Chapter 32
Ambrose, being the kind hearted alpha that he is, doesn’t ask if the delivery person could make the trek up to my apartment. No, he wipes his face off with his sleeve with a grin and tells them he’s on his way down, heading out my door with a spring in his step.
Ambrose leaving for a few minutes allows me to catch my breath from the insane orgasm he wrung out of me.
The big alpha between my thighs eating me out has my omega on cloud nine, and I’d be lying if I pretended I wasn’t in agreement.
Ambrose making me come on his tongue and the gentle but demanding way he handled me was even better than anything I can conjure with my hazy heat memories.
How I ended up with two of the sexiest men I’ve ever met being enthusiastic, skilled pussy eaters is beyond me. Must be the slick or some omega pheromones I’m putting out, because most of the men I’ve dated acted like going down on me was a chore.
I’m limp and sated, the prospect of getting up right now far too difficult. I know I should get out some plates and drinks, but my body doesn’t want to obey. My omega insists I should close my eyes for a bit and keep luxuriating in the afterglow.
I must listen to her because the next thing I know, the front door is opening. I sit up with a start, face heating with embarrassment as I watch Ambrose return with a takeout bag and a light sheen of sweat on his brow.
I fell asleep while the poor man went up and down all those stairs.
“Crap, sorry! I must’ve dozed off for a second.” I move to stand, but Ambrose holds a hand up and shakes his head.
“Stay there. I’m glad you didn’t get up.”
The urge to protest rises in me, but I swallow it down when there’s a flash of warning in Ambrose’s typically soft gaze. “O-okay. But I’m going to need to get up to move to the table, eventually. Unless you plan on carrying me.”
Ambrose chuckles. “You say that like I wouldn’t enjoy it immensely.
” He sets the food down on my kitchen counter and pulls the takeaway containers out of the plastic bag, scanning my kitchen cabinets for a moment like he’s thinking.
“Are you a ‘eating out of the container on the couch kind of girl’ or a ‘needs a plate and proper seat lady’?”
I snort. “What do you think?”
By all accounts, Ambrose really doesn’t know much of anything about me, so I don’t know why I expect him to know the answer, but he doesn’t hesitate. Abandoning his search of my cabinets, he scoops up the food and sets it on the coffee table in front of me. “Drinks?”
“Just water is good for me. The stuff from the fridge door is filtered. I have, uh…a few cans of fizzy water, coffee, and maybe a bottle of beer? Hold on, I can—”
Ambrose shakes his head, cutting me off. “Water is great for me, too.”
“Are you sure? I’m being a terrible host,” I sigh. “If I’d known we were going to stay here, I would’ve had something better to drink.” Not that I have any clue when I would’ve had time to do that.
A soft, almost indulgent smile spreads across Ambrose’s lips as he turns back to me. “Are you kidding? I had the best possible drink just a bit ago.”
I groan at his flirtation, but it secretly makes my pussy pulse with an aftershock of pleasure.
He joins me on the couch, passing me a paper towel and my carton of sesame chicken. His heady scent makes my mind a little fuzzy now that he’s close to me again. It’s more intense than earlier, making my omega want to forget the food and curl up against his chest and purr.
“Need anything else, sweetheart?”
The question startles me out of my reverie and I blink back at Ambrose for a second before realizing that he asked me a question. I shake my head and quickly shove a bite of food into my mouth to hide my weirdness.
He watches for my reaction and I flush a little as a small, pleased sound escapes me. “Mmm, it’s good. Thank you so much for getting this.”
Ambrose grins back at me. “Anytime.” He takes a bite of his lo mein and nods. “Worth the trek up and down the stairs, for sure.”
At his mention of taking the stairs, I realize why his scent is much stronger now. Poor man sweated in his nice shirt and suit pants. “Shit, here I am being rude again. Would you like to get changed into something more comfortable?”
Ambrose looks down at his clothes with a slight frown. “Do you have another robe? Because other than this, I just have my boxers and undershirt.”
“I don’t, but I don’t see a problem with that.” I do my best to give him a flirty smile, even though the movement isn’t natural for me.
He laughs and runs a hand through his hair.
“Okay, if you insist.” Ambrose starts with his shirt, and I try not to stare as he unbuttons it and shrugs it off.
His undershirt is tight across thick chest and stomach, and there’s a generous dusting of brown and silver hair peeking out of the neckline, which my omega really likes.
When his hand drops to his belt, it draws my eyes to his crotch like a magnet. My mouth goes dry when he raises his hips to tug his pants down and he’s left in only his boxer briefs.
I shouldn’t stare, but I can’t stop. He’s hard, and it’s a little obscene how clear of an outline I can see of his thick cock through the tight fabric.
Ambrose groans softly and my eyes flash back up to his face. “Eat your food, baby girl,” he says, voice thick.
Heat floods my cheeks at being caught ogling him, but the squirmy embarrassment feels kind of good.
I like when he tells me what to do.
I like him knowing that he makes it hard to behave.
Willing my omega and pussy to calm down, I drink some water and start in on my food again.
There’s a comfortable silence as we both eat for a bit. Which, given the fact that we’re both half naked and on what is essentially our first date, seems monumental.
“It’s so strange. I feel like I already know you, but really, I don’t.”
Ambrose nods. “Same.” A shy smile curves his lips, crinkling the corners of his eyes. “It makes me wonder what it will be like in a few months. What being with you will feel like in a year. In a decade.”
My eyebrows raise and he flushes more. “Shit, sorry, I know I’m getting ahead of myself.”
“It’s okay,” I murmur. “The bond must make that happen, because I imagine it too.”
His eyes light up. “Yeah?”
