Page 27 of Craving Their Omega

“Please be seated,” the officiant says, gesturing to the gathered crowd of people. He smiles and begins the service.

If I’m being honest, I don’t hear a lot of it. My heartbeat is very loud in my head, and I can’t take my eyes off my future husbands. He talks about togetherness and forming a pack that’s stronger than the four of us could be on our own. It’s a nice thought. But I know that’s not always how it works out.

He looks to me, and I snap out of my reverie, focusing again.

“Do you Penelope Dalton, take these men to be your husbands? To stand with them when times are hard? To offer your support when they need it? To keep their confidence and add to their bounty?”

It’s funny that those are the vows he’s going with. Because those are definitely vows of a pack, to stand with each other and be each other’s support. But this isn’t real. The only support Xavier, Tristan, and Dominic need from me is to make them seem more functional for their board and investors. And to keep the secret of it all, I guess.

On the outside, to anyone who doesn’t know what’s going on, this probably seems like a very sweet moment. Like something beautiful and real.

But to me it all feels forced. Artificial. I can make the vows, the way I know I’m supposed to, but it doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t make it more true.

Still, I force a smile and nod. “I do.”

He asks the same question to each of the men in turn and they all reply with their ‘I do’s. Xavier is still smiling, Dominic looks determined, and Tristan looks… like Tristan. Unflappable.

“I now pronounce you husbands and wife,” the officiant says. “You may kiss your bride.”

My heart leaps into my throat again. We talked about this, about how it’s necessary to do this part to really sell the whole thing, but that doesn’t make me any more ready for it right now.

I look at them, tall, gorgeous, imposing in their own ways, and I’m unsure how to even start. Which one do I kiss first? Tristan has made it more than clear that he doesn’t even want to be here, and Dominic is not the sort of person you just kiss with no warning. Xavier seems like a safe bet, but even still, I don’t know how to?—

My racing thoughts are cut off by Dominic moving, making the choice for me. He steps closer and wraps an arm around my waist. I can feel the heat of him through our clothes, and this close his smell slams into me like a ton of bricks.

It’s intense the way it always is, dark chocolate and blackberry, but there’s something else there too, that hint of spice that entices me as he leans in. Our lips meet, and it’s like an explosion of heat all through my body. He kisses the way he does everything else, with complete control, taking over and guiding my lips against his. It’s impossible not to surrender to it, and I’m only glad I avoid making any little sounds in the process. That would be embarrassing.

It probably only lasts for a few seconds, but when he pulls away, my head is spinning as if it lasted much longer.

When he steps back, Tristan takes his place.

I stare up at him, completely unsure of how this is going to play out. I’m honestly shocked he didn’t want to go last, considering how he clearly doesn’t want to touch me.

But he does touch me. Lightly, hesitantly, but he still does it. He puts a hand on my shoulder and dips his head, pausing just inches from my mouth before he closes the distance.

It’s a restrained kiss, like he’s holding back everything from it, just putting his lips on mine and putting as little of himself in it as possible, but all the same, I’m caught. His scent is also overwhelming, cinnamon, espresso, and toasted nuts washing over me and flooding my senses. My hand comes up in a motion to hold on to him, but I catch myself halfway through.

I don’t think he’d appreciate that.

Then there’s Xavier. He grins widely as he comes to take his place in front of me. He cups my cheek with a warm hand, and I almost lean into the touch. Almost.

If he notices, he doesn’t say anything, and it doesn’t stop him from bending down to kiss me.

Each of them kisses differently, each of them with their own unique scent and way of touching me. Each one builds on each other, from one to the next, and I feel dizzy by the time Xavier’s mouth is on mine.

Dominic and Tristan kept their kisses short, but Xavier?

He doesn’t seem to be in any hurry at all.

Chapter 11

Penelope

Xavier kisses like it’s a conversation.

His lips coax mine into moving against them, pressing closer and then retreating, leaving me to kiss back in answer. His sharp mint scent is refreshing, a break in the intensity of the other two, even though it’s just as powerful. My head spins, and when Xavier finally draws back, I need a second to get myself together.

I blink, looking at the three of them in turn, my lips still tingling from those kisses.

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