Page 19

The soft brush of fingers through my hair feels absolutely heavenly, but a small part of me is scared to open my eyes and find the sexy Alpha lying right beside me. I don’t do sleepovers, ever , and the reality of this shift in the very foundation of my beliefs is enough to rock a girl's world. Especially before coffee.

“You can stop pretending you’re not awake, Elle. Nix is downstairs making you breakfast. The man’s wearing an apron like he’s Mr. Homemaker.”

The thought nearly makes me smile, but I catch it just in time. Can’t give the Beta too much or I’ll never hear the end of it. Instead, one eye pops open, catching sight of Sy sitting on the edge of the bed. He looks adorably rumpled in his v-neck shirt and flannel pajama pants. His hair is a mess, glasses a little askew on his face, and heat flares in my belly at the sight of my best friend so close while I’m naked under the covers.

“Don’t sit there and pretend that you weren’t getting turned on imagining I was asleep,” I quip, my voice husky.

The Alpha made up for lost time and knotted me until the early hours of the morning. After so many orgasms I lost count, I basically passed out from pleasure overload. My stamina reserves are depressingly low.

Sy’s soft chuckle makes my pussy clench with need. “I’ll admit, I might’ve gotten hard just sitting here watching you breathe. Then you had to go and fuck it up.”

I rise up on my elbows, the sheet slipping down my back as I prop my chin up with the heel of my hand. It gives him a pretty decent view of my cleavage since I’m lying on my belly. “My bad. Want me to lie back down and close my eyes?”

“No. I kinda like you like this too.” His fingertips skim along the top of the sheet, pushing it even further down until it’s bunched just above the curve of my ass, leaving my entire upper body bare. “God, you’re so fucking sexy.”

“You know…” I tip my head. “You don’t have to wait until I’m asleep. We can amend our agreement.”

His groan has my desire spiking in my blood, and I bite down on my bottom lip to keep the whimper from giving it away. Not that my scent hasn’t already done that for me.

“Tempting, but when I get my chance with you, I don’t want to be interrupted. I want to take my time and explore you properly.” This time, I can’t stop the whine, and when his palm skims up the smooth skin of my back until his fingers are tangled in the mess that is my hair, I’m practically panting for him. “Soon, Elle. That’s a promise.”

He leans over, lips pressing into mine. I forget about the fact that I haven’t brushed my teeth. Forget that there’s an Alpha who could appear at any moment. Forget every denial I ever gave about why Sy was off limits. I simply lose myself in him.

When he pulls back, his forehead lands on mine, his eyes closed and breathing ragged.

“You’re killing me, Sy,” I rasp.

“Now you know a fraction of what I’ve felt these last twelve months.”

My breath catches, but the sound of heavy footsteps interrupt the moment. A second later, I get my first glimpse at my enormous shirtless Alpha. His hair hangs loose around his face, with a baggy pair of gray sleep pants slung low on his hips, showing off the Adonis belt I’m pretty sure I licked with my tongue at some point last night.

“Breakfast is served, baby doll.” The tray he’s carrying is piled with pancakes, bacon, a cup of fruit, and a mug containing what I’m praying is coffee. He must see my eyes narrowed in speculation because he quickly adds, “Don’t worry. Ace over here said I’d be shanked if coffee wasn’t included.”

I smirk. “He knows me so well.”

“Imagine all the ways I’ll know you once I really get my hands on you,” he whispers in my ear before finally sitting up and sliding off the bed with a smug grin. “I’m going to go take a shower.”

He leaves the room with one last heated look as Nixon walks over with the tray. Holding the sheet to my chest, I sit up and prop my back against the headboard, eyeing him cautiously.

“You didn’t have to go to all this trouble, you know.” I tuck the sheet under my arms, feeling off kilter and even a little shy.

My eyes scan his handsome face, and I notice the slight blush above the beard on his cheeks. “This is nothing compared to what I wanted to do. Sy talked me off the ledge of going overboard.”

“Hmm. He’s good at that. But now I’m curious, you see. He said you were wearing an apron, and I’m feeling a little jealous he got to see it and I didn’t.”

“Gonna kill him,” Nixon mutters, the blush deepening. “I took it off before I came upstairs so Flint could wash it.”

“Bummer.” I bite my lip to fight off my girlie grin while his eyes snag on my mouth. “So, it seems you all have dropped some of the hostility where my bestie is concerned.”

He nods, carefully setting the tray over my lap before sliding onto the bed with his knee bent toward me. “We’ve come to an… understanding .”

I stare at him, curiosity running wild, but I’m not sure I’m willing to ask what the understanding involves. Sy mentioned his attraction to Flint, and I am one-hundred-percent on board with the two of them testing those waters, but does that mean the other Alphas are interested too?

My belly flips, and my eyes dart to the tray while I try to work through the emotions that have suddenly risen up to choke me.

“Hey, what’s that look?” Nixon asks, sliding closer.

