Chapter 22 #3
His gaze is set on me, and I hold it as I take him a little deeper, testing the feeling. He threads his fingers into my hair. He smooths his thumb over my cheek, scent marking me while I work.
“Now bob back and forth, gorgeous.”
I do, allowing his hand to help me find a rhythm that I can keep.
“Good omega, right like that, you’re sucking your beta’s cock so well.”
Humming in agreement, I cup his balls.
He hisses, and I stop, worried I’ve hurt him. I check in. Liam shakes his head. “Keep going. Hum again if you can.”
I find the rhythm again, humming around his length, watching his eyes flutter closed.
I tug on his balls. Expletives tumble past his lips.
Pride swells inside of me, and I move my head back and forth faster, taking him a little deeper, trying to avoid my gag reflex.
The pressure is a bit overwhelming, and moisture pricks at the edges of my vision. Not because it hurts, though.
“Now you’ve got it,” he says with a deep chuckle. “Can you suck your cheeks in and keep the pace?”
I’ll try if it means seeing him fall apart.
It takes a second, but I figure out how to hollow my cheeks with him inside of my mouth, and when I do, dragging my mouth up his length, Liam releases a full-fledged whimper.
That sound flips a switch. Something about it compels me to make him moan like the pack has made me so many times. To make him mindless with pleasure.
His grip tightens in my hair, but he’s a gentleman, letting me keep control of this blow job, and I love him for it.
However, I’m done with cautious exploration.
I bob my head, neck protesting a little, but determination drives me.
With my cheeks pulling in, I take Liam’s length deeper.
My throat protests and I gag a little. He groans. I back off but make a mental note.
“Liv.”
My name falls from his lips, with nothing following. No instructions or guidance. Just a simple plea. I hum and test out something, pressing my tongue against the underside of his shaft, creating the illusion of four walls.
Liam’s pants fill the air. His cock pulses. I hum in surprise, earning another curse. I think I like when my beta can’t seem to find control of his words. I knead his balls, tugging and teasing them as I redouble my efforts, mouth gliding faster and tighter. His dick throbs again.
“Look at me when you make me come,” he demands.
My watery eyes flick to his, and the pure adoration and fascination on his face is priceless.
“That’s. Perfect. Liv,” he manages, hips surging forward ever so slightly.
Murmuring my agreement, my muffled words vibrating over his length, I pull a little, as if sucking a straw, tightening my grip and releasing as I easily fall back into the rhythm.
“Baby, I’m going to come.” He moves to pull away, but I release his balls and grab his ass, holding him in place as I take him in deep, pushing myself and breathing through my nose as my throat constricts in protest.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” He gasps for air. I take him deep again, and this time when my muscles tighten, Liam moans, hot and salty liquid painting my throat.
It tastes like victory, and I drink it down like it’s the finest wine, swallowing every last drop as Liam whines above me. I did that. I rendered my beta senseless. Gave him the gift of pleasure.
He blinks a few times, shaking his head, as if needing to clear his mind, and reaches for me. I slide off his length with a wet pop, and he tugs me to my feet, mouth crashing into mine as he cradles my head. As his tongue lashes mine, he groans, deepening the kiss until my breath is his to control.
Grabbing the back of my thigh, he draws my leg up, the slit parting around my leg. Liam pins my body against his, kissing me like a man starved. He breaks away, and with a harsh inhalation, he pulls back, eyes bouncing between mine. “You are everything,” he confesses and kisses me again.
I cling to him, heart fluttering. To be everything is more than being called beautiful or sexy. It encapsulates all of that and more. As if the world wouldn’t be right without me in it.
Eventually, he breaks the kiss, checking over me. “Did I hurt you?”
“Not at all,” I tell him quickly. He was perfect. “Was it okay?”
He laughs. “Okay?” His eyebrows pinch together. “Liv, I’d teach you a thousand times again to watch you take ownership over me.”
I smile. “I had a great teacher.” Not to mention, the internet. Those forums were right. Playing with the balls is a good supplemental practice.
Humming, he kisses me again, but a loud crash outside the door has both of us jumping apart. Reality pops our bubble. We’re at the charity ball. There are dozens of people milling about. We’re lucky no one barged in.
Liam quickly tugs up his boxers and pants, giving me a knowing smirk.
I think both of us would much prefer to be naked together, but there are only so many lessons I’m willing to learn in such a public setting.
Still, my thighs are coated with slick, and I swear my scent smells of sex, even though we didn’t go that far.
“Shall we stop by the bathrooms to freshen up?” he asks, reading my mind.
“Good idea,” I say with a nod. “I’m not ready to show my face.”
He wrinkles his nose. “How about we dance instead of socialize? They can’t criticize us if we’re dancing.”
