Gold Rush (Golden Omegaverse #1)

Chapter 26 – June

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

JUNE

My skin is on fire .

I sit up with a little gasp, my stomach jolting with the movement. My hand lands on a bare chest and Seth grunts as I scramble out of the center of the bed. Bennett’s arm snaps out, wrapping around my waist and stopping me in my tracks as his eyes snap open, alert in a moment.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m going to throw up.” I shove him away, clambering over Seth as he groans. My feet hit the floor as I swallow bile, running into the bathroom and dropping to my knees in front of the toilet, heaving before I throw up the remnants of last night’s fancy dinner.

It’s nice in here. The marble is pretty.

The sound of movement in the room behind me makes me lift my head, weakly watching as Seth stumbles into the bathroom, half asleep and stark naked. He bends down, pulling my hair back from my face and whispering, “Bennett’s grabbing the thermometer. Is it the heat?”

I groan, turning my head back toward the toilet, shivering and hot all at the same time. My stomach roils, threatening to purge itself again, but I’m not sure anything will come up.

“I don’t know.” His hands feel good as they move over my neck, pressing against my skin, soothing the clammy feeling. “I just felt so sick .”

He murmurs, rubbing my back. “What can I do?”

“I don’t know ,” I whine as I repeat the words, pulling away from the toilet. He flushes it for me — and it’s the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me as I fight back the feeling of throwing up all over again.

“Here.” Bennett comes into the bathroom, half-dressed. He hands the thermometer to Seth, then turns the faucet on and wets a washcloth. Bending down in front of me, he wipes my face off with the cool fabric, his eyes searching mine as Seth presses the thermometer against my forehead.

It beeps and Bennett leans back, glancing at the read-out. “You’re higher than normal, but not high enough to call it a fever.”

I groan, turning into his touch, wrapping an arm around his bare torso as he adjusts, dropping the washcloth onto the tile and winding both arms around me. Bennett rubs my back as Seth shuffles around. He leaves the room and then comes back with a pair of pants on and a can of soda.

Bending down, he pops the top and offers it to me. “Ginger ale, for your stomach.” I reach for it, but Seth shakes his head and tips it slightly, holding it to my lips. I sip from it slowly, letting him take care of holding it as I press my shaking hands against Bennett’s chest.

Bennett strokes my hair, kissing the side of my head as he sits with me on the floor. After Seth pulls back and puts the can on the countertop, he glances down at the two of us, frowning. “What can we do? Do you want to get back to bed, baby?”

I suck in a deep breath, the adrenaline of waking up with the urgent need to vomit fading to exhaustion as I nod. Bennett helps me up, pushing me into Seth’s arms before he turns and opens one of the drawers under the sink.

“I don’t know if these will be helpful , but I have them.” The alpha pulls out a stack of very familiar looking pamphlets and drops them onto the counter.

I stare at them before I bark out a laugh.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR OMEGA IS IN HEAT stares up at me, almost judgmental with its offensive neon color palette and italicized font. Reaching out, I shuffle them, unable to stop laughing at the other titles like HOW TO BE A GOOD ALPHA and AN OMEGA’S HEAT: HOW AND WHEN TO KNOT .

“Jesus.” Seth chokes out a laugh behind me, peering down at them.

Bennett looks mortified when I raise my head. “Listen, the lady at the center shoved them in my face when we left. I didn’t know what to do . I didn’t want to throw them away, just in case.”

I lean back against Seth, shaking my head as I put it in my hands, mumbling as my stomach cramps again. “My god, I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Why, June,” Seth laughs, rubbing my hip. “We can read you AN OMEGA’S FIRST HEAT: 101 and you should be right as rain.”

“Oh shut up.” I turn in his arms, pressing my head against his shoulder as he rocks us both back and forth.

“I can make breakfast!” Bennett blurts the words behind us and I glance back at him as his eyes dart down to my bare ass, then back up. He doesn’t even look ashamed, his eyes just flicker again, cataloging my body in the light of the day.

