Chapter 344: Nesting
Lucas pressed his face deeper into the soft wool of Trevor's blazer, a low, needy sound vibrating in his throat. The frantic edge was gone, soothed by his alpha's presence, but a deeper ache was beginning to take its place, a molten pull low in his belly. His skin felt too sensitive, the brush of his own clothing a faint echo of the touch he truly craved.
Trevor's hand never stopped its slow, rhythmic motion on the back of Lucas's neck. Under his thumb the bond mark at the base of the omega's nape pulsed faintly, a living warmth beneath the skin. It was a mark he had given more than a year ago; it always thrummed when Lucas's heat approached, but tonight it seemed to vibrate with a new, deeper note.
"Lucas?" Trevor's voice was rough, a low gravelly sound that caught in his throat. He could feel the shift in the scent: not just the sweet bloom of heat but the deeper, instinctive pull of nesting and wanting. Cedar and honey mixed into something that spoke directly to his own body, tightening his gut.
Lucas tilted his head back, green eyes hazy but clear enough to be sober. He didn't speak at first. He simply turned within the circle of Trevor's arms, his fingers sliding into his hair, and pressed his forehead to Trevor's. The platinum ring flashed once as his hand cupped Trevor's jaw.
"I want you," he whispered, voice hoarse. "Let's have a child."
Trevor went still. For a heartbeat the only sound in the wardrobe was their breathing and the distant hush of the house. "Lucas…" he began but stopped. They'd had this conversation before and every time he'd refused, telling himself it was too soon, too dangerous.
Lucas's thumb brushed over the edge of his bond mark, the place where Trevor's scent was deepest. "I'm healthy," he said quietly. "You've seen the reports, the labs. Windstone had them on your desk. There's nothing wrong. Just this once. Please."
Trevor closed his eyes. The mark at Lucas's nape pulsed against his palm, answering some deep place in him he'd kept on a leash for months. He bent his head until their foreheads touched again, cedar washing over both of them in a slow tide.
"You're sure?" he asked softly.
Lucas nodded, a small, certain movement. "I've never been more sure of anything."
That certainty, an instant, and the careful control Trevor always wielded like a shield shattered. A deep, possessive sound rumbled from his chest as he hauled Lucas against him, one arm banding around his waist, the other hand fisting in his hair to expose the bond mark again. His mouth crashed down on Lucas's with a raw, claiming hunger that stole the breath from his lungs.
The walk from the wardrobe to their prepared nest of blankets and pillows was a blur of tangled limbs and frantic hands tearing at clothing. Buttons popped and fabric ripped in a desperate, mutual need to feel skin on skin. The cool air of the bedroom hit Lucas's feverish body just before Trevor's heat followed, covering him, pinning him gently but firmly to the mattress.
Now, buried deep inside him, Trevor was a force of nature. Lucas's legs were hooked over his arms, opening him up completely, making every inch of the alpha's claiming thrusts utterly inescapable. The heady, slick sound of their joining filled the room, a lewd counterpoint to their ragged breathing.
"Look at me," Trevor commanded, his voice thick with strain.
Lucas forced his bleary eyes open, meeting the dark purple gaze locked on him. The intensity there was terrifying, exhilarating.
"This is what you wanted," Trevor grunted, his pace never faltering, each drive hitting a spot that made white-hot pleasure crackle up Lucas's spine. "This is what you asked for. My knot. My seed. Everything."
"Yes! God, yes, Trevor," Lucas cried out, his head thrashing back against the pillows. The coil of heat in his belly was winding tighter, a spring ready to snap. Every nerve ending was on fire, singing with the friction, the stretch, and the overwhelming scent of his mate. He could feel the base of Trevor's cock beginning to swell, the promise of being locked together, filled to the brim.
Trevor's hand slid from his hip, skimming over the quivering plane of his stomach, pressing down gently right over his womb.
"I'm going to fill you up, Lucas," Trevor promised, his rhythm becoming shorter and more frantic, his own release building. "Gonna put a pup in you. Right here. You're going to feel it."
The words were filthy and perfect, were the final trigger. The coil in Lucas's gut shattered. His orgasm ripped through him with the force of a tidal wave, a silent, breathless scream on his lips as his body clamped down hard around Trevor's, milking him, pulling him deeper.
—
A day and a half later the manor had gone still again. The corridors smelled faintly of fresh flowers and polish, but the heavy cedar-and-honey haze of heat still clung to the private wing like a ghost. Staff moved softly; Windstone had made it clear that no one was to disturb the couple until summoned.
Inside the bedroom the nest of blankets and pillows had collapsed into a softer, looser sprawl. Sunlight fell through the tall windows in pale stripes, glinting on two rings lying on the nightstand and the slow rise and fall of the bodies curled together on the bed.
Lucas lay tucked against Trevor's chest, his breathing slow and even now. The frantic, aching pull that had driven him into the wardrobe had burned itself out, leaving him loose-limbed and drowsy. The bond mark at his nape pulsed faintly under Trevor's thumb, no longer a demand but a steady warmth.
Trevor had been awake for hours, simply holding him, stroking a hand over his hair, and watching the change. He had been at Lucas's side through a first heat and many storms, but this was different, the first time his omega had let instinct build a nest, the first time he'd reached for him without armor. Now, two days later, there was a quiet he hadn't seen in him before.
Lucas stirred, green eyes blinking open, still heavy-lidded but clearer. "How long?" he murmured.
"Since it broke?" Trevor's voice was low, rough from disuse. "About a day and a half. You've slept most of it."
Lucas shifted so that Trevor's palm lay over his stomach. "I don't feel like killing Benjamin or Lucius now."
Trevor's mouth curved, cedar warm against the back of Lucas's neck. "Progress," he murmured. "You're already regaining your diplomacy."
Lucas let out a soft, amused breath. "Or my self-control."
"Same thing in this family," Trevor said. He traced an idle circle with his thumb just above Lucas's navel, the gesture more grounding than intimate. "Windstone has them all sequestered in the east wing. Benjamin's been trying to organize a photoshoot and Lucius has been pretending to read a briefing. It's like a peace treaty with better catering."
Lucas snorted into the pillow, the sound still a little hoarse. "Good. Maybe they'll wear each other out before I have to talk to them."
"You don't have to yet," Trevor replied softly. "You're allowed to rest. They'll still be there when you're ready."
Lucas's fingers closed over Trevor's, holding his hand against his stomach. "I like this," he murmured. "No noise. Just us."
Trevor bent and pressed a kiss to his temple. "Then stay here," he said. "Let the world wait a little longer."