Page 1 of Mate Matched: Xavier & Brady
One
Brady
Avaguefeelingofhaving something urgent to do yanked me from sleep. I jolted upright in the massive four-poster bed that dominated the spacious bedroom I’d slept in. This room was the main suite, not the guest room where I had first played with alphas Giovani and Xavier. I felt privileged to have made it into their inner sanctum.
Why was I awake when I’d barely had any sleep? My body ached. My mind was all foggy with exhaustion. Thoughts evaporated like mist when I tried to cling to them. I just sat for a second, trying to get my bearings.
Finally, the events of the last day filtered through my mind. My heart galloped a steady rhythm when I realized the time. Percy! I needed to feed my best friend’s cat!
I scrambled from the tangle of sheets and climbed down from the bed. My foot got caught in the sheet and I fell, the wind bursting from my lungs as I hit the hardwood.
“Brady?” came Xavier’s distant voice. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I called back with a slight wheeze as I gasped in precious oxygen. “Just landed awkwardly.” The sounds of cooking resumed. Xavier mollified.
I returned to untangling my foot from the sheet, then my heart tripped for another reason.
There was a pair of black lace panties under the bed. They clearly belonged to someone other than the men who lived here. Neither of the alphas could fit into the scrap of lace. With trembling fingers, I drew the garment closer and was immediately hit with the scent of omega pheromones and sex. I willed back the urge to vomit and launched myself to my feet.
In the bathroom, I washed my hands twice before I felt remotely clean. As long as I didn’t think about the underwear, I could hold down my revulsion. I studied my flushed reflection in the mirror. My green eyes were bright against the dark circles underneath them. Usually my skin was a golden tan, a gift from my Colombian grandmother, but under the stark light in the en suite, I appeared wan, washed out, tired. Worse, there was an expression in my steady gaze I could not hide: disappointment.
How could Xavier and Gio do this to me?
Only the night before, they had practically told me we were exclusively dating! At least it was heavily implied that there was no one else in their lives. Xavier had said I was “more than enough” for them and that he and Gio saw things long-term with me. Xavier had even been talking about my heat, making plans for it, and suggested we “see what happens,” as in, no birth control.
They said they wanted me. Wanted a baby with me. Only to cheat. Or was it actually cheating if we hadn’t had the conversation, just made assumptions?
My stomach gurgled, nausea building in my throat. With difficulty, I willed it down. There had to be a reasonable explanation, right? I wasn’t just making up fairytales from nothing.
Maybe the panties were old. Left there before we got more serious about each other. Before talks of meeting Xavier’s family and taking trips. Before talks of no contraception for my heat. That had to be it.
With no time to dwell on it, I went back into the bedroom, skirting around the side of the bed with the panties, and collected my clothes. I hurriedly dressed, needing space to sort my head out. Besides, I had Jae’s cat to take care of.
“Breakfast is nearly done!” Xavier announced cheerfully when he saw me. He drew me close, wrapping an arm around my waist. “You need the energy after last night.” His voice dropped to an intimate whisper. “You were amazing.”
His words sent a shiver down my spine. “Uh, I can’t. I didn’t realize how late it was, and I promised I’d feed Jae’s cat. Percy isn’t used to being left too long.”
Xavier’s expression faltered briefly before he plastered on a smile. “Why not try a couple of bites and I’ll drive you?”
I didn’t particularly want to be stuck in a car with him, but I also didn’t want to hurt his feelings. It was possible the underwear was from a past encounter and nothing for me to worry about.
“Better let him feed you,” Gio chimed in from the dining table in the corner. He had a cup of coffee in front of him while he scrolled on his tablet. “You know how he is.”
“Alright.”
“Fantastic. Take a seat, I’ll make you a plate.”
Percy was incredibly grateful for my appearance at Jae’s apartment, not only because he had an empty bowl, but because no one had been there in hours to listen to his tales of woe. He told me loudly how lonely he had been without his father there to give in to his every whim. Of course, I refused to let the poor creature suffer. There was no telling how long Jae’s heat could take since it had arrived so suddenly. I blamed the impressive alpha, Curtis, that he had gone on a date with.
Staying with Percy all day was a balm. His furry body pressed against my side, demanding pets, helped me take my mind off my troubles. I couldn’t just accuse Gio and Xavier of cheating just because I didn’t want to be told we weren’t exclusive. That would gut me. I had to hold on to my sliver of hope. There could have been a perfectly plausible reason for the panties under the bed.
There was no telling how long they had been under there. Though the alphas used a cleaning service since they both had demanding jobs in law and marketing, there was no way to know just how thorough their cleaners were. Those panties could have been there for weeks. Yeah, that was it. They were something left behind by some long forgotten omega.
Once I’d gotten my Percy cuddles in, I left Jae’s apartment for my own. My job at the publishing house paid a decent amount, enough for a one-bedroom in a good part of town. The only downside to the place was their no pets rule. Another reason I loved on Percy as much as possible.
Back at home, I immersed myself in the chores I’d been putting off just to forget all about the alphas. Easier said than done, with Xavier texting me on and off during the day. He was so attentive to my moods that I could only hope my worries were unfounded. He was so good to me.
Under so much coaxing, I couldn’t stay distant with Xavier for long. I ended up texting him over the remainder of the day until he and Gio had a family thing to get to. Gio’s parents wanted them to attend a party, and though they loved having me in their relationship, their families were a little more traditional. It wasn’t something I’d likely ever be invited to if I became a permanent fixture in their lives. Xavier admitted it had been a struggle for him to gain Gio’s alpha parent’s approval. They preferred alpha/omega pairings and had only grudgingly accepted Xavier because of his job. I took Xavier’s opening up to me as a sign of his trust in me and hopefully growing feelings.
