Page 26 of The Alpha's Mates

She nodded. “I really need to come up with a way to explain this to my father.”

“When the time is right, you will,” Christoph said. “Although, I did explain the situation to him when we were together.”

He helped her into his truck then came around the front and got in behind the wheel. “I should prepare you for my parents.”

“I’m sure they’re great people. They raised you, and you turned out to be the most caring, generous man I know—besides the men in my family.”

Oh, how naïvely wrong she’d been. “My parents are… Complicated.” They believed in power. Not love or mating. Heck, if he had to guess, his parents hadn’t been fated but betrothed to each other to keep the purity of the alpha bloodline. He only became surer of that after his mother didn’t protest his father actions that day in their apartment.

“Complicated?”

“They’re not the most approachable type of people.” They’d rather see him marry a girl for her status than for mating. He couldn’t even say out loud, “but once they get to know you, they’ll warm up.” He didn’t think they had an appreciative or loving bone in their bodies.

She frowned. “Oh.”

“We’ll make it work.” He took her hand in his as they pulled away from the curb and headed for Jackson’s place. “I’m sure they’ll be completely blown away by you.” Lies, all lies. He knew the truth.

She relaxed into the seat next to him. “Oh, I am sure they won’t know what to expect since we’re, well… A ménage.” She’d lowered her voice to a whisper, and he got a perverse pleasure out of it. His kitten. All purr, no bite. Soft and caring.

“We’re not a full ménage yet, kitten.” He winked at her. “We still haven’t gotten to the part where we have sex together. Or, well, I should say, more than a blow job while the other is fucking you.”

The subtle perfume of her arousal had him gritting his teeth. Bell controlled their mating. He and Jackson came to the agreement after the ball. Between them, they had all the time in the world with her. When she was ready, they mate her together. As for them, well, they were still working on that aspect.

“I wanted to talk to you about our arrangement.” She hurried through her statement. The kick of her pulse increasing made him curious.

“Oh?”

“Yes.” She nodded, her stern expression any other time would have had him laughing, but she was serious. She wanted to finish their mating. “Tonight. After dinner. All three of us.”

He gave her a moment to gather herself before he responded. “We have time, kitten. We don’t have to rush this. We know you’re ours, like you know we’re yours.”

“I got to thinking about it.” She smoothed out the pleats of her dress. “After everything with Hayden and Nico, I don’t want to hurt us. Hayden and Nico hurt each other because of their age differences and circumstances. None of us have that issue. So, why harm each other by denying our mating any longer than we should?”

Christoph stopped in front of Pi Beta Alpha where Jackson waited. Once he got into the truck, Christoph continued their conversation. “What part of it, Bell? We have to have the words.”

“Uh, mind telling me what’s going on?” Jackson sat forward, leaning between the seats.

“Kitten wants to finish our mating, tonight,” Christoph said.

A cocky grin tugged at Jackson’s mouth. “Does she? What part of it, blondie?” She nibbled on her bottom lip, and Christoph’s groin tightened. Not something he needed twenty minutes before they met with his parents. “Don’t do that. You might get more than what you bargained for.”

She gasped and swamped him with her sweet scent.

“Damn. I don’t think going to dinner with your parents with a hard-on is a good thing.” Jackson ran his finger down Bell’s cheek. “What brought about all of this? We had a plan, Bell. Did something happen that you’re not telling us about?”

She turned into his touch, and Christoph swore he heard her purr. “The games. Hayden and Nico. She said it had been one of the most amazing experiences of her life. The night of the gala, too. I don’t want to miss another day of us not being mates. I want what my cousin has. Orcousins, as it might seem.”

Jackson gave him a look. One filled with desire and lust for this woman, their mate and for him too. Christoph had no doubt the same reflected in his gaze, too. “Well, then I guess we’re going to have to make this official.”But, probably not tonight.

Bell settled into the seat and let out a soft sigh. “Then we’ll discuss this more tonight, after dinner, when we’re all alone.”

5

Christoph’s fatherhad never bothered to tell him where exactly they’d meet for dinner. Instead, his father had sent him a text with an address. So, the fact he pulled up in front of the swankiest, most expensive restaurant in town didn’t really surprise him. Piss him off, yes, because he had specifically told his parents nothing expensive, especially after he learned the Pride wasn’t as well off as his father projected. His parents always felt the need to show off. It disgusted him.

“I think I’m underdressed.” Bell played with the hem of her skirt as the valet walked up to their car and opened the passenger door for her.

“I’m sorry. I told them nothing fancy.” He reached over, pushing her fingers away from her hem. “You look beautiful.”

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