Page 26 of The Omega Verse
He gives me a relieved smile, his bulky shoulders relaxing an inch. “Thanks. I appreciate it.” His gaze flicks down to Cass, who has twisted around to look. “But I just need to check... you’re okay with what’s going on here?”
He doesn’t need to spell it out. I can smell him all over Cass now I have his scent. I tip her chin up and smirk down at her flushed face. “Did she tell you she plays your music on repeat, like all the damn time? She’s basically a superfan.”
Cass makes a small sound of protest, but Kobi gives her a soft look. “Yeah, pretty sure that’s mutual.”
A purr rattles out of my chest, loud enough to startle us all. I’m probably the most shocked, since I can’t recall the last time I made that sound, if ever. But it makes Cass hum in the back of her throat, her arms tightening around me until I can feel her heart beating against my skin. And Kobi looks kind of happy, too, which I guess makes sense. Two big alphas in the same small, slick-scented space could have gone a completely different way.
“Jesus, Kobi, you’re like a human wall,” a new guy says from behind him and then Silva Sterling is squirming his way between us. He’s tall, with a swimmer’s build, all broad shoulders and narrow waist on full display since he’s only wearing a pair of sweats. His gaze goes straight to Cass, but then bright green eyes flick up my way and widen. “Fuck me. There’s two of you. Only this is the super ripped version.”
“Hey,” Kobi grumbles. “Leave my love handles out of this.”
I check him over. He’s got a touch of padding around his middle, but he carries it well and his arms are all muscle. “Looks pretty good to me,” I tell him and smile at the eyebrow he shoots me. I’m not really into other alphas, but next to soft and sassy, big and shy has always been my weakness.
“Fuck yes,” Silva mutters, reaching out and grabbing Cass’ hair. “Bring your hunk of man this way, sugar.”
She laughs, reaching an arm back to hook it around the guy’s neck. “Are you always this horny, Silva, or is it a new alpha thing?”
That gets me pushing him back a step. In a single move, I offload Cass into Kobi’s waiting arms and press Silva up against the wall. There’s not a lot of room, but I don’t need it. I’ve outmuscled bigger guys in smaller spaces, but he melts under the pressure of my hand on his chest. “Explain what she means by a new alpha,” I bark.
“I wish I could,” he murmurs, his eyes hooded as he looks up at me through long lashes. He looks exactly like his Google pic, which doesn’t seem right. Isn’t that shit supposed to be enhanced, or something? He shrugs and his silky chest moves under my hand. “I’m a beta. Always been a beta. But somehow…I just pumped out three huge knots like I’m a boy scout on steroids.”
I’m tempted to smirk at the image, but I wrap my hand around his neck instead. There’s no denying the pheromones pumping off him, but there’s a sweetness to his scent, as well. Not transfer from Cass - she smells like vanilla and honey – whereas Silva smells richer and darker, like marinated cherries.
“Fuck, man. If you don’t want me to start humping your leg, you need to either squeeze tighter, or let me go,” he says with a hint of a whimper.
I smirk at him this time, and lean forward to lick a stripe up his neck. He tastes like Cass in cherry lip gloss, and his eyes go as wide as green moons. “What was that for?”
“Just checking you taste as good as you smell.”
“O-kay.” He takes a moment to process that, then leans into my grip, his tongue playing across his bottom lip. “Now we’re all friends, can we go and get to know each other horizontally?”
Cass
Tom is here.
That niggling panic in my hindbrain dissolved the second I jumped into his arms. Flung myself, really, because I never doubted he would catch me. Doesn’t matter he’s as out of his element as I am, he just carries me onto the bus and straight to the bedroom at the back. I knew he would take it in his stride – I’ve never seen Tom flustered by anything – but what really intrigues me is the way the other guys reacted.
That bossy, dominant vibe Kobi used on me seemed to melt in Tom’s presence. If anything, he looked kind of shy when Tom was sizing him up. That comment about the love handles was adorable until I noticed the flash of insecurity in his eyes. But Tom took care of that with one rumbling compliment. And when he put Silva up against the wall, the air nearly ignited at the steam coming off them.
But this is what Tom does. He steadies. He grounds. He’s the rock in my landscape that never falters.
For a girl who grew up the way I did, that’s the kind of person you want to cling to and never let go.
But when I try to pull him down on top of me, he plants his hands on the bed and keeps his distance. That doesn’t impress my throbbing parts at all, and I frown at the way he doesn’t quite meet my eyes.
“What is it?” But I know the answer before he opens his mouth. I scoot back a little, making him straighten. And when he folds his arms and stares down at me with a familiar assessing look, my mouth goes dry. “You’re not doing this, are you?”
I can’t keep the hurt from leaking into my voice, and I curse the heat for making me like this. Because I’m used to looking after myself. I’ve taught myself that it’s okay to not need people. To ignore the little pings and aches in my body that probably mean I’m touch-starved. Because there were plenty of times in my teens when I wanted a hug more than my next meal. I ached for it, in the same way my stomach would clench when there wasn’t enough food to go around. Nothing sexual or possessive, but just a pair of familiar, comforting arms to wrap tight around me.
But now the floodgates are open, and my body is confused. It wants more of the cuddles and caresses I’ve been getting from the other guys. I’m still reeling from the whole designation swap thing, but I know what I want from Tom. I want him in my nest, in my body, and I want his teeth in my throat…
Okay. Maybe we need to talk about this some more.
“We’re only half an hour from my place,” he says, and I can tell he’s moving into medic mode. “I’m going to give you a physical now, and then we’ll make a plan for what you need next. Sound good?”
Nope. Talking is definitely overrated.
“Can we just…” Skip to the good stuff? “I feel a lot better now.” I do. I don’t know if it’s because Tom is here, or if it’s because my heat is starting to break, but I feel energised. Ready and roaring. All lights are definitely green…