13. Jake
13
JAKE
H er breathing takes forever to settle. Her chest rises and falls against mine, warm and damp, and I stroke lazy circles on her back while she comes down. It’s a sight, really.
I love the way she blinks slowly, lashes heavy, lips parted like she’s forgotten how to function.
I press a kiss to the side of her head. “You okay?”
She nods, slow. “Sleepy.” And then she nuzzles into me.
“Yeah?” I smile.
I shift to take off my jeans. They hit the floor, leaving me in my black boxers and socks.
She watches, smiling, then curls into my chest, one leg tossed over my hip like she’s staking her claim.
I stroke her hair. “How are you feeling?”
She lets out a sleepy sigh. “So tired. I don’t get why.”
I chuckle, fingers trailing along her bare spine. “That’s just a side effect, sweetheart.”
She hums again, eyes barely open. “It wasn’t like this with Rowan,” she murmurs. “With him, I just felt... depleted.”
Something settles in my chest. A dark kind of satisfaction. But I keep my voice even. “You regret it?”
She looks up at me, studying my face. “Does it bother you?”
I shake my head.
“You sure?”
Instead of answering, I kiss her, slow and deep. She melts instantly, soft little noises slipping past her lips, and fuck, I like that.
I like knowing she’s undone just from my mouth on hers.
When I pull back, I press my forehead to hers. “I like that you get both of us to protect you,” I admit. “But I like you. Have for a long time.”
She traces shapes against my chest, eyes flicking up to mine. “That true?”
I nod. “Since the day I saw you. All in red, carrying those flowers. That was it for me.”
Her fingers pause. “So why didn’t you ever say anything?”
“You made it clear I was just a friend.”
Silence.
Then, softer. “Or am I wrong?”
She looks down at me, searching. “That was then.”
“And now?”
“It’s... complicated.”
I exhale through my nose. “You sure you’re okay with this? For real? With Rowan, too?”
She shifts, propping her chin on my chest. “Are you?”
I shrug. “It’s not that weird. Pack of Alphas sharing an Omega isn’t anything new.”
Her brows lift slightly.
“Before my parents left, they had a third,” I add. “Sometimes it was an Omega, but most times I remember an Alpha coming by.”
Something flickers across her face. “You never talk about them. Your family, I mean.”
That familiar pang hits my gut, but I shove it down. “Not worth it, I promise.”
Her fingers move again, this time tracing the crest on my shoulder. The old heirloom, inked deep into my skin.
She whispers, “What does it mean?”
I glance down, brushing her knuckles with mine. “Family symbol. Generations old. A reminder of everything they built.”
Grace watches me carefully, fingers still tracing. Then, after a moment, she leans in, lips brushing my shoulder. “I just wanna stay here forever.”
“We could.”
She laughs quietly. “I have a flower order for Mrs. Clarke to take care of. I’m already late.”
I groan, pulling her closer. “Before you go, can I see?”
She blinks. “See what?”
I grin, running my tongue over my teeth. “That you came.”
Her lips part. Her nipples tighten against my chest, and fuck, I love that reaction.
My palm skates down, dipping past her waistband, fingers slipping through slick heat, and yeah, she’s soaked.
She gasps.
I smirk, pulling my fingers up, watching the way her eyes darken as I bring them to my mouth and lick them clean.
Her breath stutters.
I grin against my knuckles. “I’m gonna have so much fucking fun with you.”
She smiles and tilts her head, eyes locked on me, a challenge in her gaze. “You saw mine,” she murmurs. “So, I see yours.”
I cock a brow. “You sure about that?”
She nods, biting her lip. That tiny movement shoots straight to my dick.
“Okay,” I say, standing up.
I hook my thumbs into my boxers, dragging them down. My cock juts out, thick, half-hard already. Her gaze drops, her breath catching as she takes me in—every inch of me. But it’s the metal that really gets her.
Her fingers twitch, like she wants to touch but isn’t sure if she should.
I smirk. “Go on.”
Hesitant at first, she reaches out, fingertips ghosting over the smooth steel running through my shaft. I hiss, muscles clenching.
Her eyes flick up to mine. “Did it hurt?”
I exhale sharply. “Nah. Not really. Just makes me more sensitive.”
Her lips part slightly, her touch a little firmer now as she traces the piercing. It’s the lightest pressure, but it sends a shockwave straight to my spine.
“Can I…” She hesitates, biting her lip again. “Can I touch them?”
I nod, jaw tight. “Yeah.”
Her fingers move with more confidence, dragging along the ridges of the metal, feeling where flesh meets steel. My cock jerks slightly in response, and she startles, eyes widening.
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath, inhaling through my nose.
She stills. “Did that hurt?”
I shake my head. “No. It just—” I exhale sharply. “It’s a lot.”
Her brows draw together like she’s trying to process that. “If I—if we—” She swallows hard. “Would it hurt?”
My stomach tightens. I know what she’s asking, but she looks like she wants to backtrack the second the words leave her mouth.
Before she can, I tilt her chin up, forcing her to meet my eyes.
“When I fuck you,” I murmur, voice low, “you’ll like it.”
Her lips part slightly. “You’re sure?”
I smirk. “Piercings like these? They’re made to feel good. For both of us.” I pause, letting my thumb trace the curve of her jaw. “You know how good it feels when your G-spot’s stroked?”
She gives a tiny nod.
“This makes it better. Way better. They would feel so good inside you.”
She swallows hard. “Interesting.”
I blink. “What?”
She pulls back slightly, tucking her hair behind her ear, suddenly looking anywhere but at me. “I—I’m a virgin.”
The words knock the breath from my lungs. My smirk disappears. My whole body tenses.
“What?” My voice is rougher now, lower.
She shifts on the bed, avoiding my gaze. “I’ve been on suppressants for so long. I never really needed an Alpha.”
I run a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply. How the hell did I not know this?
“You should’ve told me.”
She shrugs. “It never came up.”
I cup her jaw, tilting her face toward mine. “Sex doesn’t have to be about heat, you know. It’s not just about instinct. It can be good. Just because you want it.”
She exhales slowly, her lashes lowering. “I don’t know how to just… want it.”
I grin. “Let me try something.”
Her gaze flicks to mine. “Try what?”
I lower my mouth to her ear. “Do you trust me?”
A hesitation. Then, she nods.
That’s all I need.
I shift her onto the bed, pressing her into the mattress. My hands skim down her body, sliding her panties to the side.
She stiffens slightly. “Jake?—”
“Breathe,” I murmur, kissing her stomach, her hip, the inside of her thigh.
Her fingers curl into the sheets. “What are you?—”
“Proving a point.”
Then I drag my tongue against her, and she sucks in a sharp, broken breath.
Her legs tense, her body arching slightly as I work her over, slow at first, teasing. Her hands find my hair, unsure if she wants to push me away or pull me closer.
I flick my tongue against her clit, sucking lightly, and she whimpers—soft, breathy, like she’s never made that sound before in her life.
“Jake…”
I hum against her, slipping a finger inside her, testing, stretching. She’s soaked, dripping, and fuck, the way she clenches around me sends a rush of heat straight to my cock.
Her thighs tremble. Her breathing goes ragged.
“Jake, I?—”
I lift my head just enough to murmur, “Let go.”
And when she does, when she shatters under my tongue, I just grin against her skin, licking her through it, letting her ride it out.
She’s still panting when I finally pull back, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
“See?” I smirk, dragging my fingers over her hip. “Told you.”