Page 17

Chapter 17

Ava

A grin breaks out across Ethan’s devilishly handsome face, as if he was hoping I would say that. He presses one more kiss to my lips, then moves in a flash, scooping me up into his arms bridal-style.

I wrap my arms around his neck instinctively, leaning into his lean, muscled chest as he carries me into the bathroom attached to my bedroom.

After the time I spent in the ORD facilities, the massive bathroom feels even more luxurious. It’s not as if I had time to truly get used to it before I was taken away, but somehow, being back here feels a little like coming home—in a way that both excites and terrifies me.

Ethan sets me down beside the wide, deep bathtub, and as I glance around, I realize that the room has changed since I was here last. In the time when I was away, they filled the room with decadent looking bath products, everything from bath bombs to body wash to fluffy looking loofahs and candles.

“This…” I blink, swallowing around the sudden lump in my throat. “Did you do this for me?”

“Of course.” Ethan shucks his jacket and rolls his sleeves up, then kneels by the tub to turn on the water, glancing up at me over his shoulder. “I picked most of it out, although it was a group effort between the four of us. I just have better taste in bath products than Garrett or Dante do.”

“But how did you know I’d accept your bid?” My heart thuds heavily, and I glance between the array of bath products and Ethan as my stomach flutters. “How did you know I’d be back here?”

“We didn’t know,” he answers simply, pouring something into the bath that makes bubbles start to froth up. Then he rises to his feet, taking a step closer so that we’re less than a foot apart. “But we hoped. None of us have ever felt this way about an Omega before. We knew we wanted you, and we hoped like hell that you’d be willing to give us a chance to prove ourselves.”

The butterflies in my stomach start flapping even more wildly as the arousal I was feeling in the bedroom mixes with something else. Something warmer and deeper that settles in my chest and makes my pulse pick up.

I can practically feel the flush on my cheeks as I whisper, “Well, you’re doing a pretty good job of proving yourself right now.”

His crooked smile is one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen. He moves even closer, his hand settling at my waist as he drops his head and presses a kiss to my lips.

“I got scents that complement the way you smell to me,” he murmurs, his voice dropping a little, turning low and husky. “Citrus to go with the vanilla and strawberry, and something like fresh rain to go with the lilac.”

I bite my lip, touched by the gesture. Not only did he and his pack mates buy things to make the bathroom seem cozy and welcoming, but he already knows my scent well enough to pick products that are uniquely suited to complement me.

And the scents rising from the bathtub along with the curling steam truly do smell divine… although nothing could smell quite as good as Ethan does in this moment.

As if he can read my thoughts, his beautiful green eyes darken. I’m aware of the distinct bulge at the front of his pants, and it makes heat stir low in my belly.

“Um, maybe I don’t need a bath after all,” I murmur. “I mean, it smells so good, and it means so much to me. But I’d rather—”

My voice breaks off before I can finish the thought. I’d rather have you fuck me senseless. I’d rather feel you knot me and make me come so many times I forget my own name .

It doesn’t matter though. Even though I don’t speak the words, Ethan seems to be able to pluck those thoughts right out of my head too. His grin widens, and he trails his fingertips down the side of my face, making my nipples harden as goosebumps break out across my skin.

“Don’t worry, gorgeous,” he says quietly. “You can have a bath and an orgasm at the same time. I’ll make sure of it.”

I blink as I process that, my chest heaving a little behind the constraints of my dress as the air in the room suddenly seems to thicken.

“Okay,” I whisper. “That sounds… nice.”

“I hope you’ll call it more than nice after I’m done with you.” Ethan gives me a heated look, his spicy scent tickling my nostrils. “Now turn around so I can get this dress off.”

I follow his command, and his dexterous fingers brush over my skin before tugging on the corset strings at the back of my dress. I’m not wearing a bra beneath it, and as the fabric falls away from my body, I’m intensely aware of the cool air hitting my bare skin.

“So fucking beautiful,” Ethan murmurs behind me. He undoes the corset lacings the rest of the way, and the dress slides down my body to pool around my feet. “Step out.”

I lift one foot and then the other, and he gathers up the dress and drapes it over the small towel caddy set against one wall. I turn around just as his gaze returns to me, and he freezes, his throat visibly moving as he swallows.

“Damn, you’re a vision right now,” he whispers, his voice strained.

I can’t help glancing down at myself. All I have left on is a pair of panties and the heels I wore under the dress, and I can practically feel Ethan’s gaze roaming over me. It feels incredibly intimate to be looked at by him this way, but surprisingly, I don’t feel unnerved by it. Despite the fact that I trust him, I would’ve expected my old habits and fears to make me resist being vulnerable in front of any Alpha, but with Ethan, it feels almost… natural.

Dragging my bottom lip between my teeth, I reach down and slide my panties over my hips, allowing them to fall to the floor too. I step out of my heels, and Ethan clears his throat as he grabs the faucet and turns the water off.

“Let me know if the temperature is okay, yeah?” he says, holding out his hand.

