Page 15 of The Honor of Being Hers (Terms of Devotion #1)

The walk to the bluff took longer than expected, mainly because Justin insisted on packing enough food for five people, and Sarah kept stopping to photograph things.

The path beneath their feet changed from packed earth to scattered pebbles that shifted and crunched with each step, then to the soft give of sand-mixed soil as they approached the coast. Lauren could feel the texture changes through her canvas sneakers, each surface distinct and grounding.

Rachel had commandeered the blanket, Samantha the drinks, and Lauren, well, Lauren carried almost nothing.

William had taken her backpack the moment she’d slung it over one shoulder, murmuring something about her wrists needing to recover from last night, and Ryan had handed her a hat with a quiet smirk and no further comment.

They followed the edge of the cliffs west of the estate, where the air thinned and opened, and the scent of salt overtook the pines.

Below them, waves curled into sand in patient rhythm, leaving long stretches of shore unbroken.

The grass near the drop was short and soft, springy beneath their feet and still damp with morning dew.

By the time they found a wide flat stretch, the sun had warmed the slope up just enough to ease the chill from the breeze, and Lauren could feel the heat soaking through her shoes into the soles of her feet.

Lauren sat down slowly, knees folding beneath her, and pressed her palms into the grass on either side of her body.

The ground was firm but yielding, still cool in the shade but warming where the sun touched it, and she could smell the green, growing scent of the earth mixed with the distant salt of the ocean.

Tiny wildflowers dotted the grass around her hands, white petals no bigger than her thumbnail.

It felt good to be still. She hadn’t realized how much energy she’d been burning holding herself upright until this moment.

Her thighs were still aching faintly from the morning, her ribs from laughing with Sarah during breakfast, and her lips were still chapped from the wind—and from Ryan’s mouth. She felt used, in a good way.

Tyler settled beside her, long legs stretched out in faded jeans, his sunglasses catching the sun in a way that made him look like he'd wandered out of a high-budget fashion campaign.

The soft cotton of his t-shirt was warm from the sun when she accidentally brushed against his arm.

William dropped behind them with the basket and began unloading food without comment, methodically dividing out jars, wrapped rolls, and berries into small dishes.

The wicker creaked softly as he moved, and the smell of fresh bread mingled with the salt air.

Ryan was still standing, shirt half-unbuttoned, watching the water as though he was wondering whether or not to swim in it fully clothed.

“Are you actually thinking about going in?” Justin called, already reclining across a second blanket beside Rachel.

“No,” Ryan said. “But if I were, you’d be the first one I’d drag in after me.”

“You’re welcome to try, old man,” Justin said, sipping from a narrow flask he now wiggled invitingly.

Rachel, apparently unbothered, tipped her head toward Lauren. “How’s the recovery going?”

Lauren let out a low, half-laugh. “Ongoing.”

“Color me proud,” Sarah said, tossing a cherry stem into the grass.

“How’s Kyle doing with his trial?” Rachel asked.

“You’re asking me?” Lauren questioned.

“No,” Rachel laughed, “I was asking Samantha, actually. I think he checks up on her even more often than he checks in with you.”

All eyes turned towards Samantha at Rachel’s implication. Lauren noticed how she flushed a scarlet red before she stammered, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Kyle doesn’t call me that often. Maybe three times a week, four tops.”

Lauren felt her mouth drop open in surprise. She knew they talked frequently, but not that frequently. Her cousin really did check in more often with Samantha than he did with her.

“Oh my god,” Justin muttered. Turning toward Sarah he said, “Can you imagine I joked about filing an official ‘just kiss already’ complaint and I didn’t even know about this?!”

“Honey, Samantha, please tell me you’ve been carrying on a sordid affair with him and the rest of his pack. If you were worried Lauren or any of us would disapprove, you’re wrong! He would be such a good Alpha for you.” He continued.

“We’re not!” Samantha exclaimed, “I swear! I wouldn’t hide something like this.”

When everyone just looked at her with doubt clear in their eyes, she continued. “It’s just—. He’s—.”

Her cheeks flushed anew with a scarlet red, only it was clear to Lauren that this time it wasn’t embarrassment. This looked and felt more like shame.

“I haven’t even spent time alone with Kyle, or anything.” She whispered, her shoulders high and her eyes were staring at the ground.

“I haven’t met his pack. It’s not like that.” She continued defensively.

“He feels sorry for me because I don’t have anyone to help me deal with my family.”

“Samantha,” Tyler interjected softly, “you don’t—”

“No, let me continue, please?”

Tyler closed his mouth as he watched with obvious concern. A look and feeling that was shared with everyone else in the group.

“I know the way my family treats me is wrong, I know that they’re not trying to help me. The opposite, in fact.” She cast a fierce look around after those words.

“When I finally managed to move out last year, it was because of Kyle. He helped me find a therapist a year earlier, and together they helped me form a plan to move into my own place.”

Justin looked horrified. He crawled over towards her and wrapped her in a hug, “I’m sorry, honey, I didn’t mean to hurt you with my words.”

