Knight Life In Vegas (Sin City Omegas #3)

Chapter 22

“ Y ou’re doing the right thing, sir,” Autumn insisted. “I promise I’ll hold down the fort while you’re in Vegas.”

“I know you will.” If anyone could keep the company running smoothly, it was Autumn. I wasn’t worried about her handling things. She knew the company inside and out, knew everyone she’d have to coordinate with while I was working remotely.

“Has the medication been helping at all?”

“Not really.” In a desperate bid to make this trip to Las Vegas impermanent, I’d spoken with my doctor about mitigating the symptoms, but in cases like these only one true solution existed.

My omega.

It shouldn’t even bother me. It was genuinely nothing compared to the agony of when I had lost Emily, but apparently I had grown weak and complacent since then.

“I know it’s not professional,” said Autumn, “but can I give you a goodbye hug?”

Autumn was an omega, and for the most part her requirements for affection were never brought up at the office, but I supposed I could indulge her since I wasn’t sure the next time I would see her in person. “If you’d like.”

Her petite form slammed against me, arms wrapping around my chest like a vice. “Good luck out there. I know it’s not what you want, but I believe in second chances. I don’t think the universe would be so cruel as to take your omega so young and then force you to live the rest of your life alone.”

When she stepped back, her eyes were shiny. She was such a force of nature in the day-to-day, and I didn’t think I had ever seen her cry before.

I chose not to acknowledge her statement because of the clash of hope and guilt that it might be true. Instead, I focused on what I was best at. “There’s a hefty raise in your future if you can run a tight ship.”

“You won’t have to worry about a thing,” she promised. “Now go catch your flight.”

We’d told the company I had family matters to attend to, which wasn’t untrue. Charlotte and her children were sort of family in a convoluted way that hurt my brain to think about. I was definitely going to have to ramp up my therapy sessions if I was going to see my son more regularly on top of dealing with the Charlotte situation.

Somehow, knowing I was drawing closer to my omega sent my body into overdrive. It was ridiculous. How could my very cells know the miles between us were disappearing as the plane took off? How could it know that in mere hours I would be able to breathe in the scent that smoothed down all my rough edges and let me feel hope for the future for the first time in decades? The scent-marked shirt she’d given me had helped in some ways, but in others it made my body even more furious that she wasn’t tucked into my arms.

I was restless the entire flight, barely able to contain myself: my hands shaking, my palms sweating, and my chest growing tight as the little plane icon zipped across the screen.

By the time we landed in Las Vegas, I was half convinced I was descending into cardiac arrest.

I messaged Charlotte as we taxied up the runway.

Beau:

I’ve landed. Are you available to meet in an hour or so?

I had forwarded my flight details before leaving so she knew when I would arrive. She’d seemed open to seeing me. A blessing, considering I needed her to feel normal. As much as I didn’t want the match, it was still preferable to locking myself in a hotel room to suffer.

Charlotte:

I’m just running errands. Traffic is heavier than I expected so you might beat me back to the apartment.

Beau:

I’ll see you there.

I collected my luggage at baggage claim, the essentials of my life boiled down into two suitcases and a carry-on. I couldn’t decide if that was pathetic or efficient. For the sake of my ego, I went with efficient.

I gave the address to the taxi and focused on keeping the frayed bits of myself from unraveling on the way over. I had worked so fucking hard to keep myself under control after I lost Emily, practically duct-taping myself into some semblance of a human to keep going. I managed through the workday and consistently fell apart each evening. A couple of years before Bryce had found Ava had been the best I had done in ages, but my son finding his scent match had dredged up so much anguish. That was the problem with scent matches. They had so much potential to bring joy and even more to bring pain.

By the time I got to Charlotte’s apartment, I was ready to climb out of my own skin. Every second between hauling my luggage out of the trunk and waiting for her to answer the buzzer was an eternity.

When no reply came, I picked up my phone.

Beau:

I’m here.

Charlotte:

Be there soon!

Fucking hell.

I sat down on the little stoop outside, my body craving her with no reprieve in sight. I let my face drop into my hands, taking slow, deep breaths to measure the time and keep myself calm.

The swing of a car door sometime later, followed by the patter of footsteps against cement, had me lifting my head.

“I’m so sorry.” Charlotte approached me and the relief at hearing her voice was sharp and sweet all at once.

Her scent was perfect: buttery lemon and sugar. My rational mind switched off the moment she was within reach and I swallowed her up, clutching her tiny form to my chest and dipping down to breathe her in. I wanted to do a million things at once: drown in her kiss, strip down every stitch and memorize her curves, bundle her away into a nest and hold her until I felt sanity return. She was delectable.

