Page 31 of Their Knotty Pack (Starbrook City Omegaverse #3)

Kieran

" Y ou've been holding out on us, BB," Damien groans as he stuffs "one last" piece of garlic bread in his mouth. "Four months of living together and not once did you make a meal like this for us." He has a nasty bruise on his forehead, but swears he just walked into a door.

Brody only grins. "Well, I never had two omegas to care for, now did I?" He shoots Bethany a damn wink, and she blushes before hiding her face in Miles' shoulder.

She didn't have that reaction to my sloppy joes a few days ago.

"Oh, and," Brody clears his throat, looking around the table, "I'm going to be doing my best to leave by five everyday. I think it would help us…mesh more if we all stuck to that rule." He glances at Hunter, like he's looking for his approval.

He only nods. "I can't commit to that every day, especially with that break in the case we just had, but I do have this Saturday off.

" He fixes his already perfect collar. Hunter always looks perfectly together. His shirt ironed perfectly crisp, his tie lies perfectly straight. He likes to be in control just a little too much. It makes it way too entertaining to poke at him until he loses it. Maybe I’ll move all the shit in his office an inch to the right and see how long it takes that vein in his forehead to explod e

Damien grabs another piece of garlic bread. "I'm off at four anyway, so no issues there."

They all look to me expectantly. I managed to get hired as the project manager for a construction company after I moved here.

The company is small, a family-owned business, and they were willing to take a chance on me when I moved out here.

I'm usually the first one in the office and the last one to leave, even though the owners have told me multiple times I can leave at five.

It was different before, when I didn't have an omega…or omega s to get back to, but now…

"I guess I can do that," I shrug and point to Bethany with my fork, "as long as chompy over there behaves herself."

I watch with absolute glee as her mouth drops in indignation and her cheeks flush.

See? I can make her red too.

Miles' shoulders drop as he leans back in his chair and stares at the ceiling.

Bethany's voice is shrill. "How did I get brought up? I'm just sitting here minding my own business, you absolute ass waffle!"

"See? That's what I'm talking about. Why would I come home early if I'm going to get called an ass waffle?"

"You are kind of being an ass waffle, Kier-Bear." Damien grins, and I roll my eyes. He's been actively voicing his opinions on our bickering lately, and it makes me wonder if something's happened between the two of them.

"Gods, you always do this," Bethany seethes, glaring at me. "We weren't even talking about anything, and then you had to go and make things tense."

"You're the one who started calling names, sunshine." I smirk.

"You called me chompy first—"

"That's a term of endearment—"

"Hows this for endearment, you arrogant, infuriating—"

"Enough!" Hunter stands suddenly, his fingers gripping the edge of the table so tight his knuckles are white. "Enough," he repeats, quieter as he looks down.

Bethany glares at me, but lowers her middle finger that she'd raised in the middle of her tirade.

The corner of my lip tilts up as I cross my arms over my chest, and I don't miss the way her gaze darts to my biceps, her pupils dilating ever so slightly.

This is like foreplay to us.

"There has to be a way to end this bickering," Hunter sighs, sitting back in his chair. "It's like watching Eomma and Appa needle at each other in their old age."

"He could move out," Bethany snipes, then stands abruptly.

"That's one way to end the bickering." She grabs her plate and rinses it off before putting it in the dishwasher.

"Excuse me. I have a phone call to make.

" She leaves the kitchen without another word, and the rest of the guys glare at me before following suit, clearing the entire table.

When it's just Miles and I at the table, he gives me an appraising look. This is the first time I've been completely alone with the omega since we moved in. It's still surreal, the way I'm attracted to him. I've never found myself attracted to a man in more than the physical sense before.

It's more than that though. It's him . The way he loves her.

Takes care of her. How he loves what he loves unapologetically.

I've never heard so many things about anime in my life, but watching him explain random facts and trivia to us while they watch this Demon Slayer show makes my heart do something funny.

"You're driving her crazy," he says, running his tattooed hand through his hair. "Why…why do you do that? Start shit that doesn't need to be started?"

How do I tell him the truth? That I piss her off on purpose? Because at least that way, when she comes to me in the middle of the night for a good fucking, she has some kind of emotion that isn't…obligation.

I know she doesn't want this. Me.

That if she could, she'd rip the bond right out of her soul, but she feels bad for what she sees as "trapping" me.

I refuse to be the pity fuck. So, I'll be the angry fuck.

If I keep making her mad, I don't have to face the fact that she doesn't want me .

There's no way I can tell him that though.

"She's hot when she's mad." I shrug. I'm not lying. She's a fucking righteous goddess of fury when she's pissed off.

"You need to stop it," Miles shakes his head, his blue hair swaying slightly at the motion, "I swear she's more beautiful when she's in love than she is when she’s angry at you."

"I guess I'll have to take your word for it." I can't keep the bitterness out of my voice.

He sighs. "At this rate, yeah. I really think if you could just stop needling for two seconds, you guys might actually…get along?" He runs a hand over his face. "Listen, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. Bethany…she isn't getting much sleep."

Yeah, neither am I.

"And before you ask, yes, I told her we don't have to have sex as often as we are if it will help her get more sleep, and she said that she 'wasn't going to punish herself because her bond is being a little bitch'.

" He chuckles to himself, shaking his head.

"So, I asked if we should just…" he huffs, his cheeks pinkening to an adorable color, "if we should just do it all… together."

"Together?" I raise my brow, wanting to make sure I'm hearing him correctly. "Like me with both of you?"

"More like her with both of us. That way she still gets what she wants," which is not me , "and you're not left with blue balls. "

"You don't want to have sex with me?" I ask, not even bothering to play coy. How is my alpha going to react if neither of my omegas actually want me?

Now his face is bright red. "That's not…

relevant. Or what I meant. But first and foremost, this is about Bethany.

She…well, her old pack had her on a roster.

" His face twists in disgust at the words.

I don't blame him. I have half a mind to reach out to Hannah and see if she can get her hacker alpha to look into them for me.

"That being said, this would be her first…

group sex activity outside of her heat. You and I…

" he shakes his head, trailing off, "you're my scent match too.

I want to be with you. All of you. But Bethany comes first."

Ignoring the way his admission makes my heart soar, I smirk. "Bethany comes first? We talking about in sex? Or in life?"

He barks a laugh, so sudden and loud, it shocks me for a moment. "Both," he says, a grin on his face.

I smile. A genuine, non-smirk smile. "Just for the record," I stand, leaning forward over the table. "I keep that mantra with both my omegas."

Miles' answering nod is so serious I almost laugh. "Good. I have some ground rules though." He stands from the table, walking to the kitchen door. "I'll tell you on the way upstairs….do you have a plain white undershirt and a sharpie?"