29. Everett

EVERETT

Everett had been staring at the vast concrete column in front of him for far too long. What the fuck was he meant to be doing again? It was his first site visit of the day and he’d completely forgotten how to do his job.

“If you want the tradies to think engineers are even more useless than they already do, congratulations. You have done it.”

He spun around and was met by his uncle’s exasperated face. Was it a cliché that he followed the footsteps of his dad and uncle into the family business, hoping to one day fill the vacancy his father had left when he died? It was a moot point at the rate he was going at though, unable to even come up with a suitable comeback for his Uncle Henrik’s jab.

“Ok, I see what is happening,” he intoned wisely. “Come,” he commanded Everett with a flick of his head.

Apart from one evening where they both got hideously drunk on schnapps and became ‘Rikko and Retty’ to each other (something they would both vehemently deny happened), Everett still automatically deferred to his uncle. Their workload had been shifting in Everett’s direction for years, but they both chose to ignore the day when they would no longer be working together.

Uncle Henrik led him to the top of the half-finished three-storey building, far away from where everyone else was working. Everett released his breath in a long exhale, staring into the far horizon where he could see the edge of the coast disappear into the sea.

“How is your omega?”

“Fine,” Everett replied automatically. Shoot, that was the wrong thing to say to someone who knew him so well. He could already feel the irritated glare being levelled his way. “Ok, she drives me up the fucking wall.”

He glanced over to find his uncle peering at him over his glasses, amusement lighting up his grey eyes. “Didn’t look like she was driving you up the wall the other night.”

Juno and now Julian had been introduced to the rest of the Rivera clan courtesy of their chaotic family dinners. Since the now adult children also brought along their extended pack families, people were stuffed to the gills of the old house. But a change of venue would have been sacrilegious, and their Nanay continued holding court over her big beautiful family like the proud omega matriarch she was.

Everett had known how overwhelming it would have been for Juno at first — hell, he found it overwhelming and that was 19 years ago with infinitely less people. But she came alive at the food spread, making all sorts of distracting noises as she sampled dishes from all the cultures their family represented. She unknowingly won all sorts of hearts that night, flitting around asking everyone how they made her favourites because it was so good she had to know.

When she shyly approached him the day before their most recent dinner and asked for his help putting together a dish of her own to bring, Everett got the weirdest swelling sensation in his chest. She was so nervous but she didn’t have to be. Her Chinese steamed whole fish, laden with aromatic ginger and spring onions, went down an absolute treat.

His uncle was probably referring to the way he’d hugged her from behind when he found her vibrating with excitement over the plate being completely picked clean. But how else was he supposed to discreetly gloat that he’d told her so?

“Well, she does.” Everett crossed his arms, not liking how gleeful his uncle looked. “She’s good with Ollie and Miles. And Julian, of course. Beautiful, fragile and a complete hellcat all at once.” Everett hesitated briefly. “She’s nothing like Emma.”

“Well, thank Christ for that.”

“I don’t even know if she likes me that way,” Everett finished petulantly.

Everett was fairly certain Uncle Henrik cleared his throat to cover a laugh. It sounded like a bullfrog croak. “Do you like her that way?”

Did he? It was certainly fucking inconvenient that he would get hard every time he scented her arousal through the house. And with Ollie, Miles and now Julian making her horny it was far too fucking often. The alpha in him was enormously smug every time she wore one of his shirts. Seeing to her comfort and happiness in small ways had him biting back a purr. But the absolute worst thing was the way she had crashed into his perfectly, measured kitchen habits with her pinches and handfuls and glob glob globs of liquid for however the fuck long she felt was right. Yes, of course she could cook however the fuck she wanted but it didn’t make it any easier to stop himself from smacking that disobedient little ass of hers and fucking her against the fridge she’d left in disarray.

Uncle Henrik whistled and fanned the air between them. “For god sakes, Everett. It’s like you’re a teenager again and thought we didn’t know the exact day you discovered porn.”

Everett groaned and turned away from his Uncle, pulling at his hair in frustration.

“Did I make a mistake bringing you up here? Your Nanay would never let me hear the end of it if you decided to fling yourself off this building.”

