Genesis’s stomach clenched and she shook herself out of her little reverie. Moments like that had been all too frequent over the last week. Moving hadn’t occupied her enough to keep her from fantasizing about Pack Rossi. Orlando had insisted on hiring movers and even handling the rental agreement and finding a tenant, leaving very little for Genesis to do but notify her contacts of her new address. That was a feat in itself, despite the relatively few people who needed to know about the move.
At work, Everett was so smug that she’d wanted to strangle him, but she couldn’t because he was also being super accommodating. Genesis didn’t have a car—she didn’t need one in the city—but Everett was perfectly fine with her only coming into the office on occasion when her schedule aligned with Orlando’s. She’d work remotely the rest of the time. The cottage even had a cute little office nook off the main living area. It was just big enough for an elegant desk, framed by built-in shelves and facing a bay window overlooking the garden. (Ridiculously, adorably whimsical.) Truthfully, Genesis could’ve been working from home for years, but she loved to write in the chaos of a shared office. She wondered how she’d adjust to working in the peaceful countryside.
Avery and Greyson had been thrilled with the news, each insisting she introduce them to Pack Rossi via videochat as soon as humanly possible. She’d notified her fathers last, only bothering to do so because she suspected her building’s security reported to them and would alert them if she just moved out. She’d written a succinct email, expecting a similar reply. Instead, she received effuse, congratulatory emails from all four of her dads, and a call from her stepmother, which she promptly ignored. They seemed unbearably delighted with her choice ofpack, obviously familiar with Pack Rossi’s reputation and net worth, and were already hinting at wanting to be introduced.
Genesis wasn’t ready for that, no matter how hard she was trying to embrace this whole “giving people a chance” thing. She did notice that thetemporarystatus of the match seemed to elude her parents. Maybe they’d assumed the short-term only applied to the person renting Genesis’s apartment.
And maybe she’d been a little vague on that point.
It wouldn’t hurt anyone for her family to believe that their wayward daughter was no longer their responsibility. Genesis chuckled darkly at how much she sounded like a regency novel character: nearly thirty, few prospects, and already a burden to her parents. This little farce was better for everyone. Win-win-win.
This way, her fathers could go on sending gifts twice a year, without the added trouble of dropping thinly veiled hints about her advancing age and unclaimed status in every birthday card. Eventually, she’d have to deal with the fallout of the lie, but that was future Genesis’s problem. Present Genesis was going to live in the moment. And at that moment, she was standing in a gorgeous cottage plucked from a romantic fantasy.
“Is it weird that they sent a car for me, and nobody was here to greet me when I arrived except a member of their staff?” she asked Avery, nibbling anxiously on her lip. “They left a really sweet card and a bouquet of blue and pink roses. The note says they’d like to have dinner together in the main house this evening.”
Genesis pointed her phone camera at the round, white oak dining table in the cottage’s eat-in kitchenette. A huge arrangement of roses and a card was set at its center, her name on the envelope in perfect calligraphy letters. It was an adorable, old-fashioned gesture and it made Genesis smile, despite her misgivings.
“Are you kidding me with the rare roses and the handwritten note? That took planning, Gen! They’re obviously excited. I think they just wanted to give you some space to get settled in.Sothoughtful. And I can’t get over how cute this place is!” Avery exclaimed as Genesis walked through her new space. Avery had demanded Genesis call as soon as she got settled, even though she was in the middle of afterschool pickup. “Oh my god look at that gorgeous light fixture and thosefloors! Ugh, we could have stuff like that if you hooligans didn’t destroy everything you touch!”
Genesis laughed, flipping the camera so that Avery could see her face. “Stop fussing at my sweet boys, Ave!”
“Thank you, Aunt Gen,” Avery’s youngest son, Noah, piped up from the back seat, trying to force his face into the camera frame. “We’re sweet little angels! Also, we aren’t at a stoplight anymore so mom shouldn’t be looking at her phone.”
“Busted!” Avery’s older son, Xavier, added from the passenger seat. “Safety first, mom. Just cause Aunt Gen has rich sugar daddies now, it doesn’t mean we can afford to get into a wreck.”
