19. Sadie
Sadie
T hursday afternoon. Drowning in ribbon samples spread across my work table like a fabric rainbow.
Caleb’s been here since lunch. Helping me organize festival elements—bases, structural pieces, million tiny details that need sorting before we can even think about fresh flowers.
Eight days until the festival. Six days with my suppressants not working as well as I need.
Every breath. Saturated with his sandalwood and leather scent. Makes my skin feel too tight. Thoughts scattering like dandelion seeds.
We’ve been working in comfortable silence. But the air thrums with awareness. Nothing to do with festival planning.
“Hand me that bronze wire,” I say. Not looking up from the centerpiece base I’m adjusting.
His fingers brush mine when he passes it over. Brief contact. Jolt up my arm. Makes me gasp softly.
“You okay?” His voice carries that rough gentleness. Makes my core clench.
“Fine.” Comes out breathy. “Just... focused.”
But I’m not fine. Without my suppressants working well, every alpha scent hits like a physical touch.
Every casual brush of his hand. Slick gathering between my thighs.
My body’s hyperaware of his every movement.
The flex of his forearms when he lifts heavy materials.
The way his jeans hug his ass when he bends to retrieve supplies.
Each hour that passes. Gets worse.
By three o’clock. Jumping every time he moves. By four. Practically panting when he leans over me to examine my work. The smart thing would be to send him home. But I need his help with the festival. And selfishly. Don’t want him to leave.
“This arrangement’s too heavy on the left,” I say. He moves behind me to examine my work. His chest nearly brushes my back. His scent wraps around me like a possessive embrace.
Fresh slick dampens my panties.
“Here.” He settles his hands over mine. “Angle it toward the center. Create balance.”
“I can fix it,” I manage. Hands shake when I reach for the offensive branch.
His breath fans across my neck. Makes me shiver. The simple touch of his hands covering mine feels electric. Intimate. Like the most natural thing in the world.
“Better?” he asks. Voice dropping to that gravelly tone. Makes my nipples tighten.
“Much better.” I lean back slightly. Let myself enjoy his warmth for just a moment. His scent deepens. Sandalwood turning richer as he catches my honeysuckle response.
We stay like that for several heartbeats. His hands covering mine. His solid presence anchoring me. When he finally steps back. Want to whimper at the loss.
By five o’clock. Wound so tight I might snap. Every innocent touch sends sparks through me. Every time he says my name. My body responds like he’s issuing commands. The festival work that should have my full attention becomes background noise. To the alpha slowly driving me out of my mind.
“I should head out,” Caleb says. Checking his watch. “Early meeting with Callum tomorrow about some construction work.”
“Of course.” I walk him to the door. Hyperaware of how small my shop feels. His broad shoulders filling the space. The thought of him leaving makes panic flutter in my chest. Can’t exactly ask him to stay. Not when I’m barely holding myself together.
At the threshold, he turns to face me. “Today was good. Productive.”
“Very productive.” My voice sounds steady despite the chaos in my body.
He reaches up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. The gentle touch makes me gasp. His fingers linger against my cheek. Thumb stroking along my jaw with tender possession.
But there’s something in his expression. Heat and want and barely restrained control. Like he’s fighting the same desperate need. Building in me all day.
When his thumb traces along my cheek. Can’t hold back the soft whimper that escapes.
The sound breaks something in both of us.
His hand slides into my hair. Tilting my face up. Then his mouth is on mine. Not gentle this time. Desperate. Consuming. Like he’s been starving for this moment. I melt against him. Fisting my hands in his shirt to pull him closer.
He tastes like coffee and something purely him. Makes me dizzy with want. When his tongue traces the seam of my lips. I open for him eagerly. Moaning into his mouth when he deepens the kiss.
“Fuck, Sadie,” he breathes against my lips. “You smell incredible. Like you need?—”
He cuts himself off. But I know what he was going to say. Like I need an alpha. Like I need claiming.
His scent wraps around us. Sandalwood and leather so rich I can taste it. My body responds immediately. More slick pooling between my thighs. Nipples tightening against my bra. Every nerve ending singing with need.
When we finally break apart. Both breathing hard. His pupils blown wide. I can see my own desperation reflected in his dark eyes.
“I should go,” he says. Makes no move to step away.
“You should.” But my hands tighten in his shirt. Holding him close.
“Sadie.” My name sounds like prayer and curse combined.
“I know.” But I don’t care about should. Only care about the way he’s looking at me. Like I’m something precious and necessary.
