Tiny sparkling lights lined the edges and wove up into the ceiling. The whole room had an air of cozy softness. Even the sounds outside seemed muffled.
“And there,” Dylan pointed, “we added a door to this bathroom. You know, in case we have to wrestle you in there to get you clean.”
My face flamed, and they all laughed before Dylan tugged me against his chest. “I’m teasing you. I hope you know that.”
“I do.”
If there was anything more to their jokes, I wouldn’t be here with them, scent-sympathy or not. That was the thing people didn’t—orcouldn’t—tell you about finding a match. It was more than blind devotion. Yes, every piece of you knew the truth and who these people were. But there was still a choice. I could walk away if I needed to, even if it would be the hardest thing I’d ever done. But learning about them and their families, their favorite foods, their favorite songs, listening to them write music, and justtalkingshowed me I’d never have to.
“What do you think?” Tyler asked.
I turned my face, leaning my head on Dylan’s shoulder where he held me. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
One of our first disagreements was who would pay for this nest. I wanted to, but they wouldn’t hear of it. In the end we compromised. They paid for the nest, and I paid for the security upgrades to the penthouse.
Which I made happen as soon as possible. My security had been with me so long they were practically family. But just like family, you didn’t want them hanging out in your living room all the time.
And security staying beyond the heat had little to do with my Alphas, especially after even deeper background checks were done. It was more for the sheer amount of attention we were getting now that the world had found out. Photographers would do almost anything to get the newest, juiciest shot.
Everyone knew after the photos outside of Aurelia’s, but we posted it ourselves after a fun little photoshoot that ended up with a lot of photographs we couldneversend to the press.
But we were all by ourselves in the penthouse now, and it was glorious.
“The real question,” Jack said, “is whether you want to christen it now or wait until your next heat.”
“What if we christen ittonight?” I pretended to be shocked when Jack stole me and lifted me to perch my knees on his hips. His fingers flexed where he held me, massaging my ass. He was playing dirty.
“Why not right now?”
“Because we just ordered so much Italian food that even five of us can’t eat it all, and it would be a shame for that to go to waste.”
“Nothing says we can’t eat after we fuck you, princess.” He squeezed my ass again, and I couldn’t help but kiss him.
“Later,” I promised. “After I’m in a carb coma and all snuggly, and want to nest, you have permission to bring me back in here and fuck me.”
“I’m holding you to that.”
I clung to him as he took me back to the living room and sat on the couch with me. “You say that as if you’ll have to convince me.”
“I don’t know.” His mouth slid up into a smile. “Sounds like you need some convincing if you want pasta more than my cock.”
“I want pastabeforeyour cock. There’s a difference.”
Jack stroked his hands up my spine, purring, and I relaxed against him. We all had these moments. Where silence made us remember the impossibility of all of it, and how lucky we were.
It didn’t seem real, that I could just be here wrapped up in them like it had always been this way and not eight short weeks.
“We actually did have something else we wanted to talk to you about.” Liam sat down next to us on the couch.
“Mm?” Jack’s purr was relaxing me enough that I could probably do a nap, then pasta,thencock. “What about?”
“Next month,” Jack whispered.
My stomach tightened. We’d successfully avoided talking about my next shoot. The movie was a summer beach film, so it couldn’t be filmed here. And the shoot was scheduled for six weeks. Before I met them it felt like nothing. But now, being away from them that long was almost unbearable.
I knew we would make it work, but I didn’t like the twisting anxiety and dread in my stomach.
“That’s why we want to talk about it,” Tyler said. “Because your scent changes to that. We’re going to be okay, baby.”
