22. Miles

22

MILES

Miles was doing his absolute best to be the lightness Juno needed after the disastrous end to their pack date night.

“I want you to draw me like one of your French girls.”

He’d laid himself out butt-ass naked Titanic-style on the couch, uncaring of who might stroll by and see. Then waved a hand at where he had set up her sketchpad to indicate she should begin posthaste.

“Miles.” She looked slightly vexed.

“You want him a little more to the left?” Miles adjusted his flaccid cock for her. “I can wake him up too if you’d prefer that.”

“No, no, he’s fine the way he is.” Miles wasn’t sure if he should take that as a compliment or an insult. “You’re missing the—”

She made a circular motion around her neck.

Miles smacked this forehead. “The heart of the ocean!”

How could he be so careless?

Juno didn’t really wear necklaces — and why would she with such gorgeous ink — so they made one out of dry penne pasta and some kitchen twine.

Miles lay there as still as he could, satisfied at the pleased little bursts of joy and amusement he could sense in their bond. It was difficult, though, posing for such a long period without speaking. Especially since there was one incessant issue that he could not tolerate any longer.

“Interesting how I was right about Ari, don’t you think?” Miles said, ensuring he moved only his lips and nothing else.

“Right, how?” Juno asked distractedly, not looking up.

“He got brown sugar. Now we just have to wait for Isaac’s vanilla.”

Her pencil skittered to a stop. “Why do you do that? You know Isaac doesn’t think of me like that.”

Lord give him strength. He was only one person. It was exhausting manoeuvring all the pieces on the chessboard so that they would fall in love. Yet the king and queen remained stubborn as ever.

Yes, Miles knew that wasn’t how chess worked.

No, he did not care.

“I knew you were there that night,” Miles announced abruptly. “Yes, Juno. That night.”

Of course he did. He’d orchestrated the whole thing with Julian. Did she think it was a coincidence that Isaac fucked him facing the foot of the bed with the door slightly ajar?

No! It was design.

“What?” Juno stared at him, shocked.

Ok, he was doing this. Hopefully she wouldn’t be mad that he ruined her tableau. He sat up and grabbed her hands. Half to reassure her and half to make sure she didn’t run away. “I’m bonded to both of you, Juno. I know how much harder he came because of you.”

“You don’t…that’s not…”

“He purred for you.” Oh, he was on a roll now. Every pent up thought on the invisible list in his head was about to come out. “Did you know he’s never purred for anyone?”

“Well, he’s probably never…been around an omega for so long before,” Juno stammered.

“Do you remember all the way back to the fundraising gala? And what we did before it?”

Juno’s cheeks went a delightful shade of pink. “Stupid dress,” she cursed under her breath.

No, it had truly been a magnificent dress. He fit underneath it so well as she fisted his hair and ground against his tongue.

“I know Everett told me to wash up before we left but I didn’t do it that well. ’Cause I’m a shit stirrer like that.” He grinned, showing teeth. “Why do you think Isaac needed to take me to the second floor balcony? It certainly wasn’t because I hadn’t been keeping him satisfied.”

“I-I…”

“It’s because he scented you, beautiful.” Miles carefully extricated her sketchbook from her hands and pulled her into his lap. “He couldn’t help sucking the remnants of your slick off my neck just for a taste of you. Granted, he was a bit stupid — ok, monumentally stupid — about it and didn’t realise what got him so worked up. But it’s just another thing in a long, long list of evidence that the man wants you!”

He’d never tried a direct assault before but he was getting desperate.

A sudden rising anger smouldered and caught flame in his bond with Isaac. The alpha was already irritable after finding out Eric Zhao had been granted parole and whatever was happening now was tipping him over the edge. Shit, his plan was going to have to wait which was awful because he would lose all momentum and—

“I am so sick of these poster children of inbreeding!”

Isaac stormed into the room, aggressively tapping on the tablet like it had personally aggrieved him. Miles caught the SSNN masthead on the screen. Fuck, that couldn’t be good.

Probably shouldn’t be naked right now.

He grabbed a nearby throw and wrapped it around his waist.

His bonded was a democratic sort of prime, so it made sense that he had wanted the whole pack around for their discussions regarding Juno and her former pack. But the god’s honest truth was that Isaac had done 99% of the work. Because he was stupidly, head over heels, blindly in love with their omega!

God, if only he could just shake the idiot out of that infuriating man.

Isaac turned the screen towards them and a catch-up segment began to play.

“And before we say good night, an update on our bond dissolution story earlier this week. We have received word that SSNN has received cease and desist letters from the supposed pack of Andrew Zhao’s omega, warning us not to release the proof of consent video,” Corrine crisply read off the teleprompter.

“Isn’t consent all they bang on about these days, Corinne?” Carter scoffed abrasively.

“It is! Very confusing,” Corinne said with a shake of her bouncy blonde curls. “What is this omega so afraid of?”

“Who knows. I guess these NOC packs are just used to throwing their money at issues to make them go away,” Carter said, looking disgusted.

“Sounds about right, Carter.”

Isaac paused it. “It gets worse,” he said grimly before starting back up when Juno gave him a go ahead wave of her hand.

They had Andrew on the line of course, who was more than happy to admit that he had also gotten a cease and desist letter. And he certainly sounded smug when he revealed the Page Slick photo and then publicly named their pack.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, Corinne,” Carter said, facing the mounted screen next to them. “That looks like a NOC fundraiser, doesn’t it?”

“It looks like it because it’s exactly that, Carter,” Corinne said like she was some sort of 1950s detective’s sidekick.

“Doesn’t surprise me that the rich are using their undue influence to obtain omegas. Just like we feared. Their prime is Isaac Rivera, CFO of—”

Isaac shut the tablet off tersely.

“Cat’s out of the bag,” Juno said, far too calmly. She was even calm in the bond.

“The majority of people think they’re insane but the minority is extremely vocal. And growing in numbers. My assistant has been fielding media requests for the past hour.” Isaac punctuated the last word by brushing an errant lock of hair off his forehead. Which for him was the equivalent of a regular human screaming into the void.

“Keep me in the loop about that please.” A steely look of determination crossed Juno’s face.

“Of course,” Isaac said. If he was surprised he hid it well. “Just topline or every request?”

“The top five with the biggest audiences. Leave out anyone who’s obviously not legitimate.”

“I can do that. You’re thinking of…”

“Yeah. I just might be.”

They were on the verge of finishing each other’s sentences. Riding the same cerebral wavelength. Everyone could see the sky was blue but to them it was green.

Isaac wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a reassuring kiss on the crown of her head. Her arms wound around his waist like it was the most natural thing.

“We’re here for you always,” he told her, eyes soft in a way that Miles knew was just for her.

Juno turned to him, one arm still clasped around Isaac’s side. “Sorry, Miles. What were you saying again?” She rubbed her eyes, looking tired.

Miles sighed. “Nothing, gorgeous.”

They were so close. He had to believe they would find their own way home to each other soon.

“Miles.”

“Hmm?”

Isaac was staring at him, finally registering what he was seeing for the first time.

“Is that a pasta necklace? And why are you naked?”

“I’m…one of her French girls.”

“I see.”