by Jayce Carter
Kane’s thumb stroked over the head of his cock, over the pre-cum at the top. “That’s right, doll, fuck yourself on him.” He spread his thighs wider, leaning back.
Tiffany did as he said, her fingers still moving as she lowered herself. Each massive inch she took of Marshall’s dick stretched her cunt, and drenched as she was, it still was a fight. Every time she lowered her body, when he slid farther into her, she gasped at the fullness.
Kieran leaned forward, his biceps tensing as he fucked into his grasp. He ran his tongue along his bottom lip, a slow stroke as if he could taste her from that far away. “How does it feel, girl?”
When she didn’t answer, Marshall delivered a hard pinch to her ass. “He asked you a question.”
“Full,” she gasped out.
“You can do better than that,” Kane said. “Use those fancy words you got. Tell us how it feels to take him like that.”
Tiffany closed her eyes and dropped her head back against Marshall’s shoulder as she kept sliding down his cock, as each roll of her hips took him deeper. “He’s thick, and it feels like he won’t fit.”
A growl in her ear said Marshall liked the suggestion.
It kept her lips moving, kept the words coming out. She whined as a lift of his hips sent his cock delving impossibly deeper into her. “It stings.” She set the hand not still playing with her clit on the one of his, grasping her hip. Her nails bit into it.
“A little more, girl. You’ve nearly taken him all. The fact you can stretch like that is amazing, that your cunt spreads that wide. It makes me wonder what other fun we could have with you,” Kieran said.
Marshall released her breast and grasped her hips in his solid hands. He used them to pull her down as he lifted his hips up, seating the last inch of his dick into her. It filled her so much she could only breathe as she adjusted. He tightened his grip and released, the tentative grasping of a man who still held himself back.
Tiffany reached forward, setting her hands on his knees for balance, her body spread out over his lap. She lifted and sank down again, a shallow movement that caused his thickness to stroke against her. Each place where he teased her walls drove her higher.
A more vicious snarl came from behind her, then Marshall jerked her down on his length.
“Yes,” she gasped out at the roughness, at the way it felt real. That’s what I need.
Marshall did it again, using his grip to lift her then pull her down. He used it to fuck her, taking her at his speed, taking her the way he wanted to. He didn’t wait, he didn’t ask, only took. Being used like that stroked her deeper than even his heavy cock, reached into her in a way that melted her defenses. Even the sound he made had turned primal, and the thickness at the base of his cock, already swelling, said what he needed.
“You feel that?” Kane’s gaze was locked between her thighs as he spoke. “Bet his cock is already thick, like he’s already got a knot. It’s because he ain’t never knotted an omega before. Bet it’s been swelling a bit every time he smelled your pretty cunt, getting thicker, waiting. You gonna let him knot you?”
Yes. Please, yes.
Tiffany wanted nothing more. Well, she’d have rather Kane and Kieran be closer, to feel their hands and their lips and their breaths on her while she was knotted by Marshall.
Only, the pressure didn’t grow. That possessive snarl from Marshall cut off, and he went still behind her. He held her hips so tight it brought out a whimper.
As fast as it happened, he moved her again. Not down, not against him, but instead he pulled her off him. The quick withdraw shocked her, the sudden emptiness as he pulled out of her cunt, as he shifted her over onto the couch beside him.
Marshall rose, tucking his still hard cock into his pants.
“What are you doing?” Tiffany twisted to sit on the couch, pulling her legs toward her chest.
Marshall avoided looking her in the eye as he buttoned his pants. “Nothing.”
Kane and Kieran had stopped, gazes darting between Tiffany and Marshall but saying nothing.
“Nothing? Then what the hell was that?”
He took a few steps backward, as if he needed distance between them. “It was nothing.”
“So what? Am I not good enough for you? Do you have other wonderful options out there?”
“It’s not you.” He turned and nailed her with an empty, haunted look that was nothing like he normally wore. “I won’t ever knot you, Tiffany.” The words came out with such certainty, they were like a slap to her. He left no room to discuss it, to come to an understanding.
Suddenly, everything crashed in on her. All those stupid fantasies she’d had where she thought a future would happen with the three males became clear. She was sitting there, naked, with three males who refused to give her anything real.
As if he could see it on her face, Marshall’s expression softened. “Tiffany.”
“Don’t you try to be nice to me. I don’t need you pretending.”
“I’m not pretending.”
“Of course you are! You’re pretending all the time, pretending to be something you’re not, pretending we might have a future, pretending you’ll give me something you have no intention of following through on.”
Tiffany didn’t stop there, though. She was invigorated by letting out the truth she’d hidden, that she’d buried deep down. She turned a hard glare on Kane. “And you? You don’t tell me anything! You don’t tell me where you got your scars from, you don’t tell me about your past, but you want me to tell you everything. And any time it seems like we’re getting somewhere, you bolt like a coward.”
Kane crossed his arms and said nothing, though his lips pressed together tight.
Tiffany leveled one more look Kieran’s way, to the stoic alpha who managed to still look detached despite the way his cock hadn’t gone down, the way it still showed beneath his hastily pulled up jeans.
