Page 23 of Forbidden Taste
Riley rocks on Hawk’s knot, his hips rolling in a slow, desperate rhythm, his flushed skin glistening under the dim lights as he reaches for me again, his fingers trembling in the air. I catch his hand, my palm sliding against his, warm and slick with sweat, and pull it to my chest, my heart thudding beneath his touch. I didn’t know what to expect during this heat but I’m even more confused by my reaction to Hawk, this Alpha sprawled beneath my mate. I thought it’d be simple: Riley taken care of, the Alpha gone, then us holding each other in the quiet aftermath. But Hawk’s still here, his scent pulling me in, and I don’t know what to do with the way my body’s responding, my mind splitting between them.
His scent hits me again, a rich, warm vanilla, laced with a hint of musk that curls through the air, mingling with Riley’s and mine. It’s intoxicating, a thread I didn’t expect to snag on, and when he smiles, it’s like he’s offering a piece of himself I desperately need.
I’m so fucking confused, my focus should be on Riley, but now it’s on both of them, and I don’t know how to pull it back. Hawk’s lost in Riley, his hands gripping Riley’s hips, guiding him with a steady strength that makes my chest ache, but every so often, his dark eyes flick up to mine—searching, asking, waiting. It’s like he’s seeking permission, and stranger still, it feels like my place to give it, like I’m the anchor here, even with an Alpha in the room.
Riley comes again, his cry shattering through the room as he flops onto Hawk’s chest. I reach out and run my hand up Riley’s back and into his hair, my Omega melting beneath my touch. A soft purr rumbles through him and then Hawk matches it—a low, rumbling echo that vibrates through the nest which in turn pulls a possessive growl from my throat. I want to get angry, want to shove him out, claim what’s mine, but it doesn’t feel right. He fits here, somehow, and I don’t know if that means I don’t fit anymore or if he’s a third we never saw coming.
The longer I run my fingers through Riley’s hair, the more something surges in me—a growing need, slick gathering around my hole. It’s more than I planned, more than I wanted from this night, and my breath catches as Riley relaxes, his body softening against Hawk’s. The Alpha turns his head, his dark eyes locking on mine. “Take what you need, babe,” he rumbles, his voice rough with the edge of his own want, and my face turns crimson, heat flooding my cheeks as I pull back, my hand slipping from Riley’s hair.
“Hey,” Hawk whispers, softer now, his head tilting slightly, “there’s no judgment here. What happens here stays here.” His words hang between us, a quiet promise, easing the knot in my chest just enough to breathe.
The problem is that I don’t know what I need. Or rather I’m not really sure if I can take what I need. Hawk places a soft handon my thigh, squeezing just slightly before Riley turns his head to face me. His eyes are half-lidded, sleep over taking him as he says words that make everything seem alright. He reaches for my other hand, sleepily dragging it to his lips before his breath fans over my knuckles. “It’s okay, sweetie.”
I move, slotting myself against Hawk’s side, my massive frame dwarfing his smaller one. My hand slides to his jaw and I take his lips in a rough kiss, pouring every ounce of confusion, want, and desperation into it.
Hawk moans into it, a low, broken sound that vibrates against me, and then he submits—yields to me in a way I didn’t think an Alpha could. His head tips back, his hands flexing on Riley’s hips, and it’s perfect, this embrace, this contact that calms the storm raging inside me. His lips are soft, tasting of vanilla and something darker, a sweetness that clings to my tongue, and I deepen the kiss, my chest brushing Riley’s shoulder. The chaos in my head melts away, soothed by the warmth of them both as I realize something, sharp and startling: not once did I try to hide my knot, not once did I feel ashamed of it with Hawk in the room. It’s there, swollen and heavy, pressed against Hawk’s thigh but I don’t flinch from it—not like I have with others, not like I’ve trained myself to.
There’s more—a lingering thought, curling through me as I kiss him. I want to fuck Hawk, not just be fucked, want to feel him yield beneath me, his lean body arching into mine. I pull away, my breath ragged, and he chases the kiss, his lips parting, his dark eyes hazy with want as they lock on mine.
His purr starts up again, a deep, rolling sound that matches Riley’s as it drags me under, pulling at something primal I’m fighting to resist. I’m not sure, but I think I hear him whisper, his voiceso low it’s almost lost in the hum of the nest. “I didn’t ever think I’d find a mate, but two? I must have saved a world in another life.”
More slick gathers around my hole, pooling between my thighs but I’m not as terrified of it as I was a few days ago. It factors into that need swirling in my chest but for the moment, I’m comfortable. Riley is safe and sated and Hawk… well, I really like being pressed up against him.
