16. Lawrence
Steam rises off the surface of the massive stone hot tub, curling into the cool night air of the courtyard.
The private pool sits tucked away in the secluded courtyard behind the east wing, shielded by high brick walls and towering pine trees.
Colored underwater lights cast a soft blue glow across the bubbling water.
I set two crystal wine glasses on the stone ledge next to an opened bottle of chilled white wine and a wooden board loaded with artisan cheeses, cured meats, and crackers.
Tonight is my date night with Olive.
We established a rotation earlier in the week.
The four of us sat around the kitchen island and drew straws to figure out who gets to take her out first to bond, talk, and let her spend some one-on-one time with each of us without feeling overwhelmed by a pack of Alphas.
I drew the short straw, so I get the opening slot.
Victor didn't even put his name in the hat.
He took the very last spot in the rotation, hanging back in the shadows while the rest of us try to smooth things over.
But the guys and I notice a shift in him lately.
He stays calmer, speaks in a level tone, and spends his free time tearing through self-help books on anger management and trauma.
We haven't pressed him about it, but we all assume he’s doing it for Olive.
He wants to prove he can fix his toxic edges and be better for her.
I run a hand through my dark curls, checking my reflection in the glass sliding doors. I wear dark red swim trunks, putting my golden skin and athletic build on display.
I earned my reputation as the playboy of the pack. I know how to flash a smile, work a room, and charm anyone into a false sense of security. It serves as a useful shield. People see the pretty face and the designer suit, and they underestimate the razor-sharp mind hiding underneath.
Olive just sat through her first professional hockey game yesterday. She watched us bleed and sweat on the ice, and her hormones are still humming from the intense display of dominance.
She's smart, practical, and sees right through superficial charm and polite small talk. Winning her over requires more than a winning smile and a glass of wine. I need to prove I am a capable, ruthless protector when it comes to our pack, not just an athlete with a trust fund.
The heavy glass door slides open.
Olive steps out onto the stone patio. She wears an oversized black t-shirt that hangs down to her mid-thigh. Her dark bob frames her face in messy, soft angles. Her warm brown eyes lock onto mine with a cautious, lingering hesitation.
The sweet scent of warm apple pie floats off her skin, cutting through the steam rising from the water.
"You look relaxed." I keep my voice smooth and easy, leaning my back against the stone edge of the tub.
Olive walks over, her bare feet slapping against the cold patio stone. She stops a few feet away, crossing her arms over her chest. "I am. For now."
"Come on in." I gesture to the steaming water and the food board. "The temperature is set to perfection, and I brought snacks."
She hesitates for a second, then pulls the t-shirt over her head. She drops the dark fabric onto a lounge chair, standing in a simple black bikini. Her petite curves and smooth tan skin look breathtaking under the blue lights. She steps down the stone stairs and slips into the bubbling water.
The heat of the tub envelops her. She lets out a long, shuddering sigh, resting her head against the back ledge.
I slide closer through the water, stopping a respectful distance away. I rest my forearms on the stone rim, keeping my hands to myself.
"How are you holding up?" I ask, keeping my tone gentle. "I know the transition from your apartment to this mansion has been a total mind fuck."
"It's a lot." Olive stares out across the water, her jaw tight. “I’m working through the emotions. I lost my career, my home, and my sense of control in less than a week. I was so mad at first, but I know I can’t change what I am. So I’m learning acceptance now. Trying to at least."
"You have every right to be furious." I keep my expression neutral. "We crashed into your life like a freight train. We didn't give you a choice."
She turns her head. Her brown eyes search my face, looking for a trap. "You're taking that awfully well. Usually, Alphas try to justify steamrolling everyone."
"I'm not like Victor." I offer a wry smile. "I know when to push and when to back off. My charm gets me out of most jams, but I know it falls flat with you."
"Your charm is exhausting." She splashes a tiny wave of water toward my chest. "You act like everything is a game."
"Not everything." My gaze drops to her lips, watching them part on a quick intake of air. The sexual tension in the water thickens.
