Page 24 of Love in Excess (Beta Accepted #9)

HUNTER

Sitting on the edge of the tub, I adjust the faucet, the water filling the bathroom as steam curls up into the air.

I glance over to find Lincoln standing in front of Celeste perched on the counter, our Beta piling her twists into a neat bun at the top of her head.

She’s curled into his chest, her arms loose around his waist as she purrs for him, her nose dragging along his bare chest.

We’re all in different states of undress, Lincoln unsuccessfully trying to strip her because she won’t really let him go.

Her scent has thickened in the last several minutes and I know she’ll spike soon.

It’s nothing Lincoln has seen before—the moments in his apartment a result of desire and need but not truly her heat.

Celeste lets out a little yawn and snuggles closer, Lincoln chuckling as he finally frees her of her shirt. She’s not wearing anything underneath—I’m not surprised—but it shocks our Beta, his eyes widening slightly before he regains his composure.

His cheeks pink a little before he gathers her in his arms and carries her toward the bath.

He steps in first and sits down with her curled up in his lap.

I shed the rest of my clothes and then step in as well, watching as Celeste fully settles between the both of us.

It’s like she’s always needed this in a way I couldn’t have done alone.

The heated water makes me hiss as it hits my leg, Lincoln glaring at me for not taking care of it. It stopped bleeding earlier and while it probably still needs a professional to take care of it, it’s already scabbing over, an Alpha’s biology healing is faster than other designations.

I wave him off before reaching for one of his feet and pulling it into my lap, my thumbs pressing into the arch.

He tenses for a second, then relaxes, his breath hitching as I work the tension out.

Celeste lets out a soft snore, her body going limp against his chest. I’m jealous of how fast she falls asleep.

“Color, Doc?” I ask, my eyes meeting his, my hands still moving over his foot.

Lincoln’s lips twitch. “This feels all a little domestic too fast, right? Between yesterday and this afternoon and now…”

I shrug, my thumbs pressing deeper, feeling the give of his muscles. “Took me minutes with Celeste. A few hours, and we were obsessed with each other.”

He laughs, his eyes dropping to her sleeping form. “But she’s…” he starts, then stops, like he’s not sure how to finish.

“Don’t finish that sentence. It’s not always about designation. It’s about what feels right.”

I tug on his foot, pulling him closer until his legs are on either side of me, Celeste squished between us.

The water sloshes around in the tub as I slide a hand around the back of his neck, my fingers curling into his hair.

“Doc,” I purr, my eyes locked on his, “I can see it in your eyes that you want this, but I also know it’s gonna take time before this feels normal.

That you have someone to come home to, someone who cares about your wellbeing, what you want.

But don’t ever think there’s something wrong for wanting that.

Is it too fast? Maybe. But does it feel right? ”

Lincoln’s breath catches, his hazel eyes dark, searching mine. “Yeah, and that’s why it scares me.”

I nod, my thumb brushing the base of his neck, grounding him further.

“Do we need to go slower?” Lincoln doesn’t answer right away, but his gaze doesn’t leave mine.

“Ah, I’m not asking you to give up anything, Lincoln.

I’m perfectly fine with however you want this to grow.

Whether it’s down the street, in this house, or somewhere else.

” I chuckle at his shocked expression. “I’m gonna make sure you don’t forget how much we want you here,” I say, my thumb brushing his arm.

“Celeste definitely won’t make it easy.”

Lincoln swallows nervously as I slide my hand up, my fingers caressing the front of his neck before pulling him into a kiss.

When I finally release him, he settles back against the edge of the tub, his expression softer than I’ve ever seen it.

His gaze drops to Celeste again, the smile on his lips telling me he’s already figured out he belongs with us.

“How did you guys meet? She told me a lot on our first date but…”

I snort, stretching out a little bit. “It’s not as wild as it sounds but she was caught up in the system after a rather poor hacking job into the database to erase one of her previous convictions.

She has a way with computers, mostly with programming.

I don’t understand half of it. All I know is that her digital signature was in places it shouldn’t be.

The chief wanted her locked up for a few days. ”

Lincoln frowns. “Wait… Celeste? Like our Omega was in jail?”

“No. I saw her and knew she was mine. I was still with the precinct at the time but I wasn’t going to let her spend a lick of time behind bars.

Somehow, I conned the chief into letting me bring her on as an informant for the case we were solving.

Something about fraud. She helped out and it erased that last charge. ”

The memory is both fond and a little terrifying, knowing who my Omega was and that I very well could lose her all at once.

“It didn’t get all the way to the courts but part of her probation is no computers. No internet. Nothing that could give her an opportunity to step back into that life.”

Lincoln leans down to press a kiss to Celeste’s head. “That explains the brick of a phone she’s got.”

I laugh at that too because she’s the one who picked it out. I had no problems just disabling one of the newer phones when it came to Wi-Fi or internet capabilities but she was adamant about that little device, calling it cute .

“Yeah and it probably took us a day or two to make things official, although it was a bit longer before we made it public.”

Lincoln searches my face, his gaze narrowing slightly before he just laughs. “Why do I feel like it was more that you were a bit overprotective and she told you exactly how she wanted it? The few times I’ve been around Celeste, she’s always in charge.”

“You’re not wrong. She definitely claimed me before I claimed her.”

The conversation dies off as I continue to watch Lincoln with Celeste, his soft touches making her shudder in her sleep. Suddenly, her eyes snap open, her scent exploding through the bathroom as a whine tears from her throat. He stares down at her, confused, our Omega turning to me for relief.

I gladly open my arms as Celeste scrambles into them, trying and failing to get my cock into her pussy.

Lincoln is still staring, turned on but confused, unsure of where he’s supposed to fit.

I had expected as much. “I can feel one of her spikes about to come on. Unless you’d like to stay…

.” Uncertainty flares in those beautiful hazel-green eyes.

“You don’t have to make an excuse if you need some space, Doc. Color?”

He breathes, his voice barely above a whisper. “Yellow.”

“I thought so. Take Jasmine home. Eat something. Let me know when you get there, okay?”

Lincoln’s eyes search mine, uncertainty lingering in his expression. “And this is okay?”

“I’m just happy to know you want this.”