The Circle Ch. 06

"So," Charlie said, sitting back down on the opposite corner of the couch and pulling Poppy back into his side. His eyes scanned the room, and then he landed on Carter. "Gamma Carillo?"

I don't know who I'd been expecting Charlie to pick, but Carter was not it. His eyes widened slightly, but he took a deep sip of the seltzer he was now drinking, still standing between Beth and Margot, leaning against the wall.

"Dare," he answered finally, cracking his knuckles in a way that was far more menacing than anything I'd ever seen him do before. I wanted to laugh, but I also knew he was steeling himself. Carter was a teddy bear - a well groomed, somewhat feminine teddy bear, and I loved him for it. I prayed Charlie wouldn't be too harsh on him.

Charlie scanned the room again, but this time, it felt like a show, before his eyes found Gavin on the other side of Poppy. He used his glass to gesture between Gavin and Carter.

"Work your magic, Carillo. I want a steamy kiss." Instinctually, I let out a snort, and Margot's head fell back in her own laughter.

"This is why we keep you around, Mulligan." She toasted him with her water bottle, and then looked pointedly up at Carter, who seemed to be panicking. But when my eyes found Gavin, he wasn't glaring at Charlie, as I'd expected. He had a wide, mirthful grin on his face, and his hand stroked my ankle lazily as he spoke.

"You guys don't fuck around," he observed, nodding appreciatively and taking a drink of the whiskey in his glass. Then, he tilted his head at Carter. "Do your worst, C. Just don't pop a hard-on next time you see me at the office." He winked, and I would have fallen off the couch if I wasn't securely nestled next to him.

That seemed to make Carter a hell of a lot more comfortable, because he pushed off the wall, a steely smile on his face, and strode right over to where we were standing.

Carter wasn't particularly tall - in heels, I was taller than him - but his lanky frame towered over us where he stood, and he raised his eyebrows at me, like he was asking for permission.

He's not mine, I said through our link, and Carter's eyes scanned my face, like he was trying to see if I was lying. When he was satisfied, his fingers wordlessly hooked under the hems of my pantlegs, and he lifted them up.

"Jesus fuck," I seethed, scrambling, making everyone laugh. "I can move myself." I pushed myself out of the corner of the couch, trying not to pay too much mind to the immediate ice skimming up my legs at the loss of Gavin's touch. I stood on bare feet, ignoring the ache still radiating, despite the massage, and leaned against the nearby mantle of the unlit fireplace.

Carter and Gavin were staring at each other. An amused grin was on Gavin's face - I couldn't tell if it was a show or not - and Carter's eyebrows were knit together.

Then, Carter fell forward, a bicycle-short clad thigh on either side of Gavin's wide legs, and he let out a shocked gasp as his drink sloshed in his hand.

"Watch the couch, you bastards," Gregory jeered, but he was laughing. Poppy took Gavin's drink as Carters hands, decorated with silver rings he wore every day, grasped either side of Gavin's face. His polish of choice matched the hot pink shirt he'd worn underneath the jacket I knew he'd had picked out for weeks. And for a second, he appraised Gavin's face, and it looked like there might be a mindlink happening, before Gavin laced his wide hand around the back of Carter's neck and pulled his face down in a crushing kiss.

Beth let out a little strangled sound. Charlie laughed darkly. Poppy's eyes were saucers, her back firmly pressed to Charlie's chest as she gave the two next to her as much space as possible.

And I watched, transfixed, as Gavin's other hand grabbed one of Carter's tiny asscheeks, then gave it a resounding smack.

Something in the pit of my stomach, maybe between my legs, gave a leering jolt hearing that sound, watching his hand.

Carter made a surprised yelp, and that brought me to my senses some as I cleared my throat, taking the last draw of the liquid in my glass. He sat back up, licking his lips, and looked pointedly at Charlie, whose chest was shaking in laughter.

"Steamy enough?" Charlie gave an approving nod, and Carter turned back to Gavin, who seemed both highly amused and also shocked to hell, and patted the side of his bearded face with one hand. "See if you don't get the boner at work." He looked down between the two of them, a dark smile on his lips, before he used Gavin's firm chest to push himself off the couch. His long tee shirt fell back into place, but both he and Gavin seemed to adjust themselves.