I bite my tongue, reaching for the ginger ale to take another sip. “I’m sorry I rushed our morning after.”

“Don’t be.” Bennett’s eyes soften, rubbing my shoulder as he shifts closer. “Why don’t you both stay in the bedroom and I’ll make something and bring it up.”

Seth presses his lips against the side of my head. “I think we should have pancakes, because chocolate helps everything, and it’ll definitely help this.”

I roll my eyes at the beta, then glance back at Bennett. “Okay, breakfast and then… maybe I should talk to Arin?” If my body is any indication, the simmering heat under my skin will only get worse. It’s not quite been two weeks since I was at the center, but the doctor did warn me that it could come early, as it’s the first. Something about latent hormones and my age.

Bennett smiles, bending down to kiss my head first, then Seth’s cheek. “I think that might be wise. There are things we should know while you’re out of it, and it’ll give us time to get our schedules and food in order.” He pulls back, moving toward the door. “I think most packs take the week off, but we’ll do whatever you’re comfortable with.”

My heart flips as I watch him linger in the doorway. “Thank you.”

Bennett nods toward the bed. “Get back into bed, both of you.”

As he leaves, Seth wraps his arms arm me tighter, crab-walking us back to the bed and dragging me down to the sheets with him. I laugh, turning into him as his hands wander, grabbing handfuls of my hips, my ass, my arms, kissing me again and chasing away the flushed feeling on my skin.

Everything feels better when he’s touching me.

I linger in Seth and Bennett’s bedroom until sometime mid-afternoon.

Bennett brings pancakes up, with a spread of different toppings. Them feeding me turns into lingering kisses that dip lower and lower. Even both of their focus on me can’t ease the flushed, tight feeling in my skin. It’s like a bad flu, symptoms layering on top of each other, making me feel feverish, hazy and out of it. I don’t like feeling out of control, and this makes me feel like a walking zombie.

I finally beg off to go take a shower, loathe to wash off their combined smells but feeling the urge to be clean. My muscles relax under the warm water, and I avoid the scent-cancelling products and instead use the other, lightly scented ones Seth grabbed for me among the nesting supplies. They’re made to retain the scents my biology needs in the middle of a heat.

My mind wanders as I scrub my hair — I could get used to this. Last night wasn’t what I expected, but I feel an undeniable safety when I’m between them.

I get out, rifling through my clothes and tugging on a pair of leggings and an oversized t-shirt I find on my bed. When I tug it over my head, I turn my nose into the collar, inhaling Seth’s light scent on the fabric, undercut with the smell of laundry detergent and a mixture of orange and rain. It’s almost comically big on me, flowing over my chest, which means it probably swallows the beta whole.

Still, I love it. It’s the best present I’ve ever been given.

I should move things upstairs .

Taking another hit of the scent on the shirt, I stare at my few possessions, but there’s nothing that I really care to have upstairs in the nest with me. It’s all already up there — between the items Seth bought me and the clothing I stole from Seth and Bennett, I’m sure I’ll be fine.

I squint at the windows, turning away from them. Anxiety sits heavy on my chest as I think about all the symptoms and information I’ve read about in the last week and a half. Omegas have up to four heats a year, coinciding with ovulation in females. It all comes down to individual biology, and there’s no telling what kind of reaction I’ll have — it’s all up to chance, the same chance that makes omega blood golden-hued, or alphas’ silver-hued.

Grabbing my phone, I glance down at it, seeing multiple missed text messages from my mother again, ranging in the severity of insults, from pleas for me to respond, to nasty insinuations. My stomach roils and I drop the device back to the bed, leaving it as I turn away from the room and head downstairs, chewing on my lower lip.

Will I be begging? Will I even know what I’m asking for?

I walk down the hall, hesitating in front of Arin’s shut office door, steeling myself to tell him that it’s near — that the conversation has to be had now . It would be best to be open about it, let him know that Bennett and Seth will be helping me. It’s easier that way.

