by Nora Phoenix
“You’re going to sleep here?” Lars asked.
Grayson lifted one eyebrow. “You’re gonna kick me out now that I’ve performed my services?”
Lars had figured he’d lost the ability to blush after everything he’d seen and done in the last forty-eight hours, but apparently he was wrong because he felt his cheeks heat up. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
Grayson studied him for a few seconds more. “You and I are going to have a long talk about all this, but not right now. I’m so tired I can’t think straight, let alone have a reasonably intelligent conversation with you. Can you set aside whatever feelings you have toward me for now so we can focus on getting clean and getting some sleep? Please?”
That was the first time since Sven’s heat had started that the alpha had actually asked him anything instead of telling him, Lars realized. Maybe the rules had changed now that it was over? He didn’t understand, but Grayson was right about one thing. They were all exhausted, and now wasn’t the time to engage in any kind of conversation.
Lars’s entire body hurt, and all he wanted to do was sleep. So he would obey Grayson once more, like he had been doing for the last two days. It wasn’t like it was going to hurt him or Sven if the alpha spent the night with them, not after everything they had already shared.
“Yeah, I’m good with that.”
They worked together without speaking. Lars stumbled into the bathroom to get the shower started, while Grayson lifted Sven out of the bed and carried him into the shower. The omega woke up enough to stand on his own, but he sagged against Grayson while Lars washed him from top to bottom, taking good care to soap his hole and wash his dick. Sven winced a little as Lars touched his hole. No wonder. It had to be sensitive after being overused for the last two days. His cock was sensitive too, Lars noticed, so he was gentle when he cleansed it.
There was a moment after Lars was done washing Sven when it felt like Grayson wanted to ask him to clean him as well. The alpha opened his mouth, then closed it again. Lars waited for a few seconds to see if he would say whatever was on his mind. But Grayson shook his head almost imperceptibly and never spoke up.
Lars hesitated. Should he offer to wash the alpha? He wanted to, though he didn’t understand why. Maybe it was his exhaustion that made him imagine things. Because why on earth would Grayson want Lars to wash him? It didn’t make any sense. The man had to be sick and tired of him after two days. It was Sven he wanted, not Lars.
Lars quickly soaped himself, noting with embarrassment that his own ass and cock were sensitive to the touch as well. Not too surprising, really. He’d taken Sven countless times, the omega’s body insatiable. Lars had never seen his lover like that, so high on sex, so slutty and wanton. It had been the biggest sex power trip ever, to feel his whole body respond to Sven’s needs.
And Grayson must have felt the same. Lars knew alphas had more stamina than betas and omegas, but what Grayson had demonstrated the last two days was nothing short of impressive. He’d taken them again and again not just Sven but Lars as well. And he’d bossed them around, had ordered Sven to suck him or Lars off, or both at the same time. Sven had soaked it all up, one happy, horny omega, eager to obey the alpha’s every command.
It made sense they were all exhausted and sore. It had been a sex fest, unlike anything Lars could have imagined.
He held Sven while Grayson washed himself, and then they worked together to towel off. Sven slumped against the wall as Lars and Grayson took off all the bedsheets and replaced them with fresh ones.
It only took minutes, but by the time they were done, Lars felt like he’d run a marathon. God, he was tired. They never spoke another word as they crawled into bed, Sven in the middle, a barrier between them like he had been from the beginning. Lars was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
When he woke up what had to be many hours later, it was dark outside. He checked the clock, and to his surprise, he’d slept fourteen hours. He couldn’t remember the last time he had slept that long and that deep. He didn’t need to see if Sven and Grayson were still asleep, because he recognized by Sven’s deep breathing that he was deep under, and Grayson was softly snoring, which Lars found strangely endearing.
What was he supposed to do now? He’d been asleep only minutes before, but now he felt stupidly awake. Sometimes when he woke up, he could doze for a little or would be content to lie in bed. But now he wanted to leave. Was it because Grayson was there? Or maybe because he slept for so long and his body was tired of being inactive?
