Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
memphis
Lyon comes around the corner carrying a stack of pillows almost too high to see over. It isn’t until he almost bumps into me that I start to think he might have gone a little overboard.
“Dude, did you grab every pillow in the house?”
He grunts. “Just about. Want our scents surrounding her.”
Pulling down the corner of the one nearest his face, I peer over at him. “How are you so damn good at this? I’m the Alpha, yet I feel like a fish outta water.”
The corner of his lips quirks up. “I pay attention.”
I notice things too, like the way her eyes flash when she’s challenged. Or the way her freckles appear darker against her pale skin when she’s exhausted herself. Yet somehow the Beta knows things that God himself probably doesn’t.
“Don’t get all smug.”
He shrugs. “I just catch the little things you all miss. Don’t be jealous.”
My finger slips from the pillow, and it bounces back and hits him in the eye.
“Son of a bitch.”
I chuckle. “Let’s see how much you notice now. The rest of us need every advantage we can get.”
“Yeah. Since she’s obviously pissed.” With some effort, he squeezes all of the pillows into a one-arm hold so he doesn’t risk losing his grip. “We need to fix it.”
I nod. “Don’t worry. I’m not letting her go. By the end of this heat, she’ll know exactly where she belongs and how much she already means to us.”
“Good.”
Patting him on the shoulder, my smile returns. “Let’s head upstairs. I’ve already made a couple phone calls so that everything is set up for the animals for the next few days.”
We walk down the hall, heading for the landing and the door that leads to the nest. It’s barely open when I’m hit with the thick scent of her heat, mixed with hints of wine and Ridge’s minty lime.
Fuck. I’m not sure I’ve ever been this hard before.
The soft murmur of voices comes from inside the room, along with a trickle of worry flitting down the bond.
I’m sure we’re all just a little on edge, considering Shay’s sudden reluctance and her unexpected heat.
I’ve never been with an Omega through her heat, or even shared a woman, for that matter.
None of us have, so I’m a little anxious.
Factor in her obvious anger, and it almost feels like we’re behind before we even begin.
Lyon twists the handle and pushes the door open. If I thought the scent was strong before, it’s got nothing on the wall of peanut butter whiskey and vanilla that slams into me as we walk in.
Shay is sprawled across Auggie’s chest, her naked ass on full display. With her legs spread wide, it’s impossible to miss the way he’s stretching her pussy.
I adjust myself in my pants. “That’s hotter than it should be, considering that’s my cousin’s dick lodged inside her.”
“She’s fucking stuffed,” Lyon murmurs.
“Guys, she passed out mid-orgasm.” Ridge stands, running a hand through his messy blond hair. “Like, eyes rolled back in her head until she went limp between us. Is that shit normal?”
Lyon sets all the pillows in the corner near the bed as I crawl over to where they’re lying. My cousin is tenderly brushing hair off her face, worry creasing his brow. Setting my hand on the smooth skin of her back, it’s like touching a heating pad turned up too high. She’s burning up.
My brow furrows. “Has she been this hot the whole time?”
August shakes his head. “I think it’s getting worse. I kind of assumed the knotting would help ease it off a bit, but I’m starting to think something might be wrong.”
“How long’s she been out?” Lyon asks.
“Long enough to have me worried.” Ridge walks over to the shelf, snags one of the bottles of water, and takes a long swallow. “I think we need to call someone.”
“Who?” I ask.
“The doc?” August is still smoothing her hair while his chest rumbles with a soft purr in an instinctual attempt to soothe her. I’m not sure he’s even aware of what he's doing. “Or maybe Jules?”
Lyon is staring down at the pair, arms crossed tightly over his bare chest as his fists clench and unclench, telling me he’s fighting back his own worry.
“Ronnie.” His softly spoken word hits with the force of a sledgehammer.
He’s asking me to call my mother in the middle of our Omega’s heat.
The seriousness of the situation isn’t lost on me, but the idea of talking to her right now makes me wanna cringe a little.
