“Yeah.” He’s already scanning the crowd, looking for an exit strategy. “We should get out of here before the crowds start to leave.”
I glance at Willa, who’s watching Beau with that soft expression that makes my chest tight. Her scent is happy but tinged with exhaustion—all the noise and stimulation wearing on her Omega. She’s been low energy for a couple of weeks now, and it’s starting to worry me.
“Come on,” I say, taking her hand. “Let’s get out of here.”
“What about Beau?” She looks up at me, concerned.
“He knows where we’ll be.”
I stand and pull her up, giving a sharp tug that brings her straight into my chest and sends a rich, honeyed cloud of her scent around me. I’ll never get tired of this.
Charlie’s already moving, using his size and Alpha-ness to clear a path through the crowd. We follow him down a side corridor, away from the main chaos, until we find the blessedly empty service hallway near the competitors’ entrance.
“Perfect, no one’s around,” Charlie says, checking the exit door. “Once Beau gets here, we can slip out and hopefully avoid the buckle bunnies and reporters that are definitely hunting for him.”
Willa sags against the wall with a relieved sigh, and I move closer. I’ve been wanting to kiss her all night.
The second we’re alone, the tension I’ve been holding all night releases. We did it. Beau fucking did it. National Champion. Again.
With a growl, I lean into her and run my nose up the column of her neck, drinking in her sweet Omega scent.
“Jake,” Willa starts, but I’m already pulling her against me.
I kiss her—hard and deep and full of all the emotion I’ve been holding back all day.
She melts into me with a soft sound that goes straight to my cock. Her hands fist in my shirt, pulling me closer, and her scent spikes, thickening until all I can taste is buttercups and vanilla like thick custard on my tongue. I pour everything into the kiss. Every “thank God he’s safe,” every “we did it,” every “I love you so fucking much.”
Even after almost three months of living together, of having her in our bed every night, she still drives me insane. If anything, it’s gotten worse. She’s been insatiable, the bond making every touch electric, every kiss addictive.
I reach down and palm her thigh, dragging her knee up to hook over my hip and press into her. I’m hard as fuck, and ifBeau doesn’t get here soon, I’ll be finding a closet to fuck her in. I press into her again, and she moans as she arches her hips, pressing her core into me.
Her fingers slide up into my hair, tugging, and I growl again, deeper this time. Possessive. The sound makes her whimper, and I feel the exact moment her arousal floods her system.
Slick. I can smell it, thick and sweet, calling to every Alpha instinct I have.
When I finally pull back, we’re both breathing hard. Her pupils are blown wide, her lips swollen and red, and her scent is pure want.
“Jake,” she breathes, and the need in her voice makes my cock throb.
Charlie inhales sharply beside us, catching her scent. “Jesus, Willa. Why do you have to smell so good?”
“Sorry,” she gasps, but then she’s turning to him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Maybe you need some, too?”
Before Charlie can respond, she’s pulling him down by his shirt and kissing him just as thoroughly as she kissed me. His surprised grunt quickly turns into a growl, and his hands come down to palm her ass, pressing her into him as he takes over the kiss.
I watch for only a second before I can’t help myself. I step up behind her, pressing my body against her back, sandwiching her between us. My lips find her neck, right over her scent gland, and I feel her shiver between us.
She whimpers into Charlie’s mouth, her body arching back into me even as she presses forward against him. The scent of her arousal intensifies, and I growl against her throat—a possessive rumble that makes her go pliant between us.
My own arousal spikes at the sight and feel of her trapped between us. The way Charlie’s scent goes dark and possessive. The way Willa makes that same needy sound against his mouth.The way she fits so perfectly between our bodies, like she was made for this.
Yep, going to need to find a closet.
“There you are,” Beau says, striding toward us. “Thought you’d abandoned me to the vultures.”
Willa turns her head to look at him, her face flushed and her breathing uneven. “You’re here.”
“I’m here.” Beau’s grin is wicked as he takes in the scene—Willa pressed between Charlie and me, all of us clearly affected. “Having fun without me?”
