Josie fell asleep with Cam’s knot still inside her. He held her to his chest with reverence as he swiped his finger across her new bond mark.
Ben and I had made space for them to have their moment—at least, as much space as we could give them in this too-small bed—but now we both squished back around them.
“Are you sure this isn’t a dream?” Cam asked quietly, looking at us with bewilderment in his eyes.
“If you had been awake during the drive, you wouldn’t be so confused. No one else drives like that,” Ben whispered with silent laughter. “I thought we were going to die in that van.”
“Don’t tell her that. You’ll make her upset,” I said quickly, but I couldn’t stop my wide grin.
“How does the bond feel?” Ben asked, pressing a soft kiss on Josie’s arm. She sighed in her sleep.
“Incredible. Fuck, she loves so hard. I can feel how much she loves all three of us.”
Cam sounded as emotional as I’d ever heard him. He cupped the back of Josie’s neck with one hand, the other firmly planted on her ass. A piece of hair had fallen in his face and he twitched, trying to move it without letting go of Josie. I smiled and brushed it off his face. Cam leaned into my touch and the tenderness of it broke my heart open.
“I missed you both so much,” I said, a lump in my throat. Part of me felt the old urge to conceal my feelings, but life was too short and I knew they would never reject me for being vulnerable.
“Me too,” Cam said gruffly.
Ben sniffed and we both looked at him. He looked like he was on the verge of tears again. Cam shifted slowly, moving one of his arms from Josie and putting it around Ben’s shoulders, bringing him close. I reached my arm across the three of them, wishing it was long enough to gather them all up close to me.
We lay together like that in silence. I started to doze off when Cam spoke.
“Are we really going to let her come on this mission with us?”
Ben and I looked at each other and burst into stifled laughter.
“I was wondering when you would break,” Ben said.
“Lasted longer than I expected,” I added, wiping tears of laughter from my eyes.
Cam scowled. “So you’re okay with it?”
“Are you going to tell her no? Leave her here while we go?” Ben asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Never leaving her again,” Cam said fiercely as he tightened his grip across Josie’s back.
Josie’s face was turned towards me and I saw the twitch of a smile on her lips, telling me she was awake. I brushed a gentle kiss on her cheek.
“She’s more than capable of coming with us,” I said, even though it made me anxious to think about her in danger. But I had learned my lesson about trusting my mate—if she wanted to come, I wasn’t going to underestimate her. “Fuck, she could probably take down the government single-handedly. And we’ll all be together and protect each other.”
Cam grumbled, but I could feel how fucking happy he was through the bond, and I know Josie could, too. He shifted and she let out a little whimper as his knot loosened and slipped from her. I was mesmerized as their combined fluids poured onto the sheets. It was so fucking hot.
“How’re you doing, baby girl?” Cam murmured, pressing a soft kiss to her temple.
“So good,” she said, shifting so she could lick Cam’s bond mark. His sharp intake of breath told me how good it felt, and I felt a small tendril of jealousy. I wanted to be that connected with her.
Josie’s stomach rumbled and she blushed, curling in on herself. I tilted her chin towards me and gave her a gentle kiss. I hated that she felt embarrassed by her body’s needs. I fucking loved her curves and couldn’t stand thinking of her being denied food or feeling too stressed to eat.
“I think I saw pancake mix in the pantry,” Ben said. “Let me make us some.” He leaned over Josie and planted kisses all down her spine and then one on each butt cheek before getting up. She wriggled her ass and I cupped it with my hand, squeezing it hard.
“You don’t have to make me anything,” she said as Ben headed into the kitchen.
“I’m hungry, too,” I said. It was the truth, and I knew it would make Josie more comfortable.
“There’s clothes in the storage room. What do you all want? There are gray and black sweatpants here and t-shirts,” Ben called out.
“Gray sweatpants,” I shouted back, making Josie giggle.
“That’s the correct choice, right?” I asked, tightening my grip on her ass.
“Only if you want to entice me,” she responded cheekily.
