Breeding Clinic (Heatverse)

Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

KAT

Nested is an omega’s wet dream, including their air. Their pheromone filtration system is state of the art, and I swear the calm, sweet vanilla scent they pipe in has extra ozone in it or something. When the glass doors slide open, the frigid AC cools the sweat on my brow. I’m giddy with excitement.

“Oh, wow. This store is enormous,” Matthew says.

“You’ve never been in one?” I ask. Not even to buy a gift or something for someone? Nested is a huge chain and this store is a Plus version. It doubles as a warehouse hub for their distribution network. I like that it caters exclusively to omegas. It’s omega owned and omega staffed.

“No,” Matthew says. “My parents are betas.”

Liam grabs us a cart while Gabriel picks up a store map from the acrylic display stand. Whatever’s not on the floor can be ordered and shipped to your door within two days if it’s in stock. Efficiency is important when you’re dealing with heats.

“Divide and conquer?” Liam asks with a frown, looking around at the huge store. The showroom has displays and inspiration set ups designed to mimic real nests, but the back is the warehouse which contains every item they sell .

Matthew and I already made a list of what we’re looking for today complete with SKU numbers and prices. A few omegas who are checking out a display of cute, shaped pillows give Liam sideways glances, their nostrils subtly flaring. Trying to scent him. They practically eye fuck him as they search for a claiming mark on him first, then me. A side pony covers my old claiming bite. They glance at Liam’s temporary mark that’s fading on my throat, then my pregnant belly. I can practically hear their silent judgment from across the display racks.

Good enough to breed. Not good enough to claim for real.

A low growl vibrates in my chest, and I glare daggers at them. I should have fucked him in the car and rubbed my slick all over him. Let them know he’s taken even if neither of us is wearing the other one’s bite. At least not yet. The lawyers are still working on the paperwork, going back and forth over small details.

“No way,” I tell him. There’s zero chance in hell that I’m letting him wander off so that half the store can undress my alpha with their eyes. He’s handsome as fuck. A successful business owner. Genuinely kind. Good to his betas. And phenomenal in bed. I’m going to cling to him in this store like a baby monkey till I’ve got his ass locked down with a mating bite. “This store is big. Let’s stick together.”

I take one of Liam’s hands, holding it, and think really hard at the other omegas to fuck off . Too bad telepathy isn’t real. I try anyway. Just in case. You never know. A growl slips out of me by accident.

Liam glances at me with curiosity. “You okay?”

I dodge his questioning gaze and glare at the omegas who can’t take a fucking hint. “Yeah. But if they don’t stop undressing you with their eyes they won’t be.”

“Who?” Liam looks around to see who I’m glaring at.

“What’s wrong?” Matthew asks .

“I think our omega’s feeling a bit territorial,” Gabriel says with a grin. His expression is delighted. As if I’ve paid them the highest compliment. He tugs me closer and slips his hand down to squeeze my hip.

“What,” Liam says, “them?” He looks at the omegas who are suddenly busy studying whatever display they’re in front of. “I didn’t notice.”

“You didn’t?” I ask him.

“No.” Liam grabs the end of my hair and plays with it. “Why would I when the best omega’s right here with us?”

My heart flutters and embarrassment makes my cheeks heat with a blush. I clear my throat, but I can’t keep the tiny smile from my face. “I guess we should get started. You grabbed a map?”

“Oh, wow,” Gabriel says, looking up from the map he’s reading. “Did you see there’s a food court?”

“Really? What do they sell?” Matthew asks, looking at the map.

“International food. There are three dishes from every country where they have a store. Look, they have pastel from Brazil.” He hands me the map. One of the segments of the unfolded brochure has flags from around the world and the food items they sell listed next to each flag. “It’s a hand pie with beef and spices. You’ll like it.”

“Sounds good, but let’s furniture shop first,” I tell them. We follow the map’s complicated directions to the nest furniture area. The building is a maze—someone could get lost in for hours if they aren’t careful.

When we find it, I’m impressed by their selection and variety. They have all the various decor styles from Swedish modern minimalist to white fairytale princess canopy beds to mid-century modern. They also have round, oval, and a heart-shaped nest for omegas who want something different. I’m drawn to the more traditional rectangular one with four posters. It comes with optional bed curtain rails and four wood stains to choose from.

“What do you think?” I ask them, running a hand along the poster’s ornate spiral carving. Wooden rosettes decorate the corner where each curtain rail meets another. The curtains go on the inside, leaving the decorated wood on display. “Oak? Or the walnut color is nice.”