I take it, and he helps me carefully into the tub. Warm water caresses my legs, scented steam rising up to mix with the scent of Alpha and arousal that lingers in the air, and an involuntary sigh falls from my lips. I settle into the tub, leaning against one side of it as my entire body is submerged in warm, soapy water up to my shoulders.

Part of me is expecting Ethan to strip down and join me, and an even bigger part of me really hopes that he will. But instead, he kneels beside the large bathtub, scooping up some water to wet my hair.

“Were you nervous tonight?” he asks quietly, grabbing a bottle of heavenly smelling shampoo and pouring a bit onto his palm.

“Yeah.” I nod, breathing out a little laugh. “So nervous.”

“It didn’t show,” he assures me. “You were the most beautiful Omega in the room. Every single Alpha pack in the place had their eyes on you. I swear Garrett almost busted a blood vessel glaring at all of them.”

He starts to work the shampoo into my hair, his strong fingers massaging my scalp and sending little tingles of pleasure sliding down my spine. I moan softly, squeezing my thighs together.

Never in my entire life have I been pampered like this—certainly never by Marcus—and my body feels like it’s melting, bones and all. The simple enjoyment of having my hair washed mingles with the arousal that burns through me from Ethan’s touch, and my body can barely distinguish between all the different kinds of pleasure it’s experiencing right now.

All it knows is that it wants more.

“Ethan,” I gasp out, shifting my hips. “Please…”

“I’ve got you.” His nostrils flare. “Lean back a little, gorgeous.”

I do, and he supports the back of my neck, letting the hot water around me rinse the shampoo out of my hair. Then he rests my head against the edge of the tub, and finally, his hands start to wander lower.

His palms skate over my breasts, and a plaintive whimper bursts from my lips as my sensitive nipples respond to the touch. When one of his hands slides between my legs, my thighs spread automatically, desperate to give him more access to the place where I want him most.

“Fuck. You’re wet,” he groans, slipping a finger inside me.

“Of course I am.” I try to smile teasingly at him, but it’s hard when my eyes are about to roll back in my head. “I’m in the bath.”

Ethan chuckles, the sound rich and low. He leans closer, sliding his finger in and out of me as he drops his head and grazes his nose over my neck.

I can feel him scenting me, pulling in long drags of my scent, and it makes my pulse skyrocket. Before I can stop it, slick arousal gushes from me, coating his fingers beneath the surface of the water.

Ethan stiffens, his finger stilling for a moment.

Then he pulls back, grinning at me hungrily. “ Now you’re really fucking wet, and it has nothing to do with the bath, gorgeous.”

I can’t even argue, and I definitely can’t find the brain power to joke with him right now. Instead, I grab the back of his head and pull him closer, crushing my lips to his. It’s been way too long since the last time he made me come, and my body feels like it’s on fire, yearning for him in a way I can’t even articulate.

“More, Ethan,” I mumble against his lips, not even caring how bossy I sound. “ More .”

“Anything my pretty Omega wants.”

His finger moves faster, and he starts to play with my clit, rolling his thumb over it as he adds a second finger in my pussy. Water sloshes in the tub as I roll my hips to meet each thrust of his fingers, and my desperate gasps and whimpers bounce off the walls of the bathroom. The entire room smells like our combined scents of arousal now, the thick steam wafting up from the bath full of it.

It smells fucking divine .

In fact, the only thing that could make it better would be if the other Alpha’s scents were mixed into it too.

That thought hits me at the exact same moment my orgasm does, and I quake against Ethan’s touch, sending water spilling over the edge of the bathtub and onto the floor. He deepens our kiss, swallowing up the noises I’m making as if he’s savoring each one.

Almost immediately in the wake of my orgasm, a fierce need builds up inside me all over again, and as if he can sense it, Ethan doesn’t let up the motion of his fingers. He keeps up the deliberate pressure on my clit, driving me straight from one climax into another.

“I love the way you sound when you come,” he whispers hoarsely. “From the first moment I heard it, I knew I wanted to listen to you make those sexy little noises over and over.”

Since he said he liked it so much, I moan again, melting against the hard porcelain of the bathtub. The warm water is as soothing as a blanket, and I feel like I could easily curl up and fall asleep right here.

But there’s something else I want more than that right now.

I sit up straighter, and Ethan leans back to give me room. Frothy white bubbles cling to my bare breasts, and when his gaze drifts downward, his pupils expand as a heated look crosses his face.

“Stand up,” I tell him.

Everything Cary told me about Omegas and their heats is filtering through my mind on overdrive.

I know I’m not fully in heat yet. If I was at the height of my heat cycle, two orgasms would barely be enough to sate me, and I would probably be begging to have all four of the Alphas here to help take care of me.

When I spoke with Cary, I was anxious about everything heat would entail, including the idea of craving an Alpha in a raw, primal way. It scared me to think of giving up that much power.

But in this quiet, steamy bathroom with Ethan, I don’t feel like I’ve given up any power at all.

Instead, I feel more powerful than I ever have before as Ethan slowly rises to his feet, staring down at me with awe and desire on his face.