Samantha finally smiled again as some of the tension left her frame. “I know, you’d fight off an army of Orcs and ruin that day’s fabulous outfit before hurting any of us deliberately.”

“Glad to know, you realize I’d look fabulous doing so.” Justin joked back.

“The truth is that my parents are not accepting the fact that I’ve moved out, nor that I intend to continue my education after all these years.

Kyle calls me regularly, because to make sure I don’t fall back into their web, I set up an alert that notifies him each time someone in my family calls or messages me. ”

William smiled, “I’m proud of you little omega.”

“So am I,” Ryan added, as the rest also affirmed their approval.

Later, when the tension had completely faded away, they ate slowly, the way people do when they're too comfortable to care how long it takes.

No one pressed conversation, and Lauren found herself stretching out beside Tyler, her head tipped back onto his thigh.

The denim was soft and warm beneath her cheek, and she could feel the steady strength of his leg supporting her.

William pressed the arch of her bare foot into his palm, massaging absentmindedly, his callused fingers working magic on muscles she hadn't realized were tense.

Ryan eventually sat down behind her, close but not touching, until his knee brushed her shoulder and she leaned into it without thinking.

For a long time, they said nothing, just shared the air and salt wind and the warmth of soft food and soft skin.

She didn't realize how watched she'd felt—in general, in life—until she did not anymore. That realization caused the tension to bleed from her shoulders.

Her body wasn’t alert anymore. Her scent wasn’t tight with control. She just… existed. Lying on the grass with three Alphas who had touched her, kissed her, undressed her, and were still content to sit with her in silence while the sea kept rhythm with her breath.

Someone walked past them along the higher path, a couple holding hands.

The woman glanced down once, and Lauren didn’t miss the way her eyes lingered on the shape of the three men, the tangle of their proximity, the stillness of Lauren’s body nestled between them.

The look wasn’t one of judgment. On the other hand, it wasn’t one that did not notice them, either.

Lauren didn’t move.

Didn’t sit up or scoot to the side.

She pressed her back more firmly into Ryan’s knee, curled her toes where William’s hand cradled them, and reached back to thread her fingers with Tyler’s where his hand rested on the blanket.

She wasn’t ashamed or afraid.

Later, as the sun dipped lower and the air cooled, her friends said goodbye, and as she was sitting upright, watching them leave, she found herself looking between all three of them.

They were watching her already, which no longer surprised her.

When everyone was gone, she stood slowly and moved to the center of their small circle.

"I want to try something," she said, voice steady despite the heat building in her chest.

Tyler was closest, so she went to him first. She settled onto his lap, straddling his thighs, the worn denim rough against her bare legs where her sundress had ridden up.

She kissed him, soft at first, then deeper when his hands found her waist. His fingers were long and gentle, spanning her ribcage with careful reverence.

His mouth was warm, patient, but when she rocked her hips against him, his control cracked.

His grip tightened, pulling her closer, and she could feel him hardening beneath her.

He kissed her like he was trying to memorize her mouth, tongue stroking deep until she was grinding against him without shame.

When she pulled back, gasping, William was right there.

She shifted to him next, the blanket soft beneath her knees as she moved, and his kiss was different, hungrier from the start.

His hands were broader than Tyler's, more callused, and they framed her face with surprising gentleness for their size.

His hands framed her face as he took her mouth, then slid down to grip her hips, guiding her movements as she settled over him.

She could feel his arousal immediately, thick and hard beneath her, and when she rolled her hips experimentally, he groaned into her mouth and bit her bottom lip.

Finally, she turned to Ryan. He was watching her with dark eyes, his jaw tight with wanting. When she climbed into his lap, he caught her easily, his thighs firm beneath hers, hands going instinctively to her hips. She leaned in, and he met her halfway.

The kiss started slow, unhurried, mouths brushing, breath shared. She could taste the sweetness of the strawberries they’d eaten on his lips, could feel the slight roughness of afternoon stubble against her chin. The ocean breeze stirred her hair, carrying the scent of salt and something wild.

When his hands tightened, she opened for him; and when his tongue stroked hers, she moaned.

And when he shifted his hips just slightly, aligning the hard line of his cock under her core, she rocked forward without thinking.

The friction sent heat spiraling through her, and she could feel the dampness gathering between her thighs, soaking through the thin fabric of her underwear to where she pressed against his thigh.

He growled into her mouth. Not playfully.

Tyler’s breath came shallow beside them, his hand finding her back. William’s fingers trailed up her calf, possessive and warm.

The kiss deepened, turned hot and filthy, Lauren chasing the friction she wasn’t ready to admit aloud. Ryan pulled back once, panting, and bit her lip. “You keep doing that,” he said, “I’m going to lose my fucking mind.”

“Then all of you better hold on,” she said, looking between the three of them, noting how each was breathing hard, how their eyes had gone dark with want. “Because I’m not ready. But I’m getting there.”

They didn’t go further. Even though everyone knew they could have, and it was only a matter of time.

When she finally stood to gather their belongings, hair windblown, skin flushed, and lips still tingling, no one said anything.

The way they looked at her said enough. She was theirs, and she was beginning to want all that came with it.