I tip my head. “You don’t know my mother very well.”
“I know I don’t like her,” he says with a huff.
The same could be said for his dad, George. “You can’t pick your parents.” I shrug. “Shall we brave the wild?”
He tucks his shirt in, smirking at me.
“What?”
“Your hair.”
I reach up, and sure enough, it’s a bit of a mess where he gripped it, but I run my fingers through it, fixing it as best I can.
“Those lips,” he says.
I touch them. “My lipstick—”
“Is a fucking thing of beauty right now, and as much as I’d like every single person out there to know how naughty you are, you should fix that before we leave the room.
” He glances around, spotting a drink cart.
He grabs a napkin and wets it using the tumbler of water that’s likely there for the scotch drinker. “May I?” he asks as he approaches me.
“Please.”
He smooths the wet cloth around my mouth, a smug smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
“You’re enjoying this.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” he counters.
I sigh and study his features as he cleans me. Liam grew into a handsome man, and he’s so close to really being mine.
“You keep looking at me like that, and I might be forced to fuck you on this desk.”
I suck in a breath. “Liam.”
Chuckling, he draws back and nods. “That’s good enough for now.” The white cloth in his hand is a mess of plum lipstick, and my cheeks burn with embarrassment. I must have looked crazy. He tsks, reading my thoughts. “I love seeing the mess you make of yourself when you’re on your knees.”
“Promise?”
“Always.” He kisses me quickly, wipes his own mouth, because his lips are a little purple, and winks at me. “Ready to waltz?”
I scoff. “Of course. I’m always ready to waltz.”
He grins, like he expected that response, and takes my hand.
We emerge into the hallway, and luckily, a broken vase has everyone's attention.
Liam leads me into the fray, and as his fingers tighten around mine, I realize that I might let this beta lead me into the depths of hell and be happy about it.
Maybe this is what love really feels like. Unrelenting trust. A silent vow to go through the worst experiences together and come out on the other side as one. If this is real love, I’m desperate to discover if the pack feels the same.
Unfortunately I can’t stay wrapped in Liam’s arms all night. We both take turns dancing with other people, putting on a good show for all the onlookers, only coming together often enough to take a break from the mindless conversations with others. Liam is by far the best dancer.
At some point, my mother starts sending alphas and betas over rapid fire, until I go nine whole songs without seeing Liam. The alpha that’s currently leading me is clumsy, more interested in telling me how much money his recent investments have made than dancing.
“And if everything goes to plan, I’ll clear three million by next year. My pack has plenty of money for an omega to be content.”
I give a noncommittal hum and smile, feeling my mother’s beady gaze on my back like a laser.
“So,” he says, drawing me closer. His scent is overpowering and not in a good way. I’m starting to get a headache. “How do you feel about plastic surgery?”
My brow furrows. “Uh, I mean I think it’s fine. People should be happy with how they look and feel.”
He nods. “Good, that’s good. There isn’t much I would change, honestly. Maybe just your nose and a little lipo.”
Is this alpha serious? “Sorry, you’re suggesting that I get plastic surgery?”
“Well, not until we’ve mated, but yes. Also, I’m more partial to blondes.”
“Then why are you dancing with me?” I ask, shaking my head.
“Omegas can be molded,” he says with a shrug. “I can make you in my image, turn you into the perfect omega.”
Bitterness sweeps through me. This. This is what my mother talks about.
How I’m not good enough and how a pack won’t want me, but now I know she’s wrong.
I have a pack with zero aims to turn me into the perfect omega.
I drop his hand as soon as the song ends and step back. “Good luck finding an omega.”
His mouth parts, but I turn and stride off the dancefloor before he gets a chance to reply. My mother catches up to me, smiling pleasantly at people as we pass. The vicious set of her teeth tells me she’s not happy.
“What happened? Why did he look mad?”
“Oh, I don’t know, mother. Maybe because I wasn’t willing to get lipo to make him happy.”
She releases an exasperated sound. “Well why not?”
I come up short, and give her a look. “Why not?”
She nods. “There’s nothing wrong with losing a bit of weight, dear. He’s wealthy and–”
“Is that all mating is about to you? Money?”
The laugh that spills from her lips drips in condescension. “What else would it be about?”
“Love. Friendship.”
“Don’t be stupid, Olivia.”
My cheeks heat. I really hate how small she makes me feel. I search her face for any sign that she gives a crap about me. There’s nothing there. Maybe it’s hidden deep down?
The trouble is. I’m starting to lose all hope that my mother will ever love me.
Movement across the ballroom catches my gaze. Liam is standing at a table with a group of men, but his eyes are trained on me, and his features are pinched in concern. He cares. The pack cares.
Maybe that’s all that matters.