by Viola Grace
“Get to you, get out of here. It all blurs together.”
“That is going to earn you a teasing smack on the backside. Are you going to call for a group event tonight?”
“Um, no. I am under orders to go to bed early and be ready to leave at four.”
“Yeah. We offered to come meet you, but they said they didn’t want the transfer recorded as a highway incident when we pulled over to fuck you.”
Her body clenched, and she nearly folded over. She whispered hoarsely, “That wouldn’t look good for the centre.”
“No, so they are taking you before dawn. You will be with us for a late brunch. Ambrose is already planning it. Come hungry.”
She nodded. “I will text you when I am on the way. You guys can jerk off a few times, so you don’t maul me.”
He chuckled and rinsed off. “Oh, kitten. We are going to maul you anyway. The boys are excited. They treat those chew toys you made like they are baby dolls.”
She sighed. “They are supposed to rip them to bits. I filled them with jerky and everything.”
“Yeah, kitten, but they smell like you, so they are going to be cherished whether you like it or not.”
She sighed. “Nice tile. Glazed porcelain?”
He paused and looked into the camera. “Yeah. How did you know?”
“I did all the renovations at the B&B by hand. I made up materials lists and got my sister to pick up the orders.”
“You did all the work yourself?”
“We hired guys to help with the demo and disposal, but I wasn’t in heat, and they were betas, so it was fine.”
“Wait, so you decorated the rooms?”
“Yeah, all of them. Why?”
He chuckled and rinsed the shampoo out of his hair. “Just trying to think of income streams for you. You might want to look for interior design distance-learning courses. Just in case.”
“Oh, uh... why?”
“Sometimes I do a build, and the owner has financing issues for the last instalment. Sometimes I just want to build a house, but in both cases, I need it decorated and designed. I can give you a budget, and you design an interior on the computer. Ambrose can help, and if I like it, you can pick up the occasional job.”
She smiled. “And if you don’t like it?”
“You can either try again or be lightly punished for not doing your best.”
“What is a light punishment?” She bit her lip.
“Aw, kitten, I don’t want to spoil the surprise.”
She felt her chest tighten, and she whispered, “I really don’t need a surprise that ends in punishment.”
He blinked and looked at her. “Ah, right. A light punishment would just be an open hand applied to the delightful curve of your ass. A heavy one would be using an implement that left hot stripes on your skin.”
She blinked. “Oh. No broken bones? No punching?”
He looked horrified. “No, of course not. Kitten, we aren’t going to hurt you.”
She wobbled a little, blinking tears from her eyes. “Okay. I will see you tomorrow.”
He didn’t look happy, but he cut off the call with a, “See you tomorrow, kitten.”
She closed her suitcase and crawled back into her nest. Dawn was going to show up after she had left. She set her alarm for three and tried to sleep. It was only by taking deep drags of Argus’s scent that she was able to rest.
Chapter Eight
She had texted Argus and the guys when she left, and to her shock, they all answered back. They were going to be with her every mile, and now that she had physically left the building, they could text her at will.
Her toys, clothes, scent items, and shoes were all in the small suitcase. She was sitting next to Margot, answering texts and keeping her phone on the charging pack. This day, she didn’t want to be out of communication.
One of the guys would check in every hour, and she answered, getting nervous as the signs indicated that they were nearing their location. She swallowed and rubbed her hands on her thighs.
Margot smiled. “You have gone from a peach jelly to peach nectar to peach bellini for a moment. Now you are just plain peach.”
“At least I haven’t gone lemon or apple.”
She bit her lip and watched the buildings go by. There was a ping, and she found a cross street to text them about.
She read the next text with a hitch in her breathing, You are five minutes away, kitten.
She wanted to lean over and hyperventilate, but Margot rubbed her back. “Easy, Olivia. Things will be fine. Your guys are solid and haven’t wavered once. They learned what happened to you, and it didn’t matter. Your past is in the past, but your future is theirs. That is what matters. You are going to make a future, Olivia. Today is the day you start.”
She smiled at that. The past was the past. She would leave things there. Her future was four minutes away.
She looked at the house. It was pretty big. It looked deep, too. Georgian style. Three stories.
Olly held her breath as the SUV she was in pulled in through the tree-lined drive. The door to the house opened, and her guys stood there, watching the vehicle come to a halt. She shivered as Margot got out and went to speak to them, she handed them a clipboard, and they signed for her like she was a delivery.
Olly waited, and the driver came around and got her luggage, bringing it to Dexter, who put it inside the house. He opened the door for Olly next, and she stepped out nervously and then slowly walked toward Ambrose. She walked up to him and bowed her neck. “Alpha, I put myself into your care.”
He caressed her cheek, and she looked up. “I accept the joy of your keeping.”
The kiss was a surprise, but her body sang at the contact.
When Ambrose released her, she turned to Dexter. He straightened as if it was a serious business. “Alpha, I put myself into your care.”
Dexter nuzzled her cheek. “I accept the joy of your keeping.”
She licked her lips and went to Argus. She did the same as for the others. “Alpha, I put myself into your care.”
Argus gripped her arms. “I accept the joy of your keeping.”
