14. Lakelyn
CHAPTER 14
Lakelyn
Dean’s low rumble vibrates through me, settling low in my belly. I tremble, just for a second, caught in his arms as he towers over me from behind. Every nerve in my body seems to hum in response, like I’m tuned to him, to this moment.
In the background, the steady thump of tennis balls firing from the launcher echoes, each one a soft reminder of where we are. But my focus is on him—on the way his chest presses against my back, the solid heat of his body wrapping around me like a cocoon. His musk enveloping me in a sexually-charged haze, filling my senses, pulling me deeper into him.
I feel him. All of him. The undeniable proof of what Chad’s proximity does to him pressed tight against me. My pulse races, a mix of excitement and confusion swirling inside me. I’ve never felt anything like this before—this raw, electrified energy crackling between us. He inhales, burying his face in my hair, sending tingles over my skin. This is the complete opposite of the rejection from a few weeks ago.
And then, just like that, it’s gone.
The warmth of him disappears, replaced by the cool bite of mountain air, leaving me standing there, feeling hollow. I don’t have to turn around to know he’s walked away. He takes his overwhelming presence with him, leaving only the echo of what just happened behind.
“I guess that’s the lesson for today,” Chad’s voice breaks the quiet, smooth and teasing.
He moves easily across the court, shutting off the ball launcher, as if nothing out of the ordinary just happened. The rhythm of the tennis balls dies down, leaving only the quiet of the day settling around us. Chad gathers up the scattered balls, placing them in the bin with a practiced ease, and I watch, still trying to ground myself after what just happened.
I feel rattled, but not in a bad way. Something shifted inside of me. Something I didn’t expect.
“Maybe we should call it a day,” Chad adds.
I press my lips together and nod. I never got to tell Dean it would be my last practice, and my stomach flips at the idea of doing it now.
Chad grabs our bags without hesitation and heads toward the changing rooms, and I fall in step behind him, but my mind is in overdrive. Dean’s just a friend. One of Landon’s close buddies, that’s all. That’s the story I’ve been telling myself for months now. But what just happened back there? That didn’t feel like friendship. It felt like... something more.
The butterflies in my stomach go wild, a nervous energy swirling inside me as I trail after Chad. I should talk to Dean. Clear the air before things get weird. Let him know that whatever just happened, it won’t make things awkward between us.
But I can’t quite settle the unease that’s gnawing at me, the way my skin still tingles from where Dean’s hands were. My head’s spinning with a thousand thoughts when Chad stops in front of me and turns around, cutting through the noise in my mind.
“You’re in your head,” he says, tilting my chin up with the lightest touch, forcing me to meet his eyes. His voice is softer than usual, and there’s a flicker of something in his expression—concern? Regret? I can’t quite tell. “Did that make you uncomfortable?”
The hint of worry in his voice makes my chest tighten, and I rush to shake my head, wanting to reassure him. “No,” I say, my voice a little too quick. “Not at all. I mean, it just… it caught me off guard, that’s all.”
He watches me for a moment, like he’s weighing my words, then nods. His hand lingers a second longer before dropping to his side, and I feel the tension ease just a little. But there’s still this thing between us, unspoken but heavy, and I can’t ignore it anymore.
“Chad, I’m okay. Really.” I offer him a small, reassuring smile. “It wasn’t... weird. I just—” My words falter as I bite my lip, struggling to find the right way to say it. “I knew you had a past with him from the way you looked at him that first time we met. But I guess I didn’t realize there was still... something there.”
He swallows, the smile that stretches across his face doesn’t reach his eyes. “He was my obsession as a teen. But it was always one-sided.” His voice dips, carrying a weight that settles deep inside me. “Dean was always kind. Too kind. The attention he gave me… it fed something starving in me. A part of my soul I didn’t even know was that desperate.” He pauses, his shoulders dropping a fraction, like he’s exhaling a burden he’s carried for too long. “My parents? They’re crap. Always have been. I think they expected an alpha, not an omega. Guess they picked the wrong surrogate. So yeah, for a while…I made him my whole world. Not that he knew that.”
