6. Eli

6

ELI

" I have no idea what they're doing in there. Heller asked me for pillows and locked me out. That was over thirty minutes ago."

Charity is silent on the other end of the line.

"What should I do?" I ask.

"I don't know. I'm thinking. Did you try giving them the pillows? You have some in your trunk, right?"

"Of course I do. This isn't my first rodeo. They took the pillows and slammed the door in my face."

They cut them open for the fluff too. I heard it from outside the door.

"Sorry… excuse me while I do my very best not to laugh at the situation you have found yourself in. Is there any chance that Max is opening Heller up?"

"I highly doubt it, but at this point anything is possible."

The bedroom door opens. Max stands in the doorway, naked and with an impressive hard-on. Maybe Charity is right.

I hang up Max's phone. I've been using it off and on over the last two days because he stole mine. Charity will understand. She's hung up on me plenty of times during an egg-laying.

"You need to come inside. It's time," Max says.

Normally, by the time an omega asks for pillows, they're close to finishing their portion of the nest. I'm not surprised to find Heller curled in a ball and sleeping on his bed. Max has lovingly constructed a loop of fluff around him, and a layer of precious stones around that. The outer layer is all gold—constructed of the simpler necklaces and bracelets in Heller's nest. The effect is striking. Heller looks like the center of a pendant or broach.

"Do you like the nest?" Max asks. The tone of his voice is vulnerable. That's when I finally understand. I've heard of alphas preening at the praise their omegas give them after they finish their collective nest during the egg-laying process, but I've never experienced it myself. My clients don't want me to finish their nests. It's too personal—something you'd do with a mate, not a client.

"It's perfect," I say.

I wasn't expecting to share a true nest with Max. His nest was always meant to be hypothetical or symbolic. To see him take care of Heller like this is emotional on so many levels. This isn't just the process of sharing a nest with my mate, although that touches me deeply. This is also a chance for Max to understand my work in a very intimate, personal way. He's right here with me, naked and deep in his nesting fog. We get to experience the birth of our baby together.

Max lowers onto his knees. "Please, it isn't enough anymore." He bends over, pressing his face to the ground in a gorgeous invitation. That's when I notice the black plug poking out of his ass. How long has it been there? Did he weld with that thing?

I don't think so. I'm familiar with all of our sex toys, and that isn't part of our collection. Which means he bought it or he got it from a certain penguin shifter with a penchant for expensive jewelry.

That's all it takes for my arousal to spike. I've been thinking like a hired fist, but I'm also here as Max's mate, and he's the sexiest thing I've ever seen.

Heller sits up slowly, stretching his arms toward the sky. When he sees Max on the floor with his ass in the air, his lips quirk up into a smile. "This looks promising."

"Are you ready for me to open you up?" I ask, unsure of what to do here.

"No, I want to watch you fuck him first," Heller says.

Max lets out a guttural moan. "Please. I've been waiting."

That's all it takes for me to get as hard as a rock. I kneel beside Max, running my hand along his ass. I can feel Heller's eyes on me, and it sends a thrill through me. The combined scent of Heller's slick and Max's own unique scent is driving me wild.

"Do you want me to take this out, baby?" I ask, putting pressure on the plug.

"Yes. I need you instead. It isn't enough."

I hook my fingers along the edge of the plug and slowly pull. Just like my friends promised, he's looser than normal, so the plug comes out without a lot of resistance. I've read up on the side effects of Prexeliatrin since Max started taking it. None of them are permanent. The doctor assured Max that this was safe.

I get out my wallet and fish out a packet of lube. Max trembles underneath me with need and Heller watches me from above as I pull my pants down and rub lube all over my cock. It will be difficult to go slowly.

Heller starts rubbing his cock too. That just makes me harder.

"Are you okay with Heller watching?" I ask Max. He's already in his nesting fog, so this isn't an ideal time to figure out consent. But every time we've discussed what he would feel comfortable doing during Heller's egg-laying, he's always said, I'm not sure. I'll have to see how I feel.

"Yes! Stick your dick in me already. I'm so empty."

If that's how he feels, I'm done holding back. I push into him in one slow thrust. "You feel so good, baby. Nice and open for me. Do you want to take my knot?"

Heller is jerking himself off in earnest now.

"Give it to me right in front of Heller," Max says. "C'mon. Do it."

The way his ass squeezes me indicates that I'm not the only one who's enjoying being watched.

With all of the lube and how loose he is, I don't have to be careful. I slam into him. He digs his fingers into the carpet and bucks back into me. "Harder, Eli. Knot me. C'mon."

"Yeah. Fuck him harder," Heller says.