Chapter 37
A warm body wraps around mine. Palm spread between my breasts and breath puffing against the side of my throat. My lips tip into a smile, eyes falling closed as I mold myself against Shiloh’s body.
Has this Alpha been an asshole for almost the entire time I have known him? Yes.
Have his actions gutted me and made me doubt myself in ways I’ve never experienced before? Definitely.
Can I spend the rest of our lives making him pay for it while enjoying the tentative relationship we’ve been building over the past several weeks? Absolutely!
I love a good grovel as much as the next Omega, but I also know there is a point where it’s too much. We aren’t built to be separated from our Fate-matched mates. Doing so could literally kill us. And none of Shiloh’s behavior is irredeemable.
I’ll take his apologies in the form of mind-blowing orgasms, incredible food, and concert tickets. After all, nothing makes an Omega happier than being spoiled by her mates.
Grinding against the hard length I can feel pressed to my thigh, I intend to start our Monday morning off right. A fist pounding on the bedroom door startles us both. Shiloh jolts awake behind me. He blinks heavy eyes open, looking so fucking adorable when he’s fighting the clutches of sleep.
“Open up, asshole!” Ridley calls.
Shiloh sighs, glancing down at me with a tight smile. “I suppose our time is up.”
Apprehension lances through me. An involuntary reaction to the thought of leaving him, caused by the fear that he will return to his old self and push me away again.
Fingers grip my chin, drawing my attention to where my Alpha now hovers over me. Poised like a wildcat about to pounce on its prey.
“I see the doubts in your eyes, Omega. Banish them. You can feel me, my heart. Feel the truth of my words. You are mine .” Our bond resonates with his certainty, obsession, and love.
The feel of it has my shoulders dropping from their defensive stance, my body relaxing as I accept he means what he said last night.
“Good girl.” He presses his lips to mine, kissing me like I’m the coffee he needs to wake up in the morning.
“You’re mine, Sabine, but you are theirs, too.
I may not enjoy the thought of sharing you with them, but I won’t hoard you.
See your other mates before we have to leave.
I’ll have you beneath me again soon enough. ”
Slick floods between my bare legs at the gravelly promise in his voice. Pressing a kiss to the corner of his lips, I move to my hands and knees, crawling to the end of his bed. I put a little extra sway in my hips, laughing when he barks out my name in a sharp warning.
Turning back at the door, I swallow thickly when I see him propped against his headboard. Silvery hair a mess from our night of passion. He’s hard. Long, thick cock sitting heavily against his stomach. He meets my eyes and grips himself, one slow pump that has pre-cum beading on his tip.
Ridley knocks again, drawing me away from the enthralling image of my Alpha mate touching himself. As tempted as I am to stay, I don’t really have much time before work, and I want to see my other mates. I’ll regret not having their scent on my skin later.
Swinging the door open, I bite back a smile when Ridley pauses mid-knock. “Fucking hell, sunshine. This is the best morning!”
I’m over his shoulder, hand cracking down on my ass, before I can blink.
Giggles flow from my lips as he runs to my bedroom, Orion calling out in complaint behind us.
I glimpse Creed and Lex in the kitchen. Twin growls accompany the burst of their scents when they see my bare pussy and ass flying by them.
Ridley slides me down his chest when we get to my bathroom. Letting me feel every hard ridge of muscle in his ridiculously hot body. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” I whisper back.
He steps away from me, finally getting a good look at him. Sweet Fates, is this man wearing a crop top?! The cutoff t-shirt stops just beneath his belly button, leaving several inches of glorious abs on display. These men are determined to torture me into heat, I swear!
“Let’s get you showered.” He spins slowly, stripping his clothes off to reveal miles of tanned, toned muscle. “I might not have enough time to knot you, but I will absolutely send you into work with shaking legs and a sated pussy.”
He does exactly as he says. Washing my body and fucking me against the shower wall until my legs are made of jelly, and I’m riding a post-sex high.
I always knew mated life would be bliss.
Heat leave should be filled with fantasy-worthy sex and an endless buffet of knots. Not being trapped in the house while my mates work.
After I bonded with Shiloh Sunday night, I ended up having heat flares at work for the next two days. As a result, HR has forced me onto early heat leave. Despite my barely-there scent, they are concerned I will be in danger around the unbonded Alphas who work at the label.