Genesis snorted a laugh as Avery’s head whipped toward her son with comical speed. “Boy, what do you know about sugar daddies?”
“Oh, lord! I’ll talk to y’all later!” Genesis shouted over the chaos of the boys talking over each other while Avery bemoaned how fast they were growing up and what they were learning from movies and video games. Genesis blew kisses and ended the call, promising to send Avery video of the rest of the cottage.
Talking to Avery and the boys always made Genesis think about what it would be like to have her own family. She knew she wanted children of her own, but she didn’t know exactly what that would look like for her. She figured that once she really got her journalism career off the ground, she’d be in a better position to take on single motherhood. Hopefully, that would allhappen sooner rather than later. This arrangement was a first step in that direction.
She did another slow circuit of the space, taking video to share with Avery and Greyson later. The cottage did feel similar to the main house, with the same white brick and black metal exterior and even its own little covered porch. Nestled as it was in a copse of trees, though, it was far more whimsical, as Gabriel had promised. Already, early spring flowers were blooming in the surrounding trees and bushes, giving the whole setup a fairytale vibe.
Genesis loved it already. She read a lot growing up—and still did—mostly fantasy and, later, romance. Her favorites were comforting, trope-filled stories that were like warm fuzzy blankets—safe and familiar with a guaranteed happily ever after. (And, no, the irony of her aversion to relationships and her preference for cheesy romance novels wasn’t lost on her.)
The little cottage was straight out of a romantasy novel. Inside, there was an open concept living room and kitchen with a half bathroom and a laundry room behind sliding barn doors off the main space. The loft above held a large bedroom, full bathroom, and closet that had already been filled with her clothes by some overzealous staff member. It was more than enough space for Genesis.
She wondered how much time she’d actually spend in it.
If she was being honest, Genesis hadn’t thought much about the cottage this week. It had been thoughts of Orlando’s caramel voice, Gabriel’s gentle touch, and the way Luke had devoured her with his midnight eyes that filled her head by day and tormented her at night, making her squirm and seek relief from her hands or her toys. Their scents had clung to her clothes for days, making her feel relaxed and wild in turns.
Genesis was under no illusions about their effect on her. She knew that there was nothing unique about their scents—that their impact was just because she hadn’t been around eligible unbonded alphas much. Her intense attraction to Pack Rossi was simply the result of biology and opportunity. Still, Genesis had every intention of enjoying the physical side of this arrangement for as long as she could, as often as she could. She was here to have her needs taken care of, and dammit she was going to embrace that shit.
A little thrill shot through her belly at the thought of seeing them again in just a few hours. Her pulse quickened, warmth climbing her neck and flushing her cheeks. She’d never been this horny in her life. Genesis had had sex before—perfectly adequate occasional sex with a few lovely betas. It was fun. But she’d never had an alpha before, had never been rutted and knotted.
Gensis swallowed against a whine.Jesus, woman, get a grip. This was day one, for god’s sake. It wasn’t like they were going to fuck her on the dinner table after the dessert course.
Why had she thought that? Now, she’d spend dinner imagining herself spread out on the table with Orlando’s face between her legs, Gabriel’s mouth on her breasts, and Luke’s cock in her mouth.
God, she was in trouble.
Dinner time arrived far too soon, though the minutes had seemed to drag when Genesis tried to work to distract herself. She spent longer than usual getting dressed but still ended up with plenty of time to spare. Figuring she could spend the extra minutes finding her way around inside the mansion, Genesis prepared to leave the cottage. After checking her appearance a final time, she opened the door.
And almost stepped on a chicken.
Both Genesis and the chicken squawked in surprise, and Genesis jumped about a mile before realizing the ball of black feathers wasn’t an actual threat. Or so she thought. Laughing, she started to step outside, when the chicken decided to run into the cottage instead.
“No! Bad chicken!” Genesis exclaimed, hurrying after it and attempting to shoo it back out the door. “I am already semi-cohabitating with three people. I’m not looking for another roommate.”