He tries to shrug it off, but I can feel the sadness beneath the surface, raw and aching. It tugs at me, sharp and insistent. I can’t stand to see him like this.
Without thinking, I close the gap between us, reaching out and placing my hand on his chest. His heart beats steadily under my palm, but there’s something fragile in the way he looks at me. It makes my own heart twist.
“Chad...” I whisper his name softly, then I tilt up on my toes and press my lips to his.
It’s gentle at first, just a brush, a touch of reassurance, but when his breath hitches, something shifts. His hand finds my waist, pulling me closer, and I pour everything into the kiss—every unspoken word, every bit of understanding I can’t put into language. I want him to feel that he’s enough. That I see him.
His lips are soft, warm, and there’s a hesitance in the way he responds, like he’s unsure if he should let himself want this, but then he melts into me. The tension seeps out of his body as he kisses me back, and in that moment, it’s just us. No history. No expectations. Just this moment between us, something shared. And that blinding connection that burns between us.
When we finally pull apart, our breaths mingling in the cool air, he rests his forehead against mine, his eyes closed as if he’s savoring the quiet.
“Thank you,” he whispers, his voice rough with emotion.
I smile softly, my fingers still pressed against his chest. “You don’t have to thank me.”
His fingers flex on my waist, and he straightens, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. “If you’re not careful, you’ll become my new obsession.”
A rush of warmth floods through me at his words, sending a thrill up my spine. The idea of being someone’s obsession—his obsession—it’s dangerous, intoxicating, but more than that, it’s exciting. My heart skips a beat, and I know I should be cautious, but I’m not. Not with him.
“I think I’d like that,” I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper.
I bite my lip, trying to contain the smile threatening to break free, but the way he’s looking at me makes it impossible to hide. His dark eyes, full of something I can’t quite name, lock onto mine, and it feels like the world narrows down to just this moment.
His grip on my waist tightens, drawing me closer, and I don’t resist. There’s a pull between us. Being close to him feels right in a way I can’t explain. Maybe it’s crazy, but I want to be the center of his world. I want to be the one who makes him forget about everything else, to be the one who gets under his skin the way he’s already gotten under mine.
“You’re playing with fire, Lakelyn,” Chad whispers, his lips ghosting against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.
“Maybe I like the heat,” I tease, meeting his gaze head-on, letting him see the excitement flicker behind my eyes.
My palms are sweaty as I approach Dean’s office, every step feeling heavier than the last. I changed quickly, barely registering what I threw on before heading this way, my mind racing. My heart’s in my throat. No big deal . Just clearing the air and letting him know I can’t take any more lessons, I tell myself, trying to calm the anxious flutter in my stomach. But it doesn’t help. Not really.
I swallow hard, raising my hand to knock. I should wait, I know I should, but instead, my knuckles barely graze the wood waiting less than a second for a response from inside before I push the door open.
“Dean, I—” The words die on my lips as my eyes land on him.
He’s leaning against his desk, shorts unbuttoned, skin flushed. His hand is frozen halfway into them, and for a split second, our eyes meet. His pupils are blown wide, the air between us thick with something I don’t quite understand. A glass of water, half-finished, sits precariously on the edge of his desk. He shifts, like he’s been caught in the middle of something—something private.
Oh god .
My brain catches up a second too late, and I whirl around, mortified. “I’m sorry, I?—”
“Stop.” His voice is low, rough, and I freeze—although it isn’t a bark—hand already on the doorknob.
I should leave. I should make up some excuse and disappear, but before I can do either, Dean moves.
The door slams shut, his large frame boxing me in before I can take another breath. The warmth of him radiates off his body, and I can feel his presence looming behind me, the air between us charged with an intensity that makes my pulse quicken.
“Dean, I—” My voice is shaky, and I hate it.
“You smell like fucking heaven,” he says, his breath hot against my neck. His mouth trails over my skin, and my nipples stand at attention as goosebumps explode down to my toes. “You and fucking Chad. This is what he wants, to taunt me. He wants to push me to the edge. And Lakelyn, you are so sweet, so innocent, I don’t want you to get hurt in all of this. But fuck, your perfume is so mouthwateringly tantalizing mixing with Chad’s, I can’t stop myself.”
