Chapter 8 #2
“I don’t really know how,” he whispered, his hand tightening on mine.
He kept his eyes shut, but that didn’t stop tears from rolling down his face.
“I never had the chance… at first, I had to pretend to be an alpha. I had to ignore every instinct I had. Then, after I was kicked out, I was merely surviving. At Ascend, they liked that I acted like an alpha—one they could fuck. Being omega was a weakness. And even when I was locked in that room… I couldn’t nest, because Dax would use it against me. ”
“Hey, hey.” I pulled him into my arms again and held him for a while, letting him cry it out. “It’s never too late to start,” I eventually added. “You just need some help learning.”
“I don’t—I can’t let Laurel see me like this.”
“No, not here. Um, I actually know a lot about this stuff. Nesting and alpha-omega regulation.”
“You do?” He rubbed his eyes again.
My cheeks heated. “Uh, yeah, I studied it a lot a few years back.”
He sat up straighter, his eyes shining with a sudden hope. “Right. Then let's build the most fabulous nest that New Oxford has ever seen.”
?
JEWEL
Right.
I’d had my little cry, but now I was picking myself up and forging ahead.
Or, well, Casey had picked me up and we were forging ahead together.
The only thing I had a strong opinion about in my nest was that I wanted precious things, and the most precious thing here right now was Casey.
I dragged him over to the empty room that I’d been avoiding and got him to open the door. The interior designer I’d hired to furnish this place had provided nesting materials despite my insistence that I didn’t want one.
Which, I supposed, had worked out for the best in the end.
After Casey helped me open the packages, I stared at the boxes filled with pillows, blankets, drapes, and lighting options.
“Good god, it looks like they bought the entire Nesting Needs catalogue.” I folded my arms, trying not to be overwhelmed. “Where do we even start?”
“Sheets.” Casey pulled a few options out of the first box.
“Well, at least one of us seems to know what we’re doing.”
He offered me a warm smile. “You just have to trust your instincts.”
“For fabrics?” I grumbled, the anxiety rearing in my gut again.
“Exactly. And don’t worry. If you change your mind later, it’ll be easy to swap it out.”
I supposed that made me feel a little better. He started pointing out the pros and cons of various fabric blends and sheet counts.
I was a bit distracted by how cute he looked explaining it all to me, and I pretty much deferred to Casey’s recommendation for everything.
As the room slowly came together, warmth started to build in my chest.
I wasn’t going to psychoanalyse this shit—but if I was, I’d say the nest felt right because of Casey. Because every recommendation he made was carefully weighed and based on what he thought was best for me, and what was more special than that?
After a couple of hours, there were no more boxes to open. Casey was just finishing hanging up the swirling chandelier as I carefully walked around the walls, taking everything in fully.
The bed in the center of the room was bright, with warm hues like a campfire. The rest of the room was covered with dark greens and blues, and string lights covered the ceiling like stars. The bed was inset into a wall, with shelves around it and a canopy over the top.
I felt strange in here, the warmth in my chest spreading throughout my body. It was like I’d put down a weight I didn’t even know I was carrying.
“It kind of reminds me of the outdoors.” I trailed my fingers along a curtain of glittery beads.
Casey blushed, and huge surge of affection for him rushed through me. He knew I’d been trapped in an underground room for months, and he’d made me a nest that was completely the opposite.
I blinked hard, looking around again as I tried not to cry.
Casey folded up the stepladder and looked around. “That’s the basics. But omegas also usually add personal touches. Things that reflect themselves and make it feel like home.”
I cocked my head to the side, looking around. Actually, there was something I had that would make this room perfect. “I’ll be right back.”
I hurried to my bedroom and picked up an ornate box. My heart was fluttering in my throat as I brought it back and handed it to Casey.
I cleared my throat as he opened it, suddenly second-guessing my decision.
God, showing someone my actual fucking treasure chest had to be a new low.
My cheeks heated as he opened it to see a mass of ornate jewelry, gold and silver coins, and precious stones.
“God, sorry.” I snatched it back. “That’s, um, my bad—”
He rested his hand on my shoulder. “It’s perfect. Where are you going to put them?”
I hugged the box to my chest as I looked around the nest, gaze settling on the bed with the empty shelves surrounding it.
I crawled inside and started unloading my treasure.
