ChapterForty-Eight
Cam
“Now? Here?” I asked, my heart racing.
I still wasn’t convinced this was real. I could smell Josie’s vanilla scent, kept huffing it like I needed it to stay alive, but what if this was some sort of elaborate dream? Would I wake up in a cell? Or the back of the van?
“Yes,” she said, staring me down with a fierce confidence that took me by surprise.
“But your nest,” I argued feebly.Why the fuck am I arguing?
All I wanted was to bond my omega. This was the greatest gift I could ever imagine. But she had just gone through yet another trauma because we couldn’t protect heragain. The self-loathing that had been simmering my entire time in prison was close to boiling over. The only thing keeping me from losing my shit was feeling my mate’s bare skin on mine and seeing the love in her eyes as she looked at me.
Josie sat up, keeping the blanket wrapped around her as she straddled me. My cock twitched at the feel of her pussy against my stomach. Her scent made my mouth water, and my fingers itched to pull the blanket off her. She leaned forward and pressed her hands on either side of my face. My beard was longer than she’d ever seen, and she was momentarily distracted as she ran her fingers gently down my cheeks and jaw. I shuddered in pleasure, tightening my hold on her hips. She shook her head as if to clear it, and an expression of renewed determination crossed her face.
“I know what you’re thinking. All three of you,” she said with a scowl. Her expression was so fucking adorable. I wanted to kiss her pouty lips.
“Cam, you’re going to say you don’t deserve this because you didn’t protect me.”Well, she’s got that right.
“You,” she said, staring Theo down, “Are probably going to say something similar and that I deserve something special and romantic.” Theo ran his hand through his hair with a grimace.
“And you,” she said, turning to Ben. “Well...” her scowl turned into a smile. “You’re probably going to say it’s about time and bite me the second I ask.”
Ben burst out in laughter, pulling her in for a kiss. “You got it, precious.” Then his face turned serious. “For the record, I hate that I didn’t protect you. I keep replaying that night over and over. Just because you’re incredible and escaped and rescued us doesn’t mean I don’t wish I could have done that for you. I never want you to be in that position again.” He hesitated, his voice growing tight. “I keep having nightmares about you being ripped from my arms. I can’t handle that again.”
Josie cupped his face, pressing her forehead to his. “Me, too. It’s going to take a lot for us to recover from the past couple of weeks. During the trial, all I wanted to do was run down to the courthouse and prove to myself that you were still alive. I don’t want to wait a single moment longer to be bonded with you. I love you all so, so much. More than anything. I want to be connected with you forever. If you want that.” She spoke those last words in an almost whisper.
Fuck. I hated that she could doubt that for even a second. My fingers massaged small circles on her hips.
“I want that, baby girl. I’ve wanted to bond you from the moment you walked into that interview room. I just...”Think you deserve better.
Her eyes were soft as she ran her hand down my face, as if she knew the words I’d left unspoken. She leaned down, her hair falling in a curtain as she ran her nose across my collarbone.
“I want forever with you.”
“Forever.” My throat was hoarse as a tear fell down my face. Josie wiped it away, kissing the spot where it had been.
“Theo?” she asked hesitantly, turning towards my brother.
Theo took hold of Josie’s hand, threading his fingers through hers. “You’re the love of my life,” he said. “I can’t believe how lucky I am. Of course, I want to bond you.” He kissed the inside of Josie’s wrist, and her shoulders relaxed.
Then he looked around the barren room with a disgruntled expression. “You deserve a better room, though. You should have a nest with all your favorite things and candles, and better food than canned soup.”
Josie’s lip twitched and I couldn’t help but grin. She knew us so fucking well.
“You can get me all of that later,” she said. “But I don’t want to wait. I would bond you in the back of that van if that were my only option.”
“Our mate knows what she wants,” Ben said, giving her ass a hard squeeze that caused her to arch back with a moan. “And I think we should give it to her.”
My cock twitched, growing harder. At this rate, I wasn’t going to last long. Unable to resist any longer, I tugged on the blanket she had wrapped around her, revealing her soft, round breasts with their pretty pink nipples.
She met my gaze as I pinched her nipples lightly.
“You ready to bond me, alpha?” she asked, her eyes sparkling with happiness.
I nodded, my throat suddenly too tight with emotion to speak.
“Good,” she said. “You first.”
