Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
shay
When your only frame of reference is a selfish prick of an Alpha who didn’t have a pack, namely because, as previously stated, he was a prick, it’s a little tough to know what the rules of the game are.
I’ve heard courting stories—things like gifts that cost more than a year’s wages, nights at the opera, romantic candlelit dinners at expensive restaurants, and a bunch of other nonsense that sounds equally boring as fuck.
But I’ve had the world at my fingertips, and it made me learn the hard way that money isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
All the luxury in the world doesn’t make up for shitty personalities or treating others like trash.
I moved to Darling for that reason. It’s simpler here—the place, the people, even the pace of life.
What you see is what you get. I’ll take a dive bar in a nowhere town over an upscale, exclusive establishment that plays shit music and serves uppity drinks any day.
Here, I can be myself. I don’t need to censor my words or even my thoughts.
No one cares if I have dirt on my shoes.
In fact, they’d find it odd if my clothes were neatly pressed and brand new.
Every morning, I can wake up and not have to worry about anything but what I want and never once think about what anyone else might have to say about it. It’s fucking glorious.
None of which helps my current predicament.
I don’t know the first thing about courting.
Do I wait for them to come to me? Am I allowed to court them too?
Is that insulting? Seems like equal opportunity courting should be a thing in this day and age.
I mean, sure. I’m an Omega, but I’m not the sit back and let someone fawn over me sort.
If anything, I want a pack who will value me for what I bring to the table as much as what I bring to the bedroom.
Maybe I can admit there’s a small part of me that wants a nest and a place to ride out my heats with men who love me, but again, I’m an Omega.
A horny one, in fact. That’s just not the defining factor.
I’m okay with growing with the pack I choose, rather than expecting them to have all the answers, because Lord knows I don’t.
Debating with myself, I can’t decide if I should just stalk down to Lyon’s room and flash him the sexy lingerie I purposely put on after my shower, or if I should wait to see if he comes and finds me first. The back and forth drives me insane until I give in with a growl of frustration and whip open my bedroom door.
Lyon’s massive frame is blocking the way.
There’s a whole lot of naked, freckled skin in front of me that I sort of want to get acquainted with, but I force my eyes to travel up the wide expanse of his chest until I’m met with intense brown eyes that I swear can see right through me.
His dark brown hair and beard have slight hints of red that are visible under the hallway light overhead, and for the first time I catch sight of the snug gold hoop in his nose that I’ve never noticed.
With each tiny detail that is revealed, I fall a little deeper.
There are so many incongruent pieces to this man, and I’m enjoying putting the puzzle together so I can finally see the entire picture.
“Going somewhere?” His voice is so fucking deep that I swear I feel the bass of it rush over me, giving me goosebumps.
I nod, completely captivated by him. Over the years, I’ve heard plenty of things about the quiet Beta of the Young Pack, but I never paid the talk much mind.
Now, after a few direct encounters, I know they were all full of shit.
This man isn’t strange or creepy or cold.
The weight of his gaze lingers like the warmth of the hoodie he left for me, making me want to wrap myself up in him and his scent.
He feels like safety. Like when I’m cocooned in his presence, nothing could reach me.
He’s also thoughtful, observant, and fucking hot, and if things go the way they seem to be, he may just end up being mine.
He patiently stares down at me, not saying a word. If he only knew what that does to me.
Raising one brow, the corner of my mouth curves up, and I match his energy. He’s not used to having the tables turned on him, and I see confusion flash across his face, followed by interest he doesn’t try to hide.
“Shay…” The way he says my name in that gruff tone of his makes my clit throb.
Is it possible to be addicted to someone’s voice?
“Lyon…”
I don’t mind that he’s a man of few words, but I’d be lyin’ if I said that getting him to open up to me isn’t now high on my list of things to make happen. He’s impossible to read, and I don’t want to risk overstepping any boundaries he may have, and something tells me he may have a few.
His eyes narrow, but if he expects me to be intimidated, he’s going to be disappointed. Instead, my body has the exact opposite reaction. How many times has someone had the balls to even try that with me? “Come with me?”
“Where we going, big man?”
“Does it matter?”
I purse my lips, pretending to think about it, then I shrug. “Nope.”
There’s the slightest tilt to his mouth before he simply reaches forward, hooks one arm under my legs, and picks me up to rest against his chest. “Good.”
Good. Fucking. Lord. The man is stacked. He turns and heads down the hall, still carrying me with only one arm. Why is that so insanely provocative?
I softly hum my approval, not wanting to alert the entire house as to what we’re up to. Which, admittedly, is not very much right now, but I can recognize the potential. After all, it’s not every day I get carted away by a man as insanely sexy and mysterious as Lyon Clark.
His room is down a hall on the opposite side of the house, closer to Ridge but still apart from the others.
Of course he manages to smoothly open then close the door behind us with one arm, all while I’m still pressed against him.