“I want gray sweatpants, too,” Cam blurted out.
“I guess we should get up,” Josie said, sitting up with a pout. “And clean up?” she said, but it sounded like a question.
Cam reached up to cup her breasts, rolling his thumb over her nipples. Josie whimpered as she leaned into his touch.
“Don’t clean up,” he growled.
I smirked, knowing Cam wanted his scent on her and, based on Josie’s smile, she didn’t want to get rid of it, either.
Ben walked back with an armful of clothes. He had on sweatpants but no shirt, and Josie eyed his chest hungrily. I pulled on a pair of sweatpants but skipped the t-shirt for now. I wanted my mate to look at me like that, too.
Josie snagged the t-shirt, though, and put it on. It came down to her upper thigh, and I knew we were all torn between her staying warm and wanting to stare at her bare skin.
We stayed in bed until the smell of pancakes reached us. Cam carried Josie to the kitchen table, and another surge of jealousy went through me. Then she reached out to brush the hair out of my face and the jealous beast was soothed.
She jumped a little as Ben set a large plate of pancakes down on the table with a huff, his irritation finding me in the bond.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, reaching out to grab Ben’s hand. He immediately softened.
“Nothing,” he responded, placing a couple of pancakes on her plate.
Josie raised her eyebrow at me and I shrugged. She took a bite of the pancake and her eyes widened. “Woah, these taste just like…”
“Don’t say it,” Ben bit out, angrily putting a stack of pancakes on his plate.
“Don’t talk to her like that,” Cam growled, lifting Josie and putting her on his lap. She rolled her eyes.
“Sorry,” Ben said, his cheeks reddening. “It’s just… how the actual fuck do these taste identical to the pancakes at Wildflower Cafe?”
Josie bit her lip to keep from laughing, and I realized what the problem was. Ben had been trying to recreate these pancakes for close to a year.
“You cracked the recipe?” I asked, grabbing some for myself.
“I used a mix!” Ben fumed as he took a bite of food. “The box says Value Bargain Discount Company’s Pancake Mix. What kind of brand name is that, anyway? Those words all mean the same thing. Here I was, whipping egg whites and using vanilla bean paste and organic buttermilk when they were using a freaking box mix all along?”
Josie covered her mouth to stop her laughter, and Cam buried his face in her hair for the same reason.
“We’ll offer even better pancakes at our bakery, yeah?” Josie said with a grin after she’d gotten her laughter under control. She leaned across the table to grab Ben’s hand.
“You want to move forward with the bakery plans, then?” Cam asked as he played with Josie’s hair.
“Yeah,” Josie responded happily. But Ben looked between Cam and me with hesitation in his eyes.
“I think it’s a great idea,” I said, smiling at him.
“Of course, it is,” Cam said. “You two will be great. I’ll miss working with you, though,” he said to Ben.
Ben relaxed back in his chair, his relief palpable through the bond. “I’ll miss it, too.”
“I thought I could try to take some college classes if that’s, you know, an option after all of this,” Josie said softly, looking down at the table.
Cam gripped her chin, shifting her in his lap so she was looking at him.
“We’ll make it happen. And you’ll be great at it.”
Josie smiled, and she and Ben started talking more about their plans. I would miss working with him, but I wasn’t sure what our company would even look like after all of this.
I glanced over at the fire that had now died down. It was warm in the cabin right now, but I wanted to make sure we had enough wood for tonight. I slipped outside while the others were clearing the dishes and tried to not feel jealous that Josie would probably go ahead and bond Ben.
I found stacks of firewood covered by a tarp at the back of the cabin. Before I could grab any, I heard footsteps and turned, immediately on the defensive. I sighed in relief when I saw Josie bounding towards me. She didn’t slow as she got closer, jumping into my arms. I caught her, one arm around her waist and the other under her ass.
“Hey, love,” I said, tightening my hold on her. I cupped her ass and groaned when I realized her t-shirt had ridden up. “You okay? You should be inside where it’s warm.”
