Chapter 8 #3
“I value loyalty,” I say aloud. “Honesty. And giving people space to live their own lives without judgment.”
Hannah’s father is definitely laughing now. He tries to disguise it with a sip of wine. Fails.
An older aunt leans forward, eyes narrowing like she smells blood in the water. “And children? Do you want children, Noel?”
“Eventually,” I say honestly. “When the time is right.”
“And you, Hannah?” she continues mercilessly. “You’re not getting any younger, dear.”
Hannah goes rigid beside me. “I’m twenty-six.”
“Exactly. Your mother had you at twenty-two.”
Before Hannah detonates, I step in. “Hannah is building a career right now. She’s talented. Driven. And I’m not rushing her into anything.”
The aunt’s lips thin. “Biology waits for no one.”
Lily mutters in my ear, “Say: then biology can book an appointment and wait outside.”
I don’t go that far, but close. “Hannah’s not here to follow deadlines designed by other people.”
Silence. Tight. Sharp.
Then Hannah’s father clears his throat. “Hannah and Lily are both very free spirited, just like their mother.”
But he’s smiling. And under the table, Hannah’s fingers brush mine—the smallest thank-you.
Silence drops over our section of the table.
“How about we focus on the food? This turkey is excellent, Martha,” Hannah’s father says.
The conversation shifts, thank God, fragmenting into smaller groups.
“That was perfect,” Lily whispers in my ear. “You just made half of those women fall in love with you, and the other half hate Hannah even more. Mission accomplished.”
I’m fielding questions from a couple of the men now about bounty-hunting techniques while Martha’s interrogating Hannah’s father about the bakery. I keep my hand on Hannah’s thigh the entire time, a constant reassuring pressure that reminds her I’m here.
After what feels like an hour but is probably only thirty minutes, Hannah pushes back her chair. “Excuse me. I need to use the restroom.”
I’m on my feet immediately. “I’ll come with you.”
“To the bathroom?” Sasha raises an eyebrow.
“To make sure she doesn’t get cornered,” I say bluntly.
Hannah leads me through the house, past family photos that chronicle decades of gatherings, past a living room that’s decorated within an inch of its life, down a hallway that’s quieter, darker.
She pushes open a door to what looks like an old study with dark wood paneling, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and leather furniture that’s probably older than I am.
I follow her inside, shut the door behind us. “So this is the hiding room,” I observe.
She moves toward the bookshelves, running her fingers along the spines without really seeing them. “God, I hate this. The questions, the judgment, the constant pressure.”
“Your family is intense,” I murmur.
In my ear, Lily snorts. “Intense? Try emotionally weaponized.”
Hannah huffs out a soft laugh. “That’s a polite word for it.” She rubs her temples. “Thanks for defending me about the children thing. I was two seconds away from stabbing a dinner roll.”
“I meant it,” I say. “You get to decide your timeline. Not Aunt—”
Lily cuts in. “Aunt Reproductive Regret.”
I choke on a laugh, covering it with a cough.
Hannah narrows her eyes. “What was that?”
“Nothing,” I say too quickly. “Just… swallowed wrong.”
Her eyes stay suspicious.
We step farther into the study, the sanctuary of the moment. “My mom had me young,” she says quietly. “I think they expect me to follow the tradition. But I’m not ready. I don’t even know if I want kids. Is that terrible?”
“It’s honest,” I tell her. “Nothing wrong with knowing yourself.”
Lily pipes up: “Tell her she’s the most put-together person in that house, which, low bar, but still.”
I shake my head slightly. “Your sister thinks you’re amazing and perfect just as you are.”
Hannah’s brows lift. “Did she say that?”
Lily: “No, I didn’t, but sure, go with it.”
I smile. “She implied it.”
Hannah snorts, but her shoulders relax.
“This is where Lily and I always hide,” she says, moving toward the bookshelves. “To breathe. And avoid awkward questions. And avoid everything.”
I take a breath, steadying myself. “You look gorgeous, by the way.”
She blushes instantly. “And you,” she says, eyes flicking over my hair, “look like a dangerous lumberjack someone recruited for a runway show.”
Lily: “Okay, accurate.”
“That’s a new one,” I say. “But I’ll take it.”
“OH MY GOD! SOMEONE JUST FELL INTO THE WEDDING ARCH. I REPEAT—WE HAVE A MAN DOWN!” Lily’s voice explodes in my ear.
“I think we’re good now, Lily,” I say. “Enjoy the wedding. And I’m out.”
“Have fun,” she says.
I sigh, reach up, and pluck the earpiece out, then drop it into my pocket and look at Hannah.
Her smile is slow. Warm. Dangerous.
We stand in the warm quiet of the study, muffled laughter drifting through the walls.
“So,” I say, voice softer. “Have you… thought about the scent-match thing? About us?”
“Constantly,” she admits.
“And?”
“And I’m terrified.” Her hands twist. “What if it goes badly? What if you all realize I’m not worth the trouble and leave? I can’t take more rejection, Noel. I’m… hanging on by a thread.”
My chest cracks open. “I think,” I say gently, stepping closer, “you don’t give yourself nearly enough credit.”
Her breath catches.
“And we’re not going anywhere,” I add. “Not now. Not later. Not ever. Let us be the ones who hold you up when you’re tired.”
She looks at me like she’s seconds from either crying or kissing me. Maybe both. Her breathing picks up, and fuck, I smell her scent growing stronger, wrapping around me, tightening everything low in my gut until I can hardly think straight.
I close the distance between us in two steps, and suddenly Hannah is backed against the bookshelf, eyes wide, pulse visible in her throat.
