Endless (Clarity Coast Omegaverse Book 1)
Chapter 7

“Well, that clears up a few things.” I sat heavily on one of the couches, pretending not to be jealous that Cade just kissed the hell out of our Omega.

He told us the real reason we’re here. It made sense. More sense than someone wanting company for the wedding extravaganza about to take place.

“She won’t admit it, but I think he did a number on her,” Cade said. “We need to be careful.”

A growl rolled out of me. Of course I would be careful of her. The ex? Not so much.

Laughter filtered through the doors to the enormous closet. I could pick hers out among the three. Like my entire being was now attuned to her. The room already smelled like her and she’d only barely walked through it. The next three weeks would be delicious torture.

“How do we approach this?” I finally asked. “Because I can’t just walk away when this is over.”

Rowan sat forward, elbows on his knees. “I’m honestly not sure yet. Maybe after tonight, when we can actually spend a little more time with her, we’ll get an idea. I don’t feel like we can formulate a plan yet.”

“Agreed.” Joel ran a hand over his face.

I smirked, meeting Cade’s eyes. He knew what I was thinking. Tonight, when we were all sharing a giant bed. I looked forward to seeing how Isolde dealt with that. We would never cross a line she didn’t want, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t think about it.

Hawk stood, wandering around the couches to stare out the windows. He rarely stood still when he had a choice. “I don’t like lying to her.”

“We’re not lying,” I said.

He turned to look at me, a frown on his face. “It kind of feels like we are.”

“If we tell her now, she’ll run,” Cade said. “She’s determined not to want anyone.”

I crossed my arms. “I think that kiss says otherwise.”

His grin spoke volumes. “I said she’s determined not to want anyone. Not that she doesn’t. This ex of hers fucked with her head. It’s a defense mechanism. She doesn’t want to be hurt again or feel what he made her feel again, so she’s choosing to shut down first.”

Joel sank deeper into the plush couch. There wasn’t any part of this house which wasn’t sheer luxury. Even just running my hand over the cushion felt expensive.

We’d always been curious about this place. It was visible from our house, and obviously gorgeous. Being inside it was a whole different ball game.

But I liked our house better, new as it was. We had plenty of luxury, and it was designed for our needs. Now I could think about how Isolde might fit into that picture, and I liked it. The nest nestled between the empty Omega suite and the rest of the house. Imagining that⁠—

I stopped the thoughts. First, we needed to make sure she knew, and that she wanted us. We needed her to want us.

“If she asks us, don’t lie,” Joel said. “About anything. If she has an idea, or wants to know, we hide nothing. However, in this case, I think a little caution is necessary.” He looked at Hawk. “For the record, I don’t like it either. But I hate the idea of losing her more.”

Hawk shoved his hands in the pockets of his black jeans and looked down at his feet. “Can’t argue there.”

The closet door opened and Trinity Crawford came striding out like the powerhouse she was. We agreed to do a confidential interview with her because she had a track record of good interviews with people of every background, including sex workers. The last thing we wanted was an interviewer who spoke with us and then wrote an article trashing who we were and what we did.

But I wasn’t sure what we were anymore. Like hell was I going to continue taking clients if Isolde was in our lives. I couldn’t. Maybe the others could, but I doubted it.

It was like lightning striking. The place it struck would never be the same as it once was. She consumed my every thought, and we’d only just met her.

Trinity gave a little wave as she walked to the door and opened it for a woman with wildly curly hair wrapped up in a scarf, and a big black rolling case nearly as big as Isolde’s suitcase.

I should have been furious at the Omega for breaking the incredibly strict non-disclosure agreement we made her sign, but I wasn’t. Because her actions gave us Isolde. And her risking that for her friend told me mountains. Both about who she was as a person, and what she thought her friend needed.

How little she knew.

“Can one of you go back to the front door? Iz is getting a delivery, and I need to help Ronnie get set up.”

“Sure,” I stood, wanting to stretch my legs. “Who am I looking for?”

Trinity glanced at her phone. “Says his name is Daryl.” That was all she gave me before disappearing back into the closet.

I looked around at my packmates. “I guess I’m going to see Daryl.”

The Caruso mansion sprawled. Thankfully, I paid attention on the way in, but even then, it felt like I was wandering in a palace. People were here and there, moving with quick determination. Probably getting things ready for the party, which is what we needed to do as well.

I blew out a breath when I saw the front door. Now to get back to the suite without getting lost. The front steps were wide, cascading down in front of the mansion into the gravel drive, which was slowly and steadily filling with cars and people.

“You’re going to have to remind me of your name.”

The voice came from my left. Isolde’s stepfather stood there, smoking a cigar. I turned to him and held out my hand again. “Vaughn, Mr. Caruso.”

He clasped my hand with his free one and gestured with his cigar. “Call me Henry. Mr. Caruso feels like I’m at work.”

“All right, Henry.”