He kisses me again. Softer this time but no less intense. When he pulls back. His thumb traces my swollen lips.
“Tomorrow,” he promises. Voice rough with want. “We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow.”
I watch him walk to his truck. My body still humming with need. The kiss lingers on my lips. His scent clings to my clothes. More wound up than before. Now I’ve been thoroughly kissed by an alpha who smells like home and safety and everything I want.
Still standing there. Touching my lips. Trying to calm down. When movement catches my eye across the street. Levi. Locking up the bookstore for the day. He glances over. Our eyes meet. Even from here I can see him take in my flushed face. My swollen lips.
Instead of looking away or pretending he didn’t notice. He says something to River who is locking up the hardware store and crosses the street toward me.
My heart pounds as he approaches. After what just happened with Caleb. My body’s primed and aching. Every step closer Levi takes makes the need worse.
“Hey,” I manage when he reaches me. My voice sounds rough. Kissed.
“Hey.” His cedar scent reaches me. Mixing with the lingering sandalwood on my clothes. The combination is intoxicating. “Productive day?”
“Very.” Can’t quite meet his eyes. “Festival stuff.”
“Mm.” His gaze drops to my mouth. Know he can see how thoroughly I’ve been kissed. “You look...”
“Long day.” My face burns.
“I bet.” Something in his voice. Not jealousy. Interest. Understanding. “Brought you something.”
He holds up a slim volume. Poetry, from the look of it.
“You don’t have to keep bringing me books.”
“I want to.” His fingers brush mine when he hands it over. Little shock up my arm that makes me gasp. “This one made me think of you.”
I flip it open. Find a bookmark pressed between the pages. A single wildflower from our afternoon by the creek. The thoughtful gesture makes my chest tight with emotion. Even through the haze of need clouding my thoughts.
“Levi.” My voice comes out soft. Wondering.
“Read the marked page,” he says. Stepping closer until his cedar warmth wraps around me.
The poem is about desire and patience. About wanting someone so much it rewrites your understanding of need. About the exquisite torture of careful courtship when your body demands claiming.
But reading about desire when my body’s already wound tight from Caleb’s kiss. When Levi’s scent is making my knees weak. It’s too much.
“This is beautiful,” I breathe. Looking up to find him watching me intently.
“You’re beautiful.” The words come out rough. Honest. “Especially when you look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you want me.”
The simple honesty breaks what’s left of my control.
All day I’ve been fighting this. Fighting the need. Fighting the want. Fighting my body’s desperate craving for alpha attention. Caleb’s kiss shattered my defenses. Now Levi’s here with his gentle eyes and perfect words and I can’t pretend anymore.
I drop the book. Fist my hands in his sweater. Pull him down to crash his mouth against mine.
He makes a surprised sound that melts into hunger. As I pour every bit of desperate want into the kiss. His hands frame my face. Steadying me as I attack him with lips and teeth and tongue.
“Sadie,” he gasps when I break away. Trail kisses along his jaw. “What?—”
“Upstairs. Now.”
“Are you sure?—”
“Now, Levi.”
The authority in my voice surprises us both. But he quickly locks the shop door and follows willingly as I lead him up the narrow staircase. Hyperaware of his presence behind me. His cedar scent growing richer with arousal.
The moment we’re inside. I spin around and push him against the door. Capturing his mouth in another desperate kiss. He responds with equal fervor. His hands sliding into my hair to hold me closer.
“I need you,” I gasp between kisses. Hands already working at the buttons of his shirt. “I’ve needed you for so long. Today with Caleb. The suppressants. Can’t think straight anymore?—”
“Sweetheart,” he breathes. But he’s helping me with the buttons. Both of us fumbling in our haste. “Slow down. I’m not going anywhere.”
But I can’t slow down. Days of building need. Hours of Caleb’s scent driving me crazy. Now Levi’s here and I’m finally letting myself have what I want.
His shirt hits the floor. I take a moment to admire the lean strength of his chest. The way his muscles shift under my exploring hands. When I lean down to press kisses along his collarbone. He groans deep in his throat.
“Your turn,” he says. Voice rough with want. Then his hands are at the hem of my sweater.
I raise my arms to help him. Shivering as the soft fabric slides over my skin. His gaze drops to my breasts. Barely contained by my simple bra. His breathing turns ragged.
“Beautiful,” he murmurs. Hands spanning my waist. “So beautiful.”
