17. Juno

JUNO

Her hand was still running along his arm, but it wasn’t just the ink that was mesmerising anymore. It was all of it. How hard the muscle was, the way the little fine hairs rose up behind each caress. And his scent. Whatever he was thinking and feeling right now must be intense. How could she have ever been neutral about it? He was the ocean — not the calm froth lapping the shore, but the wild unknown. Crashing, dark and deep. And just when her head sank under the waves, the eucalyptus struck, defibrillated her heart and revived her. She filled her lungs with life and death all at once.

Then the cramp hit.

Juno knew exactly what this was, and with it came icy dread. A pre-heat spike. Pack Zhao liked to find ways to set them off, falling on her ravenously when they succeeded.

“Juno, what’s wrong?”

“When I get close to my heat, I sometimes get these little…spikes. It lasts until I…until I…” Her voice was thin and ragged and she couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.

Until I come.

Everett was unerringly calm, almost clinical, contrasting with his heavy scent. “What do you normally do during these?”

She paused. The truth or a lie? “I haven’t been getting them the last couple years while I’ve been on heat suppressants.” Another cramp and she winced, her next words coming reluctantly. “But back when I did I… didn’t get to choose how I dealt with it.”

There was the briefest, chilling flash in his eyes followed by an almost imperceptible tic in his jaw. A lightning bolt striking a merciless sea. Then it was gone, disappearing as he took a deep breath, his features softening.

“I can take you home to the Omega Village…” There was a question in his eyes. Omega Village meant her own collection of vibrating and silicone assistants in her bedside table.

“Or back to the pack house to get Miles,” Everett finished.

“Miles. Please.” She couldn’t even look at him.

He bent down into her space ever so slightly and it was a painful kind of bliss. “I know you and I aren’t there yet, Juno. I’m sorry I set you off.” A thumb gently grazed her cheek and was gone in the next breath, as if that was all the contact he’d allow himself. “You’re safe with me. I promise.”

* * *

Juno didn’t understand why the alpha in the front seat was swearing and swiping through his phone contacts instead of pulling over and fucking her brains out. There was nothing in this cursed backseat to grind against — just her insufficient hand shoved between her legs as creamy peaches and sugar filled the small space.

“Evvvvv!” Miles’ tinny voice came through the phone. “I know you have no game but calling your brother’s boyfriend for advice during your date is pretty poor even for you.”

Miles.Yes, she wanted him too. Both of them. At the same time. The delicious beta fucking her mouth while the big cursing alpha pushed his thick cock into her dripping pussy until his knot—

“I set off a fucking heat spike, Miles!”

“What? What do you mean? How?”

“She was touching my tattoos and smelling really fucking good and I don’t know, it just went straight to my head.”

“Which head?”

“This is not funny, fuckhead! You need to help her through it, I’m on my way home.”

“Shit ok, put me on speaker and I don’t know, think about furniture polishing or something.”

“Furniture polishing? Like rubbing shiny wet shit on wood back and forth? That’s the furthest away from sex you were able to get?”

The alpha’s voice is at least 20 decibels louder now and it was confusing because he could be using that energy to bounce her on his cock instead. There was a thump as his phone landed near her head.

“Juno. You there, beautiful?”

“Mmm…need you.” Where was he? Didn’t he know she wanted to ride his face?

“I’m right here waiting for that pretty pussy to get home so I can have dessert.”

He did know! He really was the best.

“Been dying to taste you, gorgeous. Fuck you with my tongue till your slick is running down my face and neck. Then I think I’ll suck on that needy little clit and finger you just right till you’re begging to come.”

She could hear that the alpha was busy praying — he was saying Jesus Christ over and over — so maybe religion was why he wasn’t giving her what she needed. Luckily the delightful beta seemed to have it sorted.

“I want it,” she whined, sliding two fingers inside herself. “It’s not the same when I do it.”

“You fucking your fingers?”

She moaned, adding another.

“Good. I want you soaked and ready for me when you get here.”

Juno was so feverish she was only vaguely aware when the car stopped. She felt like she’d been writhing in the backseat forever. The alpha threw himself out of the car, slamming the door and leaving her in the dark again. She whimpered — where was he going? Moments later, light flooded her as the door swung open and someone crawled in with her. Beta. Sangria. Yes.

He was kissing her lips, her face, her neck, leaving her breathless as she tried to keep up. Her fingers were yanked from between her legs and sucked into his mouth.

“Mm, dirty gorgeous girl. Should I clean you up?”

Was he serious? Why hadn’t he started already? With a frustrated little mewl, Juno grabbed him by the shoulders and roughly manoeuvred him onto his back, her thighs on either side of his head. Perfect. Now she could pull her irritating underwear to the side and let him feast on her like he’d promised.

He rose to the challenge magnificently, grasping her ass with both hands, spreading, stretching her pussy wide open for him. Then he attacked, a frenzied assault of lips and tongue. Fucking, licking, stroking her higher and higher. She was close, so fucking close to what she needed.

Then he slid three fingers home, curling them against the desperate part inside her that craved a knot and she screamed, her hips surging over his face and pumping hand. His hair was fisted in her white-knuckled grip as he wrung every last bit of pleasure from her. Finally her movement slowed as something inside her settled and she looked down, flushed with embarrassment.

“Miles!”

“Juno.” His slick covered grin was positively debauched. “Want another?”

“Th-the spike is over, you don’t have—”

“Mm, you misunderstand,” he said, flipping her on her back and licking a hot stripe down her stomach. “This one would be for me.”

Everett was never going to get her scent out of his car.

* * *

“I’m so sorry, Everett, I-I shouldn’t have—”

“Not your fault,” he replied briskly.

“Can I get your car cleaned for you? I-I think I’ve seen a place along the highway I could—”

“Already booked in for tomorrow morning.”

“Oh ok good, yes you probably want to get my scent out as soon as possible, which I totally—”

“Scent doesn’t bother me, but I can tell it makes you uncomfortable. I’d like to take you out again and can’t have you turning into a tomato every time you get in my car.”

“A tomato?”

He reached over and gave her cheek a light pinch. Juno screeched and clapped her hands on her face, feeling the heat radiating through her fingers.

“Hey look, it goes right up to your forehead.”

She pulled the neck of her top up over her face. You live here now, Juno. From now until you die.

“Juno.” A big finger hooked into the top of the neckline and Everett’s blue eyes peered down at her. “I’m just glad you felt safe enough with our pack to help you through it and come back home with us. You’ll stay with Miles tonight?”

She was hit with the realisation that she was ending their date in another man’s bed. “I’m the worst fucking date ever, aren’t I?”

He carefully tugged her shirt back down to reveal her still-red face, sweeping her hair out of her face gently. “Not if you let me make you breakfast tomorrow. Just us, on the little balcony on the second floor.”

He didn’t seem real, this gruff verbal-sparring giant of an alpha with the most gooey of soft centres.

“You’re dangerous.” Before she could overthink it, she rose onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I’m going to have to watch out for you.”

She could see his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. “Get out of here, trouble. I’ll see you in the morning.”