The first thing I see are the candles spread out over every available surface, casting a soft glow on the absolutely monstrous bed with a hunter green comforter and a hoard of pillows.
Soft country music is playing somewhere in the background, and my heart does this adorable little pitter patter.
“Is this all for me?” I murmur, stunned and decidedly giddy over something so thoughtful.
Compared to the lavish society dinners I attended with Miles, this might seem like a ridiculously simple gesture. But for me, it’s huge. He didn’t plan this based on a photo op or what the elite would think. He did it for me.
“You see anyone else?”
My eyes dart to his, seeing amusement staring back at me. “You know, I didn’t peg you for a sarcastic kinda guy. That’s more my thing.”
He leans in until our noses are touching. “You’ve thought about me?”
I swallow down my whimper of need. This man’s voice should be recorded and played as audio erotica. He’d make millions.
“More than I can even begin to explain.” Taking a risk, I press a gentle kiss to his lips. “I missed you today.”
And I mean it. There’s something about Lyon that soothes my inner hurt with nothing more than his presence. We can exist without words because the connection forming between us surpasses anything that could be said.
His free hand slides up my back until he’s cradling my head, strong fingers threading through my hair that I purposely kept loose because he seemed to have a thing for it earlier at my house.
I thought I knew what kissing Lyon was like, but when his mouth smashes into mine and he takes a handful of my hair in his fist, I learn just how wrong I was.
He consumes me. I never would’ve guessed you could orgasm from a kiss alone, but I’m awfully damn close.
The Beta holding me like I’m his to break is rewiring my entire soul.
Setting me on the edge of his bed, he’s steps back before I can even take a breath. There’s a rather large tent in his gray sweats, and without thinking, I bite my bottom lip. I’m staring, but I can’t help it.
He groans. “Shay…”
There it is again. My name on his lips. Feeling bold, I shift off the bed, my hands going for the silk belt that’s the only thing holding my robe together.
Pulling on the end, I let the fabric fall away revealing a cropped, zip-up lace corset and matching lace thong that are the exact same green as my eyes.
His nostrils flare, fists clenching at his sides.
The growing wet spot on the front of his sweats from his precum leaking through is like gasoline to a flame. Need explodes in my veins.
With a subtle shift of my shoulders, the material slides off my arms and pools on the floor.
He doesn’t move. Doesn’t say a single word.
His eyes are locked on my breasts, and his chest is heaving.
With each second that ticks by, my earlier bravado begins to evaporate.
His scent has turned bitter, from nerves or disappointment, I have no way of knowing.
“If I read this wrong…” I whisper, my voice catching.
Maybe he just wanted to talk. Or cuddle. Or maybe he wanted the opportunity to seduce me first, not that I need to be seduced. I’d already decided I wanted him in as many ways as I could have him the second he backed me up against the wall this morning.
My eyes drop to the floor as my belly takes a nose dive. I’m not experienced with this sort of thing, and I feel like I’m already fucking it all up.
Suddenly in front of me, he grips my chin and forces my eyes up his.
“You didn’t,” he murmurs huskily. “I… I’m…” His mouth opens and closes a couple of times as if the words are stuck in his throat.
I shrug one shoulder, trying to hide my embarrassment, though there’s nothing to be done about my reddening cheeks. “If you’re not ready, I can slip back into the robe and we can just…hang out…or whatever. I don’t min—”
“I’m a virgin.”
My harsh inhale sounds stupid loud in the quiet that follows this revelation. Even the music has gone silent as the next song prepares to play. Whatever I expected him to say, it wasn’t that.
“What? No.” I shake my head. There’s no way this man is a virgin. “You can’t kiss me like that, then tell me you’re a virgin.”
He snorts. “The kiss was good?”
My brows raise comically high. “Big man, good is too simplistic a word for what that just was. I damn near orgasmed, and trust me when I say that’s never happened before.”
A smug grin appears. “So that wasn’t just a virgin thing?”
That’s the longest string of words I’ve ever heard him say, and now I’m even more turned on, which I didn’t think was possible.
“Definitely not. You kiss with your entire soul, and it’s so fucking hot it almost melted my brain.” Said brain is struggling to comprehend how this man has never had sex before. “Have you done anything before?”
He slowly shakes his head.
I’m both humbled and incredibly turned on. The crotch of my panties is soaked, and I’m sure his room is flooded with my perfume, but he stands as stoic as ever, almost like he expects me to turn him away.
His eyes are still locked on mine, but a small niggle of doubt creeps into my thoughts until I can’t help but ask out loud, “Are you sure you want to give that to me?”
He kisses me again, this time with a sweetness that nearly decimates me. “Only you,” he murmurs against my lips.
And just like that, I tip over the edge of the cliff I’d been teetering on. There’s no going back after this. These men have somehow turned my entire life upside down, and I’ve fallen for them without even fighting it.
“Then let me blow your mind…”