31. Thirty
Thirty
Cozette
Fresh out of the shower, I head downstairs, not used to so much quiet here after the last week. The house is usually bustling by this time, so when I step into the kitchen and only see Zeke, my brows rise.
“Seems it’s just tha two o’ us taday, Ducky. What shall we do?” Zeke asks me, and I tilt my head at him as my lips quirk up.
“Where’d everyone else go?” I ask, surprised to note that even Jeremiah is missing.
“It’s Jeremiah’s first day o’ regular people’s work, so he an’ Manny went in together. Ridge went in tae finish up some work on a client’s car, an’ Micah had a’ emergency wi’ a patient, so he had tae go intae his office.”
“You didn’t need to go with Ridge to help?” I ask him curiously as I climb onto one of the stools surrounding the island.
“Nah. It’s nothin’ he canae handle. I’d much rather look at yer pretty face all day than at car parts.”
With wide eyes, I look up at him as he hands me a glass of chocolate milk, feeling a tightness in my throat at the sweet gesture. He starts fixing me a plate of whatever he’s cooked, winking at me when he slides a full plate in front of me, and I can’t help but be mesmerized as he moves gracefully around the kitchen.
While I eat, he cleans up, the comfortable silence between us only broken up by the sound of running water as he washes the dishes. Once he’s finished, he leans across the island in front of me, resting his chin in his palm as he stares over at me with a wide smile.
“What?” I ask with a laugh, finishing my breakfast and wiping my mouth with the napkin he passes me.
“Nothin’. So? What would ye like tae do taday?” he chuckles, taking my empty plate and washing it before putting it away.
I purse my lips as I consider his question before I smile at him with a shrug.
“Can we go out for ice cream, then come back home for a cuddle and more movies in the nest?”
I’m content here, and I’m not very picky about what any of us do as long as we’re together. I know eventually one of them will want to take me to do other things, but movies and cuddles here are what I enjoy most right now. Even before my time in captivity, I was a homebody. I’m an introvert to my core, and I’m okay with that. Besides, I’m also incredibly partial to my new nest, because it’s really amazing.
“If that’s what ye want tae do. There’s a nice little ice cream shop in town that has just about every flavor ye can think o’ an’ more.”
I grin at him, hopping off my stool and rounding the island. He turns to face me, looking down at me with his lips curled as I lean up on my tiptoes. He has to bend so I can reach him, and when he does, I kiss his cheek, falling back flat on my feet as my cheeks warm.
“Be right back!”
I run back upstairs to my room and grab my phone, stopping in the bathroom to give myself a quick look over in the mirror. For the first time in… well, I can’t remember how long, I like what I see.
My eyes are sparkling in a way that I don’t think they ever have, full of optimism, excitement, and genuine happiness. I’ve smiled so much in the last couple of months, but especially since moving in with Zeke and the rest of the pack, that my cheeks feel sore most days. My skin is glowing, and I’ve gained all the weight back that I lost, so now I can actually fill out my clothes instead of them hanging from my bony frame.
I look and feel… good , and I love that so much.
Leaving my room, I meet Zeke back downstairs and we walk outside, hand in hand, to his truck. Once he’s helped me in and buckled my seat belt, he climbs in and we head out.
When we step into A Scoop A Day, the door chimes, and we immediately feel a refreshing blast of cool air, a stark contrast to the scorching rays of the sun outside. A woman behind the counter smiles brightly at us when we step up to the long glass case housing all their ice cream flavors.
“Welcome to A Scoop A Day! My name’s Josie. Can I get you guys some samples, or do you already know what you’d like?”
Zeke glances down at me with a lopsided smile.
“Do ye know what ye want, Ducky?”
I go back to perusing, pursing my lips as indecision wars within me. Everything looks so good and there are several flavors I’ve never even heard of that I’d like to try.
“I don’t know. Everything looks so good,” I tell him with a pout that has him chuckling before he glances back at Josie.
“We’ll take one o’ everything an’ a banana split with extra sprinkles,” he tells her, and I gasp.
“There’s no way I can finish that much ice cream! That’s too much!”
“Then it’s a good thing ye’ve got yerself a big, strong alpha wi’ a hefty appetite an’ a love for ice cream tae help ye, now isnae it?” he says, grinning and rubbing his hands together, making me laugh under my breath.
