Chapter 14
T he trip out to the hot springs on snowmobiles took only a couple of minutes. Ry and I had gone out earlier to make sure the trail was safe and clear. The last thing I wanted was to deal with downed trees or getting stuck in the snow after Morgan’s ordeal.
She clung to Ryder as we zoomed across the snow, coming to a stop near the bubbling pool. Steam rose theatrically in rolling clouds and whispering tendrils, the snow hanging heavy on the banks.
“You guys have fun,” said Ryder.
“You’re not staying?” asked Morgan.
“I’m gonna let you two get to know each other. If you’re still feeling up to it later, I’ll take you out with the cameras at golden hour. I’ll come back to check on you guys if you’re not back by lunch. The trail is nice and packed down and it’s only about a ten-minute hike back if the snowmobile gives you any grief.”
Morgan hopped off, glancing nervously toward me. “We’re okay to stay out here?”
“Definitely,” I replied. “I spend half my winter out here when we’re not working anyway. Nothing better for the body than a soak in hot springs.”
She nodded decisively and dared to tip forward, kissing Ryder on the cheek. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Anytime, beautiful. I’ll get the sauna warming for you before I go.”
I helped him with the quick task, only needing to get the little fire going in the woodstove so it would be hot inside the cedar shed we’d put together. When we finished, Ryder beamed at her and then hopped on his machine, getting it to roar back to life, albeit with some concerning sputters. He made a loop around the trees to head home, Pumpkin chasing after him.
“How much do you want to take off to go in?” I asked when the sound of the snowmobile had disappeared. Usually I would strip down to nothing, but I wasn’t sure what Morgan would be comfortable with.
“Bear gave me one of his wool shirts so even if I get wet, it’ll still keep me warm.”
I guess that meant naked was a no go. I could suffer with wet undies. I whipped my clothes off quickly, the cold making goosebumps erupt over my skin, my nipples sharp enough to cut glass. I wrapped everything up inside my jacket and scaled the stone steps we had installed a few years back. This end of the pool was closer to a cozy bath, but deeper in, where the water bubbled up from the ground, it got hot as hell.
I turned my back while Morgan stripped, waiting for her to give me the go-ahead so I could help her down the steps. Bear’s shirt hung almost to her knees, and her hand disappeared inside mine when I closed my fingers around it, leading her into the water. I was keenly aware she didn’t have a stitch on her beneath that shirt. The fabric floated up around her waist as she submerged and she shoved it down as best she could.
Morgan groaned, sinking down until her shoulders were under the water. “Heaven.” She purred so hard I could see the ripples from the vibrations around her.
“This is one of my favorite spots out here.”
“I can see why. How’s your shoulder?”
“Not too shabby.”
She waded over until she was standing behind me, her fingertips lightly tracing the healing wound. It was all closed up, but it still hurt.
“Do you think the rumors that omegas boost healing are true?” she asked quietly.
“I wouldn’t say they’re wrong. I was up and about faster than I expected.”
Morgan wrapped her arms around my chest, her purr sinking into my back. I didn’t dare move or breathe. I wasn’t going to dissuade her from getting closer to me no matter what her motivations might be. Every curve pressed against me like she belonged right there, always touching me. Tension melted out of my muscles and I closed my eyes, lulled by the gentle sound of her purr and the warmth around me.
I was half-asleep by the time she shifted to step away and swim around my front. “Better?”
I blinked at her, trying to rouse my brain back into full consciousness. “Too relaxed for it to hurt.”
She grinned. “I’ve never gotten to try that out before. I mean, I did when you were first hurt, but outside of this pack I’ve never tested the theory.”
“Hard to purr if you’re not comfortable,” I pointed out. I settled on one of the many rocks we had added to the pool to create a makeshift bench. “I’m glad staying with us has been different.”
“Me too.” She sighed, sitting next to me. “I really don’t know what I would’ve done if you guys had been creepy. I’d have probably stolen Pumpkin and tried my luck in the woods again.”
“Hopefully you never have a need for that. We’ll get you back to town as soon as we can.”
“I know. I don’t know how I know, but I don’t feel unsafe here.”
“None of us are taking your trust for granted. Thanks for wanting to hang out with me. I’m sure it was a bit terrifying after everything.”
“In some ways, yeah. It’s frustrating that my instincts are pushing me toward Kit and Bear because of the scent match, but it’s also kind of nice?”
“Yeah?”
“Alphas have always freaked me out. I’m glad to know it’s not every alpha and that it was probably just a product of who I grew up with. I like knowing I don’t have to be scared forever.”
I was damn glad for that too. Pissed that other alphas had ever made her afraid, but relieved more than anything that we hadn’t done the same to her. “How nervous are you for your heat?”
She grimaced, swishing her feet beneath the water. “Oscillating between anticipation and abject terror.”
“Don’t feel pressured about me. I can lock myself in my room for a few days if you don’t want me kicking around.”
