Page 42 of How to Lose a Pack in 10 Dates

“This heat,” he pants, voice breaking with it. “It’s been calling for us for days. You’ve been scenting your nest with it, haven’t you? Drenched in need while pretending you could wait.”

He presses a kiss to the side of my face, though he’s anything but gentle.

“Tell me you wanted this,” he snarls, and I sob as I nod, choking on the words.

“Yes— yes —I need—”

I come with a sound I don’t recognize, and he holds me through it, one hand over my belly, the other tangled in my sweat-damp hair.

He pulls out before he loses control, groaning low as he releases across my lower back, his hands never leaving me.

I feel the heat of it, the sting of air on sensitive skin, and the raw pulse of want still tugging at my core.

But more than anything, I feel him—his closeness, his restraint, and the shudder in his body that tells me he nearly didn’t stop. I collapse forward into my nest, my thighs sticky and sore and trembling, and Jace follows me down.

“I’ve got you,” he murmurs. “You’re okay. I’ve got you.”

Cam’s next.

He kisses my tears before he does anything else, his body pressed against mine, his hand stroking low over my belly and soothing the ache Jace left behind.

“You’re doing so good, sunshine,” he whispers against my skin, voice hoarse with restraint. “So fucking beautiful like this. I’ve got you, yeah? I’ve got you.”

I nod, showing him I’m still here, still wanting, still open.

He pushes in slowly, and I sob at the stretch as his forehead drops.

“Jesus, baby,” he pants. “You’re so fucking warm. So tight. I don’t deserve this. Don’t deserve you.”

He starts to move, hips rolling into me in smooth, coaxing strokes that make my entire body shake. It’s overwhelming, the feeling of him inside me while Jace still holds me steady, his lips pressed to my temple, his scent wrapped around me like a safety net.

Cam touches me everywhere at once. Every time I whimper, he whispers something—soft words, sweet praise, breathless promises between groans and sighs.

“Wanted this for so long,” he murmurs. “Wanted you like this—loved you like this—even when I pretended not to. Even when I smiled and let Wes tell me you were trouble.”

I cry out when he grinds deeper, my nails raking across the blanket beneath me. My heat is a living thing now, and I feel like I’m unraveling at the seams.

“You’re everything,” Cam breathes. “You hear me? Everything . You don’t have to pretend, don’t have to play games. We’d have taken you any way you came to us. You’re already ours.”

“I should’ve—” My voice catches on a sob. “I should’ve told you. I was so scared. I thought I’d ruin it.”

“You didn’t ruin a damn thing,” Jace says, his mouth against my cheek now, his hand tangled in my hair. “You gave us something we didn’t think we’d ever get. Let us give it back.”

Cam’s thrusts pick up, but he never loses that sweetness; and then he pulls out.

I don’t even have time to protest. His release spills hot over my skin, and he collapses forward, wrapping both arms around my waist, chest heaving as he breathes me in. He kisses my hairline, my jaw, the tip of my nose—

Then Wes steps in.

He’s already shirtless, and those deep, stormy eyes are blown wide with something between hunger and pain. Jace shifts behind me on the bed, still close enough that I feel the heat of him at my back. Cam brushes a kiss to my temple and murmurs, “ We’ve got you, sunshine, ” before sitting back.

But it’s Wes I’m watching.

“You’re sure?” he asks, voice wrecked and quiet. “Aimee, I need you to be absolutely sure.”

I nod, legs trembling with how much I need . “I’m sure,” I whisper. “I want you. Please.”

Wes lowers me back into the nest with a gentleness that cuts deeper than anything else. “You smell like heat and heartbreak,” he mutters. “Like everything I should’ve fought harder for.”

“You’re here now,” I breathe. “That’s what matters.”

He presses his forehead to mine. “No more lies. No more running.”

“No more,” I promise.

And then he pushes into me.

The stretch steals the breath from my lungs. He’s deep in one smooth stroke, and my legs wrap around his hips without thought.

My body recognizes his. Craves it, even.

Wes pulls back and thrusts again, harder this time, rougher ; and I gasp as the pleasure sparks up my spine.

“ Mine ,” he snarls. “This should’ve been mine to protect. Mine to take care of. And I left you.”

“You’re not too late,” I choke out. “You’re here. I need you. I need all of you.”

Cam strokes a hand through my hair. “We’re here, baby. We’re right here.”

His hands slide under my thighs, lifting me slightly, angling deeper, and I sob his name when he hits the spot that makes me see stars. He pins my wrists above my head, scent washing over me like a tidal wave—amber and cedar and fury—and I want it. I want to drown in it.

“I thought you hated me,” I gasp.

Wes’s eyes blaze. “I tried. I tried to hate you.” He drives into me again, hips snapping. “Didn’t work. Couldn’t stop caring. Couldn’t stop wanting you.”

My vision goes blurry. Every thrust drives me higher. Every growl, every muttered curse, every whispered promise from Cam and Jace holds me together while Wes tears me apart.

“Please—” I gasp. “Claim me. Mark me. I want—need—”

Wes freezes, and the whole room stills. Instinct claws at me, begging , and Wes lowers his head to my throat, right to the spot where I ache for him.

He presses his lips to the bond site, breath ragged—

And then he whispers, “Not like this.”

I shatter. Tears spill from my eyes, but it’s not rejection. It’s the weight of what he’s giving me by holding back, by waiting.

“We want it too,” Cam says softly, moving to press his forehead to mine. “God, we want it, sunshine. But not while your heat’s pulling the strings.”

“We’re not bonding because we feel guilty,” Jace growls, his hand gripping mine. “We’ll do it when it’s real. When you’re ready. When we all are.”

Wes is trembling with restraint, like it’s killing him not to bite down. I want to argue and scream, and I want to force their teeth to my skin and make the bond happen.

But deep down… I know they’re right.

“Soon,” he says. “But not like this.”

I nod, tears blurring my vision, and when I come, it’s with all of them around me.

There’s no bond yet, but there’s us , and right now, that’s enough to undo me completely.