Chapter 13
Zira
A deep, gritty purr and a soft touch drawing patterns onto my skin wakes me from the best sleep I’ve had in years, and I yawn against the hard body cushioning mine, my cheek pressed against a warm chest that vibrates against me. Instantly, my smile breaks free, memories of last night surfacing as quickly as the rain falls.
“What are you smiling about?” Barnes asks, his voice raspy with sleep, and my smile grows as I close my eyes against the sunshine that spills into the room through my open living room curtains.
With a sigh and another nuzzle against Barnes’s heated chest, I whisper, “I think I could get used to waking up like this.”
I hear the smile in Barnes’s voice as he says, “I hope so, because I think you’ve ruined me, Freckles.”
Snickering, I lift my head up and adjust myself until my thighs frame his hips, disappointed to see that we’re no longer joined in the most intimate way, and I link my hands together, my chin resting on the backs of them. Peering up at the beautiful man with a raised eyebrow, I ask, “Oh, yeah? Ruined you, how?”
Barnes looks down at me, his sapphire eyes somehow lighter today, almost like there’s a glow about him that I feel burning in my own chest, and says, “I don’t think I can sleep alone anymore. I’m going to need you to lie on top of me every night from here on out, or else I fear I won’t sleep ever again.”
“That’s it, huh? That’s how I ruined you?” I tease, laughing as I sit up, the blanket Barnes draped over our slick bodies last night falling away and revealing my bare body to his hungry gaze. Those pretty blues darken as he eyes every inch, almost like he’s counting the freckles along my skin, and I grin as his purr thickens and he reaches his hands for my waist.
“One of many ways, Freckles,” he roughly declares, and I flash him a cheeky grin that has his own twitching at his lips. His hands slowly trail over my waist until they rest on my hips, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake, and I shiver at his touch. His grin grows dirty, eyes dipping to my breasts for a moment before they come back to my amused eyes and he asks, “What are your plans for the day?”
I shake my head. “I didn’t have any other than visiting Mom later.”
“So, you’re telling me you have time to spare?” he pushes, raising an eyebrow, a calculating gleam in his pretty gem-like eyes.
Narrowing mine on him, I sit upright and cross my arms over my chest. “Why? What’s that look for?”
“What look?” he asks with an innocence I no longer believe. Hell, the man made me come three times last night and fucked me like the devil was chasing him. It’s cute how he’s trying to pull off the ‘adorably confused’ look, though.
I point at his modelesque face, lips twitching. “That look. I saw that look enough during game night that I know you’re up to something.”
That makes him laugh but, instead of answering like a normal person, Barnes is suddenly flipping out positions until he’s lying on top of me and his already hard cock is pressed against my lower stomach. He drags it lower until he somehow manages to notch the tip of his leaking shaft to my entrance and pauses just before he breaches my already gushing pussy.
My breath catches, and I trail my eyes over every hard inch of him before my eyes snap back to his. “Oh.”
“‘Oh?’” he asks, biting his lip and taming his grin, but looking no less filthy as he does it.
Nodding rapidly, I declare, “I have so much spare time today. So much.”
Barnes snickers, right before the bastard thrusts, and I silently scream into his shoulder as soon as he’s buried inside me to the knot, rubbing the fleshy bulge against me before he grits, “Then I suppose we should fill the hours, right?”
I only moan in response, and Barnes takes it as my very willing approval of that idea, pulling out and thrusting back into my body in ways that have my eyes rolling to the back of my head and my pussy greedily trying to drag him closer.
It’s safe to say we don’t leave my apartment for several long, dirty hours, our time spent learning one another’s bodies, likes, dislikes, and finding that I’m pretty damn obsessed with being knotted by an alpha who smells as good as he does, looks like he stepped out of a GQ magazine, and fucks like a god.
