Knot Your Damn Omega (Slate City Omegaverse)

“What?”

I flushed bright red and Eva laughed.

“No, I’m sorry, say it again?”

“Does it happen with your guys? It doesn’t hit me the same way it does you, obviously. But I know they smell good. And last night—I just… their scents always make me crave things. Rylan smells like strawberry jam and lemonade, and I feel like whenever I’m around them, fucking any of them, I just want to taste the scent. More than the scent, it’s them. Is it like that for you? I got a craving like if I didn’t have the taste of him, if you know what I mean, then I was going to lose it. I didn’t think it was normal.”

Eva nodded, picking up a French fry and eating it. “Yes. Yes, it is like that. And it is normal, from what I’ve gathered. But only with scent-sympathetic packs. Cravings and all. Dylan smells like chocolate, and that takes all forms. And yes, he tastes like chocolate. He’s very happy about that for… reasons.”

I snorted. “Yeah, because no one knows what that means.”

“It’s totally normal,” she said. “Even Liam. He smells floral, and not exactly traditionally edible. But that doesn’t mean I don’t crave the taste of him every day. And the others too. My knees had bruises the first couple of weeks we were together.”

Another blush rushed over me. “Okay, I’m not that bad.”

“You would be if you let yourself,” Eva said. “Trust me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you’re doing the smarter thing and taking it slow. We didn’t. The second we met, we were fucking, and we didn’t stop. Jasmine had to move my schedule around because I couldn’t leave them. It’s better now. But still get these cravings that can’t be stopped. It’s part of being an Omega with your pack.”

Anxiety shivered under my skin. I hadn’t had all of that yet. The craving yes with Rylan, and it had been the first time outside heat, but the frenzy? No. Maybe the frenzy had been replaced by the heat? Did that mean something was wrong?

“Stop it,” Eva said, leaning across the table and covering my hand with hers. “You will have that. But for you, I think it will be after you bond. Because you need to know things are one-hundred percent. No going back.”

“Am I so obvious?”

“May-may, you say that like it’s a bad thing. After the shit everyone’s put you through, I’d much rather you be careful and take your time than get hurt.”

I bit my lip, unable to stop the question. “Do you think I am going to get hurt?”

She shrugged. “Anything can happen. Do I think they’re out to hurt you? No. Not at all. And I think they’re good for you. But you’re the only one who knows it all. As soon as you choose, I’ll be either cheering for you or helping you through it.”

That didn’t exactly calm all the anxiety in my chest, but she was right. This was my call, my choice, and I was going at my speed. Eva had always been the ‘faster’ of the two of us. She dove headlong into things without thinking about it, while I tended to take my time. Neither was wrong, it was simply who we were.

“Well, at least I’m not losing my mind with the craving. Out of nowhere it just smacked me in the face.”

“And how’d that go?”

I took a long sip of the chocolate milkshake in front of me. “Good.” Amazing. Spectacular. Mind-blowing. I was looking forward to both more cravings and more showers.

Rylan took me from behind, and being caught between the cold, slick tile and the heat of his body was delicious torment.

Eva smirked at me. “Why do I feel like ‘good’ isn’t an accurate description?”

“Smart-ass.”

She grinned, but then paused. “Have you talked to Mom?”

“No. I haven’t listened to any of the voicemails, and I haven’t called her. I don’t want the lecture. It’s a picture, and I’m not a public figure. Has it caused any problems for you?”

Eva snorted in a way her publicist would murder her for. “No. And it won’t. Things are different than they used to be. Oh, before I forget. I’m planning a session with Ben for a tattoo consultation since we never got to do it. Are you okay with that?”

“Yeah, of course. I hate that you have to ask.”

“I don’t. Even if we know something, it always feels better to know. If you were doing something with the guys and didn’t tell me, I wouldn’t worry, but I’d also feel weird if I didn’t know.”

She had a point.

“Though you would feel their shock through the bond.”

Eva grinned. “True.”

I tamped down the jealousy I had. Bonding sounded… incredible. Some day I would feel it too.

Her phone chimed, and she sighed. “Okay. I have to go. I’ll be out of town for a week, but you can call me. Try not to kill Mom while I’m gone, okay?”

“That’s not the plan.”

She laughed and stood, pulling me into a hug. Eva always smelled like familiar comfort. Roses and coffee. If there was anything I could count on, it was that we’d always be all right.

“Don’t work too hard.”

“Oh, I am going to,” she said with a grin. “The harder I work, the faster I can get back here to fulfill those cravings. Now you understand them.”

