by Viola Grace
“Chest, shoulders, arms. Waist, back of the neck. Wherever you are comfortable.”
She flexed her hands and put her hands on his biceps.
“I have never seen an omega this afraid of contact.”
Olivia bit her lip. “Yeah, well, I am one of a kind. You aren’t one of my alphas, and I don’t like contact with strangers.”
“How did Ford end up tasting you?”
“I was coming down, and my alphas had just been sexed up, so they were amenable to have someone else taking the bullet, so to speak.”
Ford sighed and put his hands behind his head. “You should have seen her riding Dexter. She was breathtaking.”
She blushed. “Shut up, Ford.”
He chuckled. A bell rang, and Andrew went to get it.
He came back a few minutes later with a stack of pizza and Dexter. Olivia looked at him, and he looked weirdly helpless for a guy that big. She left Rick, and she went to him, holding him tight.
Chapter Nineteen
“I didn’t think they would let you go,” Dexter whispered.
“I am not gone, but I don’t fit, and you three don’t have room to let me fit.” She held him and ran her hands over his neck, arms, chest, and held him with a solid grip around his waist. “With the heat over, everyone is a little disoriented, and we didn’t have a chance to learn each other before it hit. Frankly, all Ambrose knows is that I don’t like humiliation play.”
Dexter held her tight. “They both came from larger packs. There were so many people to attend to their omegas that I doubt they saw what was necessary.”
She rubbed her cheek against his chest. “I will work on being more self-sufficient and figure out how to make my own way in the world. Don’t worry about it. I will come back to you for my heats.”
She looked up at him and tried to give him an encouraging smile.
“You think I am here because of that? He was touching your mark, and I want to rip his fucking throat out, but you were talking to him and smiling, and I realized that you wanted to learn how to dance and not one of us offered to help.”
Olivia blinked back tears. “You know how to dance?”
“Yeah. My dad made me learn.”
Ford laughed. “Show me. This I have to see.”
Dexter snorted. “I know a challenge when I hear one.”
He took Olivia’s hand and said, “Will you dance with me?”
She smiled. “Yeah, alpha, I will.”
He took her in his arms, and they moved smoothly. The music picked up speed, and Dexter murmured what he wanted her to do, and she did it. She spun with him, he lifted and turned her, and she noticed that he touched his mark every chance he got. Peaches and spice filled the room as they moved together. When the music got heavier and more intense, she laughed as she ground her hips against him. The music stopped, and she looked at Ford with a sheen of sweat.
He chuckled. “The pizza is getting cold... again.”
She grinned at Dexter and headed for the pizza.
“Ambrose doesn’t want her eating junk food.” Dexter hesitated.
Olivia looked at him as she ate her slice. “Ambrose doesn’t want me. Any warm fuckable omega would do. He wants to say that his pride has one, not that he actually knows her name or what she wants to do with her life.”
Dexter took her hand. “That is only partially true. What do you want to do, Olly?”
“I don’t know, but I need to find out, and you guys all have jobs and family to attend to. I have a whole bunch of free time and no one to help me find out what I can do here. At home, I had a tiny domain that I was trapped in, but my days were laid out. There were animals, building, repair, and guests. That was my life for a lot of years, and now that is over, and I have to change things. I am starting at the bottom in an unfamiliar place. You guys are my foundation, but I need to know where I can go from here and how strong the foundation is.”
Dexter nodded. “That’s fair.”
Ford leaned forward. “I will take care of her, but I understand the split between what you were born to be and what you want to be; she also has to deal with what she has been crafted into. We are just next door, and her bonds are strong. You are with her, Dexter.”
She leaned against her youngest alpha. “It’s fine, Dexter.”
He whispered, “You say that a lot, and it is always something that hurts you.”
She shrugged. “It’s a survivor thing. Don’t irritate the predators. Alphas or betas, they still have a physical advantage.”
Dexter looked at her with horror in his eyes. “You don’t think we would ever...”
“Ask Ambrose that when he threatens me with his favourite pastimes. He can go play with someone else. I am not interested in being hit, no matter the playtime implications. No physical abuse victim signs up for that.”
Ford blinked, and his eyes widened. “He said he was going to...”
“Yeah. He can hardly wait. Yay for him. I can fucking wait.”
She finished her pizza and asked Ford, “You said you had a guestroom I could use?”
Ford nodded. “Uh, yeah. Come with me.”
She swallowed around the lump in her throat, kissed Dexter softly, and followed her host up the stairs. She paused and asked Dexter, “Can someone bring over my bag from the centre and the phone, and maybe my license?”
Dexter nodded. “Sure. No problem. Do you want your wallet?”
She shook her head. “No, that’s yours.”
He blinked, and his shoulders slumped. “Right. It’s ours.”
She blinked and pressed her hip, where the bond between them ached.
Olivia followed Ford and hoped that there were enough pillows to make herself comfortable.
“The nearest guestroom is down that way, but I think that tonight, you should spend it in my nest. Nothing funny, but you need to be held tonight. Is that okay?”
She nodded. Her throat was thick with tears. “We never got to that point.”
“What?”
