Page 11 of A Nest of Maple & Mist

When Jason greeted me, those piercing eyes making my breath catch, I knew for certain what I had always believed.

That I was equally attracted to men and women.

I recognized Jason for what he was—an Apex. Dominance poured from him. It put me at ease. I may not have been an omega, but I knew there was something special about Jason the moment I met him. His scent was potent even to my dulled beta senses.

He wrapped an arm around my waist, feeding me a huge breakfast before I even formally accepted the job. When he touched me, it made fire ignite in my belly.

Then there was Shane, someone equal parts soft and protective. Like me, he no longer had a family, and we found solace in each other.

In a matter of weeks, I found all the things I never thought I’d have.

A home. A pack. Family. Love.

My mind still wandered to my sweet girl, wondering where she was, what she was doing, if she was happy.

Jason sat us down, telling us what happened to her childhood home, to her entire savings. It made my stomach roll and bile burn. Jason rubbed my nape, assuring me we’d take care of her, that we’d find a way to fix this.

All the while, Shane paced, staring into nothingness. I knew the situation was hard for him, but he couldn’t deny what her presence did to him. I saw it in the way his pupils dilated when he first caught a whiff of her.

It took every ounce of willpower he had to avoid barging into the once-empty omega suite and cradling Mia in his arms.

That girl was the same reason I spent twenty minutes making breakfast this morning, brewing her coffee just how I knew she loved it.

No matter how often I woke up at sunrise, I still never became a morning person, usually grouchy without at least two coffees.

“Earth to Ty,” a deep voice hummed in my ear.

The rich, velvet tone sent a shiver down my spine and a throbbing ache straight to my cock. I stifled a groan, my teeth burrowing into my bottom lip. A callused thumb tugged it free.

I blinked, the tension in my muscles loosening as a pair of eyes that glittered like polished river stones stared back at me—equal parts imposing and comforting.

“Hi, Daddy,” I breathed, one side of my mouth lifting in a slight smirk.

Muscles rippled across Jason’s chest as he crossed his arms, straining the tight T-shirt under his flannel. I reached out, running my fingers through his dark beard, scratching through the coarse hair.

A hand closed around mine, and he tugged. I stumbled, falling into his chest and grinning up at him.

Jason snorted, shaking his head. “You’re such a brat.”

“You love it.”

“I love my beta,” he countered, his voice a resonant rasp.

Long fingers slid through my mussed hair, and he ruffled my waves, gently scraping his nails along my scalp. His hand moved lower until he gripped my nape, his eyes darkening as his lips brushed against mine, coaxing and commanding.

He tasted faintly of espresso and chocolate. The decadence of it consumed me, my body turning pliant. A quiet moan rolled from my tongue, and he swallowed the sound, holding me tighter as he took what he wanted.

Only after my lips were swollen and my dick was hard did he pull away, looking smug and entirely too pleased with himself at the ruined state he left me in.

“Tease,” I huffed.

“Be good. You have been distracted all morning. You need to be focused when using a chainsaw, Ty.”

“Have you been spying on me?”

He winked. “I came to say hi and decided to admire you from afar for a while. Can you blame me? It was quite the view. You glistening, breathing hard, muscles clenching.”

“Stop it,” I chuckled, pushing his shoulder.