Page 89 of Heat Island
She dissolves into sobs, the martini glass trembling in her hands.
“She is plastered.” Trinity tries and fails to help Holly to her feet. “Kyren? Do you have any idea what she’s talking about?”
“Never seen her before in my life,” I say loudly, aware of Matheo, Cash and Lucas standing a few feet behind me. I take a step closer, lowering my voice enough that only Trinity can hear me over the thumping bass. “She an omega?”
“No, beta. Why?” As soon as she asks the question, Trinity’s eyes widen in shock before she glances behind me. Her voice lowers. “You couldn’t know her from that. There’s no way.”
Except I’m pretty sure I do remember the petite, Asian omega who kept trying to take study breaks in the middle of her heat. Cute, but very much not my type.
But why is she hiding her designation?
More importantly, how do I keep her from spilling the beans on both of us while she’s too drunk for her mouth to have a filter?
I step forward and sweep Holly up into my arms before she can say another word. She squeaks in surprise, themartini glass tumbling from her hands and shattering on the floor with a crash that barely registers over the club’s pounding music.
“Shhh, hey now,” I murmur, shifting her weight so she’s cradled against my chest. Her tears soak into my shirt as she buries her face against my shoulder. “You’re okay. Just had a little too much to drink, that’s all.”
Holly’s sobs quiet to hiccups as I rock her slightly, the way I might comfort a distressed child. There’s something about being held that seems to calm her down immediately—probably her omega nature responding to alpha comfort, even if she’s hiding her designation for whatever reason.
“See?” I say to Trinity over Holly’s head, keeping my voice light and casual. “Just drunk and confused. Happens to the best of us.”
Trinity watches me with those sharp hazel eyes, and I practically see the wheels turning in her head. She knows something’s off, but she can’t quite put her finger on what. Behind her, Matheo and Cash exchange glances, both looking concerned about this unexpected complication. Lucas just watches me too closely, expression unreadable.
Holly mumbles something incoherent against my chest, her words slurred beyond recognition. Perfect. The last thing I need is her drunkenly spilling details about our previous encounter to the entire group.
“Time to get everyone back to the resort,” I announce, adjusting my grip on Holly as she grows heavier in my arms. “This one’s about ready to pass out, and from the looks of it, the Mahoney sisters aren’t far behind.”
Trinity nods slowly. “You’re right. It’s been a long night.”
As we make our way toward the exit, Holly’s breathing evens out and her body relaxes completely against mine. Bythe time we reach the cars, she’s fast asleep, looking innocent and peaceful despite the mascara streaks on her cheeks.
I just hope she doesn’t remember much about tonight when she wakes up tomorrow.
THIRTY-TWO
TRINITY
I waketo a sensation that pulls me from the depths of sleep, a warm, insistent pressure between my thighs. My eyes flutter open, the room still cloaked in the soft gray of early morning, and I realize Matheo’s head is nestled there, his breath hot against my skin. A low moan escapes my lips as his tongue flicks over me with deliberate precision, sending a jolt of pleasure through my core.
“Did you know you slick up in your sleep?” His voice rumbles against me, deep and rough with morning grit. He lifts his head just enough to meet my gaze, dark brown eyes glinting with mischief and want. “Couldn’t resist waking you like this.”
Before I can form a response, he dips back down, his mouth resuming its wicked dance, and my head falls against the pillow, fingers curling into the sheets. My body arches instinctively, every nerve igniting under his touch. I turn my head to the side, breath hitching, and find Kyren right there, closer than I expected, his green eyes fixed on me with an intensity that steals what little air I have left.
This time, he doesn’t pull away. He’s within reach, theheat of him radiating across the short distance. I stretch out a trembling hand, fingertips brushing the rough stubble along his cheek. His skin is warm, grounding, and he leans into the touch just slightly, a silent permission that sends a thrill through me.
“Trinity,” Lucas’s voice cuts through the haze, soft but carrying a weight that draws my attention. He’s on my other side, propped up on an elbow, blue eyes searching mine as Cash hovers behind him, gray gaze steady and intense. “Do you want this? All of us? You can have us, right now, if that’s what you’re craving.”
My heart stumbles over itself at his words. Does he mean just for this moment, tangled in sheets and desire, or something more—something permanent, bound by more than contracts and charades? The question hovers on the tip of my tongue, sharp and heavy, but I swallow it down. I’m too afraid of the answer, too raw from the vulnerability of wanting them like this. Instead, I let myself sink into the fantasy, the pretense that we’re real, that we’re bonded, that this isn’t just a fleeting game.
I nod, a small, desperate motion, and Kyren moves closer, his hand sliding into my hair as he tilts my face toward him. His lips brush mine, gentle at first, a contrast to the storm Matheo’s building lower down. The kiss deepens slowly, his mouth tasting of hesitation and hunger, and I melt into it, letting it anchor me as Matheo coaxes another shudder from my body.
Cash reaches over Lucas, his fingers tracing the curve of my shoulder, down my arm, a quiet claim that steadies me further. “We’re here,” he murmurs, voice low, almost a promise. Lucas presses a kiss to my collarbone, his touch light but searing, and I’m surrounded, overwhelmed by the weight of their attention, their need matching mine.
I don’t speak. I can’t. Not when Matheo’s tongue drives me toward a shattering edge, not when Kyren’s kiss feels like a confession I’m not ready to hear. I just let myself feel, let myself believe, for now, that this is more than a temporary arrangement. That I’m theirs, and they’re mine, in every way that matters.
Matheo’s hands grip my hips, firm and steady, as he guides me up onto my knees on the tangled sheets. His chest presses against my back, warm and solid, a wall of heat that makes my pulse race even faster. In front of me, Kyren sprawls lazily, his fingers tracing slow, teasing paths along my belly and down my thighs, each touch sparking little fires under my skin. My breath catches as I glance to the side and catch Cash and Lucas locked in a deep, hungry kiss, their hands roaming with a familiarity that sends a sudden, sharp bolt of arousal straight through me.
Matheo’s breath hitches against my neck, his nostrils flaring as he picks up the shift in my scent. He bends down, lips grazing the sensitive spot just below my ear, sending shivers cascading down my spine. “You like watching them, don’t you?” His voice is a low growl, thick with desire, vibrating through me.