“Walnut,” they agree, then debate the sizing. Matthew pulls up the house’s listing and finds the architectural drawing that was done when it was renovated in the nineties. They study the dimensions of the main room and discuss furniture layouts.

Once they’ve determined what size we need, Matthew takes the paperwork from its plastic sign and we move onto mattresses. It takes an hour of testing and debating to find one we all agree on.

“I think these go with the bed,” Gabriel says, holding up a white package. “It’s like mosquito netting.”

I glance at the bed curtains he found. “They are, but I don’t want white.”

“What color do you want?” he asks, confused.

They have twenty options for bed curtains but none of them are right. They’re all solid colors. “Not those.” I grab Gabriel’s hand and lead him to the regular curtains where they have patterned ones. “These.”

I hand him the curtains that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since I saw them. They’re a bluish-green and muted with a cream, gold, and green floral motif embroidered on them. They’re also expensive and you only get one panel a package instead of a set. We’ll need eight for the bed. It’s hard to justify spending a grand on bed curtains. But they’re perfect.

My omega instincts won’t let me walk away now that I’ve seen them in person. They’re prettier than they were online. The gold threading is metallic. It gives them a subtle glimmer in the light.

I need them.

It’s probably the pregnancy, but my nesting urges have been off the charts lately. I’ve rearranged my bedroom three times and stolen dirty clothing from each of them to hide underneath my pillows. A workout shirt from Gabriel. An undershirt from Matthew. And a pair of Liam’s boxers that he sleeps in. Soon I won’t have to rely on stolen garments with fading scents. I’ll have their pheromones direct from the source in my nest. I wish we were ready to close on the house. The wait is killing me.

“Pretty,” Gabriel says, tossing the curtain into our cart.

I count out the rest and grab seven more, adding them. A bedding set in the distance catches my eye and I’m off on the hunt. They exchange amused looks while I test the bedding’s texture swatch against my cheek. If I’m going to be ass up for them for every heat then I want something that’s soft against my face.

“Did you realize there were so many options?” Liam asks the others.

I don’t pay attention to their quiet conversation about thread counts and ply. I’m too busy touching swatches and rubbing sheets together to hear if they squeak.

Not smooth enough. I don’t like their microfiber. Flannel would be too hot. Their jersey knit is awful with the way it almost tries to stick to my skin when I pet it. Too stretchy. I brush my fingers against my jeans to get rid of the memory of its texture. Their high thread-count cotton is nice, but once I find the satin, I’m done for. I pick a creamy color that’s a shade lighter than the lightest tone in the curtains. Then I balance out the silkiness of the sheets with a textured cotton duvet cover in a muted leaf green hue.

It’s the throw blankets that get me while I’m trying to pick out pillows. There’s a velvet tasseled throw with a leaf pattern that’s been burned into it. The price of it is nuts. It’s a throw blanket. It won’t keep us warm. It’s purely decorative. Decadently, vainly decorative. I try to put it back, but my fingers refuse to unclench and drop it.

“Do you want that?” Matthew asks quietly.

I can afford it. I live modestly. My books do well. And the interest I’ve earned on my settlement money goes up every month without my lifting a finger. I deserve a pretty throw blanket I can afford. But it seems kind of selfish to want it. We’re going to have a baby very soon. Kids are expensive. We’ll need to save for college one day.

But it’s so damn pretty.

“Kat,” Liam says, distracting me from my spinning thoughts.

“Hmm?” I say, distracted. He cuts me off by grabbing my chin and turning my face to him.

It’s such a small, innocuous gesture. A dominant act he probably doesn’t think twice about. Then he smiles. A slow, sexy grin that makes me pulse between my legs. Oh, he knows. Has he been reading more of my books?

“Put the blanket in the fucking cart, kitten,” he says, his voice husky.

Slick makes a damp spot in my panties, and his nostrils flare, scenting me. My arousal. I blush. “It’s stupidly expensive.”

His eyes darken as my scent overpowers my nullifying wash. “But you like it, so we’re buying it. God, you’re so fucking cute. I love seeing you shop like this. It’s terrifying. Put the blanket in before I spank you for being naughty. For not listening to your alpha when he gives you an order.”

Oh, God. That’s the worst thing he could say to me while I’m working to get my pussy under control .

