Dina shrugged. “You’re just starting out. You have years before you’ll be forced to decide the next step of your life. Here, you can just explore whatever interests you and find yourself without all the pressure of being an ‘adult.’” She shuddered dramatically at the thought.
I chewed my lip and thought it over. Out there, in the real world, we’d have decisions to make far beyond those we were dealing with now. Where would we live? Would we be open about our mate relationship? How would the world treat us?
But those were problems for another day, I decided, taking a bite of my last piece of toast. Today’s problem was how to explain to my three mates that I wanted to slow things down and date them when we’d all but had an orgy already and we were all desperate for more.
♀♀♀
I texted them to meet me at Chase’s room, knowing the scent of sex had permeated my room to the detriment of any serious conversation. I wasn’t sure how I’d manage to sleep there tonight and wondered how long it would take to air out.
They’d respect my decision and follow my lead, I was almost one hundred percent sure of that, but, just in case, I brought food and dessert to lessen the blow.
I kicked the door because my hands were full and peered out from behind four pizza boxes with a huge confectioner’s box poised on top when Chase opened the door. “Pizza’s here,” I called out from behind the mountain of food.
“Here,” Chase said, grabbing the boxes from my arms. “Let me take those.” He flashed a devastating grin my way, as I wiped hair that had blown across my face out of my eyes. “Hey, gorgeous.”
I couldn’t stop the blush that spread like wildfire across my cheeks and knew I’d have to work at convincing myself as well as them that this was the right move.
Arms caught me as I stepped into the room and swung me around, so my back pressed against the wall next to the door. I laughed at the bold move then let the laughter die in my throat when Dimitri’s intense gaze caught mine and held. He grazed a knuckle over my lips, so softly I sighed. Keeping his dark eyes locked on mine, which made my stomach flutter in a delightful way, he lowered his face and claimed me with a kiss.
Instantly, I forgot everything I’d decided and melted into him. My arms lifted to encircle his neck, and I rose onto my toes to get closer. The taste of him was decadent. It made me want more.
My brain buzzed with pheromones, newly stirred and extremely potent. A shudder of anticipation ran through my body despite my determination to stay sane.
I pushed away from my tempter, resting a hand on his chest to physically put distance between us, and gulped in breaths that only filled my lungs with desire tainted air. Slowly, I blew out a deep breath and backed up until I was standing in front of the bathroom door, across from my three mates, who were watching me with the glinting eyes of predators.
“Hold it,” I said, lifting my hands to keep them back and calm them down. “As much as I hate to say this, I think we need to put our raging hormones aside for a moment and figure out a few things.”
Audible groans echoed throughout the room. Dimitri plopped down into Chase’s reading chair with a huff as Lucian ran a hand over his jaw and sat heavily on the edge of the bed. Chase, being Chase, went straight to his mini-fridge and pulled out four bottles of beer, then handed them out with a sigh. “Might as well settle in. She brought pizza and dessert to bribe us. This night isn’t going in the direction we’d imagined.”
I bit back a grin and shook my head at their long faces. “Oh, calm your tits,” I admonished, shooting them a saucy look. “One night of no group sex isn’t going to kill you.” Instantly, my cheeks turned hot and tingly. I swallowed. “Speaking of group sex.” Might as well dive straight into the thick of it.
“Before last night, which was mind blowing, by the way,” I assured them with an embarrassed smile. “I’d only dreamed of being with you guys, in that way.” I pulled out Chase’s computer chair and sat as they watched me with wary expressions. “Taboo dreams, the kind I’d maybe write about in my diary but never confess even to a girlfriend.” The confession spilled from my lips as nerves raced up and down my spine.
Chase’s grin helped set me at ease.
“Then it just happened, and it was more than I ever thought possible. And now.” I swallowed again and pressed my hands against my flaming cheeks. Might as well confess all, I thought. “Now I can’t stop thinking about being with all of you again. In every way.”
The air thickened with arousal.
“No,” I said, shaking my head and batting my hand through the air as if I could chase away the pheromones. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to stir the pot.” I sighed and swiveled the chair back and forth, trying to find the right words to explain what I was thinking. “I realized today that I don’t know you guys. Not really. Not in the way mates should know each other and, yes,” I added, gesturing towards Dimitri, who’d opened his beautiful mouth to retort. “I know that we have a lifetime to get to know one another, but we also have a lifetime to have Earth shattering sex.”
Lucian and Chase turned to glare at Dimitri who glared back and muttered, “I didn’t say anything,” followed by something in Russian.
“Don’t blame him.” I reached for the top box of pizza and opened it, knowing the pizza would help my cause. I balanced a piece on a napkin because I hadn’t thought to bring paper plates and took a bite of the tip while they began scarfing down entire slices in seconds. I watched them, amused, and entertained by their voracious hunger, and felt myself blush again at the thought of the other kind of hunger. Old Ones, would I ever stop blushing? I was mated to three insanely hot wolves. I’d be pink cheeked all the time if I didn’t get used to this.
Lucian finished a piece and took a long drink from his beer then cleared his throat. “As much as I hate to say it, because, you know… sex.” He shrugged as if that were a given and we all nodded. “I think slowing down might be a good thing for us.” He dodged a pillow and punched Dimitri.
I stared down at the pizza on my lap for a moment before looking at each of them in turn, letting them see how much this meant to me. “I want more than just sex. I want all of you. All of each of you.”
Dimitri sighed and nodded. “Okay,” he said, offering a smile that was half way convincing. “What are you thinking?” He arched an eyebrow. “Group dates? Individual dates?”
My heart lifted at his acceptance. “How about a bit of both?”
Chase rubbed his chin thoughtfully and finally nodded. “You need to be romanced,” he said, getting a now familiar spark in his eye.
Lucian’s and Dimitri’s heads pivoted, and they opened their mouths to speak, but before they could say a word, Chase jumped up and yelled, “Dibs!”
I sat back and lifted the slice of pizza to my lips as my mates abandoned their food and fell on one another with wrestling moves and shouts that proved they were more brothers than best friends. I watched them, a happy smile lifting my lips as they fought for the first date with me, and wondered if I, or anyone else in the world, had the right to be this impossibly happy.
A feeling of dread, pulled by the rush of joy in my soul, tainted the moment, spilling doubts into my mind that had no place in my life anymore. The past was over. I was free now, and safe.