I shake my head at him, but sigh in defeat. While Josie gets to work on the ridiculous amount of ice cream we’ve ordered, we find a spot by the window. Zeke pulls my chair out for me, making my skin warm as I thank him, and when he sits across from me, I can’t help but giggle. The table looks so small with him sitting at it, his chair barely holding his bulky frame.
“What are ye laughing at?” he asks me with a soft smile, his dark green eyes sparkling as he rests his head in his hand.
“Nothing,” I laugh, biting my lip and looking away.
Josie brings our ice cream over in batches and by the time she’s placed the last cup on our table, I can hardly see it at all.
“Enjoy,” Josie says with a smile before disappearing back behind the counter.
Zeke grabs one of the cups, holding the tiny spoon with a bite out to me, and I snort, but part my lips as I take the bite. We both take turns feeding each other ice cream while he tells me about his family, where he grew up, and regaling me with tales of his childhood. In turn, I tell him about my hometown, what it was like growing up in a place that consisted of mostly betas, and I even manage to tell him a little about my parents without having a complete breakdown.
Much to his dismay, we don’t end up finishing everything, but he certainly tries. I manage to at least try all of the flavors, but I don’t eat anywhere near as much as he does. When I tell him he’s going to have a stomach ache later, he laughs, patting his belly.
“I’ve got a stomach made o’ steel, lass. I’ll be fine.”
After cleaning up our mess and paying for everything, we step back out into the sunshine. I tilt my face up, closing my eyes with a smile as the sun’s rays shine down on my face. When I reopen my eyes and look over at Zeke, he’s staring at me with an awestruck expression on his face, clearing his throat when he’s caught. He reaches out and tucks a wild curl behind my ear before carefully leaning down to kiss me sweetly, making butterflies erupt in my belly.
The drive home is spent holding hands while I laugh uncontrollably at the giant alpha I see as mine more and more every day. He sings loudly and off key to several girly pop songs, his facial expressions becoming more exaggerated the more I laugh. By the time we pull back up at home, my lips are stretched into a permanent smile and my belly aches.
Zeke helps me out of the truck, and when we make it inside, he tells me to go get my comfy clothes on while he gets us some snacks together. I listen, running upstairs and changing into one of his shirts that I stole a few days ago and a pair of shorts. His shirt hangs down past my knees and falls off my shoulder with how big it is, but it smells like him, and it’s well worn, so it’s soft against my skin. He nearly drops everything in his arms when I come back down, meeting him at the foot of the stairs. A groan escapes him as he looks at me, biting his lip.
“Yer gonna be tha death o’ me, lass. Ye have no idea what ye’re doin’ tae me draped in my shirt.”
I watch as his throat bobs when he swallows, his eyes running down my body all the way to my toes, and despite the massive shirt hiding everything away from sight, he still somehow manages to make me feel like the most desirable woman in the world. The way he’s looking at me, it’s like he’s barely containing himself, and I find my core clenching and my belly heating the longer his dark green eyes rest on me like if he stares hard enough, he’ll develop x-ray vision and see what’s beneath.
My scent deepens, and he inhales sharply, groaning again as he shakes his head as if to clear it.
“Come on, wee minx, before I throw caution tae tha wind an’ toss ye over my shoulder like a caveman,” he says with a playful growl, jumping at me and making me squeal.
I run off out the door with a giggle as he chases me from the porch, down the walkway, and up the stairs into the nest, collapsing to the foam floor inside of my mini fort, out of breath. Zeke drops everything he’s holding carefully before pouncing, tickling my sides and making me squirm and laugh uncontrollably until tears are streaming down my cheeks and my stomach muscles hurt.
Caging me in with his forearms on either side of my head and holding his body over mine so he doesn’t crush me, Zeke brushes my hair from my face with a soft smile. His hair hangs down, tickling my cheeks, and when I look up at him, my smile slowly disappears. I swallow around the lump in my throat as his eyes bore into mine, full of emotion and raw, unbridled affection.
“It still doesnae feel real that ye’re here. Every smile and touch that ye grant me is like a dream, an’ I dinnae wanna wake up if it is,” he whispers, his forehead resting against mine as his eyes close momentarily.