And Riley said it was okay so I lay myself back down, curling around Hawk’s side before stuffing my face into the crook of his neck. We’re a mess of limbs and sweet, thick scents, and a conversation looming that I don’t want to have.
seventeen
RILEY
My body is achy and sore when I wake up, a dull throb pulsing through me as Hawk moves beneath me, his hips pumping up, filling me with a warmth that’s both too much and not enough. My eyes flutter open, blurry with sleep, and I blink against the soft rays of light filtering through the curtains. “Hello, sweetheart,” Hawk murmurs, his dark eyes catching mine as he shifts, his hands gentle on my hips. “How are you feeling?” His vanilla musk wraps around me, and I melt into his arms, my chest pressing to his, hating how I’m all but sure he’s another mate—his scent, his touch, the way he fits so perfectly right here.
The haze of my heat is gone which means it was just a spike, a violent one at that. I sit up a little, my thighs trembling as I turn my head. Leo’s there, sprawled beside us in the nest, his sea-green eyes wide and dark with desire, fixed on us like he can’t look away. Oneof his hands is buried in Hawk’s damp black hair, fingers tangled in a possessive grip I’m not sure he even notices.
I need more than just Hawk right now, more than his steady rhythm, and it’s a new ache, one I’ve never felt before. I’ve never needed more than one Alpha during a heat, but it makes sense—two mates, two scents calling to me, apple pie and vanilla weaving through my roses and honey like they belong.
I reach for Leo like I did all last night, my hand trembling as I stretch toward him, and he obliges immediately, surging up to kiss me, his lips crashing into mine with a hunger that steals my breath. My hand slides down, finding his cock so that I can stroke him, Leo responding with a guttural sound, his entire body shaking as his scent sweetens, flooding the nest. I come, a sharp, sudden wave crashing through me even as Hawk keeps moving, pumping up into my ass. My head tips back, a moan spilling from my lips as I pull away from Leo, my voice rough as I meet his stormy eyes. “You need more too, don’t you, sweetie?” I ask, watching his face twist up, a flicker of confusion and want he’s not ready to face.
I look down at Hawk, his dark eyes steady on me. “Touch him, but softly. Don’t dominate.” Hawk doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t blink, as if he’s already picked up on the dynamic threading through us. His hand slides from my hip, reaching over to grip Leo’s, his fingers brushing the curve of Leo’s skin. Leo hisses before relaxing, his massive frame sinking back into the nest as if Hawk’s touch is enough to break through the hesitation in his expression.
The entire time, I keep stroking my Omega, my hand slick with him, my focus shifting—Hawk’s still inside me, pumping up once more, but it’s Leo I’m pouring into now, wanting him to feel this, to let go. Hawk’s knot swells, locking us together, and the haze of myheat sinks fully away, leaving me completely clear-headed, tethered to them both.
Leo’s breath hitches, his hand tightening in Hawk’s hair, and then he comes, spilling into my hand, coating the side of my thigh. He growls through it, a deep, possessive sound that rumbles through the nest, and it pulls me over again—another wave, softer this time, cresting as Hawk fills me, his vanilla scent spiking with release.
The knot pulls me under like it always does, relief settling through me at the fact that Leo doesn’t seem as panicked as before. The next time I wake up, I’m sprawled across Leo’s chest, my cheek pressed to the warm expanse of his freckled skin, his spiced apple scent thick in my lungs as the sound of running water pulls me from sleep.
“Angel, was it okay?” he asks, his hand stroking my back, fingers tracing slow circles. “He was gentle with you. I made sure of it.”
A giggle falls from my lips as I throw a leg over his waist, straddling him as I nuzzle closer, my nose brushing the hollow of his throat.
“You’re not sore?” he asks, his hand sliding to my thigh, gripping gently as if testing me.
“No,” I say, my lips curving as I press a kiss to his collarbone, tasting the salt of his skin. “I wanted you too, but I couldn’t get out the words, and I just… don’t hate me, okay? I really liked his knot.” My voice dips, my cheeks flushing as I admit it, the memory of Hawk’s vanilla musk and steady strength still lingering.
Leo grins, a flash of teeth that’s both tender and teasing as he leans in, his breath warm against my ear. “I bet you did,” he murmurs. “You said your ass was greedy for it.” There’s a flicker of painin his eyes that I barely catch, a thread of possessiveness he’s holding back.
“But I think I like yours more,” I whisper, my hand sliding up his chest, fingers curling into his orange curls. “Knot me?” It’s a plea, his grin fading into something fiercer, hungrier. I’m not even sure if his knot will take right now. It didn’t inflate the last time but that was because I was in heat and his desires were working against him. That’s all it was, right?
He flips us, pinning me beneath him, and slides right in. I hum with pleasure as he starts to move, his lips brushing mine, his hands cradling my face. The nest shifts beneath us, pillows sinking as he rocks into me, every thrust a tender claim that makes my toes curl. It’s nothing like our first time when he was unsure. There’s confidence in his movements, a certainty that makes me submit completely.
