29. Stanton
As the sun sets, it casts a warm orange glow over the city as we stroll down the bustling street. Our fingers intertwined as we approach the quaint Italian restaurant with red and white checkered tablecloths and string lights adorning the outside.
“We’re here.” I smile, squeezing her hand as I push the door open for her to enter, ready for a romantic evening together.
The smell of rich tomato, garlic, and basil fills the air as we make our way to a cozy table in the corner.
Soft music plays in the background, adding to the intimate atmosphere. Totally different from where I normally would be after a home game. Most of my teammates have gone to a club.
“This is nice.” Her eyes, deep pools of chocolate, glance around the busy restaurant. “Have you been before?”
I shake my head. “Aiden Ramsey gave me the tip. He and Holly come often.”
She places the menu on the table and says, “Harlow told me all about them. Harlow and Holly are good friends now. He’s the new owner, and she worked for the club before they got together.”
I nod. “They are definitely couple goals.”
“Not pack goals.”
“They don’t have a pack.”
“Okay.” Her tone is full of surprise.
“Yeah, Aiden and Holly don’t have a pack. The rumor is that Aiden got Holly through her heat on his own. Which means the man has the stamina of a prized bull.”
“I met him briefly on the charity night. He’s very commanding.”
She bites her lip and I mentally kick myself because I know her thoughts have drifted back to Lucas because right now she thinks he got her through her heat on his own.
I swallow, not wanting the conversation that could ensue.
“Harlow and Colton have been together for a long time,” I say, to change the subject.
She nods. “Since forever. Since she was eleven years old. She played with Colton and Carver when they were all kids. To be honest with you, she was with Carver more than Colton back then. They were thick as thieves until one day it changed and a relationship between her and Colton transpired, and…”
“The rest is history.”
“Yeah,” she muses as her eyes flick to meet mine. “Do you think he’ll always want her? Did you always want an omega, or did it creep up on you?”
I don’t want to get involved in whatever Grace is worried about and answer, “Every alpha is different and I know plenty of packs with female alphas and a male omega.”
“Ah. I never thought of that.” She smiles, happy with my reply.
She thinks I’m not looking when her eyes glance at my mouth as she shyly takes a sip of her water. She rests the glass on her lips for a moment before she places it on the table in front of us.
“You don’t have to be nervous.”
“I can’t help it.”
I pick her hand up and plant a kiss on her palm while inhaling her scent. “You smell me, don’t you? I saw it in your eyes at the arena.”
“Yes.” She shuffles back on the chair. “It wasn’t the first time, but it was the first time I really took notice.”
I inhale, closing my eyes and savoring her sweetness.
“And you smell Lucas the same way?” I check. Because if Lucas and I smell the same way to her, and we smell her perfume the same way, too. It clarifies everything I ever thought about Lucas and me. We are pack mates.
She nods.
“Why were you afraid to tell him?”
“Not afraid...” She turns and looks at me, her lips upturn slightly. “He wasn’t there when I was ready to tell him.”
“Okay,” I mutter.
“Are your parents’ scent matches?” she asks.
“They were, and the reason I believe in it.”
“My parents aren’t. Not that I’ve seen my father since I was young.”
“You haven’t?”
She shakes her head. “He left us.” She shrugs her shoulders. “My parents weren’t even scent compatible. She hated his scent, but he claimed her during her heat, resulting in me.”
“Bastard!” I hiss.
“My thoughts exactly. That’s why my mother never doubted that I was a beta because of it.” She smiles. She exhales before taking another breath, her pupils dilating the tiniest bit. “And then he left my mother, the woman who he claimed and the children he brought into the world when he decided he needed to find his scent match.”
“Fuck. I hate your father.”
“Me too.” She laughs. “Are your parents still happy together?”
I shake my head. My heart feels like it’s dropped into my stomach. “My dad died when I was nineteen and Mom died just over two months ago.”
She stares at me as her hand strokes over mine. “That’s why you were depressed?”