He turns me around against the wood and steps into me. His body flush with mine, the length of him presses against my belly, and he groans. Then he tilts my chin up, our eyes meeting, his full of a desperate need I’ve never seen in him before. He doesn’t give me time to protest or time to even think about what’s going to happen next, before his lips crash into mine.
The air freezes inside my lungs as he demands entry with his tongue. Full dominance of an alpha, demanding surrender. My head swims, and he growls when he tastes me. His hands run down my sides as he shows me exactly what it’s like to kiss an alpha. His fingers grip my hips and lift me, wrapping my legs around him as he presses against my center.
Dean’s hands are everywhere—rough, possessive, like he’s claiming every inch of me. His body presses me harder against the door, and the heat radiating off him makes my mind go blank. The sheer force of his desire has me reeling, my pulse pounding in my ears as his lips crash against mine over and over again.
My hands find their way into his hair, gripping as if holding on for dear life, and a low, primal growl rumbles in his chest. His fingers dig into my hips, dragging me closer, pressing me against his hardness. The pressure against my core sends a jolt through me, and a needy sound escapes my throat before I can stop it.
“Dean—” I gasp against his lips, my body trembling with every touch. His scent, that heady mix of pine and musk of mornings in the mountains, invades my senses, clouding every rational thought I might’ve had. All I can think about is him.
He pulls back, breath ragged, his eyes wild as they search mine. “Lakelyn, I shouldn’t—we shouldn’t,” he mutters, though the fire in his gaze says otherwise. I can’t even think straight enough to respond, but somewhere deep down, I know this moment is teetering on a dangerous edge. He presses his forehead to mine, his breath coming out in harsh pants. “This isn’t fair to you.”
He’s struggling—against me, against himself.
My hands rest on his chest, feeling the frantic thrum of his heartbeat. “Dean,” I whisper, barely managing to form the words. This goes beyond just plain attraction. This is more. The stuff of fairytales.
He groans, resting his weight against me for a moment before pulling back enough to meet my eyes again, his hand sliding down my arm like he’s forcing himself to create space between us. “I’m sorry,” he growls, voice full of frustration. “You deserve better than... whatever this is.”
The raw intensity in his voice sends a shiver down my spine. But the vulnerability in his eyes? That’s what breaks me. This alpha—no this man—is afraid of being close to others.
“Do I?” I ask softly, heart still racing. “I want you.”
“Fuck, Lakelyn, you can’t say shit like that to me.”
“But I come as a package deal. Chad’s a part of my future, and you should know that now.”
His eyes drop shut, a pained look crossing his face. Still, I can feel the heat of him settled firmly between my legs, our clothing the only barrier. My fingers flex in his hair, against his scalp, and he opens his eyes to look at me. Then he sets me on my feet, dragging my body against his as he does.
“I learned a long time ago that sometimes the things you want most are the things you should never have,” he says, dragging his fingers through his tousled hair. “And Chad delivered one of those lessons.”
Dean’s words hang between us, heavy and full of unspoken truths. His hands linger at my waist as if he can’t quite let go, but his eyes are clouded with conflict. I can feel the pulse of his heart, rapid and uneven, mirroring the storm inside him.
“You don’t believe that,” I whisper, my voice barely audible. “I’ve seen the way you look at Chad, the way you look at me. You want both of us.”
His jaw clenches, and he takes a slow, deep breath. “It doesn’t matter what I want. You don’t understand what this could turn into, Lakelyn.” He steps back, putting space between us, but the loss of his warmth is like a shock to my system. “Chad—he’s a fucking weakness for me. Always has been.”
“What if he isn’t? What if he’s exactly what you need? I’d be blind not to see how you molded yourself to him. How you completely forgot where you were out there…to the point where you came back here to—” My gaze dips to his still unbuttoned shorts, the proof of his desire forcing the zipper half-way down.
“He’s just messing with me, pushing and pushing to get under my skin.”
I fold my arms over my chest. “Or maybe he wants your reaction to prove to himself you want him.”