Opening my mouth, I shove the door, and then stop short, staring at the empty room.

For once, the prime isn’t in his office.

I blink, looking back and forth down the hallway before backing up to the foyer. I turn down the hall behind the stairs — where he emerged last night — and push open the first door I see. A garage greets me, two sleek cars side by side in it, with a key hook on the wall. Pulling the door shut, I turn to the other side, finding the laundry room.

The smell of rainwater hits me the second the door swings open, making me feel dizzy all over again as I step back and tug it shut. Of course — all my clothes have had that same smell — Theo has been doing my laundry since I got here. It’s why he’s on a little bit of everything, from the blankets in the living room down to Seth’s clothes.

I focus on the end of the hallway, heading toward the last door. As I linger outside, I hear running water and push it open, stepping into a bedroom bigger than Seth and Bennett’s — almost the same size as the nest two stories above.

The bed is huge. Windows encompass the far wall, looking out to a backyard I didn’t even know the townhouse had. It’s pretty, and private, with lush grasses and multi-colored flowers. There are even pavers and a small table, though the drizzle of London rain has everything dripping in a fine mist.

Eyeing the bed, I inhale the deep-seated smell of mint saturating the room.

The water stops.

I take a step back just as a door on the far wall opens. Arin walks out, a towel slung around his hips, another ruffling his wet hair.

He stops short, his eyes widening as he mutters, “June?”

My own perfume turns fragrant as I open my mouth, then close it immediately. It’s embarrassing how quickly the sight of Arin’s half-naked body fills me with incomprehensible need again. I fumble for a moment, before finally turning around, just to stop myself from standing like an idiot staring at him. “I should go. I’ll find you later.”

“June —”

I grab the door handle.

“Juniper, stop .”

Freezing, I cringe and glance back at him. Arin tosses the towel he was using on his hair to the side, then levels me with a look.

“You clearly came to find me for a reason.”

I turn, pressing back against the door. “I — well.”

He takes a deep breath, like he’s prepping himself for what I’m about to say, only his shoulders tighten with the movement, his eyes narrowing as his nostrils flare, his eyes locking on me as he growls. “You didn’t go straight to bed last night.”

Oh God . I’m mortified as I press back against his door, feeling like a rabbit cornered by a fox. I’m in Seth’s shirt, I probably smell like both him and Bennett, and Arin knows . Fucking alphas and their stupid strength and their stupid noses and their stupid biology that makes me want to please him .

I suck in a breath as I stare at him, my eyes narrowing slightly. Why should he care? He’s the one who sent me upstairs to go to bed without a second glance. He started it, and when he couldn’t finish it, I went to two people who could.

“I spent the night with Seth and Bennett.” I blurt the words out, a confusion of emotions rearing up in me — anger, indignation — Arin didn’t satisfy me fully, why should I hide the fact I spent the rest of my night with them? Bennett’s words echo in my mind — he encouraged me to find my footing with all of them individually — if Arin isn’t okay with that, I don’t need the stupid, hot alpha in front of me.

I take a step forward. “What, does that bother you?”

He stares at me cooly. “It only bothers me if you feel like it wasn’t your choice.”

“It was my choice.” I spit at him. “At least they care. At least they helped .”

“And you believe I don’t care.” He stays firmly on the other side of the room, volleying the words at me like a javelin.

“I don’t know! Do you?”

“I just don’t want your decisions to be based on the proximity of your heat?—”

“So you regret last night?”

“Not at all, but we have to think before we do things.” Arin’s voice softens, near pleading. “I never should have crossed a physical line with you without talking first. I can’t take advantage of the power imbalance here —”

“Oh my god!” I stomp my foot, glaring at him. “You were not taking advantage of me! I begged you!”

“Still —”

“No!” I jab a finger in his direction, fury overtaking rationality. “Because that makes me think that you believe I don’t know what I want, and that makes me feel like a total fucking idiot. If I stand here and ask you to fuck me, will you? Will you say no because it’s too close to the heat and I can’t properly consent to it? Because I sure as shit did when Seth was in me last night and Bennett was down my throat.”