***
“Would you stop sniffing me, you weirdo?” I laugh, tilting my head back in an attempt to escape Barnes’s ticklish kisses along my neck and shoulder, his stubble brushing my skin as he kisses and sniffs at my neck, rubbing his cheek into me in a blatant display of scent marking that I really, really love.
“Never,” he counters, rubbing his face deeper into the crook of my neck and coaxing a laugh out of me as we wait a little longer for food to arrive. We’ve ordered enough for the whole pack and then some, Barnes and I having worked up an appetite after our activities that took up all morning and most of the afternoon.
Eventually, we managed to release one another long enough to visit Mom, who screamed in happiness when she spied Barnes and me walking hand-in-hand to the visiting room where she was waiting, her leg propped up in a cast all these weeks later. Since she isn’t exactly a spring chicken, having birthed me at a later stage in life than some, she isn’t as quick to bounce back anymore. Her lungs don’t have any issues, though, because I’m sure the crazy lady burst an eardrum when she saw me grinning and holding on to Barnes’s hand like we’ve been doing it all our lives.
After a visit that went well into early evening, we decided to have dinner at Barnes’s home, where we could be surrounded by his pack, their combined scents, and the family dynamic I’m already missing. Barnes also wants to rub that I smell like him in Alek’s face, because, apparently, he has a bone to pick with the Viking, but I’m allowing it if it means I get fed.
Funnily enough, my belly rumbles loudly as we wait for our Chinese order, Barnes’s body lined against my back as he continues to lavish my skin with his kisses and scent. Laughing into my shoulder, he teases, “Hungry, Freckles?”
There’s a dirty undertone to his words, and I’m blushing profusely while politely smiling at the older gentleman behind the counter who served us as I think of the last time he said that today. It was while I was on my knees, swallowing his cock that he was eager to feed me, calling me a hungry girl.
“Don’t you dare,” I whisper-yell. “I’ve already had to change my panties once today.”
The shithead laughs against me again, scent marking like a criminal as he takes advantage of my puffy cropped jacket falling off my shoulder.
Dressed much the same as I was last night, only with a black sports bra and a pair of high-top sneakers, Barnes hasn’t managed to keep his hands off me all day, and if I’m being honest with myself, I can’t get enough. I’m addicted to his touch already, obsessed with feeling his hands on me in any way they come.
So, when our order is called and Barnes finally removes himself from me, I have to fight back the disappointment that claws in my chest while he retrieves the two bags of food we’ve bought. It would seem I’ve been just as effectively ruined as Barnes claims to have been.
“Let’s feed you, Freckles,” he winks, offering me his arm as he leads us out of the quaint Chinese restaurant and back to his car where he places the bags in the back seat and holds the passenger door open for me with a flirty wink and a smile that could melt the coldest heart.
The drive to Barnes’ home goes by in comfort, filled with the occasional small talk, switching up the music every now and then, and generally enjoying each other's company. I bask in our combined scents, finding myself completely and utterly at ease around him, and I wonder if a big part of that is because we crossed a threshold there’s no skipping back over, or because I’ve had marinating feelings for this man since he first caught my eye all those months ago. Pretty sure I might have fallen for him a little when he and Lazarus appeared at the hospital when I needed someone the most, and the hiccup we’ve had in between has done very little to eradicate those feelings. In fact, they've only grown in size, and I’m pretty sure they’ve latched on to the whole pack now.
“You look lost in thought over there,” the handsome alpha notes, looking over at me before turning down the gravel road that will lead us to his pack’s house.
I flash him a smile and shrug. “I was just thinking how natural this all feels, how it makes sense. I don’t feel at ease around many people, especially not men with bank accounts bigger than their heads, but with you guys I feel like this is where I was meant to be all along. Makes me feel a little silly when I think about the time I wasted being unreasonably mad at you and Laz.”
Barnes flashes me a grin and shakes his head. “Don’t feel bad, Freckles. We’re here now, right?”
I hum. “You’re right.”