He took a deliberate step backward and gave his uncle a flat stare.

“Ok, you like her. So what’s the problem?”

The silence stretched between them. Of course he knew what the problem was. He didn’t want to say it out loud, because doing so might make it true.

“What if…” He trailed off, letting out a weary huff before starting again. “What if it’s not as good with her because she’s not my scent match? What if Emma was my one shot and it didn’t work out?”

There. He’d said it.

“Whew, those are some big questions, son.” Uncle Henrik reclined against the nearest pillar and looked out into the distance with Everett. “But you know, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.”

Everett waited expectantly for him to say more. It soon became apparent that there wasn’t anything else. “That’s it?” he fumed. “That’s your advice?”

“You want more advice?”

“Yes I want more advice than the nothing you just gave me!”

Uncle Henrik held his hands up in surrender. “Alright, alright. How about this.” His voice grew wistful and nostalgic. “When I met your Nanay—”

“Seriously?”

“Let me finish, let me finish,” his uncle assured him magnanimously. “When I met your Nanay, I knew she wasn’t my scent match. But she liked me straight away! Maybe the problem is…” He trailed off as his shoulder lifted in a self-deprecating shrug. “You are not as handsome as I am.”

Everett let out a bark of laughter. “Get the fuck out of here before I start telling everyone your mind’s gone soft and you need to retire!”

“Retire! Don’t threaten me with a good time, son.”

Everett couldn’t believe his uncle was shuffling away from him, apparently done with their conversation. Just as he was about to look around and see what he could throw at the infuriating man, Uncle Henrik turned around abruptly clicking his fingers.

“Ah! I remembered the rest of the advice I was going to give you.” He waggled his index finger at Everett.

Everett folded his arms, still not discounting the idea of tossing something at him. “Well, what is it?”

His uncle’s face grew tender as he looked with open affection at his son in all but name. “The grass isn’t greener on the other side. It’s greener where you water it. Care for her and let her care for you and I have no doubt you two will flourish.”

Everett swallowed around the lump in his throat. “Thank you,” he croaked.

“Or whatever!” Uncle Henrik threw up his hands as he sauntered off. “I don’t know, I’m just an old man who’s gotten too much sun in his life.” He continued chattering away, swept up in his own tangent about the hole in the ozone layer back in the day and goodness wasn’t it a huge fuss for a while and now it’s all fixed and you barely hear about it anymore.

Everett followed after him, shaking his head.

* * *

Miles

Hey Ev. Ollie’s working, Julian’s got work drinks and Isaac and I are out. Just you and Juno for dinner tonight.

It would’ve been a completely innocuous text from his packmate if it wasn’t accompanied by about sixteen emojis that got more and more lewd as he scrolled. Everett turned the phone face-down on the counter with an annoyed exhale and made his way upstairs to Juno’s rooms. She had become a little study mole since finishing up classes for the semester, slogging through assignments and revising for her upcoming exams. It had been hard when he’d left her lunch once and found it still untouched when he went up with dinner that evening. She had been incredibly apologetic, thanking him profusely for his effort and admitting she had just been too in the zone to eat.

His little grazing board the next day was much more successful.

Everett stopped outside her study nook, trying not to think about the fact that her nest was right behind the adjacent door. Her nest where she slept every night with one or more of his packmates. Pulled close enough for hands to wander in the night, clothes torn off, sweaty bodies writhing, gasping as she was pounded hard into the—

I said don’t think about it!

He glanced down and swore, tucking his now hard cock into the waistband of his sweatpants. Once he was sure his T-shirt was long enough to cover his traitorous dick, he knocked on her door.

“Come in!”

Juno was typing on her laptop, a reference text balanced on her lap and her tablet flickering with a tutorial she was watching at the same time. She had her cute reading glasses on, the pink clear frames contrasting with the dark tattoos peeking out the neck of Ollie’s jumper. Everett’s eyes ran down past her thick rolled up sleeves to the flippy little skirt he could easily stick his head under and see if her slick was as sweet as her—

Fuck’s sake, Everett, I said DON’T—

“Hey Everett! What’s up?”