He snarls, stepping forward. His voice is a sharp warning. “Juniper.”

I glare at him, my lips pulling back in my own little growl. “No. Don’t you dare ‘Juniper’ me. I came in here because I came to tell you the heat is imminent. At least I think it is. But if you want me to leave —”

“No.” He barks the word at me. “Do not leave.”

“Is that an order ?”

He scowls back at me, something breaking in his expression as his hands fist at his sides. “Do not seek me out just to pick silly fights with me.”

“Maybe I want to pick one.” I step closer to him, emboldened now.

He doesn’t want me to leave? Fine.

“Maybe I’d like you to act like you want me here, instead of taking everything slow one moment and fingering me in a fucking restaurant the next, promising me you’ll play with me.” I stride closer. “We don’t have time for slow — I’m not some barely legal omega who’s suddenly hot for the nearest alpha. I’m a grown-ass woman who knows in a few days time I won’t have any sense and I want to make sure I’m safe and that —” My voice breaks, my emotions swinging a hard left as reality crashes down on me. “— that I won’t feel hurt or used.”

My eyes burn as I turn my chin away from him, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.

Arin steps closer, his voice softer. “June…”

I close my eyes, pressing my thumbs against them to ward off burning tears. Admitting the same thing to him that I did to Bennett last night feels like I’m carving my heart out with a rusty knife. “I’m scared.”

He sighs as I look back at him, watching his shoulders fall.

“I think I’m supposed to anticipate your needs, and I won’t lie to you, I don’t know how to do this. I feel like I’m failing you, failing my biology, failing this pack — I need to go back to Paris. I have work I should be finishing and a deal to complete.”

Something in my chest snaps and I take a step back, my voice barely audible. “Oh.”

“But” — Arin stops me with a single word — “I will remain here for your heat, if that is something you want from me.”

My eyes burn as I suck in a ragged breath. It’s a no brainer. “Yes, I want that.”

He reaches up, rubbing the light dusting of hair over his jaw and chin, staring at me — seeing right through me and the flimsy defenses I keep hiding behind.

“I don’t know that I can do this without something more, Juniper.” Arin shakes his head. “I can’t stop thinking about how much it will hurt me if you walk away from this pack after the heat’s over. I want to give you a choice , I want you to feel like you have the control in this chaotic situation, but what happens when it’s over?”

I stare up at the ceiling, exhaling a shaking laugh as I try not to lose it. Here I am just trying to make it the next day, the next hour, the next second — and he’s already thinking about the aftermath.

“I’m afraid if I stop and think about any of it for more than five minutes, I’ll fall apart again.” Tilting my head down, I whisper, “And we don’t have time for me to be a mess.”

“I’m not taking you to my bed if you’re having any kind of doubts.”

I choke. “The heat isn’t going to wait . That’s the whole point! That’s why I’m here!”

He takes a step forward, his eyes firm. “I need you to trust me, June. I will find suppressants. I will buy you whatever you need. I will stay up night and day to see you to the end, in whatever capacity you’re comfortable with — but what I won’t do is reduce this to some biological transaction between the two of us. You deserve more than that, and my heart can’t survive fucking you if loving you won’t be a part of it. So do not question if I care.” He takes another step, almost close enough to touch me. “If anything, I care too much.”

“ Arin .”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t feel it last night. Don’t tell me you didn’t feel it the second you walked into my office.” He reaches out, his hand cupping my cheek, wiping a tear away from under my eyes. “Don’t make me sequester part of myself away, because what I do with you will never, ever be casual. I can’t do this without strings attached, and I don’t think you can either.”

His other hand rises, and then he holds my face in the palms of his hands.

“I know you’re scared.” He gazes down at me. “I’m not asking for a bond today, but I am telling you that being involved with me will not be temporary. That’s my condition — if you want me to be a part of your heat, you cannot run the moment it’s over. You’re safe with me, with this pack, but I will not allow it to be fleeting or temporary.”