“Oh, I like those words coming from your mouth,” he teases, leaning in to give me a sweet, lingering kiss before pulling back when my belly rumbles again. I can’t be sure if it’s rumbling for food or him, but Barnes chuckles before reaching for the food in the back seat and climbs out of the car.
Seconds later, he’s holding my door open for me just as I reach for it myself, and I flash him a grin, accepting another kiss before he leads me up the steps and into the lavish house I’ve missed.
Their scents hit me as soon as the door opens, and my sigh must be loud enough to catch Barnes’s attention, because he smiles warmly at me and whispers, “Welcome home, Zira.”
Home. Godsdamn if that word doesn’t sound beautiful to my ears.
“Honey, we’re home,” Barnes calls as he takes the food to the kitchen, and I follow after him as I wait for the sound of life to reach us.
Sure enough, it comes moments later when Lazarus appears from the study I know to be downstairs, glasses sitting on the tip of his nose and his dark hair peppered with strands of gray that look soft to the touch.
With his charming English accent, Laz eyes me and says, “Zira. I didn’t realize you were coming over.”
“We brought dinner,” I smile, watching as he comes over to the kitchen and leans in to offer me a kiss to the cheek as he has done since I offered my apology. Only, instead of the brief peck it usually is, he lingers for a moment longer, his hand falling to my waist. I’m pretty sure I hear him inhale, too, before he eventually pulls away and glances at Barnes.
“You bloody bastard. You couldn’t have warned us?” Laz sighs at his packmate, his hand still pressed against the bare skin of my waist, his heat seeping into me welcomingly.
“What? What happened?” I ask, but Barnes only laughs.
“Where’s the fun in that?” he shrugs, winking at me before dropping his gaze to where he’s been kissing and rubbing all day.
Oh. Oooh. Okay. Gotcha.
Alphas huh? What can you do?
“You couldn’t have scent marked her more if you tried,” Laz grumbles, tugging me closer, as though he doesn’t realize he’s doing it.
Barnes eyes me lasciviously, and I bite back my smile, not wanting to encourage him but finding it entirely too funny. “I could have, but we had places to be.”
“Oh my god,” I laugh, feeling my cheeks heat as I slap a hand over my face. “Would you stop already? Alek is already going to—”
“What’s Alek going to do?” the Viking in question asks as he steps into the kitchen, only to pause when he sees how close Lax and I are, and where Barnes is unloading the food in the kitchen. “Hey, little lady. You look… unscathed.”
Then the mountain of a man inhales, loudly, and I sink deeper into Laz as mortification washes over my face. There’s no disguising what Barnes and I have been up to, despite the shower I took before visiting Mom, because I’ve discovered Barnes scent marks like his life depends on it. The alpha came enough that I’ll be smelling of him for at least a week straight and there’s simply no escaping it.
“You rotten fucker,” Alek suddenly gasps dramatically, and I can’t help the giggle that escapes my lips when Barnes outright laughs at the man. Like, full on belly laughs, a wheeze escaping him when he finds it so funny that no words escape. “You said you were taking her on a date!”
“It was a date,” I defend, then pause. “A couch date.” I pause again, wincing. “A no-clothes couch date.”
Laz snorts as he presses his forehead against my temple and whispers in my ear, “That’s a lot of words to say you didn’t even make it past the front door, darling.”
I bite my lip, my shoulders shaking with amusement, and the man still hugging me to him chuckles before pressing another kiss to my cheek before releasing. I miss his heat already, and he winks at me as he claps Barnes on the back, calling over his shoulder, “Anyone for a cuppa?”
Alek, ignoring the older alpha of the bunch, shakes his head at Barnes and narrows his eyes playfully at him. “You think you know a man. This proves that you can’t trust anyone these days. No one is who they make out to be. I’ve been betrayed.”