I nod. “It was hard losing her, and…” I want to tell her it was hard losing her too. That night was the best and the worst in my life and it got so much worse when I learned Lucas had lost her.
“Can I ask you something?” she asks.
“Anything.”
“Did you smell my scent as your match on our first date?”
“I could smell my fated mate the day we met when you were with your sister and Colton. When you were agreeing to be my date.”
“Ah. I forgot about that.”
My arms tighten around her waist as I drag her to me. “Your scent drove me crazy. Both times, my cock was hard as a rock and I was glad we were sitting at a table. I wanted to take you and knot you and make you mine forever the moment I inhaled you.”
“Knot me?” she murmurs.
As soon as she says those two words, “knot me,” my pheromones release into the air, and she inhales deeply, purring with satisfaction.
“Do you need my knot, Grace?” I whisper as I tenderly press my lips against her earlobe, causing her to let out small moans of pleasure.
“Yes,” she breathes, squeezing her legs together, but it’s too late.
My hand slowly moves down to the top of her thighs. My finger traces along the edge of her underwear, sliding underneath until I can feel the warmth between her legs. I slide my fingertips along her slit, gathering her slick and spreading it to her clit.
“Not here,” she purrs as her palm grips my wrist, holding my hand in place.
I press my finger inside her, savoring the sound of her delightful moans. “Are you sure about that? I could get you off, but you have to be quiet.”
“Do you want my perfume coating the air as I come?”
“Fuck no. I’ll be fighting everyone off you.”
I slide my fingers out of her and suck her juices from my fingers to her delicate moan.
I nuzzle my nose against her cheek to breathe in her fragrance, then I trail my mouth across her cheek, press a kiss on her lips and murmur. “Let’s go. We’ll order dinner afterwards.”
Large, deep brown eyes look at me after I’ve peeled every inch of clothing from her body, and I stand and stare at her.
She’s gorgeous. Not only her face, her body with her perfect sized tits, a little more than a handful. Hips that are begging for my fingers to grip, and legs… I feel feral, but also at the way she trusts me.
“Lie down and open your legs for me, baby.”
She obeys and when she’s on her back; she widens her legs, giving me a glimpse of her pink pussy and I’m going to combust looking at the slick liquid glistening between her thighs.
I kiss every part of her body until my head is nestled between her thighs and my arousal presses against the bed.
“I’m going to taste you before I knot you.” I say before I slide my tongue over her slit.
“Stanton,” she whimpers, and I have to reposition my aching cock as her perfume overruns every cell in my body.
Leaning down, I lick through her sweetness once more. This time, the taste of raspberries explodes on my tongue, marshmallow hitting next.
I gently lick her clit before capturing it between my lips and sucking. She arches her back, sending her pussy into my face.
“Oh...” She can’t say anything else when I keep sucking her swollen clit between my lips and thrust a finger inside her.
Then another, desperate to taste her as she comes on my tongue, like it’s the only thing I need in my life.
“Yes… Don’t stop.” She grips my hair, pulling the hair tie and letting it flow to my shoulders, reminding me it’s time for a haircut.
“Come for me, baby.” I tease her clit with gentle scrapes of my teeth, as my fingers pump in and out of her. I add a third finger. Her back arches off the bed and she starts riding them as I suck on her clit.
“Stanton!” she cries out as her slick gushes from her pussy, but I don’t stop, instead I lap every drop.
Savoring the sweetness on my tongue, I let out a low moan as I eagerly devour her pussy. Her body trembles as I taste her, and I know she is falling apart.
My cock weeps on the bed, and my knot aches. If I’m not careful, it’ll be too full to lock inside her.
“Stanton, that was...” She sucks in a soft breath.
An unusual feeling of pride washes over me as I embrace her tightly against my chest. I gently press my lips on the top of her damp forehead, wanting so badly to knot her, but her eyes are near closed, and I can wait. “Let’s clean you up and get dinner.”
Her eyes shoot open. “No way, I want your knot.”
I smile. “You’re going to need food first.”