chapter TWENTY-NINE
Bo
I give Reese ten minutes before heading upstairs, enough time for her to get settled while I make sure Coach Bennett buys the motion sickness story.
Gray handles it perfectly, mentioning how the combination of competition adrenaline and bus travel sometimes hits athletes hard.
Coach nods with understanding, suggesting we keep an eye on her and make sure she stays hydrated.
If only he knew what kind of attention she really needs. He’d murder us all.
The elevator ride to the third floor feels endless, my mind replaying the sight of her falling apart between Tyler and Beckett's hands.
The way her eyes rolled back, the soft sounds she made despite trying to stay quiet, the flush that spread across her chest as she came undone in front of all of us.
She's ours now. Maybe she always was, from that first day when she stepped onto our dock and commanded eight Alphas like she was born to it. But tonight made it official in a way that has nothing to do with university policies or team dynamics.
I knock softly on our door. "Reese? It's Bo."
"Come in," her voice calls, muffled through the wood.
I find her curled on the bed in a hotel bathrobe, knees drawn up to her chest. She looks small, vulnerable in a way she never allows on the water. The confident coxswain who commands our boat has been replaced by a young woman carrying too much weight on her shoulders.
"How are you holding up?" I ask, settling into the chair by the window.
"Honestly? I'm scared." She looks up at me with those blue-green eyes that miss nothing. "Kinsley has evidence now. Photos, maybe video. She could destroy everything."
"She won't." My voice carries the certainty I've built over years of protecting people I care about. "We won't let her."
"Why?" The question comes out raw, desperate. "Why are you all willing to risk so much for me? Your careers, your reputations, everything you've worked for?"
I lean forward, elbows on my knees, choosing my words carefully. "Because we like you, Reese. Hell, I think we've all wanted you in one way or another since that first day you showed up and put Gray in his place." I smile at the memory. "I know I have."
Her breath catches. "Bo..."
"I'm not talking about just the physical stuff, though God knows that's part of it." I stand, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. "You make us better. As a team, as individuals. You see potential in us we didn't know we had."
"That's just good coaching."
"No, darlin'. That's you caring about each of us enough to push us past our limits." I reach out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You think we'd risk everything for just any coxswain?"
She leans into my touch, eyes closing for a moment. "I don't deserve this. Any of it."
"Why would you say that?"
"Because I've been lying to you from day one. About what I am, about why I'm here. Because I'm the reason you're all in danger now."
The pain in her voice breaks something inside me. I shift closer, gathering her into my arms despite the awkwardness of the position. She comes willingly, face pressing against my chest as her hands fist in my shirt.
"Listen to me," I say against her hair. "You didn't choose to be born an Omega any more than I chose to be an Alpha. And you sure as hell didn't choose to have your heat cycle sabotaged by jealous bitches with nothing better to do."
A shaky laugh escapes her. "Such language, Strickland."
"My mama would wash my mouth out with soap if she heard me talk like that in front of a lady." I pull back to look at her. "Good thing she's not here to see what I'm planning to do to you tonight."
Heat flares in her eyes, pupils dilating as my scent shifts with arousal. "Bo..."
"Tell me what you need, Reese."
"You," she whispers. "I need you."
I reach out slowly, giving her time to pull away if she wants. But she doesn't. Instead, she leans into my touch as I cup her face, thumb stroking across her cheekbone.
"You sure about this?" I ask, searching her eyes. "Not just because of the heat, but because you want me?"
"I'm sure." Her hand covers mine, holding it against her skin. "I've wanted this. Wanted you. I just didn't think..."
"Didn't think what?"
"That someone like you would want someone like me."
The vulnerability in her voice breaks my heart. I shift closer on the bed, close enough that I can feel the warmth radiating from her skin.
"Darlin', I've wanted you since the moment you stepped onto our dock and told Gray Lockwood exactly where he could shove his attitude." I lean forward, resting my forehead against hers. "You have no idea how incredible you are, do you?"
Her breath catches, and I can see the exact moment she stops overthinking and lets herself feel. Her eyes flutter closed as I brush my lips against hers, barely a whisper of contact.
"Kiss me," she breathes.