It feels like someone carved a hole into my chest as I stare up at him, silent tears rolling down my cheeks. Arin wipes away each and every one of them.

“I need you to talk to me, love.” His voice is gentle as he strokes my cheeks. “I need you to let go and let yourself accept my help.”

“Did you mean it?” My voice breaks. “Last night when you said you wanted to court me?”

“Yes.” He answers without hesitating, voice low. “I have meant every single word I’ve said to you. But I won’t go forward with any of it if you don’t understand there’s no backing out for me. There is no future in my eyes where you walk away without taking my affections with you. They say when you know, you know.”

He gives me a tight smile, like he’s expecting me to bolt as he whispers, “And I know.”

It feels like I’m standing on a cliff’s edge, staring down at an abyss. Seth’s insistence that I would be safe here — Bennett’s admission that he won’t walk away — and now Arin telling me there is no leaving if I stay —

But there are other issues. He doesn’t know my family. We’ve never had a conversation about what I’ll do after the heat, when I can go home. None of us have spoken about my work, my writing, or my apartment back in Virginia. There are so many logistics to what he’s saying. Reality won’t stay pushed to the side for very long — I have an entire life to get back to.

My eyes rise, meeting Arin’s.

But he could be yours .

My hindbrain supplies the thought, almost quiet amongst my anxiety. The deep part of my heart, untouched and lonely, calls out to him even while he’s standing in front of me, clutching my face, offering me the world if I just say yes.

My breath catches in my throat. Running my tongue over my lips, I lift my chin slightly, taking in every inch of his expression, down to the slight bump in his nose and the way his eyebrows furrow, making a little line that points directly to his lips.

“I accept.”

He sucks in a breath, his eyes flittering over my features one final time, before he tugs me to him. One hand slides around, cupping the back of my damp hair, making my heart burst as he kisses me, sinking every ounce of passion he can into it. It’s soul-ending — it’s an unspoken vow — not a bite, but the closest damn thing to one.

“Let me show you all that I should have done last night. Let me prove that you, your body, and your soul are safe in my capable hands.”

My lips mold against his as I reach up and run my fingers through his damp hair. He groans into the kiss as our noses graze. The fabric of the towel around his waist bunches near my stomach as Seth’s shirt rides up on me. I sigh into the kisses, reaching down with my free hand to pull the towel completely off his hips.

Arin grunts, tilting his head down as his eyes spark with something playful. “You’ve got me naked, now what do you want, omega?”

I shiver, taking him in. His body is a work of fucking art — where Bennett is lean and solid, and Seth is lithe like a dancer, Arin is tall, natural muscle cording through him. There’s an undeniable strength, but softer, and I step closer, running my hand over his shoulder and then down his chest, following my hand with my eyes as my fingers brush over the hair on his stomach leading to his Adonis’ belt.

“I want you.” I glance up at him as my fingertips briefly graze his erection. “You…” I pause, biting my tongue. “You make everything quieter.”

His brows relax as he reaches for me, tugging the shirt up over my hips and head, throwing it to the floor with his towel. His eyes dart down, catching on my chest, and then moving lower to look at my hips. He makes a strangled sound, running a thumb over one of my nipples. “Fuck, look at you.”

I flush, shivering as I back up toward his bed. He follows me as I crawl up onto it, stopping when he grabs my leggings and mutters, “Lift your hips for me, love.”

I arch, letting him tug the leggings off, barely getting on my back before Arin crawls overtop of me, caging me in with his arms as he leans down to kiss me again. One hand caresses down my body, his voice low against my lips. “You’re so soft — so fucking pretty. I’ve wanted to sink my teeth into you since the moment I first saw you — do filthy things to you.” His lips touch my jaw, my neck, lingering as he breathes out, “I thought maybe I could make you come over and over again until you can’t do anything but fall asleep. Or putting you on a display at the club, making others watch while I fuck you until you shake. I’d love to make you so sensitive you can’t imagine having another orgasm, and then give you one more while I bury my knot deep in your sweet cunt.”