I giggle at his excitement. “Yeah. But before we plan that, maybe we should do some get to know you questions?”
Ambrose nods. “Absolutely. Anywhere in particular you want to start?”
I take a moment to consider, trying to pick something that’s a little deeper than your standard first date questions since I think we’re past trivial topics. “So, uh, why do you enjoy telling me what to do?”
His eyes widen and I worry I went too deep, too fast, but his steady smile returns.
“It’s not really a power thing for me, if that’s what you’re asking.
It has more to do with my alpha’s intense desire to take care of and provide for others.
If we agree I get to make the decisions, then it’s easier for my alpha to give you all the things I want to. Selfish, I know.”
A laugh bursts out of me. “Oh yeah, so selfish to want to help me.”
“I mean, it’s ultimately motivated by what brings me joy, so it is,” he shrugs. “Making others happy and seeing them pleased by my actions is better than anything else in the world.”
“Wow, okay. So it’s instinctual?” That doesn’t track with the stereotypical image of an alpha in my head. “Are all alphas like that?”
Ambrose shakes his head. “Not really. Most alphas I’ve met don’t have as intense a need for caretaking. We’re all different, even if our alpha instincts stem from the same source. Like everything, there’s nature, but there’s also nurture.”
His nurture must’ve been pretty special to make him the alpha he is. “I’m very lucky that you’re the caring type of alpha and not the overpowering jerk kind. That must be why you went into omega medicine, right?”
“Exactly! I’ve always had a strong affinity for caring for omegas.” His face scrunches. “Not in a creepy way! I just had a deadbeat alpha dad who abandoned the omegas in his pack when I was a kid.”
His voice grows softer. A little more hesitant. “So I, uh… I suppose it’s because I didn’t want to be anything like him. I wanted to model the love the three omegas who raised me gave me, because they showed me what true strength and pack commitment are.”
Emotion rises in me, and I set my food down so I can place a hand on Ambrose’s thigh, needing to touch him. As soon as I make contact, a tiny purr rumbles to life in my chest. “I can confidently say you are nothing like that alpha. You’re the most caring person I’ve ever met.”
Ambrose’s eyes grow misty and he swallows hard, placing his hand atop mine. “Thank you. I try.”
I try. So much weight and history behind two simple words.
“You succeed,” I say, giving him a soft smile. “I just hope that…”
I almost say I hope that he’ll let me care for him, too, but stop myself from making promises when we don’t know how things will work out between us.
“I hope you have people that take care of you, too.”
To my surprise, Ambrose’s lips quirk at my words. “Oh, don’t worry. I absolutely do.”
I raise a brow at the hint of suggestiveness in his tone. “Like you take care of me?”
“Yes.” A hint of color rises on his cheeks above his beard.
“Oh.”
A beat passes as I soak in that knowledge.
“Sorry, is that too weird to talk about?” Ambrose asks, brows knitting together.
“Huh? Oh! No, it’s fine. I’m just a little surprised.”
And immensely intrigued. Now all I’m going to think about the next time I see River is how he controls this alpha.
My cheeks burn as I attempt to shove the mental images flooding my mind aside. “I don’t mind talking about him. River is your mate. If we’re going to make this work, he can’t be a touchy subject.”
The slight tension in Ambrose’s posture eases. “True. Still, if I ever overshare, tell me. I don’t plan on giving you a blow-by-blow of anything.”
I giggle at his word choice. “Probably for the best. Do you guys ever talk about me?”
Oh god, is he going to tell Jackson everything that we’ve done together? Has Jackson told them all the stuff that happened at Nesting? Did he tell them about how I handcuffed him and edged him, then he had me sit on his face until my thighs were too weak to keep me upright?
Ambrose snorts. “Yeah. You’re all Jackson wants to talk about, other than Dolly. But please don’t worry. We’re not giving blow-by-blows about you, either.”
“Whew, okay.” I release a gusty sigh. “Not that it needs to be a secret, but with River being my boss…”
“I get it, sweetheart. No need to explain.”
There’s a moment of heaviness in the air between us and I can’t help wondering if Ambrose is feeling the same strange void inside him at the reminder that River isn’t as much of a part of this arrangement as the rest of us.
After we finish up dinner—conversation flowing like water as we give each other a crash course on what makes us who we are—Ambrose bundles the leftovers away and asks if it’d be okay for us to move to my nest.
When I readily agree, a purr rumbles out of him and he laughs it off, embarrassed by his alpha’s eager reaction.
I guess going into my nest is a big deal for most omegas, but all mine tells me is to get him in there ASAP and let his perfect scent soak into every inch of the space.
I still have Jackson’s shirt that I stole tucked under a pillow, and having their scents blended together again would be amazing.
Despite his cock appearing eager as ever, when we lie down on the large mattress, Ambrose makes no move to address it.
Instead, he tells me to take off my robe and asks if I have any massage oil.
When he straddles my back and works his magic on the tension between my shoulder blades, I send out a silent thank you to Jackson for insisting on me getting massage oil during our shopping trip.
Soft groans slip from my lips as Ambrose finds every spot of tension along my spine, making me melt into the mattress.
“Feels so good,” I murmur, my words sounding half-drunk.
“That’s what I like to hear, sweetheart,” Ambrose chuckles, his hard cock insistent against my ass as he moves on to my arms and hands.
Every touch sends me deeper and deeper into relaxation, even as arousal pools between my thighs.
My eyelids grow so heavy I can’t find the energy to open them.
I try to cling to consciousness, knowing that I shouldn’t fall asleep when there’s a gorgeous alpha in my nest touching me, but when a rumbling, deep purr fills my nest, I lose the fight, drifting away into darkness.