He looked at me, gaze sharp. “Have you known Isolde long? She never told us about you.”

This was something I needed to handle delicately. No lying. “Not too long, no. But we were more than willing to come and support her for this.”

There was a knowing look in his eyes. So he understood what was going on with my Omega. Good to know. I didn’t plan on being polite to her ex, which would have been harder if he were the golden boy to her parents.

“Well, in that case, I hope to get to know you better while you’re here.”

I nodded and glanced toward the driveway, noting the car pulling up that was distinctly out of place in the sea of glossy vehicles.

No part of what I said next was a lie, either. “I know we just met, sir, but I want you to know I care very much about your daughter.”

Henry took a puff on his cigar, watching me. Then he smiled. “Good.”

The beat-up car stopped in front of the steps, and a guy stepped out. I nodded to Henry and went down to meet him. “You’re Daryl?”

“Yeah.” He held out the bag, small, glittering pink, with Cheria stamped on the side. My eyebrows rose without realizing it. Cheria was a lingerie store nearby. Not just lingerie, but the stuff that was the stuff of fucking dreams. Impractical, expensive, and hot. Isolde ordered something?

Fuck me. As if being near her scent wouldn’t be hard enough—and make me hard—knowing she had on something naughty beneath whatever dress she wore would make it ten times harder.

“I’ll take it.”

Daryl smiled, the expression hitting me right in the chest. “I looked in there. Good for you. Jealous.”

Every ounce of politeness dropped from my body. I stepped into his space. I had a good foot on him, and I used every inch. “Do you regularly violate the privacy of your deliveries? Or just the women?”

“I—What?” He paled.

“You heard exactly what I said.”

“It’s just a bra, man. Not that serious.”

My teeth ground together. I couldn’t punch this guy in the face no matter how much I wanted to. I didn’t have that claim to Isolde yet, and her stepfather stood right behind me. “What a woman orders, whether it’s a bra or not, is none of your fucking. Business. Am I clear?”

He scoffed. “Whatever.”

Snatching the bag, I pushed him up against the car. “You’re lucky I have better things to do than kick your ass today. Now get the fuck out of here and try not to be a fucking creep.”

“I’m just dropping it off.” He held up his hands. “Not like she’ll ever know.”

I shook my head and backed up. It wasn’t that hard, but I wasn’t going to get myself into deep shit today because of an asshole who didn’t understand the meaning of privacy or the slippery slope that came with little violations.

Men like that started small, and if they got away with it, they pushed further.

Trying not to crumple the sparkling bag, I watched him until he disappeared out of the gate, and when I turned, Henry watched me.

We were far enough apart that I doubted he’d heard the exchange, but between the bag and the energy rolling off me, he got the gist. He nodded once. I nodded back.

The guys looked at me when I came back, and Rowan stood immediately. “Don’t go in there like that.”

“Like what?”

All he did was look at me.

“Fine.” I took a breath, trying to release the tension. It wasn’t something I was used to. Even the thought of someone hurting Isolde or violating her privacy made me see red. He was right.

Rowan stepped aside. “Better.”

I knocked on the closet door and waited, listening to the trickle of voices. Trinity opened it so quickly I had to duck out of the way. She laughed. “Sorry, Vaughn.”

“Here you go.”

“Thank you.”

I looked past her into the huge closet and froze. Isolde sat in front of the vanity, bright lights on her face while her makeup was being done. The silky robe fell around her shoulders, exposing too much skin, and fuck it was hard to look away. Her scent floated out like a beacon. I felt like one of those cartoon characters following a visible line of scent to replace a prize.

Trinity followed my gaze and smirked. “See something you like?”

Isolde’s eyes rose and met mine in the mirror. We weren’t going to lie to her, so I simply said, “Yes.”

“Better start getting ready,” Trinity nodded back outside. “She’ll be done soon.”

“Trinity,” I whispered before the door closed. “Report the driver.”

She frowned. “Why?”

“Because he looked in the bag, fucking congratulated me, and said he was jealous.”

The smile that grew on her face was one I never wanted to be on the wrong end of. “I’ll take care of it.”

She closed the door, and I kept standing there. Couldn’t quite get my feet to move. She was so close.

“Vaughn, you can take a turn in the bathroom to get dressed.”

“Right.”

Hawk, now in a suit, smiled. I just shook my head. “Like you’re not thinking the same damn thing.”

“Oh, I am.”

It took almost no time to change. We were nearly always in suits for our clients. I could probably put one on blindfolded. Thankfully, by the time we’d all changed and stood in the living area waiting, the doors to the closet opened, and Trinity announced, “She’s ready!”

Isolde rolled her eyes at the grand reveal, but none of us did. Green silk, creamy skin, curves. Fiery hair and glossy lips. Eyes dark enough to make my body heat.

And, of course, her scent washed over us like a wave of exquisite sugar that sent all my blood racing south. It felt like salvation and tasted like forever.

Holy.

Fucking.

Shit.