“Mark me up, pretty girl,” he whispers, and I grin, leaning into him fully. I bunch the back of his shirt up in my hands as I move onto my tippy toes so I can press my head under his chin. Releasing my scent, I mark him as a groan rumbles in his chest.
“So we’re baking pies, and I’m your prisoner?” I ask as I step away from him, glancing around the kitchen.
Try to be yourself. Pretend they’re just your really sexy good friends that you also want to fuck, but settle for some healthy ogling and fantasies.
“Yep. I’m sure Stella made it clear she wanted you to stay here on Wednesday night anyway, and we figured since you’ll be here most of the week after that, an extra few days and nights together would help you relax around us,” Benson says as he turns back around and opens a massive bag of flour.
“Yes, she made that very clear, even though I told her I didn’t want to intrude on you and your family for the holiday.” I chuckle, shaking my head. I tried to tell her I would just spend Thursday at my apartment, but she freaked out.
“Oh no, you will not! Sable and her mates will be here with Kai and his mother. You must be losing your marbles if you think you’re going to spend the holiday alone! Because that's the only explanation for you thinking I would willingly leave you out. Pfft. Nonsense.”
She really laid into me for even suggesting that I’d be okay alone… a mistake I’ll be avoiding in the future.“What kind of friend do you think I am, Plum?”When she mumbled those words, sounding sad and offended all at once, I felt guilty as hell.“Plus I’m the bride, so whatever I say goes, right?”Of course, when I tried to tell her that it only applied to wedding-related events, she went silent until I conceded. That’s just Stella.
“And I’m sure she completely ignored that.” Nick snorts, very well aware of the kind of omega his sister is. Stella is the baby of the family and the only girl to three older brothers whoadore her. Sometimes that really shows. She’s a little spoiled and typically gets what she wants. However, she’s got a heart of gold and loves with her entire being. She’s kind and generous. Fierce and stubborn. She’s honestly one of the best people I know. She reminds me a lot of the older alpha who is now peeling the apples so they can be sliced.
“Who raised her that way?” I accuse, lifting a brow at the man responsible. Nick blushes and returns to his task of peeling, making Benson and me both laugh.
“I did not raise her to be pushy and stubborn,” he argues, making Benson scoff.
“No, you just raised her to take no shit from anyone and to do what it takes to get what she wants.” The younger alpha shakes his head.
“I was trying to prevent her from turning out like Mom,” Nick grumbles defensively, and the vibe in the room shifts from playful to somber in a second.
“I think you did a pretty amazing job,” I tell him honestly, stepping up beside him and resting my hand on his bicep. His grumbly-grumpy exterior melts, and he sighs. “Stella is one of the most incredible women I’ve ever known. Strong, independent, and caring.” I smile. “She’s also very stubborn and doesn’t like to be told no,” I tease, shrugging one shoulder. “Two things can be true.”
“Yeah. Like the fact that you’re a grumpy asshole all the time but also a big softy for the omegas in your life,” Benson adds, pointing a measuring cup full of flour at his older brother before dumping it in its mixing bowl.
“See, big grump and big softy,” I say as I grab an apple and start peeling it with a small knife from the knife block on the counter, standing in front of one of the cutting boards they put out.
“We have peelers,” Nick grunts, carefully taking the knife from me and handing me the peeler he was using instead. “Stressful omega.”
“Anyway. Public dates where too much PDA is considered rude, particularly in the middle of a coffee shop at seven in the morning, clearly wasn’t a great idea. So we thought spending seventy or so hours alone together should help more than anything else could,” Benson says after a long stretch of silence.
“I didn’t realize how stiff I was around you two until last night. And then today at the event I felt so awkward because I felt like I fucked up last night and didn’t know how to fix it.” I sigh. “You two are being amazing, honestly. I’m getting all of the boyfriend perks, and you haven’t gotten any girlfriend perks.”
“Eh, says who? I’m a simple man. I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve gotten to spend with you. I care about you, Plum,” Benson says as he takes over the apple slicing for his brother, since Nick wasn’t doing it correctly, apparently.
“We agreed to help you; with or without girlfriend perks, it doesn’t matter. We’re here,” Nick adds, smiling at me as he pulls a stack of pie pans out of a cabinet.
“Well, so far it’s been without,” I grumble as I start chopping the peeled apples into quarters and removing the cores.
“Which is why we’re going to do something we haven’t done yet tonight,” Benson says.
“Okay.” I swallow, hoping they don’t see the blush coloring my cheeks. All kinds of ideas are running through my head about what they might be planning. Nick’s words while we were upstairs come to mind.
“We need to do something to break up the awkward tension. Something that will help you be more physical with us in a way that feels right,” Benson explains.
My hands start to shake as the adrenaline courses through me, and I try really hard to focus on my task. Benson had alreadyfinished slicing his fifth apple. He’s really fast, and it’s honestly impressive.
“What are you suggesting?” My voice trembles when I speak, making me blush.
“Games.” The younger alpha shrugs, and I glance over at Nick as he measures out smaller portions of the crust dough before putting them in plastic wrap.
“You mean like truth or dare?” I ask.
“Yeah, sure. Or we could play board games. Or strip poker.” He winks at me, grinning. “I was thinking we could start with two truths and a lie while we’re prepping though.”
“How does that one work?”