His stomach rumbled, and he smiled. There was his answer. He needed food, sustenance. And the same would be true for Grayson and Sven when they woke up.
He carefully climbed out of bed, making sure not to disturb the other two. He got dressed in the dark, feeling his way around until he’d found his shirt and shorts, not bothering with underwear. Luckily, the door didn’t make a sound when he opened and closed it. The same could not be said for the door that led into the hallway, but he doubted they would have been able to hear that.
As he walked to the kitchen, noises drifted into the hallway, and he stopped, unsure of what he had picked up. Then he heard it again. Groans, grunts, the unmistakable sounds of sex. His cheeks heated again as memories rushed back of what he had engaged in over the last two days. The pack alpha and his mates were clearly having a good time. How did that even work, one omega and three men? Judging by the increasing volume and moans that floated from their bedroom, they had no issues with the logistics.
He switched on the lights in the kitchen, a little weirded out being there by himself. He hadn’t spent much time there, too afraid of running into either his brother or Lidon. The first option had scared him because he wasn’t sure he’d be able to hold his temper, but the second option had been even more of a deterrent to even come close to the kitchen.
He’d already gotten away with disrespecting the pack alpha once, and he was damn certain it wasn’t gonna happen again. Grayson’s warning had been crystal clear. If they wanted to stay inside the pack, Lars had to learn to bite his tongue around his brother and show respect to the pack alpha. This posed a challenge, the first bit especially, but he would damn well learn.
He found a covered casserole in the fridge with a sticky note on it in Vieno’s handwriting that said it was for Grayson and his boys. He studied the note, his stomach responding to the phrasing. Grayson and his boys. Was that how Vieno saw them? How the others saw them? When had they become Grayson’s boys?
It had always been him and Sven together—aside from his brief experiments at the club—and one heat didn’t make a lick of difference. Grayson might have fucked them into next week, but that’s all it had been. Fucking. It didn’t mean anything. They didn’t mean anything to him. It had been fucking, that was all. Nothing more.
He cut off a portion of the casserole and put it on the plate, then heated it up in the microwave. A few minutes later he all but inhaled it, his stomach still grumbling. God, he was starving. He was finishing off the last bite, debating whether or not it was acceptable to lick his plate clean, when he heard footsteps coming closer. Seconds later, Grayson walked into the kitchen, his hair all messed up and his sleepy eyes looking deliciously sexy.
Lars stopped himself and his thoughts. When the hell had he started thinking of Grayson as sexy? He was, but he was a lot more than that. Annoying as fuck, for one. Bossy as hell, for another. Actually, he was a lot of things that should register way before sexy. So why did his brain decide sexy was the most important thing?
“Did you sleep well?” Grayson asked, his voice lower than usual, the deep baritone doing funny things to Lars. “How long have you been up?”
“About fourteen hours. Sleep, I mean, not how long I’ve been up. I’ve only been awake long enough to walk to the kitchen and heat up some food.”
“Good. I don’t know what it was, but it smells good. Did you make coffee by any chance? Oh wait, you don’t drink coffee, do you?”
Lars shrugged. “I don’t really care for it. Sven loves it.”
Grayson walked over to the intimidating coffee machine and filled it with water. “You should try this coffee. It’s really good. Probably the best coffee I’ve ever had.”
Silence fell, and Lars wondered if he was supposed to say something. What did he really have to talk about with Grayson? Sure, they could compare notes from the last two days, but somehow he doubted that was what the alpha had in mind. There was a look of calculation in his eyes, a look that felt as if he was still assessing Lars, was trying to read him.
“How are you feeling?” he decided to ask.
Grayson finished filling the machine and turned it on, then faced Lars. “That’s kind of a broad question, Lars. Did you want to know how I’m feeling physically, emotionally, in general?”
