Not that it was emotionally tense. Evan turned the volume on the TV down so that they could chat, and Camelia found herself settling a little further into his side after she finished her burger. She rested her head against his shoulder, and the soft chuckle that he let out as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder made her stomach do a little flip. Especially when she reached out and linked hers and James' hand together, closing their trio completely.
It was...nice. More than nice. So much more than she thought it would be, going into this entire arrangement.
So much more than she wanted to admit to herself.
James' thumb stroked the back of his hand as he settled further into the couch, and Camelia noticed when Evan gently reached over and grabbed the back of his shirt to pull James closer. James' cheeks pinked a little at the gesture, but he moved closer regardless. His and Evan's shoulders practically touched, and their presence on either side of Camelia was impossible to ignore.
Warm. Masculine.Hers.
"Camelia." Evan's voice was soft when he spoke sometime later, and Camelia barely had the energy to hum her acknowledgement. James hadn't released her hand since she had linked them, and the comfort that she felt between the two men had lulled her into a state of near-comatose contentment.
It was almost enough to distract her from the low, constant throbbing between her legs.
"Camelia. Baby. Sit up. We need to talk to you." Evan's voice was still soft and soothing, but when he gently nudged Camelia to sit up properly and James scooted a little to give her more room, the apprehension that she had been feeling when they had come up to the house doused her again, turning her cold.
She blinked, shaking the mental cobwebs off before turning to face Evan fully. The TV show they had been watching continued in the background as she met his blue gaze, and James' warmth against her back gave her some measure of comfort as she swallowed, willing her voice not to shake. "What about?"
His eyes searched her face for a moment, though there was no judgment in his eyes. "James texted me about what happened today."
Camelia's stomach flipped, but James' lips pressed against her ear before she could do more than take in a small breath. "About Max," he murmured. "The way that he accosted you."
Evan's hand cupped Camelia's chin, pulling her attention back to him. His thumb stroked gently along her jawline, his eyes hardening a little as he looked at her. "He had no right."
Camelia trembled a little, biting the inside of her cheek at the intensity of Evan's voice. "I...I wasn't trying..."
"We know, sweetheart," James murmured, cutting her off before she could apologize.
"We're not upset with you, baby," Evan said. Camelia turned her gaze back to him, and his expression softened a little as he dragged his thumb along her lower lip. "We just need to talk about how we're going to operate moving forward."
Sparks buzzed under Camelia's skin at his touch, and she swallowed, ignoring the arousal that throbbed between her legs. "What do you mean? I thought...Isn't the plan to just, kind of, laylow? To not draw any attention to myself, I mean. Just until the school year is over."
James' hand landed on the top of her thigh, stroking gently as he chuckled, his voice a little strained. "I think that ship has sailed, sweetheart. You draw attention without even trying."
Evan's grip on her chin tightened, and Camelia couldn't look away as his blue eyes darkened a little. She couldn't tell if it was from anger or arousal, but the heat that laced his voice when he spoke did away with any doubts. "You're a fucking flame for any Alpha who has a sense of smell, baby. It's not acceptable or an excuse, but..." He paused, swallowing hard before speaking again, his voice a little thick. "You're impossible to resist."
The memory of how Evan had lost every ounce of control when he had scented her that morning made Camelia's cheeks burn hot, and she couldn't stop her thighs from spreading a little when James' hand slid further up her leg. "I...I can't stop..."
"And you're going to be having a hard time soon too, aren't you?" Evan interrupted, furrowing his brow a little. "How long before your next heat? A week, maybe two?"
James interjected before Camelia could answer, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear. "How long before your pussy consumes every thought you have, sweetheart?" His voice was rough, and Camelia couldn't stop herself from whimpering at the sound of it. Her pussy clenched, proving him right, but she pressed her lips tightly together, refusing to respond.
A spark of dark amusement lit in Evan's eyes, but the rest of his expression remained deadly serious. "The closer you get to your heat, the more attention you're going to draw, baby. We promised to protect you. We need a better plan than hoping that every Alpha on campus is suddenly going to ignore their instincts and not try to pounce on you while you're vulnerable."
Camelia narrowed her eyes, a hint of irritation making her snap, "You think that I can't defend myself against some asshole who can't take no for an answer?"
James released her leg, wrapping his arm around her waist and pressing his face against her neck. Even the puff of breath against her skin was erotic, despite the heaviness of the conversation, and Camelia gritted her teeth against another whimper. "We're worried that you wouldn't be able to say no at all, Camelia," he said softly. "That you wouldn't be capable of it."
Any protest that Camelia might have come up with died in her throat at his words, soft and jabbing directly at the unhealed wound that she had spent months steadfastly ignoring. Evan's expression was firm but sympathetic, and his grip on her face softened as his other hand joined the first. The thought of what had happened that day, the way that she had frozen in the face of another Alpha with the right voice and scent andwords...
Evan closed his eyes, as if he knew the turmoil that wracked her entire being, and he let out a low growl as he leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. His thumbs stroked her cheeks tenderly, and Camelia's stomach twisted at the tension that radiated off his body. When he spoke, his voice rasped, tight. "The idea of someone else...some asshole putting their hands on you..."
James pressed his lips to the side of Camelia's neck, his arm tightening around her waist. "You're ours, sweetheart," he growled.
Evan captured her mouth in a hard, hot kiss before Camelia could respond, and she moaned softly as her lips parted for Evan's tongue. He kissed her possessively, pouring every ounce of pent-up tension into the meeting of their lips and tongues, and his grip on her face tightened as James released her waist again. James' hand slid between her legs, pressing her thighswider and tearing a low whine from her when his fingers pressed firmly against her clit.
Evan growled against her mouth, breathing raggedly when he broke the kiss. "Fuck," he breathed, his voice shaking slightly.
It was the closest that Camelia had ever seen Evan to truly losing control, to losing his temper, and her instincts didn't like it. Her fingers wrapped tightly in his shirt, and she groaned softly as James' fingers continued to press and tease and manipulate between her legs. "Evan...Please...don't be upset..."