“And you—”
“What about me?”
She narrowed her eyes. “You want me to open up and to trust you, but you’re giving me a timeline. You expect me to be happy with being one out of a long fucking line of omegas for you. Guess what? It’s not enough!” She rose, anger pushing her as she didn’t hide behind the lies they’d told her, the lies she’d told herself. “None of you are giving me enough, and I’m not going to be happy with getting something. I’ve done that, accepted things because I pretended they were enough, because I pretended I could still have what I wanted, but I’m done with it. I’m over making do with things that aren’t what I want.”
Marshall kept part of himself locked away and refused to talk about it. He wouldn’t even tell her why.
Kieran had signed a contract for her for a year and had given her no reason to think he wanted more than that.
Kane had scars covering his chest that he would not speak of or let her ask about.
They kept taking her body, but none would give her more. None of them even gave her the feeling she might get more in the future.
She swallowed hard at the reality, at not being able to do a damn thing to fix it. Yelling made her feel better for a moment, but it wouldn’t change anything. She couldn’t fix people who didn’t want to change, and the three stubborn assholes didn’t want to change. She’d yet again chased after something recklessly, ignoring that it wasn’t real, that she couldn’t catch it.
After everything, this is where we are?
She pulled the necklace, the chain catching her neck, likely leaving a mark, until it broke. She hurled it against the wall, as if that could release the hurt inside her, the anger, like breaking it would solve anything. She’d worn it like some protection charm, like a testament to some nameless omega who had suffered, but suddenly the life of an omega seemed too painful.
No matter what she did, she wanted three men who wouldn’t give themselves to her.
Their voices followed her as she left the room with hard, sure steps, but she ignored them when she shut the door with a click, s
hutting them out like they had done to her.
They could fuck themselves for all she cared, but she’d reached her limit of arrogant, selfish, emotionally-inept alphas.
She was done.
Chapter Seventeen
Marshall ground the heels of his palms against his eyes as he sat outside. The crisp mountain air did nothing to clear the haze in his head or the discontent in his chest.
He’d hurt her.
The fact had been written across her face as she’d withdrawn to her room, as she’d not only closed the door but locked it. Even as he hated himself for hurting her, he didn’t regret his decision.
Something tapped his shoulder. He turned to find Kieran standing there, beer bottle held out.
“Thanks.”
Kieran pulled over a chair and sat beside him. “Well, that could have gone better.”
“You think?” Marshall twisted off the cap and took a sip of the cold beer.
“Could have gone better? That shit was a cluster-fuck.” Kane always was the linguist. Instead of pulling over a chair, he sat on the railing of the patio. “The fuck is wrong with your dick?”
Marshall might have been angry at the blunt question if not for the absurdity. Instead, he chuckled and shook his head. “Nothing is wrong with it.”
“Then what the hell was that?”
Marshall gave himself a moment by taking another drink, then set the beer on top of his thigh. “I’ve spent my entire adult life seeing what alphas were capable of. You can’t tell me you don’t feel that side of you, that it isn’t there beneath all that civility you wear.”
Kane and Kieran had the decency not to argue his point, at least not right away. They both cast their gazes down at their own drinks, the silence reigning as they all considered it.
Kieran answered first. “I’ve seen my share of damage alphas have done. It’s not that they were alphas, though. Betas kill and rape, too, you know.”
“Sure, anyone can, but that’s a cop out and you know it. How many times do you smell an omega and want to mount her? How often does someone push your buttons, and that side of you, that animalistic part controlled by all that instinct want to tear their throat out?”
“Yeah, fuck, who doesn’t want to do a little throat-tearing with assholes? Doesn’t mean we do it.”
“We don’t do it because we control that side, but the fact we have to is what scares me. What if I lose one day? What if I’m not strong enough to leash it?” Marshall rubbed his palm over the top of his thigh to wipe off the sweat or condensation from the beer. “When I’m close to Tiffany, it’s worse. The rest of my life I dealt with that side easily, but around her? It roars inside my head, and I’m terrified of what it could do if I lose control.”
“You think if you knot her, you could hurt her?”
“Maybe. I know I’m not willing to risk it.”
“Then you better be fucking willing to lose her, because that girl ain’t gonna be satisfied with that.” Kane held his own beer between his fingers, dangling down over his lap.
“And I’m supposed to take advice from you? Because neither of you has done a good job at this whole relationship thing.”
Kieran huffed, leaning back. “Well, I knotted her at least. A step ahead from either of you.”
That had Kane laughing, an odd reaction compared to the jealousy that usually sprang between them. “You’re such an asshole.”
“Fair enough.” Kieran took another drink. “We have to make this right.”
“And how the fuck do you suggest that? Because from where I’m sitting, we’ve all fucked that girl over.”
“Yes, we have. So, let’s fix it.” Kieran took one deep breath before uttering words he didn’t feel but had to say. “I’m willing to step back. I don’t want to hurt her anymore, and this entire pulling her in three directions thing is only causing pain.”
“Fuck that,” Kane growled. “She’s under contract with you for a year. Not like anyone would sign her over to me, so unless she finishes her year, she ain’t getting her life back. I’ll leave.”
