Page 48 of The Omega Lesson

Ben and Mattie must sneak back in while we’re sleeping, because we all wake up in a crowded puppy pile in front of the dying stove. Noah and Jack give me soft, wistful smiles, but then Ben makes a crack about the new blankets giving the cottage a porn palace vibe. A bit of wrestling ensues and I leave Noah to defend our glamorous nest, while I try to schedule shower time and flip eggs for four hungry, sleepy men.

My little house is bursting at the seams as Mattie and I dress for school, and the guys get ready for work. Ben has to fly up north to deal with an issue at one of the Cliff resorts, so our date for tonight is off, which puts me in a grumpy mood. Jack is distracted, because he’s heading into the city to look at some office space for a new research lab, and Noah is… well, it’s still kind of unclear what the youngest Lyall does for work. But he’s rocking a pair of tight black jodhpurs and a pale-yellow Ralph Lauren polo that makes my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth.

“I’d walk you to school, but then we’d probably end up fucking in The Wet,” he tells me as we all head to the door. “And that’s an experience I don’t need to repeat.”

He copies my wide-eyed look, playing with his freshly dyed hair. Somehow, he managed to cram in a rinse this morning, which has taken his hair back to its natural jet black. All the Lyall boys are tall, dark, and handsome, but seeing Noahau naturelis enough to make my heart skip a beat. Especially when he leans against the doorjamb and looks me over with hooded eyes. “Although, for you, I’d happily stick my dick in a snake-infested swamp.”

“So romantic.” I make a show of fanning my face as I fiddle with the new deadbolts he had installed on my front door. But before I can follow the others out onto the verandah, he pulls me to the side.

“I wanted to say thanks for last night.” He’s now fiddling with the buttons on my white blouse, popping them loose faster than I can do them back up. “I wanted you to know, but I guess we got used to not talking about stuff.”

He means him and Travis, no doubt dancing around their feelings like they’re a pit full of snakes. “Well, Jack is back now. He’s easy to talk to, and he knows how you feel. Plus, I’m happy to listen, no matter what you want to tell me.”

“Okay.” He sucks in a deep breath, his fingers now moving over the front of my blouse, tracing the line of my bra. “Then, you should know, I really don’t like you being surrounded by horny jackasses all day.”

I blink at him. “You mean the students?”

He bites his lip and pulls a face. “Them. The teachers. The gardeners. Whoever. And I know you’re gonna ask how is that different from being with your pack, but you’re ours, not theirs.” He pouts a little, while my skipping heart goes into overdrive. I never thought possessive men did it for me, but I guess it just depends on the caveman in question.

“Did you take your scent blockers?” he asks, his thumb now running down the side of my throat. He’s been doing it a lot lately, especially when I tease him by licking Mattie’s bond mark.

“Yes, and you all gave me a thorough sniff test.” It took ten precious minutes out of our morning schedule, because sniffing led to licking, which turned into kissing… I’m sure we would have all ended up in a naked puppy pile if I didn’t tempt them away with a giant plate of bacon.

I reach up and brush his swollen lips with mine. “I’m careful. And I’m still an alpha, Noah. I know how to look after myself.”

His eyes skitter over my face before landing on Mattie, who’s waiting patiently outside. “I’d feel better if we went public. Told the world you’re both part of our pack.”

I sigh, because his alpha nature is clearly itching to claim his mate. Clark, his assistant, was on the phone earlier, asking for an update on the pack. I heard enough to know that since they’re both high-profile families, and Mattie is still in school, the media will need to be handled carefully. Especially because Travis still isn’t on board with a Lyall-Cliff pack.

“Let’s talk about it tonight,” I tell him. “I also want to discuss this weekend. Bree will be here, and I want to make sure everyone is comfortable…”

“Going to the zoo?” Noah’s smile almost splits his face. “That’s still the plan, right?”

I laugh. Who knew the tatted, pierced hottie was such a kid at heart? “And if you’re a good boy, I might even buy you an ice cream.”

That leads to a bit of licking practice, but I finally get the door bolted behind us and make a run for Mattie, waving at Noah over my shoulder.

“See you after school, No Mates Noah,” Mattie sings, swinging my hand.

Noah’s eyes flare as he eats us up. “Not if I see you first, you bratty little shits.”

We laugh and scurry off before he can catch us. I’m still smiling as Mattie heads to the dorm for homeroom and I make my way to the staffroom to check my pigeonhole.

“Assembly this morning,” Robyn tells me as I grab my mail and find a pink slip from Maureen, saying she sent a delivery to our office. There’s also a note that the headmaster wants to see my article on the Old Boys’ Dinner by the end of the week.

Well crap. I haven’t even bothered to look at my notebook since before my heat. And since I skipped out of the dinner early with Jack, anything I try to write is probably going to be pretty underwhelming.

“How’s the city’s most perfect pack?” I ask as I fall into step with Robyn on the way to our office. They own one of the most successful restaurants in the city and demonstrate their love through gourmet treats and sexy phone time. I walked in on her mid-orgasm on my second week at the school, and let me just say, it taught me to always knock before entering our office. And to leave fun times with cream eclairs to the professionals. “Any new desserts I should know about?”

Robyn gives me a coy look. “Rene did do something extraordinary with choux pastry and peppermint cream. I swear, I’d still be in a sugar coma if the others didn’t come home early and work all that sweetness out of me.” She laughs, then tightens her lips. “Sorry. I know you don’t need to hear all the grubby details…”

“No, it’s okay. I’m not quite as… pack-adverse as I used to be.”

Robyn’s pretty blue eyes blow wide. “Oh, do tell! I hope it’s a scrumptious omega you can rub in Richard’s face.”

I don’t answer, because we’ve reached our office and I stop dead at the delivery on our desk. It’s the size of a large flower arrangement, only instead of roses, it’s packed with shiny red apples. There must be at least thirty of them, and Robyn cackles with laughter as I go over to pluck the note from the top. “Who’s the joker?” she asks, reading over my shoulder. “Huh. It just sayshot apple pie goes best with ice cream. Is that a less than subtle hint that someone wants you to bake them some treats?”

No doubt Noah didn’t have food in mind when he wrote the note, but I snatch it away before Robyn can read the signature scrawled under my thumb. “Probably just a thank you from one of the parents at the conference.”

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