He’s right though. Mama knows everything, and I trust her with this even though I would rather talk about that time in middle school when I got caught in the janitor’s closet with Ridge and Lyon because I was showing them what a knot looked like.
No, we aren’t interested in each other like that. We’re practically brothers, and we’ve been close forever. Don’t make it weird.
“This isn’t awkward at all,” I gripe, but I pull out my phone and tap on my mother’s contact anyway.
Might as well put it on speaker since this is a group effort and all.
It rings twice.
“Hey, baby boy. I thought we wouldn’t hear from you for a few days.”
I roll my eyes. “Why am I not shocked that the town gossip tree has already gotten wind of Shay’s heat?”
“This is Darling, Memphis. Really, what did you expect? All anyone can talk about is y’all packin’ up, and considering she was at the Slick when her heat hit, it wasn’t exactly private.”
The sigh that escapes is dredged up from the bottom of my soul. “Mama, this is serious. We need your help.”
Suddenly, my mother is all business. “Is everything okay? I’m gonna put you on speaker. Ash is right next to me. Two heads are better than one.”
Closing my eyes, I hear Auggie groan softly.
“Tell my son to knock that shit off and tell us what’s going on,” Aunt Ash demands.
“You’re on speaker too. He heard you.” My cousin’s worried eyes meet mine now. “Shay passed out during her first…um…orgasm. She’s burning up and hasn’t woken up yet. We’re worried.”
“You said during her orgasm, not after?” Mama asks.
“Yeah,” Ridge jumps in. “It was scary as hell.”
“Hmmm.” The two women on the other end of the line converse quietly. “How was she feeling prior to the orgasm?”
All of us guys share a look and matching grimaces.
“She wasn’t exactly happy,” Lyon admits.
Auggie stares down at Shay when he adds, “She said her Omega wasn’t happy that she ended up here with us for her heat, but that she knew she was doing the right thing.”
“Ahhh,” our moms sound off in unison.
“What the hell does that mean?” my cousin mutters.
“It means at least a little of this might make sense,” Aunt Ash snaps back. “It’s hard for an Omega to be at war with herself. You factor in her heat, and well—”
Auggie clears his throat. “She also admitted it’s the first time she’s not alone for her heat.”
“That poor girl,” Mama says softly. “This is going to be rough on all of you, I’m afraid.
Her body will probably volley back and forth between heat cycles.
All you can do is keep her satisfied, and if for any reason it seems like she’s lethargic or goes longer than twenty-four hours without a break in her fever, then call Doc Baker immediately. ”
“Like we’d just leave her unsatisfied,” Auggie grumbles.
“I heard that, August David. But we’re serious. You’re gonna have to take extra care with her. I’m assuming someone managed to stock the nest with some toys?”
Silence.
“Aunt Ash, I’m not sure—”
“Memphis, I didn’t raise you to be a prude. And considering your cousin’s line of work, you might as well get used to being able to talk about sex and kinks.”
Someone chokes. Pretty sure it’s Ridge.
“Yes, ma’am. But—”
“I filled an entire drawer with toys, Aunt Ash.”
All of us turn to Lyon, who is blushing from his neck to the roots of his hair.
“At least one of you has some goddamn sense.” I can practically hear the eye roll in her tone and answer it with one of my own even though she can’t see me.
Lyon has always been the only one with any sense—according to the moms at least. “Lube won’t be necessary, but a decent knot toy will help take the pressure off when you all need a break. ”
“Uh…yeah. There are a couple in there,” Lyon rushes out.
“Guys!” August urgently whispers. “I think she’s waking up.”
Shay’s eyelids flutter for a moment, a low groan spilling from her lips.
“That’s a good sign. Don’t wait. She’ll need another knot immediately, then just keep ‘em coming.”
“Literally,” Aunt Ash quips.
“Extra stimulation would help to overwhelm her senses,” Mama says thoughtfully. “Oh! What about nipple clamps, Ash?”
“Oh, that would be a good idea. Lyon, sweetheart, did you grab any nipple clamps by chance?”
He shoots a wide-eyed look at me, but I just shrug. I’m in over my own head here.