“You were taking too long. I missed you,” she said, pulling me in for a kiss. I dipped my tongue in her mouth, tasting her sweetness as she ran her fingers down the thick stubble covering my jaw.
“I’ve been gone thirty seconds,” I said dryly, although I was secretly pleased by her words… by her missing me.
“Never seen you with a beard,” she said between kisses.
“I need to shave. Unless you like it this way?” I’d always preferred being clean-shaven, but I would keep it if she wanted me to.
“I like you all the ways,” she said, her voice sultry as she rubbed her core against my hard-on.
“How’s your thigh?” I choked out. I loved having her legs wrapped around me, but I was worried it was hurting her.
“Weirdly, it feels much better,” she responded.
“Huh,” I mused, my mind spinning.
“What?”
“Well, I read a research paper that proposed that alpha semen can have healing properties for omegas.”
Josie’s mouth fell open. “You’re shitting me.”
I grinned. “I never joke about peer-reviewed journal articles.”
She snorted. “That sounds like total alphahole propaganda, except that my leg isn’t even hurting now and it’s been painful for days.”
I squeezed her tighter, hating that she’d been in pain, that she’d been shot. Fuck, what if the bullet had hit an artery or organ? She could have been taken from us so easily.
“You have that stressed, grumpy alpha look,” Josie said, poking my cheek. “I’m fine, and I’m going to be even better once you give me that magical semen of yours.”
“Have I said how much I missed you?” I asked with a laugh. “Should we go inside?”
She shook her head. “I want you to bond me right now.”
“Here?” I asked, looking at the dingy cabin exterior, woodpile, and rusty tools littering the ground.
“Yes, right here. I don’t want to wait. Besides, I read in a book that bonding outside leads to a stronger bond. It connects to our primal urges as alphas and omegas.”
I stared at my mate, brow furrowed. “That’s not true.”
She shrugged, grinning. “Won’t know until we try.”
“Why out here, angel?” It felt like this was important to her, but I didn’t understand why.
“Because I need you to understand that I love you just for you. I know you wanted our bonding to be fancy and romantic, and I love that you want to give me that. But I don’t need that. I just need you.” She brushed her hand through my hair and I purred. Her touch, her words, just… her. She was everything.
Maybe my desire to have things meet some elusive romance standard was tied to my belief that I wasn’t good enough, just as I was.
“How do you know me better than I know myself?” I asked, looking deep into her green eyes.
“Because I see you, Theo,” she murmured. “My sweet, tender, steady alpha. Make me yours.”
She gripped me as though she were afraid I would disappear. I wanted to rip off her t-shirt to see her fully, but I refused to let go of her for even a second. Instead, I tightened my hold and shifted so her back was pressed against the cabin.
“I’ve been yours before the universe ever dreamed of us,” I murmured.
“I love you,” she breathed, pulling me in for a kiss and letting out a small whine.
The sound went straight through me—I could feel how fast my heart was beating as I thrust my hardness against her soft stomach. Her slick drenched the front of my sweatpants and I fucking loved it. My body’s reaction to her was instinctual, but our connection was so much more than that. She held my whole being. Everything I was belonged to her.
“You’re so goddamn perfect,” I groaned. “You’re going to give me exactly what I want, aren’t you, love?”
“Yes, yes,” she gasped, reaching down to free my cock from the sweatpants.
I shuddered at the touch of her fingers down my length. I pressed my face into the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent. I was overcome with emotion at the feel of her skin against mine. I never thought I’d get to experience this again.
“I thought of you every single waking moment. I thought I would lose my mind being locked away like that, and it just confirmed what a fighter you are for surviving that for so long. The bravest, most courageous, strongest person I know,” I murmured into her ear.
“Even though Glen told me you were dead, I think part of me knew you had to be alive. I heard your voice in my head. It was like I could still feel your love, even though we were separated.”
My heart was filled to bursting as she notched my cock at her entrance and I slowly pushed in. Our eyes were locked together, and I watched her pupils dilate as her breath skated across my skin. She gripped the back of my head, holding me to her.
