Page 144 of Bonds of Fate

“It’s beautiful. Where did you get this?”

“Not my vibe, right? It’s Gideon’s. I bought it for him from a boutique in Paris. Handmade by a tiny French woman namedElise. Told her I had a pirate fantasy, and voilà! He won’t mind if you wear it.”

“Really? It’s so pretty. How did the pirate fantasy work out?”

Luca giggles as he ties the laces loosely so flashes of Nix’s chest and belly show through. “Well, I can say I hoisted his mainsail, I swabbed his deck, and then he looked for pirate booty.”

“Did he shiver your timbers?”

“Argh, matey, he blew my man down.” Luca’s pirate voice is ridiculous, and Nix laughs so hard he has tears in his eyes. “Don’t wreck the eye makeup! Fuck, you look so good. One last thing. I know you might not feel comfortable going pantsless outside. Yet. So I brought you these. I picked them up in LA ages ago but never wore them.

The cream-colored box hasLa Perlaon the front in gold foil. When Luca peels back the tissue, there is a simple pair of white panties inside. The legs are framed in soft lace, and when Luca helps Nix slide them on, they feel silky on his dick and ass cheeks. In fact, they feel like he’s wearing nothing at all.

“Jay has a role-play deflowering kink a mile wide, and nothing says ‘I’m a sexy virgin’ like these.” Luca’s scent sours again at the thought of their alpha, but he rallies and pastes on a fake smile.

Nix doesn’t know how to make it better, especially when it’s all his fault. Instead, he hugs Luca and says, “Thank you, I love them.”

“You look perfect. Look how they make your dick look so pretty. Here. Come see in the mirror.” He takes Nix’s hand and leads him toward the large floor mirror behind the white chair in the room’s corner.

Nix doesn’t recognize himself. He might even be pretty. Luca had made his eyes look brighter and lengthened his lashes. He’dadded a bit of peach color to his cheeks and a soft gloss to his lips.

“What do you think?”

“I love it. Thank you.”

Luca retrieves the same iridescent glitter from the other night. “One last thing, then you’re done.”

He brushes a shimmering fingertip over Nix’s collarbones, over his belly button, then has him turn to trace over the dimples at the base of his spine. And because he’s Luca, he tops it off with a sharp bite to Nix’s butt cheek, just below the lace edge of the white panties.

“All done. Gray is going to nut before you even get to dessert.”

Nix sincerely hopes not, but he smiles, so grateful for this man that it overflows in a burst of affection. “Thank you for this. I’m sorry today was shit.”

His mate’s eyes are misty when he whispers, “I’m going to tell you what I told Jay. We’re a family. It’s not all on you. We are going to be okay—better than. Just keep doing what you need to, eh? I’ve got you.”

“I’m lucky you love me,” Nix says.

Luca kisses his cheek and looks at him with unwavering conviction. “Fucking right you are. But, yeah, we are blessed to love you, too.”

Just then, there’s a knock at the door. It’s time.

Chapter Thirty: Nix

Nix

“Have fun, baby.”

Nix gets a kiss on his cheek before Luca slips into the bathroom and closes the door behind him. He hadn’t expected Luca to know he needed this moment alone with Grayson, but he was grateful for the unexpected privacy.

The scent of sweet basil is strong, even before Nix opens the door. When he does, his mouth goes dry, and his hands are immediately clammy. It’s a strange dichotomy—because Grayson is breathtaking.

He stands in the doorway, frozen, mouth parted slightly, throat bobbing as he swallows. He’s wearing a loose-fitting white button-up, the top three buttons undone, the bottom two left open just enough for Nix to glimpse the line of his abdomen. His close-fitting black trousers leave little to the imagination, and he’s already hard. His hair is half up, accentuating the high planes of his face, his full mouth bitten red, his dark eyes locked onto Nix like he’s seeing something he can’t quite believe.

Nix’s nerves tingle with barely concealed excitement, and all he can say is a simple “Hi.”

“Hi, Angel. You are gorgeous. Fuck.” Grayson’s trembling hand is around the back of his neck instantly, lips pressed to Nix’s in a kiss. He nips and sucks at Nix’s lower lip, and it’sall Nix can do to just hang on, fingertips tucked into the top of Grayson’s pants.

Time slows, and the world slips away. Nix isn’t sure how long they stand there, tongues licking into mouths and sighs of bliss echoing in Nix’s ears, his dick throbbing in time with his heartbeat. His panties rub against his hardness, and they are getting wetter by the second. His wolf thinks they could just pull them off and climb Grayson like a tree.

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