“Uh…no, ma’am. I didn’t. Do I need to—”
“For the love of God, please tell me that’s not Ronnie,” Shay mutters under her breath, her eyes slowly opening.
When they rise, catching sight of the phone in my hand, she whines and immediately closes her eyes again. She buries her face in the crook of Auggie’s neck. “Just fucking kill me now.”
My cousin smiles. “Welcome to our world, firecracker.”
Her earlier words finally register. “How do you know my mom goes by Ronnie? We haven’t introduced you yet.”
“Bible study!” Mama and Aunt Ash call out in unison.
Shay’s sigh makes my heart pang.
“You okay, sweetheart?” Ridge asks, sitting beside the pair on the bed and stroking the length of her back. “You scared the shit out of us.”
“I’m fine. Just mortified and wishing I could dig a hole and bury myself in it.”
“Shay,” Mama’s voice echoes through the room, “there’s nothing to be ashamed of, honey. It takes a village. I’m just glad our boys called. Let them take care of you. It’s gonna be a tough one, and y’all need to be prepared. Plenty of snacks and water breaks.”
“And position changes. Really utilize your assets to her benefit, if you know what I mean.”
“Did she just refer to our dicks as assets?” Auggie asks.
“Yup,” Shay mumbles into his neck. “She did.”
“How do we feel about bondage?” Aunt Ash says to Mama.
“There’s that one scene in Every Wicked Inch where Duke ties Sage up to the bed with a pillow wedged beneath her then blindfolds her.
She has to guess which guy is fucking her every time they switch off.
It goes on for hours, and they give her countless orgasms.”
“Mom!” August barks.
Shay’s whine makes my fists clench tight.
“Shhhh,” he soothes. “Sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“What? We’ve got plenty of ideas thanks to your—”
“On that note, I think we’re gonna let y’all go,” I interrupt.
Fuck. We haven’t told Shay about the books or August’s occupation yet. One thing we do not need is added animosity right now.
“Wait,” Mama says. “We haven’t even gotten into things like the swing scene in Take Me Harder.”
“Or the spreader bar in Dripping with Sin,” Aunt Ash suggests.
“For Christ’s sake, Memphis, hang up!” August shouts.
“Shay!” Aunt Ash calls out. “Page fifty-nine. Page fifty-nine!”
Hanging up, I toss my phone onto the table next to the bed. Jesus fuck. That was by far the most ludicrous conversation I’ve ever had with my family.
“What’s page fifty-nine?” Ridge asks curiously.
Shay lifts her mortified eyes. “I’m never gonna be able to face them after this.”
It hasn’t gone unnoticed that her cheeks are flushed and her eyes unfocused. Dropping back to the bed, I brush a soft kiss against her heated cheek.
“Darlin’, how are you feeling?”
Big green eyes blink up at me. It’s almost like I can physically see her fighting to stay present with us. “Honestly?”
“Always.”
“Exhausted. Satisfied yet already needing more. Like there’s a fog hovering over my brain. Also, crazy as hell.”
Our mamas were right about one thing. We need to take extra care of our girl. Sharing a look with Auggie, I know we’re thinking the same thing. That starts now.
“We can help. Let us?”
I didn’t think it was possible, but she relaxes into August even more.
With a single nod, it’s like the switch is flipped. I’m now ready to do what’s necessary to get my Omega and my pack through this. Resolve and determination flood the bond, and I know we’ll be okay.
“Aug, you heard our Omega.” With a pointed look, his hands grip her face. He knows what I want from him. We’re family. Pack. No words are needed.
“Buckle up, baby. We’re gonna ruin you.” His rough kiss forces a whine deep from her chest. When he pulls back, he turns to Lyon. “Show our girl what I mean.”
Lyon’s arms drop, and after the slightest pause, he pushes his sweats down until they’re pooled at his feet.
With more confidence than I would’ve credited him with, he strides over, lifts Shay, and turns her in his arms, then in one thrust, he impales her so deep her body shakes as she starts coming almost immediately.