I feel the heat of her slick-scented arousal drifting off her skin. My cock starts to harden. My Alpha instincts scream at me to close the gap, pull her onto my lap, and bury my face in her neck.
Olive rests her chin on her arms, studying my face with intense curiosity. "You're unusually quiet tonight, Lawrence. Where is the endless banter?"
"I'm saving it." I flash a slow, confident grin. "Just waiting for the right moment."
A buzzing sound cuts through the relaxing hum of the hot tub bubbles.
Olive turns her head toward the lounge chair where she left her shirt. Her smartphone vibrates on top of her t-shirt with a frantic rhythm.
"Your phone is blowing up." I lean back, crossing my arms over the stone edge.
She reaches over the side of the stone rim, grabbing her phone off the chair without getting out of the water. She unlocks the screen and frowns, her eyes widening as she reads something.
My ass clenches. "What’s wrong? Who is it?"
"It's my sister." She taps back a reply.
I swallow hard. "Is she okay?"
"She sent four texts in a row. She says she kicked Rick out of the house. She packed the kids into the minivan and drove to our mother's place until she can make sure he’s fully removed and locked out of the house."
She sends a second text and then puts her phone back on the chair.
A slow, satisfied smirk curves my lips at the same time she glances at me. I reach over to the stone ledge, taking a slow sip of my white wine while sliding a cracker with aged cheddar and prosciutto across the small floating tray toward her.
Olive narrows her eyes, staring at my calm demeanor. She takes the cracker from me and takes a bite, while studying me. The confusion on her face turns into suspicion. "Why aren't you surprised?"
I set my wineglass down. "Because I made sure it happened."
Olive pulls back, pressing her back against the tiled rim of the tub. "What are you talking about?"
"You spent days worrying about your sister sharing a roof with that scumbag.
" I keep my voice steady, letting her see the ruthless protector hiding underneath the charm.
"You thought you had to deal with him alone.
But you aren't alone anymore. You have a pack.
And when someone threatens our Omega, we deal with the threat. "
"You did something to Rick?" Her voice shakes. "How? You've all been here or playing hockey."
"I have resources, Olive." I move an inch closer through the water. "My family's wealth buys a lot of things. The day you told us what he did in the kitchen, I made a few phone calls."
She stares at me. "What did you do?"
"First, I hired the most vicious, expensive divorce attorney in the state for your sister.
" I tick the actions off on my fingers. "Paid for entirely by my personal trust. She has full representation, forensic accountants tracing every single dime of his hidden assets, and a bulldog lawyer ready to strip him down to his bare skin in court. He will lose the house, his savings, and any chance of custody to her. She’ll get it all. "
Olive continues to stare as she processes my words.
"Second." I lean closer, dropping my voice into a vibrating rumble. "I used my high-society connections to call Rick's job. I talked to the senior vice president of operations. I mentioned a huge corporate liability regarding toxic workplace behavior and harassment lawsuits."
A wicked smirk crosses my face.
"His department underwent a sudden corporate restructuring this morning.
Rick walked into his office today and received his pink slip.
He's unemployed. And with my family's influence tied to every major logistics firm in this city, he is thoroughly blacklisted.
He won't find a job pushing a broom in this state. "
Olive grips the edge of the hot tub. Her knuckles turn white.
"You destroyed his life." Her voice drops to a whisper.
"I protected yours and your family." I offer a correction. "We didn't want to use unhinged, sloppy violence. So I used my mind, money, and power. I legally and financially executed the man who threatened our Omega."
The silence in the courtyard stretches. The bubbles in the hot tub hiss against the stone.
Olive looks at me, her chest heaves a little as she processes the sheer scale of the vengeance. The playboy facade is gone. She sees the ruthless, terrifying Alpha who just laid the entire corporate and legal world at her feet.
Olive stays frozen in the hot tub. The harsh reality of what I did settles over her.
Instead of shrinking away in terror, her chest heaves with a ragged breath. The sour panic in her apple pie scent vanishes. A thick wave of sweet arousal rolls off her wet skin.
She pushes off the tiled edge of the tub and launches herself at me.