His thick fingers brush my hair back from my face, the gesture more intimate than anything I’m used to.

Shaking my head, I try to find the words to express something that I’m not entirely sure I understand. It’s like this pit in the center of my belly. It doesn’t hurt, but it’s not exactly comfortable either. “It’s nothing.”

“Elliott…” His thumb and forefinger grip my chin, forcing my eyes to meet his. “You went from shining like the brightest star to looking like I’d killed your puppy in a matter of seconds. If we’re really giving this a shot, then we need to be honest with each other or it’ll never work.”

He’s right. I know he is, but that doesn’t make explaining this any easier than it was five seconds ago.

I open my mouth, shut it again, then take a deep breath and exhale my nerves. “I’m not sure what’s wrong with me. It’s not like I don’t approve of Sy building something with any of you. He’s very important to me and deserves happiness more than anyone else I know. And you all are decent guys. He’d be lucky to have you in his life. I just…” I run my hands through my hair, frustrated at myself. “It’s like this pit formed in my belly when I realized you all might be interested in him and he might be into all of you because, ultimately, where does that leave me?”

My long ramble ends in a whisper, my voice hoarse as if the admission was torn from my throat.

“Baby doll, that’s called jealousy .”

I start to deny it, but I stop before the words come out because fuck , he might be right. I’ve never had anything to be jealous of , so the emotion is completely unfamiliar to me.

“But you should know, Raff and I are not Team Sy. We’re Team Elle. All the way.” My eyes dart between his, gauging his sincerity, and the pressure in my chest eases degree by degree. “And I can assure you, even while Flint and Sy explore what’s happening between them, you are still their top priority. This entire pack is intent on putting you as our center, whenever and however you’re willing to let that happen.”

“The entire pack? You’re including Sy in that?”

He nods, carefully studying my face. “I am. Because he’s already made it clear that if you come on board, so does he. That’s how serious we all are about this. About you .”

“Nix, I…” The words stall in my brain.

He grabs my hand, squeezing it lightly. “Flint filled us in this morning on the hurdles from your past, and we’re intent on jumping each one if it means you’re the prize at the end. We’re committed, but you need to understand that we expect nothing from you in return. We’re not asking for more than you’re willing to give right now.”

I shake my head, my heart seizing. “God. That makes me sound like the world's most selfish bitch.”

His eyes narrow, a small growl working its way up his throat. “You’re not selfish or a bitch, baby doll. We’re the selfish ones for pushing you into something you might not be ready for—now or fifty years in the future. But we're still willing to take that risk because you’re it for us.”

With his words, it hits me that they’ve all admitted, in their own ways, that the future they see includes me. No, it doesn’t just include me. It’s built around me. There’s suddenly warmth building in my heart and panic in my gut, but I ignore it all. Instead, I push the tray down my legs until I can clamber out of the sheets and crawl into the lap of the Alpha who just took a sledgehammer to another one of my walls.

My thighs straddle his and my arms weave around his neck. Strong hands pull me into his chest, holding me tight against him.

“I really don’t deserve you,” I whisper against his ear.

“No, you deserve so much more.” He nuzzles into my throat, marking me with the scent of coffee with a splash of whiskey.

We sit there like that, with my breasts pressed up against his naked chest and my wet pussy cradling the massive erection hiding inside his pants, until his rumbling purr eases the tension in my shoulders. He pulls back and rubs his nose against mine a few times before he drops a sweet kiss there.

“As much as I like having you naked in my arms, you’ve barely eaten in twenty-four hours. You’re going to need your strength if you plan to keep up with the rest of us this week.”

One haughty brow rises in challenge. “You don’t think I can keep up with you?”

“You’re right.” He steals a piece of bacon off my tray, taking a big bite. “Maybe we should be worried about keeping up with you. You nearly did me in last night with that thirsty little cunt of yours.”

My gasp is loud and filthy, my smile fighting to make an appearance. “She has needs. Don’t judge.”

“Oh, no judgment here, baby doll. In fact, I’ll happily help her satisfy those needs any time she pleases.”

He leans in to lick up the column of my neck, pulling a harsh groan from my throat. Not to be outdone, I roll my hips against the steel pipe in his pants.

“She’ll keep that in mind,” I purr in his ear, reluctantly shifting until I’m climbing off his lap and crawling back over to my spot on the bed. Pulling the tray of food over my lap, I pretend like I’m not still completely naked. “But you’re right. She’s going to need to keep her energy up if she has any hope of fulfilling the plans she has for all of you.”

With heavy-lidded eyes, he watches me cut the stack of pancakes and stick a huge bite into my mouth, all while he strokes that monster between his legs.

Such a pity to let a perfectly good knot go to waste, but I remind myself that there will be plenty of time to take another ride on Nix’s cock, or Flint’s or Raff’s or Sy’s for that matter. Now that I’m willing to give this a chance, I’m going to take full advantage of the benefits.