Ollie’s heart skipped a beat. And Eric whispered, “Okay if I mark you again?”
Eric really did want him back. His heart swelling, Olivier whispered, “Yes. I’d love for you to.”
Eric growled. Then he shuffled behind Olivier, sitting up.
Olivier frowned. “What’re you doing?”
“I want to see your face when I mark you.”
“My puffy face?”
“Your beautiful face.”
Olivier blushed, looking away. His gaze honest, Eric shifted them both around, his knot tugging pleasantly inside Olivier’s body. Ollie tried to help, but it became a tangle of bumping limps.
Eric grinned. “You’d think, with two brains and eight limbs, we’d be coordinating a lot better.”
“Maybe when we practice walking like a crab,” Olivier answered. “We should try that sometime. Jenn might want to learn it, too. We’ll win the family crab-walk.”
Ollie had been uncertain about mentioning Jenn. But Eric only laughed, leaning in to blow a raspberry against Ollie’s side. “Yup, we’ll definitely be the crab-walking champions,” Eric said.
Olivier couldn’t help smiling. Eric was accepting him back into the family again.
When they finally had Eric sitting up and Ollie on his back, their bodies still joined, Eric caught Olivier’s wrist. “Are you ready?”
It was permanent this time. Olivier curled his fingers around Eric’s wrist, touching his scent gland. He’d never dared to before. “Are you?”
Eric’s eyes sparkled with delight. “Hell, yeah, I am.”
“You want to do it together?” Ollie asked.
Eric’s grin widened. “Sure.”
Olivier held his wrist to Eric’s face, at the same time Eric took his hand. Then Ollie nuzzled his alpha’s palm, sniffing down to where the cedar scent was strongest.
Eric bit lightly on Ollie’s wrist, the points of his teeth scraping against Ollie’s scent gland. Ollie gasped.
“On the count of three,” Eric murmured.
“Okay,” Ollie breathed, unable to tear his eyes off Eric. Eric, who was smiling against Ollie’s skin, strong and beautiful, his eyes filled with love.
“One, two, three,” Eric said.
Then he bit into Ollie’s wrist, his teeth breaking skin. Pain and pleasure twisted into Ollie’s body; he panted, his cock jerking. And there, on his wrist, was a set of teeth marks from Eric—a promise from Eric, that he’d always be there.
Olivier was Eric’s again. Eric would accept him regardless of anything.
And Ollie had missed the countdown because he’d been so distracted by his alpha.
“Ollie!” Eric frowned, but he was smiling, too. “Are you gonna bite me, or not?”
“I—I was distracted,” Ollie said with his throat tight. “Can I still...?”
“Yeah,” Eric rumbled, kissing his new bonding mark. “Bite me.”
Eric was Olivier’s stepbrother, but he was Ollie’s alpha, too. And Ollie wanted this alpha as his own, so very much.
He sank his teeth into Eric’s wrist, hard as he could. He barely broke skin, and there was the faintest whiff of blood. But Eric’s eyes darkened and he gasped, his chest heaving. Ollie knew Eric had felt that same mix of pain and pleasure, the same sense of belonging.
He was Olivier’s now.
“Damn, Ollie,” Eric growled, his breathing uneven. “Holy fuck.”
Eric wore a mark on his neck from Alice. But to know that Ollie had left his own marking on Eric’s wrist, to know that Eric wanted it... That meant a lot.
Eric pressed Ollie against the mattress, dropping kisses all over his face.
“I love you,” Eric whispered. “Wanted to be yours for so long. Can’t believe you finally marked me.”
Ollie’s throat grew tight. He wet his lips, tearing up when Eric pressed a slow, sweet kiss to his mouth.
“Don’t cry,” Eric murmured, brushing his tears away. “Did I hurt you?”
Ollie shook his head. “I’m just—just happy,” he croaked. “To finally be yours.”
Eric smiled, his eyes glittering with tears, too. As he pressed their foreheads together, Olivier couldn’t help reaching up, just running his fingers through Eric’s hair, savoring the alpha that was finally his.
“I love you,” Eric murmured, his tear dripping into Olivier’s eye.
It was more of a surprise than it was pain. Ollie flinched. “Augh! My eye!”
“I’m sorry!” Eric grimaced, grabbing a tissue to dab at Olivier’s eye. “Didn’t mean to share that with you.”
Olivier coughed. “Just every other body fluid, right?”
Eric grinned, and Ollie grabbed his alpha by the head, hauling him down for a kiss. Just because he could.
Eric returned the kiss fervently, wrapping himself around Ollie like a protective beast. “Mine,” Eric growled. “All mine.”
Ollie really was his now. And maybe Ollie could believe that Eric’s love was his to cherish. With their bonding, with the love and tenderness that Eric treated him with... Eric really did want Olivier around.
“I love you,” Ollie whispered, his heart full. “Tear-dripping and raspberry-blowing and everything. I’ve loved you forever, Eric.”
Eric laughed softly, slipping his fingers through Ollie’s hair. “Only took us a few years to get here, didn’t it?”
“A great many years,” Ollie said, wincing. “Sorry.”
“It’s not too late.” Eric nuzzled Ollie’s jaw. “Is it okay if... if Jenn and I move in with you again? I’m sorry for throwing a fit and moving out.”
Olivier’s heart lifted. “I’d love if you returned. Please.”
Eric broke into a smile, relieved and warmer than before. “Thank you.”
“Thank you. For loving me,” Olivier answered. “For putting up with me, and being patient.”
“Didn’t take much at all.” Eric slid his hand over Ollie’s belly, kissing him again. “You’ve always felt right. And now you’re mine.”
Ollie closed his eyes, ever so grateful for his alpha.
If the rest of his life would fall into place so perfectly, well... That would be something like a dream come true.
35
Olivier
They talked about the elephant in the room an hour later, when there was no more putting it off.
“About the shop,” Eric said, wincing. “Have you decided what you’ll do now?”
Olivier squirmed. “I was planning to sell everything and move elsewhere. There’s just... no way I can compete with Total Sounds, Eric. The ads are so overwhelming.”
Eric grimaced. “I saw. I just... damn. Wish I was back at Total Sounds, you know? So there’s
