Page 50 of Gold Rush
Add no poker face to my fun newomegalife.
He takes the cheese from me and throws it into the fridge without looking. Then he steps closer, his hands sliding over my forearms as he looks down at me, softly cataloguing my features before he whispers, “It probably isn’t to someone on the street, but to me? Yes, it’s obvious something is bothering you.”
The words make my lip tremble as I stare at his chest, unable to meet his eyes. “My mom called.”
“Ah.” He leans in and kisses my forehead, bringing with it his orange scent, enveloping me in it as he rubs his cheek against my hair, squeezing my arms. “I bought the ingredients for risotto.” He pulls back, finishing unpacking the groceries. “I think Seth will be home soon.”
Home.
The way he says it so casually, including me in it, in thisplacemakes my heart clench.
But my mother’s words echo quietly in the back of my mind —disgusting, a disappointment.
“June!” I jump as Seth’s voice echoes through the house, the front door banging open. “Where are you? Come see what I bought!”
I blush, glancing at Bennett who rolls his eyes. “Go out there before he wakes the dead, please.”
Wrapping my arms around myself, I step back out into the foyer, stopping short at the sheer amount ofbagscovering the marble flooring. There are so many labels and packages that I can barely take it all in.
After a moment, I gasp his name, scandalized. “Seth, what have you done?”
He whirls, looking up at me with a wide grin, then dances over, avoiding stepping on bags as he wraps his arms around me and picks meup, spinning us in a little circle. “Do you want to unwrap it all down here? Or we could get Bennett and Arin to take it all upstairs and show you the nest.” He bounces a little, his joy infectious as he looks down at me. “Youhaveto see the nest.” I feel the warmth of Bennett’s presence behind us just before Seth jerks his head up and shouts. “Arin!” I jump, but the beta keeps his arms around me, chattering my ear off. “You’re going to love it. It’s all the way upstairs, but we can make them carry all the shit up, you don’t have to lift a finger.”
“Oh?” I tilt my chin up at him. “That doesn’t seem fair.”
“It’s biology, June bug, it’s what they’remadefor.” Seth pecks my nose, kissing the tip before he leans to the side and makes a face at Bennett. “Come here.”
The alpha laughs, but relents. And in only a second, I’m squashed between the two of them, Bennett’s warmth at my back as he leans into Seth and kisses him once, gently, pulling back before Seth can get carried away.
I flush when a throat clears.
“You rang?”
Seth pulls himself away, leaving one arm draped across me as he looks over at Arin, motioning to the bags. “Grab as much as you can carry, we need to show our omega her nest.”
I open my mouth to correct him, but Arin’s eyes snag mine. With one look, I acquiesce, pressing my lips back together as the four of us move upstairs, past the second floor with my room and Seth and Bennett’s, all the way to the third. In the light of day, I can see the couch where I sat the first night, confused and overwhelmed. To the left of it is the short hall that leads to Theo’s room, the door firmly shut.
I wonder where he went.Seth motions to the other side of the hallway. “Theo’s up here, but you knew that. He took the room furthest from everyone because he’s a grumpy dick.” He tugs me over to the opposite end, where a narrow hallway ends on a single door.
Arin casts Seth a look and Seth slows to a stop, holding my hand as Arin brushes past us. There’s an unspoken shift of power as Arin steps to the door and twists the handle, letting it swing open, not stepping inside, and instead giving me space to walk past him.
“Consider this room yours, you dictate who’s allowed in.”
My throat closes as I let Seth’s hand go, slipping past Arin into the room.
It’splush. The carpet and decor is starkly different to the rest of the house. Instead of the wooden parquet throughout the other areas, there’s a thick carpet that I sink down into, my bare feet being swallowed by it. A mattress is set into the floor in the center of the room, cushioned walls around it.
I stop as I near the huge mattress, big enough for multiple people to sleep on it. It’s bare, and there are no pillows either, but the low ceiling and the soft, dark heather gray walls make the space feel cozy. Can lights line the ceiling, recessed and on a dimmer, not a window in sight.
I turn in a slow circle, spotting another door on the far wall.
“That’s the nest’s private bathroom.”
I jump, turning to look at Arin, remembering that I’m not alone. Seth crowds the doorway, looking at me eagerly as Bennett hangs back behind them both.
I glance at them, confused. “Why aren’t you coming in?”
Arin opens his mouth, then closes it.