The bulge in his pants is thick and large, and I rise up onto my knees in the tub. My lower half is still submerged in water, but my upper body is bare and wet, making my nipples peak. When I reach for the button of his pants and flick it open, Ethan’s chest heaves with a deep inhale. I work his pants down, hooking his boxers too, and his cock springs free.

It’s even bigger than it looked like when it was hidden by his pants.

I whimper, and the sound makes Ethan smile.

Unable to help myself, I wrap my fingers around his length, feeling the silky, warm skin beneath my palm. I lean forward, my tongue darting out, then pause and look up at him with a question in my eyes.

“You want to taste, gorgeous?” Warmth gleams in his eyes. “Go ahead.”

A flush rises up my cheeks, but he’s right. I do want to taste. This man smells so good that his scent is almost enough to make me come, and I want to find out if he tastes anywhere near as amazing as he smells.

I drag my tongue up his shaft, and when I get to the tip, I lap at the little slit, licking away the precum there.

“Oh god,” I whimper, my thighs clenching as a shudder runs through me.

It’s better than I imagined. Sweet and just a little salty, like a dessert you can’t stop eating. I wrap my lips around him, swirling my tongue and sucking lightly, as if I’m trying to draw out more of the incredible flavor.

“Fuck, that’s good.” Ethan’s strong fingers stroke my damp hair, smoothing it away from my face, tender and careful. His eyes are half-lidded as he gazes down at me. “You look so stunning right now.”

His praise does something to me, making warmth and pride swell inside me. I keep going, sucking and licking and using my hand to stroke him in time with my mouth. His cock pulses against my tongue, and the grunts and groans that spill from him are like gasoline on a fire, lighting me up from the inside out.

When his cock starts to thicken near the base, I gasp and pull away with a wet pop, watching as his knot swells beneath my hand. The sight of it is thrilling and terrifying, and even as part of me wonders how that will ever fit inside me, my pussy clenches in anticipation.

“Have you ever seen a knot up close?” Ethan asks.

“No.” I shake my head. “Marcus never knotted me. It’s… big.”

“Don’t worry, you don’t have to take it tonight,” Ethan assures me. His fingers smooth over my hair again, gentle and soothing. “But you can touch it all you want.”

Curiosity urges me on, and I give a tentative squeeze around the thick bulge. Ethan groans, his hand spasming a little on top of my head, like he’s trying to keep himself from gripping my hair. My stomach flutters at the thought of what it would feel like to have him fist my hair, to have him control my movements as I suck him and to feel the sting in my scalp as he guides me up and down his cock.

I’m on the verge of begging him to do that, but this is all so new for me. He and his pack have earned my trust, but I’m in uncharted territory here, and the last thing I want to do is cry after this like I did after he and Garrett gave me the most incredible orgasms of my life.

So I just keep exploring his knot on my own, teasing and fondling it, then leaning closer to slide my tongue over it.

Ethan lets me do whatever I want for a few moments, but when I start to suck on his tip again while squeezing his knot tightly, he lets out a choked noise, his upper body bowing over me a little.

“If you keep doing that, I’m gonna come,” he grunts. “Feels so… fucking… good.”

I keep going, pumping his shaft and squeezing his knot, my heart pounding rapidly in my chest. When he explodes inside my mouth, I swallow it all, moaning around his thick length as the sweet, salty liquid coats my tongue. I keep suckling at his cock, hungry for more, even as it slowly starts to soften, his knot deflating.

“Fuck. That’s all I can take, gorgeous,” he groans, finally pulling me away from his cock. I lean forward, swiping the tip one last time with my tongue, and he laughs. “You’re insatiable.”

A blush rises in my cheeks, and I run my fingertips over my lips, which are still tingling from being stretched around his cock.

“I never was before,” I whisper. “You make me that way. You and your pack.”

It’s a big admission, but it’s not a lie.

My instinct is to hide my feelings, to try to hold people at a distance and maintain my independence at all times. But even though I spent years trying to avoid everything related to my Omega status, I’m not so sure that was the right choice anymore.

Some part of me that’s always felt cold and empty doesn’t feel that way anymore, and I know it’s because of these four Alphas whose lives I crashed into.

And I want to give this courtship between us a real chance.

A half smile curves Ethan’s lips, and he tucks himself away, then grabs a fluffy towel from beside the tub. He lifts me out as if I weigh nothing, then wraps the towel around me, touching me like I’m something precious.

“I’m glad you were at the club that night,” I whisper.

His smile widens, soft and sweet. “I am too, gorgeous. I went there to blow off a little steam after a long day of work, but I had no idea I’d find our perfect Omega.”

He dries me off methodically, making sure my hair is taken care of, then wraps me up in another towel so I’m nice and dry. He scoops me up, my head against his shoulder.

I’m already feeling sleepy, my limbs heavy and sated.

Ethan carries me to bed and gently lays me down. I think he lies down with me, but I’m already falling asleep as my head hits the pillow.

All I know is that I feel cared for, and cozy, and safe.