Page 10 of For All My Effort

We rode down in silence, and when the doors opened, he pushed me through with little effort. Just like they’d planned, a car was out front, the back door open and waiting for us. Sebastian was driving, already back from dropping Han and Zeke off at the house.

“Let me help you in.” Without waiting for a response, Jackson lifted me from the chair like I weighed nothing. His easy strength, and the feeling of being against him, even for just a few moments, was enough to have my body become excited.

My imagination was taking off with ideas of exactly how he could put that strength to good use. Holding me against him as he thrusted into me. His hands around my thighs would help bounce me on his dick. I would’ve bet my life that he was proportional everywhere.

When I was in the car, he tried pulling away, taking his intoxicating scent with him until I reached out, my fingers tightening around his shirt. No way was he leaving me. I needed him to be nearby so I could convince him to fuck me.

“Do you smell that?” His voice was distant, which was weird because I could literally feel him next to me.

“Shit. It’s probably just a spike. We need to get her home.”

“Hear that, omega? We need to get you home—to your nest.”

Nest. Oh, yes, I needed that. Because where I was at was no good. Too much was missing—the proper scents, the right space, and it was too bright, too open. Every blink took effort as I looked at my surroundings trying to figure out what exactly I was seeing. It was all a blur, and I couldn’t figure out why.

A part of me wanted to panic, but I could scent my mates nearby, two of them. I whimpered for them to get closer, relaxing only slightly when I felt the warmth of one against my knee.

When the world finally seemed to come into focus, I realized we were outside. The sun was bright and shining down on us despite the coldness of the air. All of a sudden, Jackson seemed to appear, lifting me up so my side was pressed to his front, one arm around my back, and the other under my knees.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled myself closer to him, nuzzling his throat. Pressed this close to him, the bite of chill in the air disappeared. My feet started kicking as I continued to suck in his crisp, apple scent.

As soon as we were inside, I was basically thrown into a state of euphoria. This—this place smelled of my mates. Each inhale was a mix of the four, somehow distinct, yet managing to blend in a way that settled something deep inside me. Like one scent with several notes all tightly pressed together.

I heard talking, my focus not strong enough to determine their words. Not that I cared. I was as happy as I could be, content to be near my mates. Then the lights seemed to dim—even better. I hadn’t realized my eyes were closed until the brightness behind my eyelids disappeared.

One deep breath. That was all it took for my eyes to open and for me to launch myself from Jackson’s grip, determined to get into my nest.

Home.

Safe.

This was my perfect place.

My mate didn’t immediately release me as I attempted to scramble out of his arms. Once I felt the mattress underneath me, he finally let me go.

The nest was its own room. Draping from the ceiling were large pieces of fabric helping to make the room feel more closed. Every inch of the floor had a slight give of the mattress. Several rows of pillows were on the floor, pressed against the three walls and making the center of the nest feel closed in. Nicely folded near the base of the pillows were a bunch of blankets, all of them sarapes or at least similar in texture.

Laying down, feeling the give of the mattress under my head, was such a relief to finally be able to lie on my back. Under me, I felt the bizarre squares of the mattress gently cradling my body. No matter which way I turned, or squirmed, I was supported and comfortable and I was never going to leave.

A knock caught my attention. I had just enough strength to lift my head.

Zeke. His scent drifted toward me from the other door before my eyes fully focused on him. He had taken off most of his clothes, leaving him in just some tight-fitting boxers. The darkness of his brown skin seemed to lighten around his stomach and thighs, though he was still darker than any tanned white.

“Can I come into your nest, Hannah?”

I gasped, sitting up so quickly my head seemed to spin. That sounded like a wonderful idea. “Yes.”

He chuckled, getting down onto his hands and knees to crawl into the nest with me. Watching his shoulders work, seeing his thighs flex, it was like he was seducing me just by walking—crawling—existing.

“Like what you see?” he asked.

I groaned, nodding my head, not even denying it.

He came to lay beside me, on his side with his head propped up on his hand. I didn’t even think before I reached out to touch him, running my fingers over his heated chest. Under his baggy clothes, my mate was toned. The divide between his pecs with a slight smattering of hair, his stomach with the light markings of his abdominal muscles, and of course, the deep V of his hips disappearing under his boxers. He oozed sexual appeal.

One moment, I was just tracing him with my touch, the next I was pushing him back, crawling over him until my legs were on either side of his body. My center was directly over his boxers, so I could feel the thickness of him.

“Hannah—”