I flush, flummoxed for a moment as I stare up at him. “God, Arin.”

His fingers glide over my skin, his lips following as he lavishes my breasts with kisses. Moaning, I grab onto his hair as he kneads my chest, alternating with lips and fingers. “Smell so delectable too,” Arin laughs, licking and sucking on one of my nipples. “You’re like a marble sculpture, all softly carved curves, a goddess’ body better than any of the art I’ve ever seen.”

I gasp his name again as he sucks on my other nipple, his teeth dragging over it, sending a bolt of desire straight to my core.

His eyes flash as he moves to the valley between my breasts. “I love hearing you say my name. I loved hearing you call me alpha too.” His hands slide down to my sides, then he grabs two handfuls of my thighs and pulls me open as he kisses down over my stomach, nuzzling my skin. He pauses as he kisses the top of my underwear, breathing in. “I’m going to learn every inch of your body and make you sing.”

The sound of fabric shredding startles me as he rips through the sides of my underwear, discarding it only to part me with his long fingers. Arin wastes no time, diving in to lick. I tangle my fingers in his hair, crying out at the feeling of his nose nudging my clit as he sucks on my feverish skin. Seth’s energetic eating out last night doesn’t compare to the feeling of Arin paying careful attention to each inch of me, toying and winding me up at the same time.

He wedges a hand between my thighs and then thrusts two fingers into me without preamble. I jerk into them, seeing stars as his long fingers find and stroke a spot on my inner walls that has me clenching down on him immediately, shrieking as I writhe against his bed.

“That’s it, fucking drown me, love.” He pulls back enough to look up at me, his hair a tangle on his head as he smiles. “Have you ever squirted before? Let’s see if you can.”

He crooks his fingers, his expression dark and wicked as his eyes dart to my pussy. Arin leans in and suctions his lips over my clit, humming as he drags his fingers back and forth.

The same type of orgasm as last night hits me, only this time, my entire body rocks with it, my very soul coming undone.

A fire-laced shiver tears up my spine as I arch off the bed, slick gushing out of me, making wet, obscene noises as he rocks his hand back and forth, cooing the entire time. “Yes, oh fuck , look at you. That’s my good, sweet omega.”

He wastes no time, bending down and burying his head between my thighs to gather it up, groaning as he eats me through the orgasm and right on the cusp of another one. My entire body resets as I squirm, gasping and shoving at his head. His fingers keep stroking, thrusting steadily, gathering the slick dripping between my thighs before he pulls his hand away and wraps it around himself, pumping his cock with my arousal.

I stare down at him, my mouth dropping open as he kisses up my body. Arin smirks as he kisses my jaw. “Good girl. That got me nice and wet so I can slip right into you. You feel so fucking good on my cock and I’m not even inside yet.”

Oh my god, he’s going to kill me .

My eyes rise to meet his, seeing myself reflected in their darkness as Arin smiles. “I’m going to make you come so many times, you’ll be begging me to stop.”

I cling onto him as he hitches one of my legs up onto his hip, and then he thrusts into me deep . His knot kisses my cunt, not pushing in as he grinds down, making my toes curl as I roll my hips against his on instinct, needing the friction, the pressure of him all over me.

“ Fuck .” I whine, breathing hard against his jaw as he laughs .

“I bet no one else has fucked you this good, hm?”

I gasp as he pulls back and then slams home again. Arching into him, my nails slide down his back as my mouth drops open, my body bowing and giving into his.

“Say it, Juniper.” Arin bends closer, his voice dark. “Say, ‘ No one fucks me as good as you do, Alpha .’”

It’s not a bark, but it might as well be as I cry out, my head spinning as he sets a brutal pace. I tangle my fingers in his hair, pulling his mouth to mine as I bite at his lip, barely holding off from breaking the skin as I squeal out, “No one fucks me as good as you do!”