“Fine.” I can talk him into that spanking later. I let Gabriel take the blanket from me and add it to the cart. “But if any of you get cum on that I’ll cry. I don’t think it can be laundered.”

“Buy two,” Liam says to Matthew. “In case they discontinue it.”

Matthew takes another one from the stack and adds it to our rapidly filling cart.

I make a dismayed sound, but Liam distracts me with a swat on my ass. The blow is dampened by my clothes and doesn’t sting, but it makes my damp spot grow. My blush deepens. After so much semi-public fingering and fucking, I didn’t realize I could still be embarrassed by getting turned on in public.

“Remember those days?” An older alpha and omega couple nearby chuckle, and I know it’s us they find amusing.

“Pillows,” I tell Liam, trying to distract my pack.

It works. He drops his hand away and tugs me against his side, walking us over to the section with pillows. I pick them in a daze, too distracted by Liam. His hand wanders while I study the row of them. He makes circles with his thumb over my waist. Caresses the flare of my hip. Occasionally slips down to fondle my ass through my jeans. The fact that I didn’t wear a dress or skirt is probably the only thing saving us from getting banned from Nested for life.

When he tugs my back against his front, his thumb grazing the underside of my breast while he rubs my rounded belly, I can’t take it anymore. My eyelids blink slowly and my next breath comes out as a pant. “Liam, I can’t think when you do that.”

Instead of letting me go, he tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear and kisses my temporary claiming mark. “Good. You don’t need to think.”

His hips press into me, his half-mast erection noticeable against my backside. I’m not the only one affected by his shenanigans. I stare at Matthew and Gabriel for help, but neither looks ready to jump in and intervene with our terminally horny alpha.

“Our nest is gonna be crazy,” I warn him.

“It’s going to be perfect. Do you know why?”

He nips my bruise, a fresh waft of pheromones thickening the air between us. My nipples tighten and my damp spot grows. If he keeps this up I’m going to soak through my jeans.

“Why?” I ask, my voice soft and breathy. It’s taking all of my willpower to not grind my ass against his thickening cock.

“Because you’re the one making it for us.”

Oh, fuck. I can’t handle it when he says nice things to me in that growly voice. How far away are the bathrooms in this maze of a building, and will they notice if we slip into the family one? I scan the ceiling where their black dome cameras watch the floor. A steady red light says it’s real and probably monitored.

“Can I help you guys find something?” a shop attendant asks from behind us.

I startle, my body stiffening. I didn’t hear or smell the omega worker approach us.

“Pillows,” Liam says.

“This is the pillow section. All of the pillows you saw in the floor displays can also be found here. Is there one in particular you’re looking for?” the shop attendant asks.

I grab the nearest pillow I can reach. It’s one of their fun shaped ones. This one is a margarita, and the salt on the rim is textured cottony fluff. “Found it. Thanks.”

“Let me know if you need help with anything else,” he says brightly, taking up a post nearby. He neatens rows of fun and cutesy pillows that don’t need straightening. It’s clear he’s hovering to keep us in line .

My blush makes my ears hot. Liam chuckles and I slap the margarita pillow against his chest, then pull myself out of his orbit. I really don’t want to get banned from Nested. They have the cutest baby stuff.

“Should we find the nursery sets?” Matthew asks when we come across that section.

“This is cute,” Gabriel says, looking at a white sleigh crib.

“It is,” I agree. It’s pretty and traditional, but too modern-looking for our new house. “Do you see anything more vintage?”

“Here.” Matthew motions us over to a display room.

We join him and my heart skips a beat. It’s perfect. The fake walls have been wallpapered with a soft green paper covered with bunnies in different poses. They’re realistic, like Beatrix Potter’s watercolors more so than cartoonish. The crib has thin slats with a solid curved headboard. The wooden frame along the bottom is carved and it sits on clawed feet. The sign says it converts into a toddler bed and then a twin. I can almost see our little girl growing up with this set in her princess tower room.

“It’s perfect.” I run my hand over the crib’s carvings. “I want all of it. Including that wallpaper.”

“I’m not sure if they sell that,” Gabriel says. He finds the set’s acrylic sign and slides out a paper with the information on it.

Matthew looks up from his phone. “They do. I found the SKU number.”

I spin around and find Liam. He’s leaning against the fake wall, his arms crossed and a satisfied smile on his face. “I want this set.”

“Okay,” he agrees. Liam kicks off from the wall and pulls me into a hug, kissing my forehead. “If you want it, then you’ve got it, kitten. Do we need anything else?”

