Chapter 6
Sky groaned, annoyed at the bright light blaring behind his closed eyelids. He shifted and winced at the pang that caused in his lower region, scowling when he realized he was lying atop a hard surface to boot.
Blinking, he waited for his eyes to adjust and slowly eased into a seated position, the pain in his rear making it difficult. It also took him longer than it should have to process his surroundings.
He’d never spent the night in his studio before, so that was already the first indicator that something was off. The second was that he was currently sitting on top of one of the long tables, and the third—
Someone sighed to his right, and his head whipped in that direction, a small gasp leaving his lips when his gaze landed on the sleeping alpha.
Kian was lying on his side facing him, his large form taking up more than half of the table. He was shirtless, but the reason for it became apparent when Sky glanced down and found the material had been draped over him as a makeshift blanket of sorts.
The events of the night before came rushing back, and he turned to the spot on the floor where they’d been before he’d passed out.
The rest of their clothes were still there, lying in a pile.
Even from a few feet away, it was apparent why Kian had left them there and not used them to help keep the two of them warm.
Spots of dried come and slick coated the black jacket Kian had been wearing at the parade, the one that appeared to be rather expensive.
Sky groaned and dropped his head into his hands, absolutely mortified.
What had he done? Not only had he thrown himself at the alpha, he’d also ruined the guy’s clothing. There was no way any of that was coming out in the wash. The ripped present wrapping had been cleaned up, and the toy stared back at Sky from the counter across the room as if taunting him.
Had Kian…cleaned it?
“Hey,” a gravelly voice called out to him quietly, cutting through the room's stillness, something Sky hadn’t even noticed. Kian shifted closer, one of his large hands settling down over Sky’s right thigh. “Don’t do that.”
Sky’s brow furrowed.
“There’s no need to cry,” Kian said, picking up on Sky’s confusion.
He hadn’t been aware he was, but now the tears rolling down his cheeks were impossible not to notice. When he tried to turn away, however, Kian stopped him, lifting that same hand to palm Sky’s cheek instead.
“I’m sorry,” Kian said, surprising him.
Sky’s eyes widened, but the alpha wasn’t finished.
“I shouldn’t have frightened you, not during your heat.
Don’t be sad, little omega.” Kian gently lowered Sky back down so they were lying side by side, his drowsy look making it obvious he was only partially awake despite how clearly he was speaking.
He wrapped an arm around Sky’s waist and eased him in until they were chest to chest, then he set his chin atop Sky’s head and made a rumbling sound akin to a purr.
An alpha purr.
Sky had never experienced one before. Heat swept through him, but it was different from the one earlier. This wasn’t lust, it was…contentment.
It felt right.
“It’s early,” the alpha told him. “Sleep more. You’ll feel better afterward, I promise.”
“Kian…?” He’d thought for sure the alpha would hate him, blame him—rightly so—and tell him he never wanted to see him again.
Was this reaction just because Kian wasn’t fully awake yet?
Maybe that was it. His alpha instincts were making him kind and caring because Sky was a distressed omega, not because Sky was Sky.
An alpha purr was typically reserved for a mate.
His bottom lip trembled, and as if sensing it, Kian shushed him and began tracing light circles on his lower back comfortingly.
“We can talk about it later,” he promised. “Don’t fret.”
“You’re not mad?” Sky asked.
He planted a soft kiss against his forehead as an answer and ordered, “Sleep, omega. You’re fine. We’re fine.”
We.
Even though logically, Sky knew Kian probably didn’t know what he was saying right now, hearing that sent waves of warmth traveling throughout his entire body.
He snuggled in closer before he could help it, telling himself that he’d take advantage of the older male just one more time, and then he’d do what he should have done when this whole crush thing had started.
He’d let Kian Erskine go.
* * *
It was impossible to tell the time when he woke next, but at least he felt better.
Sitting up, Sky stretched his arms over his head, relishing the feel of his spine popping.
The hard surface of the table sucked, and he was already missing his bed back home, trying to decide if he could get away with a power nap before his plans with Elm and Darby.
“We’re fucked,” Kian’s harsh words cut through the air, and Sky felt his chest tighten. The alpha was standing by one of the two block windows that made up that side of the room, the one that faced the main street. He was leaning forward against the sill, staring out at something.