He backs me toward the bedroom. Mouths fused together. Both of us stumbling in our desperation. When the backs of my knees hit the bed. I fall backwards. Pulling him down with me.
The kiss that follows is consuming. Desperate. Months of careful restraint finally shattered. His weight settles over me. When he rocks against me. I feel how hard he is through our clothes.
“Please,” I whimper. Rolling my hips. “Levi, please.”
“I’ve got you,” he promises. Kissing down my throat. Find the spot that makes me arch. “Let me take care of you.”
He moves lower. Reverent kisses to my breasts above my bra. When his fingers trace the lace edge. I nearly come apart.
“Can I?”
“Yes. Please.”
The bra disappears. His mouth finds my breast. Tongue circling my nipple until I’m writhing beneath him. When he sucks gently. Sensation shoots straight to my core and I cry out his name.
“So responsive,” he murmurs against my skin. “So perfect.”
His hands map my body with reverent attention. Tracing ribs. Spanning my waist. Dancing along my jeans’ waistband. Every touch sends heat through me. Building pressure until I think I might explode.
“More,” I beg. Tugging at his belt. “I need more.”
But he catches my hands. Pressing them gently to the mattress beside my head.
“Let me worship you first,” he says. Eyes dark with want. “I’ve dreamed about this. About tasting you. Making you fall apart under my mouth.”
The words send a fresh rush of slick between my thighs. “Levi.”
He takes his time removing my jeans. Pressing kisses to each inch of skin he reveals. By the time I’m naked beneath him. I’m trembling with need. Slick coating my thighs. My scent so thick with arousal it fills the room.
“God, you smell incredible,” he groans. Settling between my legs. “Like honey and vanilla and everything I’ve wanted.”
When his mouth finally finds me. I nearly shatter. He’s gentle at first. Exploring. Learning what makes me gasp and arch and moan his name. When he finds my clit and circles it with his tongue. Stars explode behind my eyes.
“That’s it,” he encourages. Voice muffled. “Let me hear you.”
He builds me higher. Alternating between gentle licks and focused attention. When he slides one finger inside me. I arch off the bed with a cry.
“More,” I gasp. Hips rolling. “Please, I’m so close.”
He adds a second finger. Stretching me while his tongue works magic. The dual sensation pushes me over the edge. Waves of release crashing through me until I sob his name.
But he doesn’t stop. As the first climax fades. He continues building me toward another peak.
“I can’t,” I whimper. Oversensitive and shaking.
“You can,” he murmurs. “One more, sweetheart. For me.”
The second climax hits even harder. Leaving me boneless and gasping. When he starts building me toward a third. I think I might actually die from sensation.
“Levi,” I sob. Hands fisting in his hair. “I need you inside me. Please.”
He presses one last kiss to my inner thigh. Moving up my body. Settling between my legs with his weight braced on his forearms. But instead of positioning himself at my entrance. He pauses. Looking down at me with something uncertain in his expression.
“Sadie, I should tell you something. Before we... I’ve only been with betas before. Never an omega. I don’t know if?—”
“Hey.” I reach up to frame his face with trembling hands. “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out together.”
“What if I hurt you? What if I can’t control?—”
“You won’t hurt me.” I pull him down for a soft kiss. Tasting myself on his lips. “You could never hurt me.”
The trust in my voice seems to calm him. He nods. “Okay. But if anything feels wrong?—”
“I’ll tell you.” I shift beneath him. Rolling my hips so his hard length slides through my slick. We both groan at the contact. “Please, Levi. I need you.”
He positions himself at my entrance. The head of his cock sliding through my wetness. “I love you,” he breathes. Looking directly into my eyes. “Need you to know that.”
My heart stops. Then starts racing. “I love you too.”
The words hang between us. Precious and true. Then he’s pushing inside me slowly. Carefully. Giving me time to adjust to his size.
The stretch is exquisite. Perfect. Like my body was made for his. When he’s halfway in. He stops. His breathing ragged.
“You okay?” he asks. Voice strained.
“Perfect,” I gasp. Wrapping my legs around his waist to pull him deeper. “Don’t stop.”
When he’s fully seated. We both go still. I can feel him trembling with the effort of restraint. The knowledge that he’s holding back for my comfort makes my chest tight with love.
“Move,” I whisper. Rolling my hips to emphasize the request. “Show me how much you love me.”
He pulls out slowly before sliding back in. We both gasp at the sensation. The angle hits something deep inside me that makes me see stars.
“So tight,” he groans. Burying his face in my neck. “So perfect.”