“Them holding me while I slept. It was too much too fast, and nothing had a chance to start before it was over.”
Ford paused. “Fuck. Okay, this way.”
He opened the door and opened another after it. The inside was dim and comfortable and smelled like apples. She chuckled. The nest was dark and soft and covered with fuzzy throws and pillows. There was satin and silk, but mostly, it just looked comfy.
“I will be right back. You get comfortable, and I will be right back.”
She nodded, sniffling, and walked to the edge of the enclosed half circle filled with the most comfortable things she could imagine. She lifted her dress and slip, removed them and folded them, then she removed her bra and panties, folding them as well. She slipped into the nest and grabbed a dark pillow, pressing her face against it until all she could smell was apples, and her mind hummed pleasantly with arousal.
Ford came back, and he spoke softly, “Olivia, are you awake, honey?”
She peeked at him over the edge of the furry throw she had commandeered. “Hey, Ford. Nice nest. Mine got messed up in the heat.”
“I am sure they put it back the way it was before you rested.”
She cocked her head. “No, they moved me to Ambrose’s room.”
“They really fucked up.”
“The only thing that felt right was when we were together. Everything else felt like something bad was going to happen.”
Ford peeled off his t-shirt and removed his socks. When he unbuckled his belt, he paused. “Honey, what are you wearing under the throw?”
“Nothing. I don’t like to sleep in anything.”
He groaned. “Me neither. If I try to have sex with you in my sleep, just pinch me awake.”
She chuckled, and it was a throaty sound that surprised her. “You will stop?”
“Probably not, but I will enjoy it more if I can remember it.”
She snorted an
d looked at him. He was stunning. He was all rippling muscle and an erection that was impressive even by alpha standards. He crawled into his nest next to her and pulled her against him, the throw between them.
“Seeing your eyes over the edge of this fur gave me an idea for a video. Do you want to come to work with me tomorrow?”
“Are shoes an option?”
“Of course. I asked Dexter to send over clothing that you would be comfortable in, not what Ambrose picked out for you.”
She sighed. “Jeans it is, then.”
He chuckled. “And you have the ass for them.”
She smiled. “I think in their heads I became a damsel in distress, but they didn’t realize how far from a damsel I was. Ah well, I shouldn’t bug you with this. I think I have a shrink appointment on Thursday.”
“How will you get there?”
“Um, don’t know? Walk. Public transport. I have no idea. I will figure it out. I always do.”
“If I am working, I will send you with a car and one of my guards. They will bring you home or to where I am afterward.”
She smiled. “Thanks. There is a lot of new here.”
Ford sounded plaintive, “Honey?”
She knew what was coming next. “Yes, Ford?”
“Can I feel your skin?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Come on under.”
He lifted the throw and scooted against her. She was finally being held by someone while she slept, and it wasn’t Argus. She touched her bond mark, and Ford kissed her cheek while she cried silent tears. He cuddled her close and held her until she hiccupped to sleep.
* * * *
Argus hit the heavy bag as the waves of sadness washed through him. He paused and breathed as it slowed and then stopped. She was asleep.
“Goddamnit!” He plowed his glove into the bag.
Ambrose looked at him. “What’s the problem?”
Argus was about to talk to him when Dexter came through the door to the gym. He went for Ambrose and tackled him to the mat with a roar.
Argus got his gloves off and went to pull their younger member loose. Dexter was snarling and glaring at Ambrose as the older man sat on the mat.
“How could you say that to her?”
“Be specific? I am chatty during sex.” Ambrose was wary.
Dexter growled again. “How could you threaten to hit her?”
“Hit? No. I just said I looked forward to when I could spank her.” He shrugged. “That isn’t hitting.”
Argus paused. “What?”
“You know what I like. I just told her I could hardly wait until she was up for a little of that kind of discipline.”
Argus sat back, his forehead against his fists. “Shit. I am beginning to see how badly we have fucked this up.”
Ambrose scowled. “What?”
“She’s a physical abuse survivor. How would you like someone to take your worst terror and make a game of it for their own enjoyment?”
Ambrose opened and closed his mouth. “I... didn’t think of it like that. When she got here, I was only thinking of what I could do to her.”
Dexter growled. “Do to her. Do with her. Not do for her. The canines have it right. They serve their omegas. It doesn’t make them weak; it makes them stronger. Gives them a focus. We had her, and we tore her in so many directions it is no wonder she started coming apart.” He blinked. “I went over to the most notorious horn-dog’s home, and do you know what I found? He was getting one of his staff to teach her how to dance, and he was making notes on how she could improve her stance. That was what he was doing for her. We offered to help her with her goals, but she would have to find them on her own. From here. With no way to navigate the city, and none of us even volunteered to take her to the park.”
Argus lifted his head. “There wasn’t time.”
Ambrose was silent, and he ran his hands through his hair.
Dexter looked at him. “She said you can take those impulses out on someone else.”
Ambrose looked like he had been slapped. “I don’t want... I need... Oh, damnit. I don’t want anyone else.”
Argus muttered, “Well, you aren’t going to strike her. No spankings, no whips, paddles, any of that.”