Lars bit his lip. What had he wanted to know? He sucked at small talk anyway, but especially with this man, who had such a weird impact on him.
Maybe he’d wanted to know how the alpha looked back on the last two days. Had this experience meant anything to him? Or was it just one more heat from another omega, an event that had left little impression on him? How did the man feel about Sven anyway? And of course—the question that was so scary Lars could hardly voice it to himself—how did Grayson feel about Lars?
He’d demonstrated an uncanny ability to read Lars in a way that nobody ever had, and he’d bossed him around in a way that had made Lars want to obey. But what did it mean? Had the man even wanted to do that, or had he obliged Lars to make sure Sven was taken care of? Because that’s who he was interested in, right? Sven. It was all about Sven.
Fuck, his head was such a mess.
He hadn’t even realized Grayson had already poured himself a cup of coffee and had sat down at the table across from him, looking at him with a kind and patient expression. “I don’t know,” Lars finally said.
“No, I don’t think you do. That’s okay, Lars.”
“What do you want from me?”
Grayson took a sip of his coffee, his eyes never leaving Lars. “You’re asking the wrong question, boy. What do you want from me?”
Lars frowned. There was that word again. “I’m not your boy.”
“Then what are you?”
Lars shook his head. He had to shoot this down because there was no way he was admitting what he felt inside and especially not to this alpha, who already had too much power over him. “I’m nothing to you. I know you think that the fact that I let you fuck me and boss me around for two days means something, but it really doesn’t. I did it for Sven.”
“Did you now?”
“I know you don’t believe me, but I did some experimenting in a club, and I know for a fact that subbing doesn’t do it for me. I’m not into pain, humiliation, or any of that shit.”
Grayson’s face was unreadable as he took another sip of his coffee. Lars hated that about him, that he couldn’t read the man. He had no idea what he was thinking. “I know.”
“You know?”
“Yes. You’re not that hard to read.”
That casual observation stung. He couldn’t understand Grayson, but Grayson had no trouble reading the emotions off his face? Or was the alpha bluffing? “If you know I’m not a sub, then why are you still calling me boy?”
Grayson slowly finished his coffee, then put the cup back on the table without a sound. He leaned back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head. “You want something else from me, Lars, but I don’t think you’re ready to accept it yet.”
What the hell was he talking about? Sure, the thought of experimenting a little more with Grayson had gone through his head, since he’d loved the sex with him…and his gentle commands. But Grayson made it sound like Lars had something specific in mind, something more than that. Even if he had, he’d never admit it. There was no way in hell he would give that much power to an alpha.
Lars crossed his arms. “I don’t want anything from you.”
Grayson slowly shook his head. “Don’t lie to me, boy. I understand that this is hard for you, but lying won’t get you anywhere.”
Lars’s eyes welled up at those words, which frustrated him even more. Why did this infuriating man affect him so much? “I’m not lying. What will it take for you to get off my case?”
Grayson chuckled. “You’re wonderfully naïve if you think I’m going to stop hounding you about this. I’m not going anywhere, so you’d better get used to it.”
“We don’t want you. We don’t need you. Why the hell can’t you just leave us alone?”
“Lars!” Sven had stepped into the kitchen, catching his last words. The shock in his voice was palpable.
Lars shoved his chair back with an angry gesture and got up. “What? Your heat is over, isn’t it? We don’t need him anymore.”
Sven looked shocked at first, then almost sad. “But…but…” He seemed to search for words. “Do you need to be rude?” he finally said, disapproval dripping from his voice, which had an unexpected layer of resolve.
Lars looked at him, hearing what Sven wasn’t saying loud and clear. Sven didn’t want to embarrass him in front of Grayson by disagreeing with him, but it was clear he had an opinion on what Lars had said. And deep down, Lars knew Sven was right, knew that he and Sven did need Grayson, even if he couldn’t understand why.