I kiss her then, soft and slow, pouring two weeks of wanting into the contact. She responds immediately, arms winding around my neck as she opens for me. Her taste is intoxicating, sweet and warm with an underlying hint of desperation that makes my Alpha instincts roar to life.
"Let me take care of you," I murmur against her lips. "Let me make this better."
She nods, trust shining in her eyes as I stand and lift her with me. The bathrobe falls open, revealing the fact that she's wearing nothing underneath. My mouth goes dry at the sight of her naked body, all soft curves and delicate lines that somehow contain the strength to command our crew.
"Beautiful," I breathe, laying her gently on the bed. "So fucking beautiful."
I strip quickly, letting her see all of me in return. At six-foot-five and 220 pounds of muscle, I'm used to people finding me intimidating. But Reese looks at me with pure want, her gaze tracking over my chest and arms before settling on my cock with obvious appreciation.
"Come here," she says, reaching for me.
I settle beside her on the bed, gathering her close so we're lying face to face. This isn't going to be quick and desperate like I suspect some of the others will be. This is going to be thorough, complete, the kind of loving she deserves.
"Roll over," I say gently, guiding her to face away from me.
She complies, pressing back against my chest as I arrange us in a comfortable spoon. One arm slides under her neck while the other wraps around her waist, holding her securely against me. My cock nestles between her ass cheeks, hard and ready but not rushing.
My hand slides between her legs, finding her already slick and ready.
She's been building toward this all evening, the heat cycling through her system despite the temporary relief Zane, Tyler, and Beckett provided.
I stroke her slowly, paying attention to what makes her arch against me, what makes her breath catch.
"This okay?" I ask, lips finding the sensitive spot where her neck meets her shoulder.
"Perfect," she breathes, melting against me.
"Wait," I say, pulling back slightly even though it kills me to do it. "Protection. I should—"
"I'm on the pill," she says quickly, her hand wrapping around my wrist, urging me to keep going. "And I'm clean. Last tested two months ago."
"Same here." I search her eyes. "You sure?"
“Your…you…”
“My cum will help calm your heat,” I supply for her, grinning at the embarrassed flush on her face even as I’m knuckles-deep in her pussy. She scrunches her eyes closed and sucks in a breath as I work into her deeper before nodding vigorously.
“Then my cum, you shall have.”
I lose myself in her as I take my time, mapping her body with my hands and mouth.
Kissing along her shoulder blade, nipping gently at the curve of her neck, trailing my fingers over her ribs and down to her hip.
Fingers grasping her hair to force her neck into a pretty arch.
Every touch draws soft sounds from her, little gasps and sighs that make my cock twitch with need.
I want to bite that spot on her shoulder, to mark her and claim her as mine, but I know it’s not what she wants, so I suck on it instead. A temporary mark where I wish for more.
"You feel so good," I murmur against her skin. "So soft and warm."
The minutes stretch as I work her with patient fingers, building her pleasure gradually. She rocks back against me, seeking more contact, but I maintain the slow pace. When she's trembling and desperate, when she's soaking my fingers with her need, I finally adjust our position.
"Please," she whispers, voice broken with want.
"I've got you." I lift her leg over mine and guide the head of my cock to her entrance, feeling how ready she is for me. "Going to take such good care of you."
I push inside slowly, savoring every inch as her body opens for me. She's tight and hot and perfect, accepting me with little resistance despite my size. When I'm fully seated, we both pause, breathing hard. The position lets me go deep while keeping her completely surrounded by my body.
"You okay?" I check, pressing kisses to her shoulder.
"More than okay." She rocks back against me experimentally, making us both groan. "Move. Please."
I set a slow, deep rhythm, pulling almost all the way out before sliding back in. My hand returns to her clit, circling gently in time with my thrusts. There's no urgency here, just the slow build of pleasure between us. The kind of intimacy that creates bonds.
She turns her head, seeking my mouth. I kiss her deeply, swallowing her moans as I continue the steady pace. Her walls flutter around me as her arousal builds, but I don't let her rush toward release. Instead, I vary the pressure, the speed, keeping her on the edge without letting her fall over.
When her breathing becomes ragged, when she's pushing back against me with desperate need, I finally increase the pace. My fingers work her clit with more purpose while I drive into her with deeper strokes.
"That's it," I encourage against her lips. "Let me feel you come."