“I, uh…”

Use your words, dipshit.

He swiped his hand over his cheek nervously. “It’s just us for dinner,” he informed her. “But don’t let me interrupt you. I can bring you up a plate when it’s done.”

Juno sighed, shutting her laptop and taking off her glasses so she could rub her eyes. “No, I need a break. I’d love to help.” She blinked up at him, hesitantly. “If you don’t mind, that is.”

A couple of months ago he might have had a different answer but tonight he was surprised to find he was completely sincere when he replied. “Of course not.”

“Great!” She leapt to her feet. “Let me just get changed quickly.”

“Don’t change,” Everett told her automatically. “You look—”

She picked up one of his T-shirts draped over the back of her chair.

“—like your outfit could be improved,” he finished promptly.

With a knowing smirk, Juno frogmarched him back out the door and shut it in his face. He stood there staring at the blank wood, failing monumentally at not picturing her pulling Ollie’s jumper over her head to reveal smooth skin and her soft, perky little boobs. But in his defence that was literally happening. Just not for him to see.

They trudged downstairs together. Everett let her go first so he could pretend he was a gentleman but really he was admiring the view of her in his clothes. Getting high off the faint whiffs of their blended scents trailing behind her. When did her scent become so potent for him? Surely he would have remembered if he reacted this way to her initially. But somehow, somewhere between their exasperating kitchen clashes and caring a bit too much about whether she was comfortable and fed; her indulgent warming scent had infiltrated his entire being down to his cells. The craving was like an ache, breathing the aromas of a freshly baked dessert but never quite being able to sink his teeth into the juicy, multi-layered treat.

Needless to say, his cock remained vertical and tucked in his waistband.

Everett and Juno had managed to find a grudging mutual respect in the kitchen now. They batted compromises at each other like civilised team mates.

“Three cheeses instead of one?”

“Yes, but measured so the total weight matches the recipe.”

“With extra on the side that we can add to taste if needed.”

“Only if the extra cheese is the one from the ingredient list.”

The only thing they both seemed to agree on was that garlic was a suggestion and doubling was always a good bet. But for everything else, this system had the most success in preventing late meals and kitchen skirmishes.

Everett chopped shallots while watching her humming as she grated cheese. His chat with Uncle Henrik earlier echoed in his mind.

Water the grass. Water the grass.

“I have a scent match,” he announced with zero preamble. “I mean…had a scent match.”

You idiot, he said ‘water’. Not set the grass on fire.

Everett snuck a glance over at Juno, fully expecting a riled up omega but she was still calmly grating away. Looking at him like she was waiting for him to continue. Huh. Maybe the parmesan was getting the brunt of her ire.

“She didn’t fit in with the rest of the pack. Hated that Isaac and Miles were together.” Even saying it now after all this time made him feel ill. Sympathy and understanding dawned on Juno’s face. “Obviously it didn’t work out and she’s bonded to another pack now. But sometimes I wonder…”

This was it. The moment Juno would decide she didn’t need to waste time with someone who was still hung up over a failed scent match.

“You know, the omegas at the scent matching department told me they prefer the term ‘scent sympathetic’.”

Everett stared at her calmly dusting her hands and wrapping the leftover cheese back up.

“They said it was no guarantee of happiness or compatibility,” she continued, moving over to his side of the bench. Her scent was driving him crazy. Potent, golden pink peaches heavy with juice. “I mean, if so-called scent matches were the be-all and end-all of alpha and omega relationships then I guess Ollie’s my only relationship in this pack.”

She had a wry little smile and eyes that sparkled. “Right,” Everett swallowed, unsure of where she was going with this.

“I don’t know.” She shrugged, tucking her hair behind her ear and a serious expression crossing her face. “Having a scent match is great but once that initial excitement simmers down, it’s just like any other relationship. It needs work and equal commitment.”

He didn’t know what to say as she stepped closer. Her tongue slipped out to wet her plump lips.

“There’s something to be said about a slow burning attraction, though.” Was her voice always this low and husky? “Dancing around each other for weeks or months. Getting to know them, growing to care for them. All the while never being quite sure whether the other wants it to go further and enjoying the sweet torment of it all at the same time.”