His hand comes down on the side of my hip, a crack echoing through his room as he smacks the side of my ass, making my skin sting and my pussy clench. “Finish your sentence, omega.”

My eyes roll back as I whine, “ Alpha .”

Arin crashes his lips against mine again, his voice ragged. “That’s right — only yours.”

We move together, chasing the pleasure igniting between the two of us as Arin cups the back of my neck, pulling me close as he mutters, “Can I make you come?” He kisses the edge of my mouth, his request quiet. “Can I bark?”

I shiver, my eyes opening as I stare up at him. My body feels like it’s going to spontaneously combust already, and I feel my lips part, wondering if he really can do it with only his voice.

“You can try.”

His eyes snap to mine, then he smirks.

“Come for me, Juniper.” He whispers against my lips, kindly, sweetly, the power of a full bark behind it. “Right now .”

All my muscles clench on command, and I gasp as the forced rush of the orgasm hits me in the chest. I arch into him, cursing as I flood him with my slick, trembling as he grins down at me, kissing me softly again. I’m a boneless disaster, only a body that he continues to thrust into as I tremble under him, tears pricking in my eyes from the overwhelming sensations.

“Never, ever question how much I care for you.” Arin holds me as I ride out the shaking high. “How much I want to hear, see, feel your happiness and pleasure.” I slump in his arms, breathing hard as he keeps thrusting, his knot kissing my clit with each movement of his hips. Every other thrust he pauses long enough to grind into me, sending sparks over my skin and making me clench all over again.

“I’m not going to knot you tonight because it’s our first time, but you are going to come for me again, omega. And I’m going to let you milk me dry until I’m dripping out of you.”

Bliss overtakes my brain, floating away all sense of self as he takes care of everything, keeping me upright, keeping us moving as he kisses all over my face. I’m both with him and not, floating in a haze of pleasure that keeps building and building until I can barely breathe from it. There’s a rightness to his touch, his focus being only on me.

The third orgasm is like a weight on my chest, all my muscles tight as my body shakes from holding it back. I don’t want to come yet, I don’t want it to be over. I don’t want him to not be with me anymore — I claw at him again, screwing my eyes shut as I clench around him, gasping.

“It’s okay.” He murmurs soothing words, kissing my jaw, rubbing my hip as he thrusts faster. I’m crying and I don’t exactly know why, just that it’s all too much, that it’s not enough, that it’s him and everything and —

“It’s okay, Juniper. Let go for me.”

I bury my face against his chest, screaming his name as I come again, completely and utterly spent as he growls, his hips jerking into mine as he comes seconds after me. Arin cradles my head, stroking my hair as he sinks down to the bed, kissing my forehead and slipping out of me.

I turn into his touch blindly, burrowing against him as my heart jerks, the tears flooding down my face as I try to get ahold of myself, stuttering, “D-do you need to go?”

He stiffens slightly. “No, love.” The blankets lay heavy on my satiated, sticky skin as he tucks us in, kissing my jaw. “We’re going to lay here, and you’re going to rest.” Arin touches my chin and I raise my eyes, only to see him gaze down at me like I’m the only other person on the planet. His thumbs carefully wipe over my cheeks, his lips chasing the touch, his voice gentle. “You’re going to tell me every minuscule thing you need for your heat.”

I shift, biting my tongue as anxiety creeps in. “Why?”

Arin pulls me closer, grazing his lips against mine again and again. “Because I want to. Because I’m going to take care of you. Because you’re not leaving this bed or my arms until you let me solve every problem that’s bothering you, and provide every single thing you still need. Because that’s what alphas do.”

I squint up at him, one of my hands snaking around to touch his side, breathing in raggedly. “I don’t —”

His lips twitch. “Juniper, I want to. Please let me?”

The words stop my protests before I can even start. I scoff, burying my face in the crook of his neck, muttering softly, “Okay.”