I froze instantly when she let her head rest against my shoulder. “The timeline of everything is stupid. I don’t want you to feel chased off.”
“Hey, I get it. Heats are a really vulnerable time and I want you to know I have zero expectations about being involved.”
She blinked up at me. “You don’t want to be?”
“That’s not what I said.”
Her gray eyes widened. I tucked a few unruly strands of her hair deeper under her beanie so they didn’t get wet and freeze. Those gorgeous eyes drifted shut and she turned into my touch.
“If you want me to be a part of your heat, I will happily be there, but I would rather let a squirrel chew off my junk than only be there because you felt obligated to invite me.”
Morgan laughed. “Let’s not feed the wildlife just yet. This is helping. Not ready for you to eat me out on a snowbank or anything, but it is helping me relax around you.”
Unfortunately those words only filled my head with that exact imagery and my cock rose to life. Hopefully it was obscured enough by the water, but from the way her gaze slid to my lap with the movement, I was pretty sure that was wishful thinking.
I lifted both hands out of the water, showing her my palms. “Let’s ignore my lower half right now. It has a mind of its own.”
I’d expected her to scoot away, but she didn’t, just tilting her head back to rest against the snow. “ I’m the one with no self-control lately. Feels like I’m a really shitty phoenix.”
“How so?” I asked with a laugh.
“The incoming heat is burning away old Morgan. I was basically a pile of neuroticisms in a trench coat. I miss the suppressants because they made me more predictable. I never know how I’m going to react to anything anymore.”
“That makes sense. I’ve been on blockers for a long time, and I know that’s not really the same thing, but it does change a bit of how your body responds. I keep hoping my dose will wear off faster than it’s supposed to.”
“So we can see if we’re a match?”
“I know we’re a match. I can still smell you, but it’s not the same if you don’t know it too.”
“Oh.”
“The running theory is that the more time I spend around you, the faster it’ll burn off. I figure it’s kinda like a water filter, where they have an ideal lifespan, but if the water is particularly contaminated it’s not gonna last as long. Not that you’re a contamination or anything,” I quickly amended. “I just figure it can only stop a scent surge so many times.”
“How would I help speed that up?”
“Keep being your beautiful self around me.”
Morgan burst out laughing. “This is probably the least beautiful I’ve ever been. I look ridiculous right now.”
I couldn’t deny she looked a bit unique with every bit of hair bundled under a beanie and Bear’s oversized shirt floating around her, but she was still cute as a fucking button. “You look perfect. Do you think being a little unpolished at the moment makes me want you any less?”
Her cheeks flushed pink. “I don’t know what goes on inside your head. You really think we could burn it off? I want to know what your scent is.”
“I can tell you what it is.”
Morgan shook her head. “I want to know for myself. What should I do?”
“I’m going to have to leave that to your imagination. Zero pressure, remember?”
“But I don’t know what I’m doing.” Morgan pouted, looking every ounce the needy omega she was.
I swallowed hard. “What do you think you should be doing? You don’t need instructions for being around me.”
“How do I trigger a scent surge?”
Gods help me.
“Um, as far as I know, the three most reliable triggers are aggression, possession, and attraction.”
“Well, I don’t really want you to get aggressive with me, and there’s no one else here for you to get possessive, if that’s even something you would feel, and I’m definitely not cute enough right now to provoke attraction. Is it a lost cause?”
“My cock would definitely disagree with you on the not being cute enough to provoke attraction front.”
Her gaze slid back to my lap, the sweetness of maple syrup and black tea blending with the steam off the water.
My whole body tightened as I breathed it in.
“I didn’t even do anything.”
“You don’t have to do anything to get me to respond to you. You just have to exist.”
She was still and silent for a few moments before moving closer, swinging one leg over my lap and setting her bare ass on my knees. “Is this okay?”
I nodded, gritting my teeth, still holding my hands in the air despite the cold. I almost died on the spot when she wrapped her hands around my wrists, dragging them beneath the water to settle on her waist. Morgan leaned forward, tucking her face against my throat and wrapping her arms around my neck.
“I’m not a seductress,” she said plainly. “I genuinely have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to being an omega or being intimate with other people. I never let myself experience any of it because there was no one worth experiencing it with before. You have to tell me if I’m doing a terrible job.”
Her warm breath against my skin, followed by the softest touch of her lips had me on the edge. She smelled like fucking heaven this close.
“Is it working?” she asked in my ear.
I nodded stiffly, my fingers trembling against her.
“What are you thinking about?”
I burst out laughing. “Are you under the impression I could be thinking of anything except you right now?”
“I don’t know. Maybe your mind could wander.”
“Not fucking happening. If you’re anywhere near me, I promise you’re the only thing I’m going to think about.”
She wiggled closer and I was pretty sure Ryder was going to come back and find me perished beneath her.
Morgan let out a quiet whimper. “Touch me, Maverick.”