She waved and left the diner where we were eating. Her security peeled away with her, leaving Wes behind. I lifted my scent bracelet to my nose and chills ran across my skin. The blend of all of them had my hair standing on end.

It was getting later. Dinner with Eva was last minute before she left to go on location. By the time I’d woken up in Rylan’s bed, he was kissing me goodbye, and I hadn’t seen any of the other guys in what felt like forever.

I didn’t have Wes make any stops, and I didn’t talk. All the courting and dates and lunches, it wasn’t the norm for me, and I was tired. I could probably use a few days simply to sleep, but I didn’t want to do that either. Not when there were more fun things I could do.

“Bye, Wes. Thanks.”

There were no photographers, and it had been a nice change. Ben’s word had spread, and he texted me telling me his friend Jason had gone a step further and banned all press from the club without prior permission. That must have scared them, because I hadn’t even heard the quiet click of stealth photographs the last few days. It was amazing.

I opened the door with my thumbprint and sighed. The scent of the mansion was a comfortable blend of the pack and my own scent, and I was getting used to it now. It was comforting, like coming home. A thought which was both incredible and terrifying at the same time.

With a start, I realized I had started thinking of this as home. When I went to my house, I thought of it as going to the studio and not going home. And when I was there, it felt like my workspace and not where I lived. Not anymore.

I shouldn’t be scared anymore. None of these men—my men—had given me a second’s pause about wanting me or courting me. As far as they were concerned, even with the short amount of time, I was already pack though we hadn’t officially talked about it. Still, the permanence of it was terrifying even with the way I longed for the bonding and true acceptance of a pack.

“Hello?”

There weren’t the normal telltale signs of life in the house. I didn’t hear anything. No TV, no cooking, not even the faint sounds of video games from the basement. It was… eerily silent.

Then I saw the nerf gun on the console table beneath my painting, and a piece of paper with it.

Esme—

Come and find us. We’re hiding everywhere. Every bullet which hits is a minute of shooter’s choice. You know what we mean.

You hit us? We’re out.

If anyone lands three hits on you, they win the next date.

Go.

Oh, shit.

I looked at the gun they’d given me. It was loaded with six sticky darts, so I assumed they had the same ones.

Dropping my bag on the floor, I picked up mine. Five vs. one was hardly fair, but did I want it to be fair? Still, they were going to be surprised.

One of my father’s favorite things when Eva and I were little was laser tag. And I won every single time. Granted, that was on a closed course I had memorized. A house this size had any number of hiding places. So I need to clear it methodically.

I peeked into the living room, and didn’t see anything immediately. But there was still behind the couch. The darts were loaded, and I turned sharply into the line of fire behind the couches.

No one. The living room was clear. It didn’t mean they couldn’t move in there, but for now I had a safe zone.

The kitchen was clear too. They didn’t want to hide anywhere too obvious. There were too many places upstairs for me to do yet. I went down instead toward the pool and the game room.

A tiny creak gave it away. Below me, as soon as I turned on the landing. Clever. But I was ready.

I moved, spinning into view, ducking and firing at the same time Rylan jumped out and sent a dart flying toward me. His went over my head, and mine hit him in the chest.

“Damn, woman.”

Smirking, I let him lift me down the remaining steps and kiss me. “You guys chose the wrong game. Meet Esme Williams, laser tag champion and expert marksman.”

“Sure about that?”

“Wha—”

The sound of a dart firing cut me off, and the soft impact landed in the middle of my back.

I glared at Rylan. “You traitor.”

“I’m out,” he shrugged innocently. “Can’t help it if I want to help my pack score.”

Turning, I found Kade with his gun raised. “All is fair in love and darts. I’m going to win, baby.”

“So confident.”

Rylan only released me when Kade was there, hauling me against him. “I am. And now I have sixty seconds to do whatever I want to you.”

“Okay.”

His mouth came down on mine, hard and quick. “And for my first sixty seconds, I want you to talk to me. Don’t stop talking. Tell me about what you want when I chase you.”

“When?”

A slow, rumbling purr. “When, princess. Talk.”

“I don’t even know,” I said quickly. Kade kept me pressed against his body and there was no escape. “But when you’re near me, sometimes I feel like prey, and I want that. I want the adrenaline and the chase. And I want you to—”

“Hold you down?” He finished the sentence for me.

“Yes.” We both remembered the moment I begged for it in the heat.

“Is there anywhere I can’t fuck you?”

I shook my head. “No. I just don’t want pain.”

Kade’s eyes flashed. “If I’m chasing you and holding you down, there might be some pain. But I’m not going to do it on purpose. Believe me, hurting you isn’t the goal.”