The feel of her was better than anything in my memory. She was here, vibrant and looking at me like I was the most important thing in the world to her right now.
She pushed her hips against mine, signaling that I should move. I shifted her up in my arms to get better leverage as I thrust into her.
“Fuck, fuck. That piercing. Ohmygod.”
I grinned. “Does that feel good, love? You’re so fucking beautiful. Look at you taking my cock so well. I could watch you stretched around me all fucking day.”
“Need your knot,” she gasped.
I ground my knot against her clit until her slick dripped down her thighs. She was practically sobbing now, flexing her legs to pull me deeper. I finally obliged, pulling out almost all the way before thrusting in, pushing my swollen knot firmly inside. She screamed as she came, her pussy pulsing around me. I looked down at where we were joined, seeing how obscenely she was spread.
“I want us to bond at the same time,” I gritted out, leaving out that I’d read multiple papers that suggested simultaneous bonding led to euphoric orgasms.
She met my gaze and nodded, running her hand down my jaw before nuzzling at my neck. She pressed her lips down on my collarbone, her tongue licking at my skin. I lifted her hand to my mouth, and we both bit down.
There was a flash of pain, but then my orgasm swept over me, so intense my legs almost buckled and I had to press my hand to the side of the cabin to keep my balance. Her pussy squeezed my cock harder than I could have imagined. It was fucking bliss.
And then I felt her in my very soul.
She was brightness and life as she wrapped around my anxieties and insecurities. I’d read so many first-hand accounts of what it was like to be bonded, but no words would ever be enough to capture this experience.
“I love you,” she whispered, tears streaming down her face. I leaned in and kissed them away.
“More than anything,” I said, hugging her to me.
I thrust my knot into her again, rocking with a gentle rhythm until we both came again. We were both panting, our skin hot and flushed in the cool air.
“Oh god, your arms must be getting tired,” Josie said, and I could feel her embarrassment and concern through the bond. I pushed as much love and affection back at her as I could, and I knew she could feel it when her eyes widened and she giggled.
“They’re not tired at all,” I said, bouncing her up and down.
She squealed, clinging to me.
“Must be your magical slick giving me energy,” I mused, half joking but also wondering if there was some truth to it. I shouldn’t feel this strong and energized after weeks in a jail cell. “But we should get inside, anyway.” I didn’t want to risk her getting cold, and I was giddy to show off my bond mark to my brothers.
I carried her back to the front of the cabin, but every step I took pressed her against my knot, building our pleasure. Her eyes were shut tight as she clung to me, her soft whimpers filling my ear. I pushed the door open and then had to grip the doorframe as we both came again.
“That’s one way to make an entrance,” Ben said, eyes filled with mirth as he clasped me on the shoulder. “Also, how come Theo gets to knot you outside?” he added with feigned indignation. Josie grinned as I gently maneuvered us into the bed.
“The no knotting in the pool rule stands,” she said with a snort. “But I guess some outside locations are acceptable.”
“Noted,” Ben said with a grin, lying down on her other side.
I glanced at him, wondering if he was feeling left out or impatient. But he met my gaze with a soft, blissed-out smile as he ran a gentle hand down our mate’s back. I caught his hand in mine and squeezed it.
Cam came over with two glasses of water, which Josie and I awkwardly drank in our attached position. Cam lay down on my other side and leaned in to kiss Josie on the cheek. She held out her hand proudly, showing it off to the two of them. I quickly captured it and pressed the bond mark to my mouth, licking and sucking it. I wanted to make sure it healed well.
Josie licked the bite on my collarbone as she fully relaxed on top of me.
“Let me know if I get too heavy,” she murmured sleepily.
I just grabbed her ass and squeezed tightly in response. Everything about our bonding had been perfect, and it finally clicked for me that our relationship wasn’t about me being able to craft the perfect plan with the perfect items. It just mattered that we were together. Once Ben and Josie bonded, we would complete as a pack.