Look, this wasn't my first foray into watching, even watching two guys. But there was something so intimate, so comfortable, about the way members of the same pack - same Circle - interacted with each other. Like that bond of trust that snapped into place during pledging gave some sort of preternatural disposition towards being able to let yourself go.

That was what I'd just seen. And as Alpha, with a slowly slipping mental shield, thanks to the alcohol coursing through my body, I could feel it pulsating.

The slow, easy build of soft tension. The thrum of a group of unmarked wolves, the Blue Moon just around the corner, was a familiar, but somewhat forgotten, feeling. I could sense it in everyone, save Jeremy, and I wanted to relish in it.

"Impressive, Carter," Gavin breathed, taking his drink back and leaning back on the couch and draping both of his arms out, one just barely reaching Poppy's shoulder. She leaned further back into Charlie and propped her legs up on Gavin's lap, like I had, clearly at ease. I found myself pushing off the mantle, heading for the mini fridge next to the bar and pulling myself out a seltzer.

"Need something a little less strong, Fi?" Poppy mused, her voice tinkling. I shot her a middle finger. Carter settled into his spot on the floor, leaning back on his arms, watching me pull one of the barstools over to where I'd been propped by the mantle and slide into it.

Gavin gave me a questioning glance, but I just shrugged, making a fanning motion. To indicate the heat between us, or the heat between my legs, I wasn't sure. He just smirked at me, and that made it worse.

"Truth or dare, Parker?" Carter asked, and I nearly winced.

"Truth," I said, probably more forcefully than necessary.

"Most surprising thing you've ever heard over link?" he asked, and I had to pause for a moment.

Sometimes, when emotions were high and I was close enough to a Circle member, I could feel their feelings, know their thoughts, without having to actually intrude. I could do the latter, but similar to an Alpha's command, which forced my members to obey, I used it sparingly. But those accidental spills of thoughts, of emotions, weren't always the most organized, and often led to me hearing, seeing, things that members didn't want.

I would much rather they kept their privacy, and I wasn't about to divulge anyone's dirty laundry, even among this group. I understood Carter's curiosity, though.

"There is one particular member," I started, propping my bare feet up on the edge of the cushion below me and wrapping an arm around my calves to secure them, "that has a deep, deep love of My Little Pony."

"How is that surprising?" Jeremy asked, his hand running circles around Beth's palm.

"It was just who." I gave a slick grin, and then made a lock and key gesture with my lips, which earned a few boos.

We went a few more rounds, and before I knew it Poppy, probably the most adventurous of the group after myself, was sitting between Gavin and Charlie in just a sports bra and her tiny shorts, having used her socks as a clothing item. Charlie had lost his pants, in addition to the shirt he never put back on. Gregory was also shirtless.

There was a good moment to pause, so I stood from my perch, tossing my third can in the garbage and stretching behind the couch. I was growing more and more uncomfortable as the night went on and I bloated with each drink, and I found Margot's eyes.

I need to borrow something different to wear.

She nodded, tilting her head down the hall towards the master suite. I turned and made my way that direction, feeling eyes on my back as I went. The second I made it into her room, I unzipped the side of the jumpsuit, unlatched the halter top and breathed out a sigh of relief as it fell around my hips. As I stepped towards the closet, bypassing their dark oak furniture, a four-poster bed sitting to one side, I peeled off the boob tape, hissing as it stuck to my skin. One side, then the other, and I found a trash can, throwing it away. I moved to the dresser in her closet, digging out a pair of shorts and a large tee shirt, and then turned off the light as I stepped back into the bedroom.

I collided with a warm body the second I crossed the threshold, and my hands, grasping the clothing I'd gathered, rose to cover my exposed chest as I looked up to see Gavin standing in front of me. My eyes widened as he smirked down at me, his gaze staying firmly on my face.

"Lightwell," I started, blinking, and his eyes blazed. "What are you-

But I didn't get to finish, because he wrapped his arm around my waist and pivoted me against the doorframe, his body crashing into mine as he used his other hand to grasp the back of my head and pull my face to his, our lips barely touching.

"I told you to call me Gavin," he said, his breath, bitter with the smell of vodka, whispering across my mouth. And then, he pushed his lips to mine, not gentle, not sweet - hungry and fast, and, dropping the clothes to the side, I met him, stroke for stroke, lacing one hand in his hair and the other gripping one of his biceps.

