indoors before this turns into an argument. I pick up the bundle of wildflowers I’d collected in the nearby woods earlier this morning, sitting on the kitchen counter. I used a ribbon to tie the stems together.
I hear Wolf mumbling about my wildflowers for our Omega, and I chuckle to myself as I head out into the main room and upstairs, a skip in my step.
Once I reach the private quarters, the door remains open like I left it this morning, so I stroll inside and reach the bedroom, where I knock on the frame.
“Come in,” she says, and I push open the door, finding her dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, reddish hair loose over her shoulders, and she’s sitting on the bed, looking down at her phone. She glances up, grinning. “Was wondering where you’d disappeared to.”
I step into the room, flowers at my back, and walk into a cloud of her scent and that sweet, musky hint of sex from last night. My cock throbs in my pants at how incredible she felt against me, buried deep inside her.
Exhaling to calm myself the hell down, I sweep the flowers out from my back and present them to Lucy with a huge smile. “Got something for you.”
Her eyes widen, a grin kissing that beautiful mouth. “For me?” She reaches out to take them into her arms, and I might have gone overboard, seeing as the bouquet is bigger than her head. She’s sniffing them, and I love seeing her this happy.
“If you keep smiling like that for me, I’ll bring you flowers every single day,” I say.
She glances up at me, over the tops of the red and yellow wildflowers, batting her eyes. “Is that a promise?”
“Absolutely.”
Then she sets her flowers down and rushes into my arms, and I embrace her against my chest. She lifts her chin, and I kiss those soft lips I want all over me.
She breaks away. “How did I get so lucky?”
“Been asking myself the same question.” I stare into her emerald eyes, half tempted to throw her back onto the bed and lock us in this room for the rest of the day. Though, knowing Wolf and Roman, they’ll tear the house down to get to us.
“I told Grandma about last night,” she tells me, still in my arms. “She sounded a bit shaken, so I’m going to go sit with her today, and lock up the lodge in case anyone turns up. Figured you three are out working.”
“Yeah, we will be, plus a storm’s coming, so take it easy today. I’d prefer to come with you, but I also need to help the guys meet our quota today.”
“I’m okay going to the hospital and back.” She nods, then rests her cheek against my chest, and I kiss the top of her head, letting myself imagine for a moment how incredible it would feel to have an Omega adore me every single day. Fuck, I’d never leave her side.
“So, I was thinking,” she says softly, lifting her gaze to me. “What are you three planning to do once your program here completes?”
“Well, first, we’re going to be free men, which is fucking everything.
And that’s only a handful of months away.
And we all love it out in the woods, in peace.
I’ve never slept better in my life than out in these mountains.
” I trace the length of her jawline. “As of right now, we haven’t decided, but between us, we’ve got enough money to buy a house outright.
So we’ll be house hunting, but we’re not sure about the location yet.
Though, we are big fans of Rusty’s Bend.
” I wink, and she giggles. “What about you?” I ask.
She shrugs. “Unsure. I came here to help my grandma, to work out my next steps after losing my job in Miami. I mean, I can’t exactly remain unemployed forever.”
“Or, you stay and work here,” I suggest.
She just blinks at me, deep in thought.
“Eve’s not getting younger, and it won’t be long before she’s unable to run this place solo.
These last few months seem to have been hard for her, as I’ve seen her moving slowly.
It’s your call, but don’t forget, you have us now.
Whatever we’re planning on doing will impact us and you because you’re our scent match, plus you’ve bonded with Roman. ”
She glances down for a moment, then back up at me, eyes bright. “I do love it here, and you three are really growing on me.”
I chuckle and start tickling her along her ribs. “Wow, just now growing on you, hey?”
She’s laughing loudly, trying to swat me away but failing. We end up tumbling onto the bed, right next to the flowers, me on top of her, and I’m kissing her, losing myself so easily to her beauty. I lick her lips, and she moans, then she pushes her hands against my chest.
“At this rate, neither of us is leaving the lodge,” she murmurs.
“I don’t see an issue.” But I climb off her and take her hand, drawing her to her feet in a second flat.
“Anyway, just give me a bit more time, about the whole future thing. Things are just moving fast for me, I guess, and I’m scared to let myself have this, terrified that the moment I say yes, the universe will find a way to rip you all away from me.”
“Hey. You’re not alone anymore, and there’s no rush either. I mean, none of us are going anywhere for a while at least.” I shrug with one shoulder, and she grins. “Also, before I forget, we’re moving into the lodge tonight so you’re not alone while Ethan’s away, okay?”
“I’d like that so much. I really would.”
God, she’s stunning. She’s suffered enough and now deserves just to be loved, but once she’s ready to let us fully in.
“Okay, well, let me get these flowers into a vase first, then I need to be off,” she says, moving to collect the bouquet.
“Yep,” I say, staring at that ass as she bends over. “Guess that’s my cue to head out into the woods to work.”
She leaves the room, and I’m on her heels. Down in the kitchen, she fills a glass vase and works the flowers into the jar at the counter, humming under her breath. And I’m at the rear door, the wind at my back, my sights caught on my little bird.
When the hell did I fall so fucking hard for her?