My mind was racing while I worked, because I would definitely need some proper display stands, and ohmygod, what if I coated the shelves in mirrors and proper lighting so they'd glitter properly—
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CASEY
Jewel was flushed and kind of sweaty when he called me onto the bed to show me what he’d done.
I ducked under the covers and crawled over to where he was sitting against the back wall. The contents of his treasure chest were carefully arranged along the shelves beside the bed, glittering in the dim light.
He settled against me with a happy sigh, resting his head on my shoulder. “Of course, I’ll need to order some proper display stands.”
“I'll order some mirrors and strip lights,” I told him.
He beamed up at me with an unguarded smile I’d never seen him wear before. It lit up his whole face and caused my stomach to flip.
He looked back at the shelves. “It'll be absolutely stunning.”
“Just like you,” I said softly. As soon as I said it, I wished I could take it back.
I’d been meaning to make it cheery and polite, the way I usually complimented him. Instead, it had come out raw and far too personal. My cheeks warmed, and I opened my mouth to take it back.
Jewel’s eyes had darkened, and my words died in my throat as he straddled me.
Oh my god.
What was he doing?
Testing me to see if I was turned on right now?
If so, I was going to fail.
Between the dark glint in his eye, his lush, fruity scent, and now his body pressed against mine, there was no way to hide the fact I was really, really turned on.
I squirmed as his gaze darted down to my crotch. I wasn’t sure what to say. My eyes were prickling. I’d ruined everything with my stupid crush, and now he’d never let me be part of his pack. What if he didn’t want me in his life at all?
“Sorry,” I said, struggling to sit up. “I’ll just go.”
My breath caught in my throat as he pushed me back down. The movement made his thigh slide between my legs, sending a rush of pleasure straight through me.
“Go?” he said, his face falling. Then he shuffled backward, his gaze holding mine. “I’m sorry.” He wrapped his arms around himself, his scent starting to bleed distress. “I must have got it wrong. You said you wanted to be pack, and I shouldn’t have assumed—I just thought you meant you wanted me.”
“Wait,” I said. “You think I don’t… want you? I thought that you didn’t want me.”
He blinked at me, his mouth falling open. “When have I ever given you that impression?” he said indignantly. “I’ve only said it, like, half a million times!”
“I thought you were joking. Riling Jade up.”
He gave a huff, climbing back onto me again. His nose was adorably crinkled right now. “What is with you two? Casey. Darling.” He rested both his hands on my shoulders. “I think you’re absolutely gorgeous, and I want you to christen this nest with me.”
“Christen?” I squeaked.
“You know. Sex?” He made a ring with his one hand and stuck a finger through it, raising an eyebrow.
Heat rushed to my face as we both felt my erection twitch in my pants. A faint purr rumbled in his chest. Was this real?
“You really want me?”
“Very much, teddy bear. Now, are you going to keep asking questions, or are we going to fuck?”
“That, please,” I mumbled.
“Oh, thank god.” Jewel sat back and peeled off his shirt, making my mouth go dry. “I thought you really were going to leave.”
His muscles flexed as he lowered his hands back to rest on my shoulders.
I was staring, but I couldn’t help it; he was so beautiful.
When we’d both stayed with Jade, he’d often walk around in just his towel slung around his waist, so I’d seen him topless before.
But not like this. He was close enough that I could lean forward and kiss his chest.
If I wanted to.
Which I kinda did want to. But should I? Nerves were making me freeze up because I didn’t want to do anything wrong.
Jewel smiled down at me. “Take off your clothes, Casey.”
“Yes, sir,” I mumbled, automatically trying to follow his directions. I felt a glow of pride when he gave a low hum of satisfaction, like a hint of a purr. This was better, because he was asking me to do this.
“Good boy,” he whispered in my ear, and all the sensations suddenly jolted straight to my cock, a pulse of pleasure causing it to swell.
I pulled my shirt off over my head, my cheeks heating a bit as I exposed my soft, round belly.
I breathed and kept moving, shucking my pants and underwear until I was nude.
Then I glanced at him. Any insecurity about my body vanished as I saw what he was wearing.
There simply wasn’t room in my brain to process anything else.
My eyes were glued to the pink silky thong, to where his cock was undoubtedly hard as he looked at me.
His hand curled around his cock, glistening with slick.
The rich scents of summer plums and moscato were filling the room.
“What’s wrong?” Jewel asked when I didn’t move.
“Sorry, I, uh…” I trailed off, not sure what to say. “Imavirgin,” was what ended up spilling out of my mouth.