I reach up, cupping his cheek, and my heart thunders in my chest when he nuzzles into my palm with a content sigh.
“If it’s all a dream, I hope we get to stay here forever,” I murmur back, leaning up to slant my lips against his.
He kisses me so sweetly that it makes my stomach flip, and when he pulls back, I chase, not wanting him to stop yet. Chuckling, he kisses me on the forehead and falls to my side, reaching for the remote and pulling me close into his arms until he’s wrapped around my back, his hand resting on my belly.
“What are we watchin’?” he asks, his lips pressed against the shell of my ear.
The last thing on my mind is watching a movie now, but I give him one to put on off the top of my head and we relax back into the nest. As the movie starts, I try to pay attention, but the feel of him wrapped around me is distracting and my breathing picks up when his thumb lightly rubs back and forth against my stomach through his shirt. An innocent touch, but to my brain, it’s so much more.
I wiggle in his grasp, inadvertently rubbing against his groin, and I feel him harden against my backside. I suck in a breath when his hold on me tightens, and when I turn my head to look at him behind me, his eyes hold a gleam in them that has me clenching on nothing. A whimper crawls up my throat when his hand glides down my stomach until they reach the hem of his shirt on my thighs, and when he slowly slides his hand underneath and up to the waistband of my shorts, I squirm as he stops.
“Touch me,” I whisper with a desperate plea, wanting his touch so badly that I ache.
A shuddered breath escapes him before he listens, sliding his hand into my shorts. My legs part to give him access, the first touch of his fingers against my bare skin making me arch into him with a gasp. He slides a finger down my soaked center, parting my lips and gathering the wetness pooling in my panties before sliding back up to circle my clit. I grip his forearm as his touch ignites a burning need inside of me that has me begging for more, moaning when he applies more pressure.
As he touches me, the need for more grows, and all I can think about is what he told me that day we had a picnic out by the water at Mama Valley’s. How he waited for me, waited for his omega, and more slick pours out of me.
I want to be his first, his last, his e verything , and I want it now.
I want him .
I want him with every fiber of my being.
All of them.
They’re mine, and the urge to solidify that in any and every way has my instincts running on overdrive. I press my lips against his as best as I can from my position, moaning when his tongue curls against mine.
“Make love to me,” I whimper out against his lips, and he groans.
“There’s no rush, Ducky. I can wait until ye’re ready.”
That right there is exactly why I need him. Because he’s so careful with me, despite his own needs or wants, and he’s willing to keep holding back for however long it takes. But I don’t want to wait anymore. I’ve waited so long already for these feelings to take root in me, and now that they have, I don’t want to hold back anymore. I want these experiences with them.
“I need you,” I whine, his touch pushing me further and further into blissful madness.
His chest vibrates against my back with a purr, relaxing me even more until I’m putty in his hands. Slowly, he leans up and pulls my shirt up. I raise my arms so he can pull it off, liking the way he groans and looks at my bare chest with complete desire when he realizes I don’t have a bra on. There’s a flicker of anger when he notices the many scars marring my pale flesh, but he hides it away as he leans down, kissing and licking his way across my breast until his lips close around my nipple, his tongue flicking against it until it’s a tight bud. He slides his finger down to my opening, almost cautiously, like he’s afraid he’ll hurt me.
As he thrusts his finger into me—the heel of his palm grinding against my clit—he sucks on my nipple until I’m shaking in his arms, grinding back against him. I press myself against him, seeking more of him, and in response, he sucks harder, heightening the sensation. I reach back, tugging on the arm of his shirt, and I feel him shift, only letting go of my nipple long enough to pull it over his head. When his bulky, bare chest is pressed against me and his lips are back, wrapped around my nipple, I shiver as the warmth of his skin on mine bleeds into me. I cry out as he curls his finger inside of me, rubbing against a sensitive spot that has me gushing around his hand as my walls clench on the single digit.
“Please,” I breathe out shakily, my body trembling against him, crying out for more, more, more.
“Ye’re sure?” he breathes out against my breast, looking up at me, and I nod, my hand coming up to cup his cheek.
“I need you, Alpha. Want you.”
His eyes become hooded as his hand slips free of me and my shorts, and he slides them down my legs painfully slowly until they reach my ankles, and I kick them off. He removes his jeans while planting kisses all along my chest and sides, and when I feel him press his bare hips against me, I moan when I feel his warm, hard length resting against the crevice of my butt.