For a moment, Sky feared he’d imagined the whole interaction between them earlier, when the alpha had been so kind and soft with him. But then, didn’t that also make sense since Kian had clearly still been half asleep?
He wrung his hands in his lap, head drooping as the tears threatened to come a second time.
He refused to turn into some crying, pathetic thing.
Before, his hormones had been out of whack, and he’d been unable to get hold of himself, but now?
Even knowing it was coming, that feeling of rejection cut him deep, but it still wasn’t anything to cry about.
He’d always known he and Kian were impossible. Besides, it was a crush, nothing more. The delusional daydreaming of a kid. He was grown now. It was far past time for him to put unrealistic dreams to rest. Hell, he didn’t even really know the man currently standing less than fifteen feet away.
The one who’d used a toy last night to pleasure and knot him. Who’d seen him at his most vulnerable…
Shit.
What had Sky done?
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, barely audible, despite his thoughts. Maybe this was a blessing in disguise. Maybe what he really needed to get over the alpha was to be rejected upfront, plain and simple.
“Why?” Kian turned from the window and came to a standstill the second he saw Sky’s tense form. “What’s wrong?”
Sky shook his head, unable to speak, struggling to get a hold of himself instead.
This was already embarrassing enough. He didn’t want to make it any worse.
Sure, Kian would be returning to the I.P.F.
in a few days, but the two of them would still have to see each other again eventually since Elm was Sky’s best friend.
It was going to be awkward when that happened.
There’d only been one other time he’d felt ashamed to be an omega, and that’d been when the masked stranger had pinned him down and taken him against his will.
He hated that he lost all control of sense and reason.
That his body became a slave to ancient instincts that no longer applied to survival in a modern society.
“Was there something important you had to do today?” Kian asked, coming back over to the table.
He stopped at the side, waiting, but when it became apparent Sky still wasn’t going to answer, he lightly ran his fingers through Sky’s hair.
“Hey. It’s all right. Whatever it was, it’s not like anyone can blame you for missing it. ”
“I’m sor—” He processed that statement a bit too late and frowned. “Wait, what?”
“You can’t control the weather,” Kian said, smiling gently when Sky finally met his gaze. “Unless you can? If so, might I suggest giving it a whirl? Otherwise, we could be trapped here for a few hours.”
“Trapped…” With a gasp, he sprang off the table, practically shoving Kian out of the way in the process, and rushed to the same window the alpha had just been at. “What the hell!”
From the center of the room where he’d been, Sky hadn’t been able to make out the scene from the window, but now up close their situation—and Kian’s comments—became clear. Last night, while they’d been…distracted, the storm had swept in and bombarded the city.
The downpour was still going on, but the worst part was the foot or so of water that flooded the streets.
“Obviously, ground roads have been closed,” Kian said directly over Sky’s shoulder. “But sky routes have also been shut down. No one is going anywhere for the time being. Including us.”
He yelped a little and spun, sucking in a breath when he discovered the alpha had silently moved and was standing close enough behind him that their knees bumped.
Kian didn’t react the way Sky expected. Instead of renewing the space between them, he settled his hands on the edge of the windowsill at either side of Sky, effectively caging him in, though he was careful not to allow any part of them to touch.
“What were your plans for the day?” Kian asked, tipping his head when Sky struggled to find his voice. “You seemed upset a moment ago. Did you have a date or something? Planning on meeting up with that alpha from yesterday?”
“His name is Kenta,” Sky blurted, barely resisting the urge to cave his shoulders inward when Kian’s eyes narrowed in obvious displeasure.
It didn’t matter that his irritation made no sense, this soon off his heat, Sky’s instincts were still sensitive.
No omega wanted to be trapped with an irate alpha.
“But no. I didn’t have anything important to do today, and I wasn’t planning on seeing him. ”
“I think you should add an ‘ever’ to the end of that sentence.”
Sky blinked. “What?”
Kian captured his chin, his thumb lightly tugging on Sky’s bottom lip. The heat in his gaze was unmistakable.
And terrifying.
Before he realized what he was doing, Sky was pushing the alpha away and stepping around him. As soon as he was free, he retreated deeper into the room until he was standing at the table they’d slept on.