“So dramatic,” I snicker, heading over to help Barnes with the food before I’m snagged around the waist so suddenly my sneaker-covered feet defy the art of gravity. I’m airborne and hauled into a meaty chest before I can utter another word, nothing but a squeak escaping me in shock. Alek’s voice is louder from where I currently dangle in his arms as he says, “Two can play at that game, fucker.”
With no warning, Alek is suddenly blowing raspberries into the opposite side of my neck that Barnes didn’t scent mark as thoroughly, leaving his neroli and basil aroma all over my skin. I’m laughing hysterically, his stubble tickling my skin as he kisses, nips, and blows more raspberries all over what skin he can reach.
I’m absolutely breathless by the time he deems me scent marked enough, placing me on my feet and turning me slowly when I sway. Grinning down at me like a big goofball, he says, “There. That’ll do for now.”
“Alphas,” I sigh as though I’m put off, but the smile on my face can’t be mistaken for anything but happiness, and it’s mirrored in the gorgeous face hovering above mine.
“I like it when you pretend you don’t love it,” he goads before leaning in to steal a kiss before I can reply. It’s not a brief kiss, either. It’s a toe-curling, perfume-inducing, mind-shattering kiss that steals the air from my lungs and the sanity from my head.
I’m dizzy by the time he pulls back, high on his scent and drugging kisses, and when my eyelashes flutter open, I find him grinning down at me as he says, “Hey, little lady.”
Slowly, a dazed grin appears on my lips, and I murmur, “Hi, baby.”
Everything about the man softens and warms, and his smile turns almost boyish and adorable. He drops another kiss to my lips before whispering, “Won’t ever get tired of hearing that.”
Then, with a pat to my ass, he gestures to the living room and says, “Go kick your feet up and relax. We’ll fix up the plates.”
He doesn’t give me a chance to argue, ushering me from the kitchen with a stern ‘shoo’ that makes the two other alphas laugh, so I do as I’m told. I take my sneakers off and place them with the others near the door before climbing onto the comfortable couch, asking, “Are Ford and Mac home?”
Laz shakes his head. “Not yet. Their flight was delayed.”
I nod, feeling disappointed that all five of the guys won’t be here, but given that their store is set to open in a few weeks, I know travelling is a big thing for them right now. So, slipping my cell out of my back pocket, I type out a text to them both.
ZIRA: I heard your flight was delayed. That sucks. I miss you guys.
I receive replies from them both pretty quickly, and I smile at the text thread that unravels before it even begins.
FORD: Hear that, brother? She misses me.
MAC: She misses us both, idiot.
FORD: I’ll bet she misses me more, though.
MAC: You’re an idiot.
Rolling my eyes with a grin, I text:
ZIRA: I miss you both with equal amounts. Come home soon xx
Again, the two of them text back at the exact same time, and I melt into the couch when I read over their messages.
FORD: I miss you so much it’s not even funny, pretty girl. We’ll be home soon, don’t you worry 3
MAC: Miss you more, starlight. Can’t wait to see you x
When the chat descends into the pair trying to one up the other about how much they miss me, their goofy banter amusing me to no end, I place my cell on the coffee table and smile at Lazarus when he confidently walks into the living room balancing two plates and two beers tucked in his arm.
“For the princess,” he jokes, and I accept a bottle from his arm with a light laugh, taking a sip with a sigh as he places the plate on my lap before claiming the seat beside me. Reaching for the remote, he offers it to me. “What would you like to watch tonight?”
Shaking my head and refusing the remote, I tell him, “I’m easy. What’s your favorite thing to watch?”
His lips twitch. “Ever watched a TV program called Brassic ?”
The confusion on my face gives me away and Lazarus chuckles lowly before nodding. “Allow me to pop your Brassic cherry, in that case. Sit tight, sweetheart. It gets a little crazy.”
And, for the rest of the night, we eat and watch a hilariously peak British TV show that quickly becomes a favorite. All the while, I can’t help but look at the three out of five alphas and wonder, not for the first time, how I got so damn lucky to have found them all.