He releases a shaky breath as he moves his hand down, gripping himself in his hand and moving until his crown is slipping between my slick lips, bumping against my already sensitive clit. As he rubs himself against me, I pull his face to mine, kissing him like he’s the air I need to breathe.
His movements are a little awkward and sloppy at first, but I don’t care. When he notches himself at my opening, lightly thrusting his hips until he slips inside, I suck in a breath at the slight sting as he stretches me around his girth while his hands roam.
A gasp escapes me as he slowly presses into me while planting kisses along my neck and shoulder. His arm is banded around my chest, his hand cupping my bare breast tenderly as his thumb rubs back and forth against my nipple. His other hand is between my legs, stroking the swollen nub between my lips to help me relax as he works himself inside of me carefully. We moan simultaneously when he finally bottoms out and I’m seated fully against him, pressed against his chest so tightly that I can feel his heart thundering against my back.
He shifts, turning over and sitting up until he’s resting on his knees and my legs are on either side of him as I’m sitting in his lap backwards. The new position has him slipping deeper inside of me, and I squirm in his hold at the intense feeling.
“So perfect. Exquisite. Mine ,” Zeke whispers in my ear as he slowly thrusts into me, bringing tears to my eyes.
“Zeke,” I whimper, turning my face to reach his again, searching for his lips.
I’m gripping the back of his head as his lips press against mine with a tender softness, and as his tongue glides along the seam of my lips, I willingly grant him access. With every tender kiss, he moves slowly and deliberately beneath me, creating a gentle rhythm that seems to heighten everything. Despite his fumbling in the beginning, this is everything to me.
I’ve never been touched like this, loved like this, and I can’t help but revel in how absolutely perfect this entire moment is.
He keeps a leisurely pace, and despite how out of breath I feel, I don’t urge him to go faster. I’m determined to extend this experience for as long as humanly possible, craving this meaningful connection with him more than anything else. It feels like hours pass, just the two of us up in the nest, the movie we were supposed to be watching long forgotten.
He pinches my clit between his thumb and forefinger, rolling it between his fingers, and I cry out. Sweat glistens on my skin and his, and our breathing is choppy. I can feel his thighs shaking, and there’s pressure building deep in my core as he continues to hit a specific spot inside of me that has my skin tingling.
“Gods, Ducky. The way ye’re squeezing me, I’m no goin’ tae last much longer. I’ll have tae build up stamina.”
“Not yet,” I pant, crying out when he hits that spot again. “Don’t stop yet, Alpha.”
He groans against my neck, his breath fanning out down my chest and sending chills across my fevered skin. My nipples tighten beneath his hold, and I try to hold myself back as long as I can. When I feel his growing knot bumping against me, I find myself pushing down against it, trying to force him inside as the need to be locked tight to him overwhelms me.
“Fuck,” he moans, pushing up against me harder and swiveling his hips until his knot pops inside of me.
When it does, I free fall over the edge into the crashing waves of ecstasy below. My orgasm is earth shattering, and when I feel him reach his own peak, thick, hot spurts of his release coating my internal walls, I lose it all over again because the knowledge that I pleasured my alpha makes something deep inside of me preen, as weird as it is.
Zeke falls back against the pillows on his side, his knot tugging against my opening and sending a tremor through me as I moan, closing my eyes. A deep sigh of satisfaction and contentment escapes me as my alpha curls around me, his length locked deep inside of me, with no escape for the next several minutes.
“Mine,” I murmur sleepily, gripping his arm that’s wrapped around me tight and snuggling as close to him as I can get as he pulls a blanket over us.
“Yeah, Ducky. I’m yours,” he whispers reverently against the back of my neck, placing a kiss there.
As I nap, only one thought crosses my mind as I lay in my alpha’s arms.
That was the first time I should have had.
The others find us still there, wrapped around each other, hours later. None of them says a word or makes me feel embarrassed or uncomfortable. Instead, they go change and climb in with us, Micah taking up the spot in front of me and making me shiver as he presses his naked chest against mine. With a grumble from Zeke, he pulls me away from my gentle giant and into his arms, kissing the top of my head and gently running his fingers along my back until I relax against him completely.