My feet are killing me. My bladder is going to burst if I don’t find the bathroom soon. And I’m starving. How long have we been here? There aren’t many windows in this section of the store. The fluorescent lighting means it could be two in the afternoon or morning and you’d never be able to tell.

I rack my brain but can’t come up with anything we’re missing. We’ve already planned to go living and dining room shopping another day. “No.”

“Good. I could eat a horse,” Liam says.

“I read that they don’t sell those anymore,” Matthew says. “The meatballs are all beef now.”

“What?” I ask, horrified.

“Thank God,” Gabriel says, equally horrified.

The food court is appropriately positioned near the checkout line. A cashier rings us up, double checking our furniture requests. It takes six oversized bags to fit all of the bedding and decorations we’re buying. The rest has to be scheduled for delivery. Thankfully there aren’t any significant back orders and a lot of the items we picked are in stock at this location. We set a delivery date for two months out. That gives us plenty of time to close and pack and paint.

The total price on her register makes me sweat. Outside of buying my car and house, I’ve never made such a big purchase before. Before I can dig my wallet out of my purse, Liam’s grabbed his from his pants pocket. He hands the cashier his card.

She’s too quick for me to stop her. She slides his card and hands it back, then tears off the receipt. “I thought…”

Liam squeezes my hip where he’s holding me. “I don’t have million-dollar house money, but we’re far from broke.” He kisses the top of my head. “And we like spoiling you.”

They brought me here to take care of me, I realize. When was the last time someone took care of me? All three of them split up the bags, taking two each. I follow them to the food court, and they find us a table.

Gabriel gets all three Brazilian dishes while the rest of us pick and choose a variety from the menu. The Canadian poutine ends up being my favorite. Crispy fries covered in gravy and cheese curds? It’s heaven. I take a bite of Gabriel’s pastel and moan around my mouthful.

“That’s so good,” I say, taking another bite before handing it back. My stomach gets so full it’s becoming uncomfortable. The bigger my belly gets, the less I can eat in one sitting. And the more I have to pee.

“Wait until we go to Brazil,” he says. “The food in Belo Horizonte is the best. But all the tourists want to go to Rio de Janeiro. They don’t know what they’re missing.”

“I can’t wait,” I tell him. “I’ve been to Brazil before, but I didn’t get to see much of it.”

“You have?” Gabriel asks. “When? Where did you go?”

The last thing I want to do is spoil today with talk of my old pack. Of Josh. Today has been perfect. “It was a work trip to Rio years ago. I have to pee again. Be right back.”

I find the bathroom and pee, then take a few minutes to clean my panties as best I can with nothing but toilet paper. I’m gonna need to start wearing heat panties every day if Liam’s going to keep this up.

By the time I’m done, they’ve cleared our table and they’re shouldering our bags.

“All done?” Liam asks.

I fall into step beside them. “All done. I’ve got everything I need.”

Liam and Gabriel secure the bags in the bed of his truck, and then we all get in. It’s not a bad drive back into town. Liam’s hand on my thigh is a heavy, comforting weight. I trace the veins on the back of his hand and caress his calluses while he drives. It’s a good hand. Strong. The hand of a hard worker. There’s a faded scar on one knuckle. I wonder if he got it from breaking up a bar fight.

He turns our hands over and captures mine, threading our fingers together. Gentle. Always so gentle with me. And thoughtful.

Gabriel and Matthew talk in the backseat. Discussing which home improvement store has the best brand of paint. A perfectly boring, domestic conversation that makes me warm and fuzzy inside.

Emotion bubbles up in me. Unable to be contained any longer. “I love you guys.”

Liam squeezes my hand and glances at me, not taking his eyes off the road for too long. “I love you too.”

“ Eu te amo ,” Gabriel says, reaching over my seat to play with my hair. He strokes a section between his fingers. “ Meu docinho.”

“We love you,” Matthew says. “And I have to say… I’m really grateful the clinic fucked up the paperwork. I can’t imagine doing this with anyone else.”

“Me too,” Gabriel agrees.

“Me most of all.” Liam drags our threaded hands to his mouth and kisses my knuckles.

My eyes mist with unshed tears, but I refuse to cry. I don’t want to spoil this moment with tears, even if they’re happy ones. Liam drops our hands to his thigh while he navigates on the highway, his attention focused on keeping us safe.

