“It matches the bracelet West got me,” she gasped.
“Who doesn’t love a good coordinated gift? Can I put it on you?”
She nodded and I lifted it up delicately. The chain tried to twist in my thick fingers, but after a few tries, I got it to behave and hooked it behind her neck. It rested on her paint-stained t-shirt, the elegance completely at odds with her current outfit but somehow suiting her perfectly.
“It looks pretty,” I said. “But not as pretty as you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Your pickup lines are bad.”
“Do they need to be good?” I lifted an eyebrow. “I already have you, don’t I, little omega? Or do you not love me like I love you?”
Laughing, she pushed me until the backs of my knees hit the bed. I fell onto it and she crawled on top of me, her core hovering over my desperate cock.
“Don’t worry.” She left a trail of kisses up my chest. “You have me. I love you.”
Hearing those words soothed me, and I relaxed back onto the bed.
She loved me.
Just like it was meant to be.
Chapter
Forty-Five
TALIA
Conrad and I were splayed on the bed in the spare room, curled up together with a large amount of paint dotting our nude bodies, when someone knocked on the door.
Without waiting to hear who it was, Conrad shouted out, “We’re naked!”
I covered my face with my hand. I swear, if that was one of my sisters. Or, shit, my fathers…
The door opened and then closed quickly. Mercer stood with crossed arms and a smile just inside the room. Conrad cursed. “Fuck, it’s your turn now, isn’t it?”
At least we weren’t knotted together like West and I had been earlier.
He’d knotted me in round one, before we’d finger painted on each other and gone for round two.
Conrad hauled himself up from the bed, finding his clothes from all around the room where they’d landed. His jeans had ended up on the white paint I’d tried to flick at him, leaving a big white circle on the side of his ass when he put them back on.
I laughed as he saluted Mercer and clapped him on the shoulder. “She’s all yours,” he proclaimed. “Enjoy your mini date with her, but just know—you can’t beat my painting date.”
He rolled his eyes, wandering further into the room as Conrad left us alone. I sat up on the bed, snagging my shirt from the floor and putting it on, even though I wasn’t wearing anything else. It just felt strange being stark naked when he was fully clothed, and he had a bit too serious of an expression for me to try and start stripping him down.
Mercer stopped in front of me and caressed my cheek, which was still covered in dried paint. “I had something planned, but you look tired, and we still have to go over the plan for tomorrow. Rain check on the date?”
I nodded, smiling back at him. My mates had kept me distracted all day, but there were serious matters to address. Typical of Mercer to sacrifice his one-on-one time with me in favour of making sure I was fully prepared.
“We’ll go over the plan with Lavinia, but before that I do have something I want to give you tonight.”
He pulled a familiar style of velvet box out of his pocket. Another piece of jewellery? They were going all out. It was way too much.
“You didn’t each need to get me jewellery,” I said. “One from all of you would have been plenty.”
Mercer shrugged, popping the top open and revealing the contents. This one… It was a ring.
A gorgeous ring with a gold band, a central diamond, and small red stones surrounding it. It matched the bracelet and necklace I’d gotten from the others, making the perfect set.