Gavin groaned, pushing me harder against the doorframe and moving his lips to trail down the side of my face. My chest, completely exposed, heaved.

"I thought I felt..." I looked down at him, and he seemed to be struggling to find the words as his tongue traced my collarbone. "Were you in pain?" The lust washing through me sputtered at his words, and I pulled at his hair, making him look at my face, which was tight with confusion.

"What do you mean you felt?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "You think you felt my pain?" His eyes were clouded and hazy, feeling just as much of the warmth between us as I was, but he nodded, and then kissed down my neck again, like what we were saying didn't matter. The only thing that did was his touch on my skin. His mouth trailed further down, this time settling on the top of one of my breasts, where his facial hair tickled my already sensitive nipple.

"Only one way to be sure," he muttered, and then found a spot to suck on before baring down with his teeth. Not enough to break the skin, but enough that I gasped and braced myself against the doorframe, body tensing. He stumbled back, his hand against the same spot on his own chest.

"What the..." I felt for the hem of his shirt, pulling it up, but there was no mark. He massaged the spot on my chest while I ran my hand down his, the dark hair curled over his pecks brushing against my fingertips. Gingerly, I grabbed his hand, and took one of his fingers towards my face. He watched, his eyes still hazed, as I took his pointer finger into my mouth, sucking it deep and watching as his breath hitched. That agonizing feeling between my legs returned.

It wasn't just my arousal I was feeling. It was his, too. And...

His finger still in my mouth, I bit down, in the same way he had. Hard enough to feel, not hard enough to do any damage. And I nearly choked on his finger when I felt the stab of pain in my own hand.

Gavin

She let go of my finger with a pop that nearly made my knees buckle. Her face matched mine, a mirror of confusion and shock and lust.

"What the..." she repeated. My chest was heaving, like hers, my mind and heart racing as I ran over the information I stored somewhere deep inside my brain, about connections between Alphas and their packs.

No, this was not a normal connection. I wasn't pushing my thoughts towards Fiona, any more than she was towards me. And yet, sitting out on the couch, I'd felt a twinge of pain across my chest, which led me to come find her.

"Did you put that through the link?" I breathed finally. She shook her head, blinking and running one hand through her hair. It caught on the barrette still there, and she pulled it off, throwing it onto the top of the dresser.

"I didn't do anything." My eyebrows knit together, but even through the confusion, I couldn't help but marvel at her in front of me. Nearly naked, breathing hard, golden eyes simmering as she tried to riddle out whatever it was we were feeling.

I reached out one hand towards her face, and then trailed it down the side of her exposed neck. That familiar warmth spread over my fingers, and I knew when she shuddered, she was feeling it too. Lust clouded the air around us, and I swallowed as I traced my fingers down one of her arms. Goosebumps followed. I couldn't help the smirk as I watched her breath hitch, her eyes narrowing slightly, my fingers now finding her collarbone.

I finally broke her gaze and looked down at what I'd been avoiding staring at for too long - her round, perky breasts, and the detailed florals - that ran down her sternum between them like an invading vine.

"Gorgeous," I breathed. The truth. The absolute truth, because the woman in front of me was breathtaking. Not just physically, but in every way I could think of - she made my breath hitch when she spoke, when she reminded me time and time again just how incredible she was.

My eyes trailed downwards, to where the tattoo continued below the pool of fabric on her hips. My hand on her sternum moved to cup one of her breasts, a thumb moving gently across her taught nipple.

"Lightwell," she gasped, and a low growl escaped my lips. I hated it when she called me that. My family was the reason I had to come here - was the reason there was anything making Fiona hesitate about whatever was between us.

So, I pinched her nipple between my thumb and forefinger. When her body arched towards me, I knew I did the right thing. And when she said "Gavin," the word coming out as a choke, I stopped trying to behave myself. I stepped forward again, pushing her against the doorframe, my lips colliding with hers at the same punishing pace as before. I let my other hand trail down her side, to the hitch of fabric, and she helped me pull it down, where it fell to the floor around her bare feet. I leaned back, just a few inches, still close to her face.

Naked. She was completely naked. No underwear in sight. And I swallowed, watching as she licked her lips.