“What’s the goal?” I bit my lip.

“Catching you,” he said with a smirk. “And then making you scream like you are in pain. But it’s all pleasure.”

Releasing me, he took a step back. “Better go hunting. I can’t hit you again for five minutes.”

I looked behind him inside the game room, but there wasn’t anywhere to hide. The gym was equally open. The pool and sauna looked empty, but you couldn’t be too careful. The sauna was clear, but it didn’t feel right.

The sliding door to outside caught me off-guard. Avery was already firing, and I fired on instinct, nearly losing my balance and falling into the pool.

“I hit you,” I said. “You’re out.”

“I am. But my dart hit first, so I’m taking my sixty seconds.” He pulled me down onto one of the chaise lounges around the pool, rearranging me across his lap, face down. Like he was going to—

“Hey!”

Avery yanked down my pants to bare my ass, and the sound of his purr and the stroking fingers over my skin instantly settled me. “You can say no, baby girl. You can always say no. Understand?”

“I understand.” And I thought about it. But he smoothed over my skin again and my traitorous body arched into his hand.

The last time Avery spanked me it had taken me by surprise, and it had also been one of the hardest orgasms of my life. It wasn’t the kind of pain I was talking about when I told them I didn’t like it. The sting was gone so quickly, and in its place was heat I couldn’t get enough of.

It wasn’t even about the sensation of the spanking—it was everything that came with it.

I didn’t tell him no. His hand came down on my ass, one cheek and then the other. “Guess I get to punish you for getting caught.” The smile was obvious in his voice, as was the arousal beneath me where I was sprawled over his lap.

The sound of his hand echoed loudly in the room, and it felt like an eternity instead of sixty seconds. How were we even counting those seconds? But when he pulled my pants back over my ass it burned with warmth, and I was wetter than if I’d actually fallen in the pool.

“Better find the rest of them.”

“Any hints?”

I needed to take more of them out if I was actually going to survive the evening. Because I already knew they were going to tease me until I couldn’t take it.

“Nope.”

Of course not.

I glanced into the game room on my way out. They would all be upstairs now.

Another dart hit me in the back, and I turned to find Kade. “That was just sloppy, baby. You didn’t even check your corners.”

Pressing my lips together, I glared at him. “Five on one is a little unfair, don’t you think?”

He just smiled. “Not at all. Better get used to it. Because we all have the same goal, and it’s not going to change.”

“What goal?”

“Hands on the pool table, Omega.”

“What’s the goal?”

Kade stepped close behind me, scent washing over me in a wave. All darkness and heat. “Hands on the table. I’ll tell you the goal when I’m finished with you.”

My whole body shook under the power in his voice. I placed my gun on the pool table and spread my hands out flat.

One of Kade’s arms snaked around me, hand sliding up to circle my throat. The other dove into the danger zone, into my pants and underwear, finding me soaked. “You’re going to count out our minute,” he said. “If you stop, I stop.”

“Stop what? Ooh.”

He slid his middle finger inside me, the heel of his palm over my clit. I was already aroused enough, it wouldn’t take me long to reach where I wanted to go. But sixty seconds?

“Count, Omega.”

He moved his hand, and I gasped. “One, two, three, four,” it wasn’t easy to keep my voice and counting steady when he was moving, circling his palm over my clit and brushing against my G-spot because his fingers were long enough to reach.

The hand around my throat wasn’t doing anything but keeping me still, but I was still aware of it. Frozen where he’d placed me, under his word. It would be so much more when he chased me, whenever that happened.

“Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, fuck.” I stopped to breathe, and he stopped moving instantly. My whine came out, and he just laughed. “You stop, I stop, baby. Keep counting.”

I did, my words slurring a little as I tried to remember where I was and also soak in the feeling of his fingers teasing me. He could take me all the way there.

“Forty. Please, Kade. Forty-one.”

He didn’t move any faster or harder, keeping the same delicious, maddening rhythm. I was rocking into his hand, trying to make it to the peak which was just out of reach. “Fifty-nine, sixty,” I gasped the words, and he stopped, pulling his hand out of my jeans and releasing me.

“No, wait.”

“Those are the rules,” Kade said, licking me from his fingers. “We only get a minute. If I break the rules and keep going, I’m not likely to stop. How is that fair to the others?”

The smirk on his face told me he knew exactly how frustrated my body was, and was loving it. “Not fair to my orgasm,” I muttered. “What’s the goal?”

“To make you scream. Obviously.”