She blinked as she was pressed against him. He pressed his lips to hers savagely until she opened her lips and whined in distress. He slowed, gentled, flicked his tongue into her mouth, and stroked her back.
She settled against him, and his tongue flicked and teased with hers until she responded. Short jolts of lightning started to rip through her. Olly slid her hands up his chest and gripped his shoulders as the exchange and slide of tongues made her hotter and hotter. Slick emerged when he started to purr. The small hot wave made her blush, but suddenly, other hands were at her back, smoothing down her hips, and mouths were at her neck, licking and sucking.
Purring surrounded her in a wall, and she caught her scent swirling wild and hot while they touched her. Perfume. In an omega, it was perfume. She had to remember this stuff.
The purring rattled through all her lonely places and told her that she wasn’t alone anymore. Her channel started to flex with her excitement, and her clit throbbed. She clutched at Argus as her orgasm hit from being surrounded by her pride. Hers. Tears started to streak down her cheeks. She slowed and softened the kiss, pulling away and resting her head against his chest while she took Ambrose’s and Dexter’s hands.
“Kitten, why are you crying?”
Margot spoke from the sidewalk. “She has worked very hard to be here, and it was stressful. None of us could offer her comfort, so she has had to soothe herself for the last five weeks, knowing that you would if you could. So, now take her to her nest, help her get comfortable, and when she has rested from the drive, you can check on her progress with you.”
Olly looked at her assigned officer and smiled. “Thank you for getting me this far, Margot.”
“It’s my job, and in your case, my pleasure. We will be checking in on her over the next year to make sure she is
well and to smooth over any issues that arise.” Margot said, “Call me if you need me, Olivia.”
In a minute, the vehicle was gone, and they were alone.
Olivia looked up at Argus, and his smile had a glittering gleam in his eyes. “Do you want to see your nest, kitten?”
She looked at Dexter and then the very intense Ambrose and nodded. “I need to know where it’s safe.”
That word acted on them like a bucket of water. They went from predators to caretakers in an instant. Dexter smiled. “I will show you, Olivia.”
She was pretty sure he was younger than she was, but he was serious, and he wove his fingers with hers as he tugged her away from the other two.
Once inside the building, he didn’t let her look around all the warm wood and stone; he coaxed her up the steps and down the hall. “We have a few smaller nests around the house that are big enough for you and the boys. To let one of us in, you have to kick them out or move around, so you are lying on top of us.” He chuckled. “We tried a few combinations to see what would work.”
“Wow. That seems like a lot of effort.”
Dexter squeezed her hand. “We want you to be safe, happy, and comfortable. After that happens, we can work on what else you want to be.”
Olivia smiled. “That is very thoughtful.”
“Thanks. We are trying not to freak you out, and we know you don’t have a lot of tactile experience, so we will start with the nest, and you can come out and find us when you are ready.” Dexter’s cheeks warmed. “Have you given any thought to which one of us you want first?”
“Argus. I think he will let me learn, Ambrose will want to teach, and you will get really enthusiastic, and I don’t want to freeze up on any of you.”
Dexter chuckled. “I can be last. I am good with that.”
“No, you’re second after Argus. Ambrose has patience. He can wait.”
He pulled her to him and kissed her softly. “You have thought this through.”
“It has taken up a fair bit of my focus.” She licked softly at his mouth, and their kiss deepened.
Her senses were filled with pumpkin spice, and she moved her head against his as she crowded close to him, her hands flat on his chest.
He groaned, and they stood there for minutes, slowly kissing, and she got a hit of her perfume wrapping around him. His eyes were narrow, his pupils wide, turning the dark blue nearly black.
She shivered, and she could feel her body responding like an omega’s was supposed to do. She swallowed and asked hoarsely, “The nest?”
He grinned. “Right. You need a safe space.”
He took her to the room with an antiqued bronze handle; the others all had worn silver. She walked into fairy land.
A soft light had a slider on the wall. The closet was easy to move around in and would double as a sleeping space if she felt overwhelmed. There was even a bedroll and bolster pillow in the corner. The clothing was all very pretty but practical in one section. Elegant, graceful, and silky in another section, and then there were the playtime outfits. She blushed. There was a tower with different styles of shoes and a bureau with nothing but lingerie. Workout clothing was in a separate section. No jeans anywhere.
She frowned. “I am going to need jeans and t-shirts.”
Dexter smiled. “They are in here.”
She blinked and walked to the wall, feeling nothing until she pressed a panel, and it popped out, a selection of jeans and tees neatly arranged. The sneakers were at the bottom of the hidden cupboard.
He whispered, “Ambrose doesn’t like them, but we explained that if you accompany him or Argus to a jobsite, you might need to wear something more practical with steel toes.”
She was crouching and saw something behind the shoes. It was a hardhat with the word, Kitten emblazoned on it. “Oh boy.”
He chuckled. “I work from home, so I might need you to come and model something for me so I can make sure I get the scale right.”
“Um, I don’t know what you do.”
“I design jewellery for my parents’ company, Ambrose is a residential and commercial architect, and Argus is a contractor.” He smiled and helped her to her feet. They closed the jeans cupboard, and he led her out of the closet.