Her arms tentatively wrapped around me. “Hello there.”

The words shook me free of the hold my instincts had on me and I stepped back, flexing my hands on my side.

Not mine.

I didn’t deserve another omega. I just needed to get through everything until our bodies settled.

“Come inside.” Charlotte grabbed one of my rolling suitcases and tugged it through the door while I was held frozen, my mind twisting those words. I’d imagined the sounds she would make when we came together a hundred, maybe a thousand times since I’d last seen her. But she hadn’t invited sexuality between us, and I certainly wasn’t going to ask for it. I hadn’t touched a partner for years, and that wasn’t about to change with her.

I dragged my suitcase in behind me, setting it inside the door, and dropping my carry-on to the floor. The scent of other alphas hung in the air. I vaguely recognized them from Night of Knights, her other scent matches. She must have seen them while I was away. Should that bother me? It didn’t. Better she be spared the same suffering as me.

“You’re looking a little worse for wear,” she commented. “Did you want to have a cuddle to recalibrate?”

My whole body stiffened. I really fucking did. “Please.”

She took my hand, electricity arcing up my arm from the skin-on-skin contact, and led me to her bedroom. I’d expected the couch based on our last experience, but she was already sitting down on the bed and patting the space next to her.

“You might want to take off a few layers. I have the AC on, but I would melt in long sleeves.”

She watched me expectantly and I shrugged off my suit jacket.

“I don’t want your belt digging into me,” she said simply.

What sort of game was she playing? How much did she expect me to take off? She was in shorts and a tank top, all those plush curves barely contained. With shaking fingers I undid my belt and slid it free, dropping it down, then I toed off my shoes. I paused my fingertips on my shirt buttons.

“I talked to Jesse and he said it all works faster the more skin we have in contact. It’ll take twice as long if all you have available are your hands and face.”

I swallowed hard. “I haven’t disrobed for anyone in quite a while.”

The tiniest smile graced her lips. “No expectations. We both know what this is. Do you want me to close my eyes?”

“I… yes,” I said before I could talk myself out of it. How had I fallen so far that I was nervous to take off my shirt?

Charlotte closed her eyes and spun around for a good measure, letting my brain turn into scrambled eggs in peace. My hands shook with every button, but eventually I reached the end. She stretched out as I climbed onto the bed and I tucked myself against her back, muscles seizing with each new bit of contact. My chest felt like it was going to burst, my heart a frantic staccato as I pressed the length of my body to hers and wrapped my arm over her.

The other alpha scents were stronger here, but no hints of sex in her nest, just existence. All the better. Smelling her pleasure on the sheets might have been too much for the fragility of my coherence right now.

She purred softly and the sound instantly made me melt. I lay there in a drowsy state, drifting in and out of clarity as her scent and presence worked their magic. Knots of tension untangled themselves, my headache receded, and the low-grade nausea that had been plaguing me all week disappeared entirely.

I snuck my fingertips under the bunched hem of her shirt and laid my hand flat against her stomach. A burst of sweetness met my nose as she shivered. She shifted incrementally and froze when her ass brushed my tented cock.

“Ignore it. I can’t help it being this close to you, but I’m certainly not going to do anything about it.”

Charlotte rotated carefully, her hazel eyes bright with longing when they finally met mine. It only lasted for a second before she tucked her head beneath my chin, hooking one arm and leg over me.

I drew in a stuttering breath. When was the last time I had been held? A low growl had her clinging tighter and I cupped her head, drawing her impossibly closer. It was truly unfair how perfect it felt to be with her like this. I hadn’t afforded myself this level of intimacy in so long that I had forgotten what it felt like.

Her nails scratched lightly against my back and her purr roared when I threaded my fingers in her hair, stroking softly.

She was so dangerous.

An ounce of compassion from her and I was lost.

Peace was a stranger, joy was the enemy, and it cracked open the darkest parts of myself to feel both in her arms.

Life was never going to be the same again. It couldn’t be. Like an addict, I already knew I was going to crave her forever. I would shatter my whole life not to descend into that pit of madness and despair I had lived for so long.

“I don’t want to go,” I croaked out.

“No one is making you.”

“I can’t stay.”

“Why not?” Her lips brushed my skin as she asked it.

“We both know the answer to that.”

“Because you don’t want me?”

The statement was pure insanity given how we were interlocked right now. And since when had it turned into me not wanting her instead of us not wanting each other? Besides, I couldn’t want her would be much more accurate. Or more likely, I didn’t deserve to want her, and no amount of peace she gave me would change that.