THEO
Theo
I was staring up at the ceiling when the clouds parted. That was the only way to describe it. When heat ended, all of a sudden the fog lifted and you got your brain back again. That deep aching well of need was finally satisfied.
Mackenzie stirred against me. She picked up her head and rested it on her arm. I kissed her forehead.
“Better?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I sighed. “I think it’s over. Maybe a few more heat spikes.”
I stretched and every single cell in my body shared the tiny orgasm that rippled through me. Mackenzie sat up, placed her hands to either side of my head. I panted and looked down my chest. “Am I inside you still?” I asked.
“Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“I’ve never been on this side of cockwarming before,” I said, stroking my fingertips up the sides of her body.
A wicked smile spread across her face. “We can wake up every morning like this if we want to.”
I turned her face to the side and ran a finger down her bite mark.
“You really did it,” I said.
“Yes, that’s right,” she said, sitting all the way up. I moaned. “I got you your pack, Theo Evergreen. I, however, miscalculated slightly and did not think I would get bitten first.”
I laughed and hugged her and then looked around the room. “Where are they?”
“They’re sleeping up on the deck.” She sighed and snuggled into my chest.
“Oh, isn’t there another bedroom or something?” I asked, my eyes taking in the room and seeing it for real for the first time.
“So,” she said casually, picking her head up and resting it on her palm again, “it seems as if our drop dead sexy and illustrious pack lead is a little claustrophobic.”
“Oh, that makes sense,” I said, something tickling the back of my brain that just wouldn’t come together in the post-heat fuzziness.
“He wanted you to get some sleep. It’s better, well he says it’s better when he’s touching one of us. But he didn’t want to be all over you.”
“Weird, but okay.” I stretched again. Being with Mackenzie like this was comforting, like a hug.
“You need a shower and some food,” she said. Then her eyes darkened with concern. “Are you ready?” she asked.
I nodded and braced myself. I shuddered as she moved away, that moment of disconnection not feeling as horrible as usual. She groaned and sat up, then pulled me towards the bathroom.
I wrapped myself in a blanket as we walked through the luxurious sitting area. My hair was damp, and I didn’t like the sensation of it. After heat, I got oddly sensitive about certain sensations. The living room, lounge, whatever it was gleamed with touches of gold that might look tacky in full sunlight.
We stepped out onto the deck into the warm night air, but I still shivered and pulled the blanket closer. Ren and Justice were sitting with their heads together. Justice looked up and smiled. His long legs brought him to me in about three steps. He rubbed my arms like he was warming me up and tucked the blanket closer. He took my face in his hands like he was checking my eyes to make sure I was all in one piece.
“How are you?” he asked.
“Okay. Starving. Cold.”
He kissed me gently, like I might break into a thousand pieces, and then said, “Theo, can I bite you?”
“Fuck yes.”
I fought to swim my way out of the blanket. He peeled it back and slid an arm around me, and tilted my head to the side. It hurt in the best possible way. His teeth broke my skin and then I felt him rush inside me, filling every piece of me. I breathed into it and Mackenzie and Ren were there, too.
He let go and whispered “mine” into my ear. Ren joined us and put his arms around me, too. He stroked the other side of my neck.
“Mine,” he said simply, and I bent my neck for him. Ren’s bite was harder, more demanding. His aura seeped into mine, feeling like crisp morning air. He licked my neck and then turned my head left and right like he was admiring the marks. Mackenzie dove into the middle of our circle and hugged me.
I blinked, noticing something. “How come Mackenzie only has one bite?”
“Well,” she said, “things were a little hectic. Okay? You punched a cop. We thought Ren was going to die. And then some mobsters wanted to steal you? And then we got on this boat and things went a little crazy. Well, I didn’t want to presume. And then there were knots like everywhere…”
“Shhh.” Ren covered her mouth with his palm. “Can I bite you, Mackenzie?” he asked. She said “yes please” but it was muffled behind Ren’s hand.
“I could bite you right next to Justice’s? Or do you two want to be matchy-matchy?”
We both responded, “Matchy-matchy!”
Ren picked Mackenzie up. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he sank his teeth into her neck. Justice wrapped the blanket around my shoulders again and pulled me to sit on the squishy sofa.
Ren and Mackenzie crashed down beside us, still locked together. She sat straddling his lap. He admired the marks on her neck.
“Wow,” I said.
“I knew bite marks were erotic and shit, but I have no idea how I’m going to function with you two running around with those on your neck.”
Justice leaned over and agreed. “They look really hot.”
“So, what do we do now?” I asked. “Are we getting back on the cruise ship?”
“I think Epsilon of the Seas is back in Port Haven already.”
“Oh, right.” Heat lasted a couple of days, and we’d been at the end of the cruise.
“Todd the Butler brought our stuff over.” Mackenzie informed me.
“We could just, I don’t know, float around for a while,” Justice said.
“I’ll have to figure something out,” I said. “I only took like two and a half weeks off of work.”
Ren snickered.
“What?” I asked.
Justice sighed. “I may have broken into your email and sent a note to your HR department applying for extended heat leave and bond sabbatical.”
“You may have?” I asked.
“In my defense, I wanted to make sure that you didn’t have anything to worry about. Okay? That’s what alphas do.”
Mackenzie crawled out of Ren’s lap and into Justice’s. Then she loudly whispered at me, “Theo, did you know our alpha is rich, like rich rich? Like rent a yacht on a whim, rich?”
“Well, he is Justice Twill.”
“You could do it, you know. You don’t love your job.”
I looked at Justice nervously.
“Ask him,” she said. I shook my head.
Mackenzie rolled her eyes and sat up straight. “Alpha,” she addressed Justice formally, but then giggled. “Theo has always wanted a really big pack. Four is not that big, yes, I understand. But he’s always wanted to be a stay-at-home omega.”
Justice chuckled. “Quit your job. Keep your job if you want. Go back to school. Whatever makes you happy.”
“Really?” I asked. “Wait. Are we moving in with you?”
Mackenzie put her hand to her chest. “I am technically homeless, and I don’t think we’ll all fit in Jillian’s spare bedroom.”
“Well, I don’t want to presume,” Justice said.
“Is your place big enough?”
“He has a five-bedroom, six-bathroom penthouse in the Knightbridge building. Right in the middle of downtown. Top floor. Huge outdoor deck. His neighbors have a pool, I think.”
We all stared at him.
“What?” Ren said. “Does it come as a surprise to any of you that I have been stalking Justice for over ten years? Although I’ve never been inside. I’m not that desperate. Sort of.”
“Unless there is room for a walk-in panty closet, I am not sure this is going to work,” Mackenzie said.
Then my stomach decided to enter the chat and growled so loud we could all hear it.
“Right,” Ren declared, and basically handed Mackenzie back to Justice. He dug me out of the sofa and threw an arm over my shoulder as we walked inside. “First food. Theo hasn’t eaten in days, and then more fucking.”
“More?” Mackenzie’s eyes went wide. “Theo just went through heat. You’d think that would be enough.”
“Princess, you are not adequately prepared for how much fucking there is going to be.”