I shouldn’t be, as a bonded Omega, but, according to Shiloh, it’s better to be safe and stay home.
Honestly, I wouldn’t mind the short break from work if I weren’t always alone. Shiloh and Orion are busy at work preparing for the beginning of the year things at the label, while Creed and Lex are still knee-deep in the FCDA’s hunt for Marcus and the other escaped Eternals members.
Ridley left the DAU and would be home with me, but he’s gone back part-time to help my parents with the influx of victims from the Wexern complex and the breeding ring.
Quite a few of them were sold by loved ones and have active threats against them.
I can’t fault my Alpha mate for wanting to help.
If I weren’t so close to my heat, I would probably have joined him.
Stomping through the empty penthouse, I fight to regain control of my emotions. Lashing out won’t do anything but hurt my mates. Even if they promise they aren’t upset by my temper, I still feel bad after I’ve calmed down.
Footsteps sound downstairs, perking me up. I’m out of my bedroom door and flying into the living room in record time. I falter when I see Lex in the foyer, a bouquet in hand.
“Rough day?”
“I’m going out of my mind,” I admit. “Being trapped here alone is not what I need.”
He smiles, stepping close enough that I can feel the heat from his body. One arm slips the flowers to the side so we don’t crush them; the other pulls me flush against his chest. “I thought that might be the case.”
“You did?”
The look he gives me is answer enough. Yes, we spent several weeks on tour together, and he learned quickly how much I hate being alone.
Even pissed as hell with him for constantly cockblocking me those first few weeks, I always needed to be around them.
Maybe it was the Fated connection urging us together, or maybe it was just my inability to handle solitude. We’ll never know.
“Grab your swimsuit. We have plans.”
I blink up at him several times, then hug him tight and run back upstairs. There’s no way in hell I’m passing up a chance to leave the apartment.
Lex looks hot as hell in his black swim trunks and cutoff white shirt when I rejoin him by the door. Things are still awkward between us. The emotional gap between us is too wide to bridge quickly. We have to take it one day at a time. Let the wounds heal slowly.
“Ready?”
“Duh!”
He rolls his eyes and takes my hand in his, pulling me out of the penthouse. The late November air is biting when we step outside, but his Jeep is nice and warm. Heated seats are amazing on chilly adventures.
The massive building we pull into two hours later has a glass-domed roof over the front half. It’s nondescript, with only a large sign marking what’s inside. ‘Astral Fun Park’ is adorned in funky text, artfully displayed in front of rolling waves and the colorful twists of a water slide.
“A water park?”
Lex nods, hands tight on the steering wheel. “Is that okay?”
Grinning, I push my door open and hop out. He’s quick to follow, laughing when my teeth chatter from the stark breeze blowing through the parking lot. “Let’s get inside where it’s warmer.”
I slip under his arm, soaking in some of his body heat as we bolt toward the entrance. Stepping inside, I quickly realize this place has much more to offer than just an indoor water park. A huge arcade sits to our left, and signs show a black light mini golf course somewhere to the back.
Lex speaks with the attendant, getting us wristbands and locker keys. He brought a bag with extra clothes and towels for each of us, which he stores so we can explore.
“What first?”
Grabbing his hand, I smile over my shoulder and lead him into the domed area where the water park awaits us. “Water slides!”
The park is pretty empty. Only a couple here and there, the occasional pack with their kids. I imagine that in the summer, this place is booming.
We ride every slide multiple times, racing to the bottom and kicking around beneath the giant water spouts that collect and pour water over our heads. My cheeks hurt from smiling, enjoying the playful side of my grumpy Alpha.
He may not express his joy as openly as I do, but I see it in the way he secretly smiles at me.
A few chuckles even escape his lips, leaving me craving more of the happy sound.
I like Lex like this. Carefree. Today, he isn’t worried about his past or the influence it may have on me; he’s just enjoying our time together.
If every day could be like this…
There’s no point in wishing for something that will never happen. No one lives a life filled with only good days. Bad ones are inevitable. So long as he doesn’t push me away, I’ll be here for all of them.
“I’m all watered out,” I admit as we lounge on a giant sun lounger.
“Want to get changed and try something else? Or grab food? There’s a restaurant here we can eat at.”
Food sounds amazing, something my stomach makes known when it growls loudly. “I guess we have our answer,” I joke, patting my belly.