That knowledge filled him with even more resistance, but it also made him curious. So far, he’d only seen one side of Grayson, the sexy side where he bossed them around in bed. Grayson had called him out on his behavior before, but he’d never gone beyond stern words. What would the man do if Lars really pushed him? That thought made his stomach flutter. God, how he wanted to find out.
He pretended to be indifferent to Sven’s indirect criticism. “You want to kiss his ass, that’s fine with me. I’ve tolerated him for the last two days for your sake, but I’m done.”
10
Grayson could pinpoint the exact moment during Sven’s heat when he’d figured out what Lars needed from him. He’d been edging Lars again, delighting in making the boy suffer. With Sven, that was a lost cause during his heat, but he figured he could play a little with Lars, and the boy had responded so beautifully.
That second time, he’d figured Lars wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer, but he’d asked him to anyway. “Can you stave it off a little longer for me?” he’d asked. “Make me proud, boy,” he’d added, more on instinct than by a deliberate choice of words.
The result had been that Lars had set his jaw and had fought off his release until Grayson had given him permission. The look of pride on the boy’s face as he came had been a lightning bolt in Grayson’s brain.
The boy didn’t want a Dom. He needed a Daddy.
It had rushed through him, this knowledge. How he wanted to be that for him, for both of them. He’d always been a gentle Dom, never one for much pain or harsher methods. Being a Daddy Dom fitted him to a T, and he’d experimented a little more in the last hours of Sven’s heat. Both boys had responded to his every touch, command, and direction.
But apparently, Lars hadn’t figured it out. Maybe he hadn’t come across Daddy-boy relationships in the club he’d been experimenting in? It wasn’t the most obvious type of D/s relationship, especially in clubs, where the focus was often more on traditional D/s scenes and relationships. But no matter if Lars had realized what he wanted or not, his behavior was unacceptable.
Grayson had waited with interfering as long as he could, wanting to give Lars the opportunity to correct himself. It was easy to see the boy was struggling, terrified of his own needs, and despite everything, Grayson did take that seriously. Copping to your deepest desires was daunting, especially when you had a psychological resistance to them, as he suspected Lars did. He didn’t need to be a psychologist to see that Lars’s relationship with his father was complicated, to say the least, so of course Lars struggled with admitting what he wanted from Grayson—if he’d even realized it in the first place.
It was clear that Sven was reluctant to say anything to Lars, which didn’t surprise Grayson, but his between-the-lines criticism had been obvious if you knew what to listen for. And Grayson did, tuned in as he was to the communication between these two. They said a lot without ever uttering a word.
But now Grayson had waited long enough, and it was time to show Lars that he had crossed the line. Maybe it would help him see that this was what he needed. “Sit down,” he told Lars, keeping his tone mild.
“Why the hell should I listen to you?” Lars said, jamming his hands into his pockets in a defiant gesture.
Sven looked nervous, Grayson noted, maybe because he possessed a better survival instinct and saw the writing on the wall. Despite being confronted with the consequences of his behavior, Lars still had trouble letting his self-preservation instinct trump his desire to be bratty.
Grayson was all too aware that was one of the main reasons why he was attracted to him. The boy was such a challenge. There was something seriously sexy about his brattiness that pushed buttons inside Grayson he hadn’t even been aware he had. He loved it when a boy like Sven needed him and allowed him to take care of him, but he loved the chase and fight with Lars just as much. It was why the combination of these two boys was such a dangerous one for Grayson.
“I am not telling you again, Lars,” he said, his voice more authoritative.
Tension filled the kitchen as Grayson kept his eyes trained on Lars, and Sven looked from Lars to Grayson and back, pleading with his eyes for either to give in.
“Fuck you!” Lars snapped.
Grayson’s eyes shifted to Sven for a second with a silent warning of what was about to happen. He could’ve imagined it, but it felt like Sven was giving him an almost imperceptible nod. Not that he needed his permission, but it was good to know that the omega understood Grayson had little choice. He could not let Lars’s disobedience stand.
