Page 26 of The Honor of Being Hers
He growled into her mouth.Not playfully.
Tyler’s breath came shallow beside them, his hand finding her back.William’s fingers trailed up her calf, possessive and warm.
The kiss deepened, turned hot and filthy, Lauren chasing the friction she wasn’t ready to admit aloud.Ryan pulled back once, panting, and bit her lip.“You keep doing that,” he said, “I’m going to lose my fucking mind.”
“Then all of you better hold on,” she said, looking between the three of them, noting how each was breathing hard, how their eyes had gone dark with want.“Because I’m not ready.But I’m getting there.”
They didn’t go further.Even though everyone knew they could have, and it was only a matter of time.
When she finally stood to gather their belongings, hair windblown, skin flushed, and lips still tingling, no one said anything.
The way they looked at her said enough.She was theirs, and she was beginning to want all that came with it.
12
It began as a hum beneath her skin, barely there at first, a soft thrum in her chest and the back of her knees, more warmth than an actual need.The fabric of her shirt—soft cotton that had felt comfortable this morning—now felt rougher than usual against her nipples, each thread a distinct sensation.She found herself shifting restlessly, seeking friction she couldn’t quite name, her body hyperaware of every texture, every breath of air.Lauren had been lying across the long couch in the den, half-draped across Ryan’s lap with Tyler curled against her legs and William sitting on the floor just below, one hand slowly working over her calf.The air in the room was quiet.Safe.She hadn’t planned to move.
She’d stopped checking the suppressant schedule three days ago.Not because she’d given up, but because the calendar no longer felt relevant.Every day was soaked in their touch.Every hour carried their scent.William’s hand at the small of her back as she passed through doorways.Tyler’s mouth brushing her throat at breakfast.Ryan’s weight behind her when she fell asleep, his chest to her spine, his breath warming the curve of her neck.She’d let them in, into her space, her rhythms, her body.
And now her body was responding.
It didn’t crash down all at once.Her heat didn’t arrive like a tidal wave, like it did years ago.
It crept in.
Her skin prickled, hypersensitive to every brush of air, every texture.The soft leather of the couch felt like electricity against her bare arms, and even the gentle circulation of air from the ceiling fan made her shiver.Her mouth dried.Her thighs pressed together, chasing a friction that came sharp and urgent, then dulled again to a simmer that left her aching and empty.The couch cushions beneath her felt too soft, too warm, like they were holding her body’s heat and reflecting it.
Ryan noticed first.Of course, he did.His hand had been resting lightly over her ribs, and when she shifted, pressing her ass back into his lap with a little more pressure than she meant to, he hissed in a breath and curled his fingers more firmly around her waist.
“Lauren,” he said, quietly and low.
She didn’t answer.Couldn’t.She was breathing too hard.
Tyler was already lifting her legs, easing her into a sitting position.She hadn’t realized how much she was shaking until his hands steadied her.The tremors weren’t fear, they were want, pure and undiluted, making her nerve endings sing with anticipation.
“You’re going into heat,” he murmured.
“No.”She shook her head, but the word sounded unconvinced.“That shouldn’t be for another few weeks.”
William knelt in front of her, hands gentle but unflinching as he took her face in his palms and looked directly into her eyes.“Your body disagrees.”
“I took my dose.”
“You’ve been wrapped around three scent-sympathetic Alphas for a week,” Tyler said, softer now.“Your system’s responding.The suppressants can’t hold that back indefinitely.”
Lauren’s mouth opened, then closed again.Her throat was tight, dry, and she could taste the sweetness of her own arousal in the air—wild honey and night-blooming jasmine growing stronger by the minute.Her nipples were already hard beneath her shirt, painfully so, peaks that rubbed against the cotton with every breath.She could feel heat blooming between her legs, leaving her slippery, raw, and demanding.Her body was already preparing itself for what it had been craving.
“I don’t want to stop,” she whispered.Her voice came out breathier than intended, and she could taste her own arousal in the air, sweet and sharp and unmistakably hers.
“You don’t have to,” William said.“But we’re going to do this slowly.On your terms.Only what you’re comfortable with.”
Ryan was already peeling off his shirt behind her, moving to the floor with an ease that made her want to climb him.She didn’t realize she’d reached for him until Tyler caught her wrist and pulled it gently back.
“Breathe,” he said.“Let us take care of you.”
The whine that escaped her caused all three of them to start purring in reassurance.
“It’s alright, sweetheart,” Ryan said as he bent to pick her up.“We’ll take care of you.”