The air crackled between them. Electric. He could feel the heat of her body right in front of him, and he could touch her too, if only he just reached out and—

“Oh my god!”

There was a loud hiss as the pot of water on the stove boiled over, small blue flames turning wild and orange. The carefully crafted spell between them disintegrated as Juno raced over to avert the impending disaster.

Everett watched her dart around, waving a sponge and the pot lid. What the fuck was he doing waiting? Why did he not know what she tasted like? Why weren’t their scents so mixed it was impossible to tell where one started and the other began?

“Leave the pot, Juno,” he ordered her with a deep rumble in his chest.

“What? Why?”

Without looking, he reached over and turned the flame off before stalking towards her.

“Fucking finally,” she teased, with a knowing grin.

The audacity of this little witch. Ordinarily, his first instinct would be to spank her ass red. But the thought that it would trigger Juno made him feel cold towards the act. No matter, he would just have to get creative. Maybe make her beg for his cock and thank him for the privilege.

But first, he had to get that insolent smirk off her face.

Everett cupped a large hand on the back of her neck, bringing her face to his. Their lips met in a clash of reckless desire. Scent match or no scent match, it didn’t fucking matter so long as he could keep kissing her. She met his desperation with her own, the intensity between them detonating any doubt. A pained groan slipped from his throat as he slanted his mouth over hers to deepen the kiss.

It was nowhere near enough.

In one smooth motion, Everett had Juno hoisted up in his arms. Back against the fridge, legs wrapped around his waist and her pert little bottom in his hands. Devoured her mouth again, claiming every whine and moan slipping from her lips. He’d never been goddamn harder in his life as he crushed his hips against hers, burying his face into her neck as he felt her slick dampening the front of his sweats. Peaches, sugar, cream. He sucked her sweet flavour from her skin growing more unhinged as she consumed all of his senses.

His plans to tease her and edge her and deny her his cock flew out the window, along with the pretence that he had any control left when it came to her. One taste and she owned him. He had to be inside her. To sink into that drenched little hole and watch her mouth drop open as she took him. All of him. The swollen tip, thick veined shaft and his pounding knot. He’d get her slick on his tongue another time ’cause there sure as hell was going to be another time.

Everett reached between them and shoved the front of his pants down, freeing his straining cock. He slid the tip along the edge of her soaked panties, pushing it to one side before plunging the broad head of him inside.

“You’re so fucking thick,” Juno panted. Her nails dug into his neck. Fuck yes. He wanted her marks all over him.

“Yeah?” Everett lowered her slowly, watching her eyes roll to the back of her head as he filled her just that bit more. “Am I stretching this little pussy out?”

She bit her lip and nodded. “And you haven’t even knotted me yet,” she said breathlessly.

Everett groaned. “You’re fucking trouble, you know that?” Almost there. He could feel her slick sliding down over his knot. “You can’t say shit like that to me.”

She had the nerve to blink owlishly at him, the picture of innocence. All while his cock was buried in her cunt. “Why not?”

“Makes me want to fuck you so hard you’ll feel me for days,” he snarled as he pounded the last few inches of him deep inside her, relishing the delicious jiggle of her still clothed tits. He was going to suck those hard little nipples until she begged him to play with her poor ignored pussy. Another time. Another time.

“Well?” she whispered, cheek against cheek. A chaste scent mark in sharp contrast with her tongue snaking out to trace the contours of his ear. “What are you waiting for then, big guy?”

This fucking hellion was going to be the death of him.

“Don’t want to be too rough with you,” he grunted, pulling out slowly before sliding back into her slick cunt. Fuuuuck. He could hear how wet she was.

“That’s a shame.” Her legs tightened around his waist at the same time as she clenched her inner muscles, choking the absolute life out of his cock. So much fucking trouble. “I was hoping you would fill me up so full I’d be a dripping mess of your cum when the others get home.”

Everett’s world narrowed down to the impish omega wrapped around his painfully hard length, and his pure primal need.

Fuck her.

Knot her.

Breed her.

All rational thought was shoved aside as his alpha instincts came to the fore, her inflamed words tipping him into rut.