Her arms wrap around my neck as she collides with my chest. The hot water sloshes over the stone rim. She tangles her fingers in my damp hair and crashes her lips against my mouth. The kiss is fierce, demanding, and desperate.
I catch her thighs, pulling her hips flush against mine in the water. My cock throbs hard against her stomach through my swim trunks.
I break the kiss to look into her flushed, wild eyes.
"You're a ruthless bastard, Lawrence." She bites her lower lip.
"Only for you." I flash a grin.
I guide her backward a few inches until my knees hit the wide stone bench built into the side of the tub. Sitting down, I pull her with me so she straddles my lap.
Her wet bikini bottom presses against my aching length. The friction makes a low growl rip from my throat.
"Do you want me?" I trace a thumb down her collarbone, trailing over the sensitive skin of her neck.
"Yes." She grinds her hips down against my hard cock. "Fuck me, Lawrence. Please."
"Ah." I catch her wrists, pulling her hands up and pinning them against my chest. I slow her frantic movements with a gentle, unyielding grip. "Patience, sweetheart. It’s a virtue."
She glares at me. Her brown eyes flash with frustration. "I want you inside me."
"You get me when I say so." I lean down, pressing my mouth against her ear. "Trust me, you’ll like this."
I slide one hand down her wet back. Keeping my palm against the small of her spine, my other hand tracks down to her hip. I ease her up an inch, shifting our position so she straddles my thigh.
I hook my fingers into the sides of her wet bikini bottoms and shove the fabric down her legs. She kicks it away into the water. I part her thighs, exposing her swollen folds to the warm water and the cool night air.
"Look how wet you are for me." My voice stays a low rumble. I drag a thick finger through the slick pooling between her folds.
She gasps and presses her forehead to my shoulder.
I lean down and capture her nipple in my mouth. I swirl my tongue over the tight bud while I flick her clit with my thumb. She arches her back. Her fingers dig into my shoulders. The frantic need in her scent drives me wild, but I keep my pace slow. I refuse to rush her.
I slide two fingers deep inside her tight, dripping canal. She clenches my fingers. “Fuck, that feels so good.”
I pump in and out with steady, rhythmic strokes.
"Lawrence. Please. I'm right there." Her hips stutter against my hand.
"Not yet." I pull my fingers out of her pussy.
A whimper leaves her throat. She tries to grind down against my thigh, but I hold her hips in place.
I position myself right at her entrance.
My cock throbs. The base of my shaft swells with my thick knot.
I ease her down onto me, forcing her to take it slow and not impale herself.
Her heat encompasses me until she hits my knot.
I groan. She makes me feel like a virgin every time I get to be with her; she feels so good.
"So tight." I grit my teeth, holding my hips still while she adjusts to my size.
My knot stays outside her opening and I can’t wait to bury it in her.
She gasps. Her hands grip my biceps as I start a slow, shallow rhythm. Letting the swollen knot outside nudge against her sensitive entrance. The motion stretches her open a fraction more with every stroke.
I pick up the pace. The hot water in the tub sloshes around us, matching the steady, wet slap of our bodies colliding.
Her nails drag down my chest. "More. You're going too slow."
"We have all night, sweetheart." I catch her waist, holding her steady.
I angle my hips, targeting her G-spot.
Olive throws her head back. A loud, shameless moan echoes across the courtyard.
I keep the rhythm and push her right to the edge of a climax, until her inner walls flutter and clamp around my shaft.
"Faster." Her fingernails dig into my skin. "Lawrence, please push it all the way in."
I drive my hips forward with a hard, deep thrust. I shove the swollen knot past her threshold.
Olive screams. A shattering orgasm rips through her system. Her inner walls clamp down around my cock with crushing force. She milks my length as she rides the rolling waves of pleasure.
I roar along with her and pump a hot load of seed deep into her.
We stay locked together in the bubbling hot tub, breathing hard against each other's skin. I would do anything for this woman, I hope she knows that now. She’s a God send to our lives. I know we will all move Heaven and earth for her happiness.