“It’s fine. I don’t want to. I said that before the heat. I was flirting.”
Dexter snorted. “Asshole. Idiot.”
“What else did I do wrong?”
“She hadn’t left her property in years. She doesn’t know about flirting and witty banter. She hasn’t even had a date, and we spent days inside her.”
Argus looked to Dexter. “What do you suggest?”
Dexter sighed. “First, I think we can use some group therapy, and second, I think we need to court our mate.”
Argus paused, and a flicker of hope started in his brain. “What did you have in mind?”
“If she was a woman we were interested in, in the normal span of things, what would we do?” Dexter smiled. “I would take her out for dinner and a movie.”
Ambrose looked grim. “The theatre. I would take her out to the theatre.”
Argus chuckled. “And I... will ask her to paint ball.”
Dexter blinked. “Paint ball?”
“She’s a physically active girl from the country. She can shoot.”
Dexter paused. “My parents want to have her over for dinner on the weekend.”
Argus nodded. “Stall them. We have months until her next heat, but I don’t want to spend that time with Ford sheltering her the entire time. I want her home by her own free will.”
Ambrose nodded. “So do I.”
Dexter grinned. “Me, too. Oh, and Ambrose? Ford is feeding her junk food.”
Ambrose’s eyes burned. “Bastard.”
Argus snorted. “If it’s the calories you are worried about, she burns them off.”
Dexter shook his head. “Not if we aren’t with her.”
Argus raised his brows. “You forget that we gave her free agency, and our neighbour is one of the most successful seduction experts in the country, and she’s fresh off a heat.”
Ambrose’s face tightened. “Bastard!”
* * * *
Olivia was warm like her body had been filled with hot honey warm. She stretched with her arms above her head, and she felt a warm chuckle against her belly. She exhaled slowly as Ford tongued her stomach. “I thought I was supposed to be up and getting you breakfast.”
He chuckled. “I need to place my order.”
She swallowed as he stroked her breasts carefully, learning their shape and their sensitivity. For a busty gal, they were a little on the touchy side.
His fingers trailed along her ribs and caressed her hip.
“Having fun taunting Dexter?”
“If anyone deserves to wake up with this running through his blood, it’s that young man.”
He skated his fingers over her belly. “You are so soft. Made for touching.”
She caressed his shoulders, “I could say the same.”
“Ah-ah. This is my breakfast order, and I am in the mood for peaches.” He chuckled at her gasp and parted her thighs before settling against her sex with his feverish mouth and careful fingers.
She moaned and stroked her fingers through the waves of his hair, bending her knees and spreading her thighs wide while he laughed.
This was her favourite sex thing. It was all for her, and she could be greedy. Her peaches mixed with his green apples, and she was suddenly craving fruit salad. Ambrose would be so pleased.
She gasped as Ford’s tongue swirled, lapped, and he sucked at the slick that started coming and didn’t stop. Her hands flailed as she fought to find something to grip, and as she wailed and shuddered against his tongue, she was digging her nails into his shoulders. He kept working her until she had shuddered to a halt, the slow throb of her body continuing as he raised his head. She smelled blood, and her eyes widened. “I am so sorry.”
<
br /> He moved up and lay flat on her, bearing her weight into the mattress and cushions. “Don’t be. It has been a long time since anyone dared to mark me just because I was rocking their world.”
She looped her arms around his neck. “It was rocked. Thank you. Now, what do you want for breakfast?”
He nuzzled her, getting his scent all over her. “Second helping. You are addictive.”
Olivia blinked, and she cocked her head. “You don’t want to have sex?”
He paused and then shuddered. “Don’t do that to me in the mornings, Olivia. I think that I will be happy with a taste of you. When you actually want me, let me know. I am standing by.” He chuckled. “Sort of.”
She frowned. “How am I going to know?”
“How do you feel about Argus?”
“Like I want him inside me all day, every day.”
“When you feel that you want me inside you and you don’t mind your guys knowing it, it will be time. Until then, I will content myself with my favourite thing.” He sucked and licked her nipples on the way down, and then, he returned to his favourite snack spot between her thighs.
“Dexter brought your bag over. This was in it. I think the boys are courting you.” Ford grinned as he held out the bikini.
She didn’t understand what he meant until she took the garment and caught the heavy hit of Argus’s rutting scent. It was different than the normal scent and far more wild. Her body responded immediately, but she ignored it. There was a note inside the cup of the bra. Paint ball, Friday at 2 pm?
She grinned. “I think he is asking me out on a date?”
“Smelling like a rutting moose?”
She twirled the swimsuit on her fingers. “It has a certain charm.”
He inhaled it. “Yeah, it does. Quick, go swimming and wash that off.”
She slid her slip off and put the swimsuit on. The bust nearly fit, which wasn’t bad considering they had to purchase off the rack. “I have gotten turned around. Which way to the pool?”
He had his jeans on, and he walked her through the house and to the pool, showed her where the towels were and then headed inside. She walked to the edge of the pool and remembered the feeling of swimming. No time like the present. She bent, arched through the water, and promptly lost her top. She ignored it and started to do a crawl through the water with enthusiasm.