"We can't fuck with everyone out there," she said breathily, nodding her chin towards the door. "And definitely not in Margot and Jeremy's room..." She trailed off as I brought my lips back to her neck, leaving a line of feather-light kisses down, across her collarbone, between her breasts, taking the time to kiss and suck each budded nipple as she closed her eyes, arching towards me, reaching above her head to grasp the doorframe. Each movement sent a new buzz of arousal through both of us, and I reveled in it.

I kept the kisses going, across her stomach, her skin quivering, now salty with a sheen of sweat. And when I reached the smattering of hair next to where her tattoo continued down one leg, nearly to her knee, I looked up at her as I nuzzled my nose against her. Her canines were starting to elongate, and I could feel her claws coming out in the hand laced through my hair.

Fuck. I could smell her arousal before, but this was a whole new level. And if I wasn't completely hard before, I was now.

"Who said anything about fucking?" Her eyebrows raised, but before she could ask the question I'm sure was on her lips, I took one of her legs, long and toned, and hitched it over my shoulder, trailing kisses from her knee back up to where that smattering of hair waited.

And when I buried my face in her already wet pussy, she let out a squeak that made me grumble in laughter against her. The heat radiating between us was incredible, just as incredible as she tasted on my tongue. I felt every shudder through her legs as she steadied herself against the doorframe, felt every jolt of pleasure through whatever connection was between us. Every lick against her clit sent a jolt through my aching cock, but I reminded myself that this was about her, not me.

Gavin.

It came through the mindlink this time, and I looked back up at her. She was staring at the top of the frame, and even at this angle was a fucking vision, her hair catching on sweat across her chest. I grasped her thigh on my shoulder with one hand, the other tracing a line down the center of that tattoo.

She ground herself into my face, and her knee buckled when I grazed her clit with my teeth.

Don't stop.

I wasn't about to argue with her. I ran the hand that wasn't supporting her up her thigh, and slipped it between her folds, where it was immediately soaked. Perfect. That made it easy to do what I was already planning - slide one finger deep inside her. She groaned, low and guttural, and I watched her canines fully emerge, her molten eyes flitting down towards me.

I added another finger, crooking the tips, the other hand keeping her open to me using her quivering leg. She arched into me, nearly riding my hand, and I felt dangerously close to blowing my own load when her hand tightened in my hair.

I'm close.

I kept up my punishing pace, thrusting my fingers into her and alternating between licking and sucking on her bundle of nerves. And when she breathed "Fuck," I knew she was about to fall over the edge. I gripped her legs tighter, and felt her clench around me as she spasmed, an orgasm ripping through her.

I did my best to stay present through it, but I could feel the same waves of pleasure across my body, like I was coming right there with her. I kept going, licking and thrusting through her jolts until her hand came around to the side of my face.

"Gavin," she muttered, and I broke away finally, licking my lips. As she watched me, chest heaving, that look of lust never faltered. And when I pulled my hand away from her, that ice washed over both of us, like we'd taken a plunge in frigid water. She swallowed, and slowly, her teeth returned to normal. I pushed myself back to my feet and felt my erection pressing painfully against my pants. She kept her eyes on my face the entire time, but when I was back to eye-level, her other hand found my neck and she pulled me towards her.

This kiss was softer than the last - a return of the warmth that was only gone for a few seconds. And I sighed into it, into her. But then, when she pulled away, she grasped my hand, the one that had been inside her, and licked my fingers clean.

"Fuck," I stuttered, watching. "If you keep doing that, I'm going to finish in my pants like a teenager." She laughed, breasts bouncing, and used her fingers to wipe away what I'm sure was her own arousal on the facial hair surrounding my mouth.

"Well then. Let's do something about that." Her hands were on my waistband in a heartbeat, and before I could protest - which I was going to, because I'm a fucking gentleman - she had my shorts and boxers around my ankles, my erection springing free centimeters from her face.

Fiona stared at it for a moment, a second's pause, taking it in, like a new friend. She looked up at me from between her thick lashes, and without breaking eye contact, leaned forward and licked the bead of precum off my head.

We both jolted from the pleasure that ripped through me, and it was my turn to steady myself against the doorframe as she took my head into her soft mouth, then deeper as she bobbed forward.