“Me too,” I said as we laughed together. We looked down between our legs, his knot still locked into me. He tugged slightly against me, forcing a moan out of me.
“Is it still pleasurable?” he asked, looking at me curiously.
“Very much so, yes,” I laughed. “The feeling is amazing.”
He lay back down against me, holding me tight and rolling us to our sides. I sighed, leaning against his chest and enjoying his fingers running through my hair as he kissed my temple.
“You own me completely, I hope you know that,” he said, his voice quiet as if he'd just shared a secret with me.
I blinked up at him, heart hammering.
“I mean it,” Lukas whispered, eyes searching mine. “You don’t have to say anything back. I just need you to know. I love you.”
I kissed him, slow and deep, resting my forehead against his. “I love you too. I love that you keep me laughing and having fun, yet also ground me with the truth. You’re becoming just as much a part of me as I am of you.”
He pulled me close, wrapping the blankets around us as our breathing slowed—the late afternoon sun shining streams of light across the room. The lock on the knot would keep us close together for a while, which was perfectly fine with me.
***
Preston
The sizzle of the frying pan helped me keep my focus away from Ivy…with her smooth skin and soft, luscious lips. Damn it, I was thinking about her again.
Ever since Lukas disappeared with her after our little hot tub contest, I kept picturing them tangled up together. I was happy for them—really—but I couldn’t help the twist of envy that hit my gut. I wanted her again.
This part of the omega relationship was said to be the hardest. We were each getting to know Ivy on a personal and physical level, and as alphas, we were all going to naturally compete with each other. And with only one omega, there was only so much of her to go around. I wanted her all the time. And I’d made love to her already. I couldn’t imagine what Isaac was feeling at the moment.
I heard a bedroom door open upstairs. Hopefully, they were ready to rejoin us. I wanted her near me, in my sights, smelling her amazing scent. I wanted to touch her skin and rub my scent all over her. Eventually, our pack scents would start to blend after a few heats. That would help calm down these possessive urges.
I reached for the towel to grab the pan off the fryer, gripping it a little too aggressively, I’d admit.
“Mmm, dinner smells so good. Can I help with anything?” Ivy was standing at the base of the stairs, looking at me. She was wearing a cute sundress, almost as sexy as the red bikini earlier. My mind wandered to slowly peeling her dress off.
“Oh…uh…owe!” I exclaimed, accidentally brushing my hand against the hot stovetop and burning a bit of skin.
Ivy rushed over, grabbing my wrist and pulling me to the sink as she started to run cold water over the burned area.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured as she inspected the burn. “I distracted you.”
“No…yes, you are very distracting,” I chuckled softly, enjoying the touch of her hands as she cared for me. “That'll never change, though.”
“What’s going on?” Lukas appeared from around the corner.
I shot him a little glare as he smirked back at me. “Just a burn, nothing major.”
I turned back around to the stove, pulling the chicken off the burner and setting them on a plate as Ivy’s scent drifted in the air, calming me down a bit. At least she was back near me again.
Chapter nineteen
Caught in the Chase
Ivy
Another day in the books, I thought as I crossed off Tuesday on my wall calendar. Hopping on my bed, I reached for my phone, building up the courage to call my parents.
So far, they knew I wasn’t a beta, I was an omega—which kind of freaked them out.
They knew I had scent-matched with the Arco pack—also freaked them out.
