Page 22 of Forbidden Taste (An Omega’s Preference #3)

sixteen

LEO

Riley rocks on Hawk’s knot, his hips rolling in a slow, desperate rhythm, his flushed skin glistening under the dim lights as he reaches for me again, his fingers trembling in the air.

I catch his hand, my palm sliding against his, warm and slick with sweat, and pull it to my chest, my heart thudding beneath his touch.

I didn’t know what to expect during this heat but I’m even more confused by my reaction to Hawk, this Alpha sprawled beneath my mate.

I thought it’d be simple: Riley taken care of, the Alpha gone, then us holding each other in the quiet aftermath.

But Hawk’s still here, his scent pulling me in, and I don’t know what to do with the way my body’s responding, my mind splitting between them.

His scent hits me again, a rich, warm vanilla, laced with a hint of musk that curls through the air, mingling with Riley’s and mine. It’s intoxicating, a thread I didn’t expect to snag on, and when he smiles, it’s like he’s offering a piece of himself I desperately need .

I’m so fucking confused, my focus should be on Riley, but now it’s on both of them, and I don’t know how to pull it back.

Hawk’s lost in Riley, his hands gripping Riley’s hips, guiding him with a steady strength that makes my chest ache, but every so often, his dark eyes flick up to mine—searching, asking, waiting.

It’s like he’s seeking permission, and stranger still, it feels like my place to give it, like I’m the anchor here, even with an Alpha in the room.

Riley comes again, his cry shattering through the room as he flops onto Hawk’s chest. I reach out and run my hand up Riley’s back and into his hair, my Omega melting beneath my touch.

A soft purr rumbles through him and then Hawk matches it—a low, rumbling echo that vibrates through the nest which in turn pulls a possessive growl from my throat.

I want to get angry, want to shove him out, claim what’s mine, but it doesn’t feel right.

He fits here, somehow, and I don’t know if that means I don’t fit anymore or if he’s a third we never saw coming.

The longer I run my fingers through Riley’s hair, the more something surges in me—a growing need, slick gathering around my hole.

It’s more than I planned, more than I wanted from this night, and my breath catches as Riley relaxes, his body softening against Hawk’s.

The Alpha turns his head, his dark eyes locking on mine.

“Take what you need, babe,” he rumbles, his voice rough with the edge of his own want, and my face turns crimson, heat flooding my cheeks as I pull back, my hand slipping from Riley’s hair.

“Hey,” Hawk whispers, softer now, his head tilting slightly, “there’s no judgment here. What happens here stays here.” His words hang between us, a quiet promise, easing the knot in my chest just enough to breathe.

The problem is that I don’t know what I need.

Or rather I’m not really sure if I can take what I need.

Hawk places a soft hand on my thigh, squeezing just slightly before Riley turns his head to face me.

His eyes are half-lidded, sleep over taking him as he says words that make everything seem alright.

He reaches for my other hand, sleepily dragging it to his lips before his breath fans over my knuckles. “It’s okay, sweetie.”

I move, slotting myself against Hawk’s side, my massive frame dwarfing his smaller one. My hand slides to his jaw and I take his lips in a rough kiss, pouring every ounce of confusion, want, and desperation into it.

Hawk moans into it, a low, broken sound that vibrates against me, and then he submits—yields to me in a way I didn’t think an Alpha could.

His head tips back, his hands flexing on Riley’s hips, and it’s perfect, this embrace, this contact that calms the storm raging inside me.

His lips are soft, tasting of vanilla and something darker, a sweetness that clings to my tongue, and I deepen the kiss, my chest brushing Riley’s shoulder.

The chaos in my head melts away, soothed by the warmth of them both as I realize something, sharp and startling: not once did I try to hide my knot, not once did I feel ashamed of it with Hawk in the room.

It’s there, swollen and heavy, pressed against Hawk’s thigh but I don’t flinch from it—not like I have with others, not like I’ve trained myself to.

There’s more—a lingering thought, curling through me as I kiss him.

I want to fuck Hawk, not just be fucked, want to feel him yield beneath me, his lean body arching into mine.

I pull away, my breath ragged, and he chases the kiss, his lips parting, his dark eyes hazy with want as they lock on mine.

His purr starts up again, a deep, rolling sound that matches Riley’s as it drags me under, pulling at something primal I’m fighting to resist. I’m not sure, but I think I hear him whisper, his voice so low it’s almost lost in the hum of the nest. “ I didn’t ever think I’d find a mate, but two?

I must have saved a world in another life. ”

More slick gathers around my hole, pooling between my thighs but I’m not as terrified of it as I was a few days ago. It factors into that need swirling in my chest but for the moment, I’m comfortable. Riley is safe and sated and Hawk… well, I really like being pressed up against him.

And Riley said it was okay so I lay myself back down, curling around Hawk’s side before stuffing my face into the crook of his neck. We’re a mess of limbs and sweet, thick scents, and a conversation looming that I don’t want to have.