Marshall let out a laugh that lacked warmth as he shook his head, the answer obvious and frustrating when they failed to ever see it. “You two still don’t get it, do you?”
“Get what?”
“Kane, what would have happened if Kieran hadn’t been there to help Tiffany the night with Randy? Or with the judge afterward?” Marshall asked.
Kane drew his hands into fists. “She might not have made it since he helped take Randy out, and if she did, she’d have been thrown into the system like property.”
Marshall shot a look at Kieran. “And what if Kane hadn’t been there when she broke into that building? Or when she went to her apartment?”
Nothing showed on Kieran’s face except for a tightening of his lips, the subtle, easy to miss shift that said the words affected him. “She might have been killed or abducted.”
“And let’s not forget the man who broke into my home looking for her. My point is that, thus far, it has taken all three of us to keep her safe. She isn’t in there because she feels like she doesn’t want one of us. She’s in there because we’ve been too busy thinking about ourselves instead of her. We’ve been more worried about our hangups and our problems than her.”
“You’ve been beating around this fucking bush for too long. Just fucking say it,” Kane said.
“If we’re serious about this, I think we need to consider making it official. Tiffany has proven to be more than any one of us can deal with on our own. She’s outsmarted each of us repeatedly, and add in her recklessness? She needs a minimum of three to keep up with her. We’ve promised things that none of us can give on our own. I don’t think any one of us could keep her happy alone, but I’ve got to say, I don’t mind the taste we’ve gotten of the life all four of us could build.”
Kane huffed a sound that was neither acceptance nor denial. “You think she’s going to go for that? Because I ain’t thinking having three alphas on her ass is something any omega wants.”
“Shouldn’t that be her choice? We’ve torn at her trying to get her to pick, and she hasn’t picked. If anything, she’s shown she wants each of us in a different way. And can either of you say you minded when she was in my lap while you watched? Do you think I couldn’t feel how she pressed her chest out for the two of you? This is what she wants even if she doesn’t realize it yet.” Marshall tucked his hands into his pockets, hoping they’d see reason, that they’d listen to him for once.
The issue of him, of if he could ever let himself go, that he couldn’t resolve. He had no idea if he’d ever trust himself enough, but he knew there was only one way this would ever have a chance of working.
“The only question is if you two are willing to try it,” Marshall said.
Kieran exchanged a loaded look with Kane. So many years as, perhaps not enemies, but certainly not friends. Could they put it all behind them? Could they form something new with the omega they both were hopelessly in love with? Could they be happy with that future? All those things passed in the gaze between them.
Kane nodded. “Fuck it, I’ll try.”
“I will as well,” Kieran said.
Marshall laughed, the chuckle softer than it had been before. “Well then, I hope Tiffany gets some good rest, because tomorrow she’s going to have three mates to deal with.”
Chapter Eighteen
The hot water had seared away the night before from Tiffany’s skin. It didn’t remove the memory of the fight, of the things she’d said, but at least it made her feel reborn, like the scolding water could help her start over. She’d stood beneath the water until it had turned cold, until her skin had wrinkled, and she’d been forced from the spray by a parched throat and a growling stomach.
The cold air rushed in when she opened the door, when she risked a peek into the hallway. She’d avoided the men all morning, having no wish to deal with the night before.
She would have taken back the words if
she could have. They’d been true, but that made them worse. She’d rather have shouted something fake, something that didn’t reveal so much of her. Instead, they heard exactly how much they’d hurt her, and how much she should have expected it.
Her bare feet pressed into the carpet as she braved the main living space, knowing that avoiding them any longer wasn’t possible. She wasn’t the type willing to starve.
In the living room, she found them. Kane sat on the kitchen island, a puzzle cube in his hands, his gaze locked on it. He wore no shirt, the colorful expanse of his chest tempting her even as she waited for him to notice her. How could he think I wouldn’t want him?
At the other side of the room, Marshall and Kieran sat around the table, pointing at the computer screen, discussing something there.
Had she gone too far? Would they decide she was no longer worth the trouble? What would she do if they kicked her out? Could she handle being tossed aside by the men she loved?
The word stuck the moment it broke free in her mind. Love? Do I love them?
The answer was obvious, even if she hated to admit it.
Yes, you idiot, you love them.
She sighed, and the loud sound drew their attention. Being the focal point of three alphas made her gulp. Kane’s feet thudded against the tile floor when he hopped off the island. He set the toy down, forgotten as if she were a far more interesting puzzle. “How you feeling, doll?”
She winced at the pet name.
The more she stood there, the surer she was that they were going to leave. No, not leave. Not them. They’d protect her because they had to, and they’d throw her away afterward. They’d made their limits clear. They’d each made no secret of how they felt, about what they were willing to give and what they weren’t.
They’d keep her safe because they were men of honor, and the moment they knew she was safe, they’d get rid of her. Tiffany would have nothing, yet again.
Only this time, she’d know what she wanted, what she’d almost had. She’d gotten a taste of it and losing it would hurt her beyond what she was ready to deal with, more than she thought she could handle.