“You don’t get it,” I tell him, my gaze darting around the faded, cramped interior. “This old hand-me-down trailer is the only place I own. You don’t know what that’s like, because you get to live wherever you want. But this isme. This is it. The only place whereIhold the keys. And if Rosie really does sell the farm…”
Otley shoots me a sharp, questioning glance, and I suddenly lose the energy to explain. Theydon’tunderstand. This trailer was the only place I could escape to for my heat, but it’s also a symbol of how little control I have over my life. I’m not homeless, but I live in Rosie’s house. I never went away to college or rented a room with friends. Maybe Logan will want Leo and I to move in with him, but how is that different from living under Rosie’s roof?
“You need keys,” Otley says abruptly. “To this house, and all our others.”
“I’m not trying to move in with you, Otley…”
“Why not?” Ellis asks, striding over and reaching out to cup my face. Even in his costume, his eyes glow with earnestness. “We want you with us, Lily. All of us do. I can’t tell you how bad it would be if you walked away again…”
Theagainmakes my chest hurt and Otley casts Ellis a warning glance. “That’s Lily’s choice,” he tells him, settling a hand on his shoulder. “But it’s not what we want. And if you want us to buy the farm…”
I rock back against the counter; a strangled sound pushed from my chest. “You can’t do that!”
“Why not?” Otley lowers his voice, but the intensity of his gaze doesn’t soften a bit. “If it makes you feel safe, I’ll buy the whole damn town.”
I snort a laugh, because when alphas make claims like this in the books we read, everyone swoons. But this time it’s completely insane. I complain about not having my own place, and Otley wants to hand me the keys to Knotty Falls. “Maybe just start with Lexington’s,” I tease. “Tristan said you promised there’d be one opening here soon.”
A sliver of amusement glints behind his glasses. “You can have all the restaurants you want. Just make me a list, and I’ll start calling their CEOs.”
I snort at the offer, but Ellis shuffles closer, his scent wrapping around me like a caress. “Lily, we hear you, and we want to help any way we can. But just to be transparent, it’s really hard discussing this when I can smell your vibrator under the seat cushions.”
“Oh, my God!” I gape at him, but I can’t stop my gaze from snapping to the little drawer under the L-shaped couch. “You cannot!”
He gives me a rueful look. “I could probably point to every inch of this van where you were naked while you touched yourself.”
“Ellis!” I whine, even as I feel a needy throb in my panties. “That’s insane!”
“It’s the truth,” Otley says, his nostrils flaring. “The air throbs with your scent.” He nods further down the camper at the small twin bed. “That’s your nest, isn’t it?”
I whimper as Ellis’ head snaps that way and their combined arousal wafts over my skin. They study the little alcove like it’s some kind of oasis in the desert and they haven’t had a drop of water in days. I could tell them it’s the furthest thing from that; the mattress is lumpy and the damp soaks through the walls inwinter. But they’re already moving towards the bed, and I realize I’m helpless not to follow.
“Fuck,” Ellis groans, dragging off his elf lord wig and leaning against the wall. “I’m hard as a goddamn rock.”
“Can we sit down?” Otley asks, his throat thick with gravel. “Just for a moment? Will you let us in your nest, omega?”
I nod, because there’s nothing I want more in the world right now. Everything else falls away as I breathe in our mingling scents. My honeyed perfume is all around us, but now it’s sharpening under the deluge of alpha pheromones. Caramel and cloves seep off Ellis; sweet but with the promise of spice. Black cherries and autumn leaves swirl around Otley; dark and rich like a decadent dessert. And while the focus of their fascination is me, at this moment, I barely know myself. I’m not a friend, a mother, or even a mate. I can feel Logan’s presence through our bond, and while it’s a comforting hum, it’s hard to focus on with the tension in the trailer. Every instinct is tuned to my scent matches as they crowd close, drawing me down between them.
“Beautiful omega,” Ellis purrs, sweeping my hair aside so he can kiss the column of my neck. His tongue laps at the sensitive flesh before he sucks hungrily on my ear lobe. I moan, my head falling back, and he turns my chin his way so he can lick his way into my mouth. “You taste so perfect, Lily,” he hums, drawing back to look at the other alpha. “Ot, tell me she’s not everything you remember and more.”
“More.” The word is a chest-deep rumble, and I feel the vibration between my thighs, which are already growing damp with slick. I whimper, clutching the soft denim of his shirt, and his hand slides into my hair, his eyes burning into mine. “Will you let us worship you, Lily?”
Sitting between them, their hands brushing over my skin, it’s hard not to get a sense of déjà vu. The last time we were together like this was during my heat. I’d never experienced the attentionof two alphas at once, but even when I was deep in my haze, I could tell them apart. Ellis was all passion and fire, while Otley’s hunger was a deeper, more controlling beast. His gaze never left my body, his intensity wrapping around us even when I was mindlessly riding Ellis’ knot.
That same unwavering focus now makes my heart thud as his hand comes to rest on my left breast. He presses just hard enough to feel my pulse battering my veins, my breath coming in tight, short gasps. All the signs of a panic attack, but as Ellis runs his fingers down my spine, my back arches in invitation. I want more, so much more, and Otley responds by sliding his other hand under my shirt. His gaze never leaves mine as he eases the soft cotton over my ribs, drawing it up and over my head. I shiver, thinking forlornly of my uninspiring underwear, but Ellis groans against my neck, his hands sliding over the trembling skin of my stomach. Otley’s eyes are a smoky silver as he ducks his head and wraps his lips around my left breast, sucking on the tender peak.
The sound that leaves my mouth should be illegal.
But I’m too far gone to care. They’re kissing and stroking me, Ellis soft and worshipful while Otley’s touches are firmer and more demanding. I remember this with blinding clarity; the push and pull of their desires, weaving together until I was a shuddering, mewling mess.
Coordinated pleasure from my scent matches shoulddefinitelybe illegal.
But just as Otley starts to ease me back on the narrow bed, a knock sounds on the trailer’s door. I jerk away, Otley rising to his feet and Ellis flicking a blanket over my exposed chest. Tension hums off them, but we all relax as Tristan pokes his head inside.
Until I catch the concern gleaming in his hazel eyes.
“Guys? Lily? Um, sorry to interrupt, but we have a real problem....”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE – OTLEY