Risking rolling my eyes at the feral Alpha, I turned and left the room before I jumped him, grabbing the dart gun on the way. No more surprises on the stairs, and I heard both Avery and Rylan talking in the kitchen. That must out of bounds.

Making my steps as quiet as possible, I kept going up the stairs, skipping the second floor entirely. Ben gave himself away. The tip of his shoe was visible behind the open door. That counted, right?

I took aim and landed a perfect shot, the dart sticking to the top of his sneaker.

“Fuck,” he said with a laugh. “You got me.”

“Three down, two to go.”

He kissed me on the forehead as he passed, and a gentle glow of happiness gathered in my chest. There was no animosity or anger that I’d taken him out early. Just enjoyment of the game.

Kade was somewhere below me. That I knew, but Luke? He was a mystery. I had no idea where he would hide.

In the end, it was easy to find him. He was in his bedroom, across from mine in the front, sitting on his couch. The dart gun sat beside him untouched, and he was sketching on a pad. I raised my gun and shot him in the chest before he could make a move.

Luke smiled, and his voice was filled with over the top emotion. “Oh, no. You got me! I’m so sad about it.”

“You didn’t want to play?”

“On the contrary, sweetheart. I love this game, and next time I’m determined to win.”

I raised an eyebrow and sat down beside him, looking at the stylistic swallow he was designing. “But?”

“But I already have my plans for you, and I know someone else wanted to win more this time.”

That had me intrigued. “What are your plans for me?”

“I’m going to feed you, maybe give you a massage so you’re as relaxed as possible, and then you and I are going to play and we’ll see how far down the control rabbit hole you want to go.”

I shivered. “And you didn’t want to win so you could do that?”

“I made a deal not to.”

“What kind of deal?”

Setting aside the sketchpad, he tugged me closer by the shirt and kissed me. “You’re too trusting, sweetheart. I’m the bait.”

I jumped back, but he already had a hold on me, pulling me down onto his lap and spinning me to face the door where Kade stepped in, a grin on his face. “Told you I would win.”

The last dart hit me in the stomach, but Luke didn’t let me go, holding me fast. “Isn’t making a deal to win cheating?”

“That depends,” Kade said. “There weren’t any rules against it.”

I struggled in Luke’s arms, only getting a chuckle and a kiss on the back of my neck. Finally, I stopped trying to pull away. It was clear he wasn’t going to let me go yet. “I would like to be consulted on the rules next time.”

“That can happen,” Kade said, kneeling in front of me and Luke. “But next time.”

“I lied just a little, Esme,” Luke said. “We’re going to start right now.”

My stomach flipped, every part of my body standing up and paying attention. “What are we doing?”

“Kade is going to claim his prize, and you’re going to be a good girl and let him.”

Kade’s hands were already at the waistband of my pants, tugging them down, and not stopping until they were gone. My thong followed, and Luke widened his legs so I was entirely on display. He still held me fast.

“Luke.”

“Shh. Close your eyes, sweetheart.”

I obeyed, moaning as Kade’s tongue met my skin. The arousal he’d teased me with before raced back to the surface in full force.

Strong hands on my thighs, pushing them further apart, and the scratch of his beard as he ate my pussy for his prize.

“Mmm.” The sound nearly made me come. My hips jerked toward him, and he pushed my legs back. “Remind me Luke, not to go so long between meals.”

“Noted.”

He hadn’t tasted me since the heat. It hadn’t been that long. Kade licked into me, curling his tongue inside me and sealing his mouth over me to suck.

“Don’t hold back, Esme,” Luke said. “We’re not edging you now.”

My eyes still closed, I released the breathless tension in my body, and fell into bliss. The climax shattered through me faster than the next dart could hit me, and I moaned. It was one of those deep orgasms that shook you inside and out, pulling you down and holding you close.

When I opened my eyes, Kade was licking his lips and my chest was heaving. “You both planned it?”

“Sort of. Didn’t know it would happen like that, but we knew it would happen.” Luke released me slowly. “Hope you don’t mind.”

How could I mind when they made me feel like this? And Kade…

I looked at him, and his already dark eyes looked nearly black. “You’re mine, baby. Tomorrow night.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Our Saturday.”

The studio was open on weekends, since most people didn’t have time during the week to get tattoos. They closed on Tuesday and Wednesday instead.

“What do I need to do?”

“Wear clothes you don’t mind getting ruined,” he said. “And be ready. That’s all.”

My heart skipped a beat. I would be ready. That was for damn sure.

Leaving them to get dressed again, I loved how settled I felt. How easy and right it had been to play games with them. I was ready. Not just for the chase, for everything.

And deep down, I felt like I’d been ready my entire life for this.