“Your place or ours?” Liam asks once we reach the edge of town.

“Mine.” I need to feed and hang out with Waffles, and I can stuff our shopping bags in a corner of my office. There’s no room in their apartment above the pub.

Waffles runs up screaming with a meow, his tail twitching, as I unlock the door. He sees Matthew and runs straight past me to rub his cheek against the beta’s leg.

“Traitor,” I say to my wayward furry son. “You haven’t been feeding him treats, have you? The vet said he’s overweight. He needs to lose two pounds.”

“Of course not,” Matthew says, picking Waffles up and tipping him on his back. He pets my cat’s fluffy belly while Waffles purrs.

I stare, shocked. Waffles never lets anyone but me touch his belly. “What magic spell have you put on my cat?”

Matthew shrugs. “We hang out when I come over to feed him.” He carries my surprisingly docile cat into the living room while Liam and Gabriel bring the bags in.

“You can put those in my office,” I tell them, pointing down the hall. While they’re doing that, I open my fridge to see what’s in there. There’s spoiled milk and ancient Chinese takeout and a bag of slimy rotting salad mix. I spend more time at their place now than mine. Water is fine, I decide, pulling out four glasses and filling them with ice and water from the fridge door.

I bring all four glasses over and set them down. Matthew is holding Waffles to his face and whispering something to him. Sitting down next to him, I give him an amused look. “What are you telling him?”

“That he has a sister coming and he has to be nice to her.”

Waffles purrs, unperturbed. When he’s had enough, he wiggles until Matthew sets him down, then walks over to his food dish and loudly meows.

“No,” I tell him. “It’s not time for dinner yet.”

“Is Mommy being mean?” Matthew chuckles and gets up to grab the laser pointer.

Being called mommy puts butterflies in my stomach. I rub my belly. She’s finally settled down after that big meal .

Liam and Gabriel come back, Liam holding something in his hand. “Is this your new book? I didn’t think it was out yet.”

“What?” I stare at what he’s holding. “Oh, that’s my proof copy. It’s not live yet.”

“September first, right?” Liam asks.

“You remembered that?” I think I mentioned it in passing but that was weeks ago.

“He signed up for all of your socials,” Gabriel says, flopping down onto the couch.

“And your newsletter,” Matthew adds.

I glance between them. “Seriously?”

“Of course.” Liam sits and flips through the book. “I want to be involved in anything that’s a big part of your life.”

My heart swells in my chest. That’s so sweet.

Liam flips faster, his thumb making the pages fly by. “Whatever sex scene it lands on, we’re doing.”

My eyes widen with panic. “What?”

“You write a lot of sex scenes,” Liam says. “It’ll land on one. And whatever they’re doing, we’re gonna do.”

Oh no. This isn’t a good book for that game. “The readers like spice. But I told you I’m not into every single thing I write. It needs variety, you know?”

“Hmm,” he says, like he doesn’t believe me. His thumb stops and he cracks the book open, his eyes skimming across the page. His eyebrows rise, and then he grins.

“What… what chapter are you on?” I’m afraid to ask. Because he means it. Unless I want to use my safeword, we’re doing whatever spicy scene he lands on. That book is one of my dirtiest. It’s a polyamory mafia romance where the heroine, an omega of course, is abducted by a rival mafia pack who want to get back at her father, the Don, for a business deal gone wrong. Of course they all fall in love by the end of the book. But it do esn’t come easy and they aren’t always gentle or understanding at first.

“Gabriel, we’re gonna need you for this one too,” Liam says, passing the book over.

I’m sweating in my seat while Gabriel reads the passage. The scene he landed on is over halfway through the book, so that’s not too bad. At least it won’t be the scene with the gun.

Gabriel flips the page and lets out an ominous chuckle. “Dirty girl, meu docinho .” He grins. “I like your thinking.”

“What is it?” Matthew asks.

Gabriel hands him the book. I try to intercept it but their arms are longer. They jerk it out of reach. “You guys are jerks,” I say without any heat to my words.

Matthew reads the passage. “With the baby, is that safe?”

“As long as we’re clean and she’s not having any pregnancy-related issues down there,” Gabriel answers. “Are you joining?” he asks Matthew.

We all wait for Matthew’s answer. He’s never initiated anything with me and I haven’t pushed it. He turns the page and skims more of the scene. “Well… it wouldn’t be a gang bang if there were a hole left empty.”

Shit. It’s that scene.