“Ambrose and Argus met eight years ago at a jobsite. They had a helluva fight and decided to start a pride that day. I met Ambrose four years ago when he came into my family’s jewellery store to buy something nice for his mom. He knew what I was, so we met for coffee with Argus a few times, and I moved in a year later. My parents think I am having a relationship with Argus because he is so pretty.”
She chuckled. “He is. But he is also nice and intelligent, and I like his personality. And his scent. It makes me want to curl up against him.”
He led her to the bathroom, and she blinked at the size of the tub. “That’s huge.”
“Just in case, Olivia. We tried to plan for any eventuality.”
They left the bathroom, and she looked at the curtained area, drawing the curtain back. A nest full of pillows was there, and the scents of her guys were all around it. She reached down, kicked off her shoes, and dove into the pile, rolling and murmuring as she twisted and rubbed herself in scents and softness. She made a pile, and Dexter pulled the drape closed, leaving her in softly illuminated darkness.
She rolled around in the pillows, and when she heard the soft click of the door, she shucked out of her clothing and rolled around a bit before settling in a space where she was surrounded on all sides by the scents of her pride. She hugged the pillows to her, and she slept.
* * * *
Argus got an alert from his phone that she had settled and motion ceased. He growled at the image of her silky limbs wrapped around the pillow with her hair loose and flowing down her back. She wasn’t sobbing or fidgeting, so he would remove the camera that he had mounted in her nest.
Ambrose asked, “How is she?”
“Asleep. She’s smiling, so she can’t be too stressed.” Argus sighed in relief.
“How long are you going to leave the camera there?” Dexter scowled. He had been against the break in privacy.
“Until she is bonded to at least one of us, and we don’t need to guess if she is upset.”
Ambrose raised his brows. “You still want her to choose when the binding happens?”
“Yeah. She hasn’t had much choice in the rest of it, so choosing when is her prerogative. Of course, we still get to choose where.”
Dexter grinned. He had his spot picked, and it wasn’t traditional, but it would look good at some of the parties they had to attend. Ambrose was taking the back of the neck, Argus was biting her wrist, and Dexter was getting the inner curve of her hip where her waist was narrowest. He fucking loved that curve.
Dexter rocked on his feet. “What do we do now?”
Argus chuckled. “We wait. But we can make brunch for her. She’s going to be hungry when she gets up, and if not, we want her to keep her strength up.”
They got to work.
Chapter Nine
The scent of bacon got her up, and she sat bolt upright, pawing her hair from her face. She was hungry.
She untangled herself from the pillows and got a change of clothing. The stuff she had arrived in was all sweaty and rumpled.
She put on a slip and a sundress made of a silky fabric with buttons down the front. She undid a few of the buttons, ran her fingers through her hair, and went in search of bacon.
She stopped to brush her teeth, just in case more kissing was on the menu before she ate.
* * * *
Argus’s heart nearly stopped in his chest when Olivia came around the corner. His growl and deep purr rumbled the cutlery on the table.
She was wearing a soft blue dress that hung to mid-calf. Tiny buttons marched up the entire thing, but she had left the top six open, showing the white slip she had under it, and by the sway of her breasts, it was all she had on. Her n
ipples poked at the fabric as he watched. The scent of peaches filled the large kitchen.
Ambrose paused and turned. Dexter put the bacon on a warming tray and looked up. “Holy... Olivia, you look beautiful.”
She blushed hot pink, and her grey eyes smiled before she looked away. She bit her lip. “Um, is there a chance of coffee?”
Ambrose nodded. “Of course, but first, house rule. No matter how pissed you are at us, a kiss when you see us first and a kiss before bed, unless we aren’t home, in which case, we have to find you before we sleep.”
She nodded, stiffened her shoulders, and approached them like she was going into battle.
Ambrose got to her first, and he cupped her head in his hands. The brush of his lips against hers and the deep rumble that he was putting out must have worked on her nervousness because she went up on her toes and pressed her hands against his chest when he leaned back. She slid a hand up his chest and pulled his lips to hers with a hand around his neck. Her own purr rumbled free as Ambrose took his time with her.
Argus watched as Ambrose pulled their omega close until she was plastered against him. She squeaked a little as he lifted her, but when she pulled back, he let her slide down his body.
Dexter made sure nothing was on the oven as he walked around, and when Olivia stepped away from Ambrose, Dexter held out his hand, and she went to him. Dexter’s kiss started slow and picked up intensity as Olivia responded. She was wrapping herself around him when he slowed the kiss and backed away.
Olivia was panting, and her pupils were wide as she turned to Argus. Her small bare feet carried her toward him, and she paused a few inches away. She looked up at him with her grey eyes windows to her arousal. “Hey, Argus.”
“Hello, Olivia. Do you feel settled in?”
“Um, getting there. Do I have to ask for a kiss?” She looked up at him, hypnotized. “They told me at the centre that consent was important.”
He quirked a grin, gripped her waist, and turned to put her butt on the counter. “That is absolutely correct. If we do something you don’t like, let us know. Once we know, we can do more of the things you like.”