“I can barely hold back right now,” I murmur, and my cock is already responding, hardening in my jeans. “Your scent is driving me fucking insane. It’s got a grip on my balls and won’t let go.”
“Sounds like a you problem.” Her voice is breathless, but there’s challenge in it.
“It’s about to be an us problem.”
She slips past me and darts toward the door, but I’m faster. I meet her there, and my hand hits the wood above her head, blocking her escape, and she spins to face me.
We’re close now. “So you feel nothing?” I lean down, inhaling deeply. “Because your scent is screaming at me, gorgeous. Telling me exactly how much you want this.”
“I don’t—”
“You have no idea how hungry I am for you. How much I want to make you mine, show you everything you’ve been missing. But if you need me to stop, I will. Just tell me.”
She’s blushing, but she tilts her head back, meets my eyes directly. “Maybe I’m not missing anything. Maybe you’re just desperate because you can’t control what’s in your pants.”
Then she lowers her hand between us, wraps her fingers around my cock through my jeans.
Her eyes grew huge, shocked and pleased. And she wasn’t expecting that size. She pulls her hand away quickly, but the damage is done. My control is about to collapse.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” I whisper.
Wildness roars through me, every instinct screaming to claim, to take, to mark. I know I should back up, give her space, be the patient Alpha I promised to be. But I’m so far gone that I’m leaning in, capturing her mouth with mine.
She doesn’t resist. She kisses me back like a fucking lioness, fierce and demanding and absolutely fearless. Her mouth opens under mine, and she’s pulling me closer by my shirt, and I groan against her lips.
This is everything. This is what I’ve been craving since I first scented her.
I deepen the kiss, one hand sliding into her hair, the other gripping her hip, and she moans, a sound that goes straight to my cock. My tongue sweeps against hers.
Her body is on fire against mine, every curve pressed to my chest, and she’s trembling. But it’s arousal, raw and undeniable, her scent spiking until I’m drowning in it.
I break the kiss, trail my mouth down her neck, and she gasps.
“I need to taste you,” I growl against her skin, letting my teeth graze slightly. “Need to get on my knees and lick your sweet pussy until you’re screaming my name and begging me not to stop.”
She shudders, and I can scent how wet she is, how much she wants this despite her stiffness. But then she’s pushing at my chest, and I let her move me, confused.
Until she spins us, puts my back to the door, and slowly sinks to her knees.
Holy fuck.
“I love this side of you,” I breathe, watching her hands go to my belt.
She’s glancing up at me, eyes dark with desire, and starts working the buckle. Gets it open. Pops the button on my jeans. Lowers the zipper with agonizing slowness.
“Hannah—”
“Quiet,” she murmurs, and pulls me free.
Her eyes are full as she stares down at me. I’m big—I know I’m big—and watching her study me, watching her lick her lips, is the hottest thing I’ve ever experienced.
“Like what you see?” I manage with a grin.
She doesn’t answer with words. She leans forward, runs her tongue along my length, and I nearly black out.
Then she slips her lips over the tip of my cock, drawing me into her mouth, and I have to brace my hands against the door to stay upright.
Wet heat. Tight suction. Her tongue is working magic. Every nerve ending in my body is screaming.
“Fuck,” I hiss. “Hannah, you feel so fucking incredible.”
She takes me deeper, and I’m fighting every instinct to thrust, to take control, to fuck that beautiful mouth. But this is her show, and I’m going to let her run it.
She’s working me with her tongue, taking me deeper, her hand cupping my balls, and I’m right on the edge, barely holding on.
Watching her mouth wide and full of me is insatiable.
She keeps sucking, licking under my shaft until the tip hits the back of her throat.
I moan, my hips grinding against her. She stares up at me with tears in her eyes but never stops, and I fucking love her already.
Then someone knocks on the door.
We both freeze.
Her mouth is bulging full of me, her eyes huge and startled, and I’m using every ounce of willpower not to move.
“Busy,” I call out, voice strained. “Come back later.” I reach back blindly, manage to find the lock, and twist it.
She grins around me, actually fucking grins, and keeps going.
The knock comes again. “I need to get something from there!” Patty’s voice, loud and insistent. “What are you doing? Why is the door locked?”
Hannah is using the distraction to tease me, her tongue tickling my cock, and my vision blurs, my legs shake.
“We’re organizing,” I gasp. “The books. Very important alphabetizing happening right now.”
“What?” Patty sounds confused and suspicious.
Hannah fondles my balls, sucks harder, and I groan. Fuck me.
“Open up!”
Of all the times.
“Critical organizational work!” I call out, voice cracking as Hannah takes me deeper. “Very delicate! Can’t be interrupted! Come back in thirty minutes!”
Hannah’s pace picks up.
Another set of knocks, sharper, angrier. “No one organizes anything that loudly!”
I slap a hand over my mouth, because I’m one second away from groaning loudly enough to be heard across the valley.
Hannah makes a low, obscene sound around me on purpose.
I grit my teeth. “For the love of—Hannah—sweetheart—mercy—” I’m gone. Absolutely done for. I come and burst in her mouth with a force that damn near folds me in half, my hand flying back to brace on the door, knees shaking.
She swallows all of it, every last drop, like the perfect Omega she is, throat working to take it. I’m panting, sweating, trying to remember basic physics.
Knock, knock, knock. “THIS IS HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS!”
Hannah finally pulls back, licks me clean, and then has the audacity to grin up at me like she didn’t just almost send me into cardiac arrest.
I stare at her, weak. “Were you trying to kill me?”
“Maybe.” She licks her lips primly.
Knock. “I can hear whispering! What’s happening in there?!”
“We’ll let you know when we’re finished organizing, Patty!” Hannah says.
“That’s not how organizing works!”
Hannah takes my hand, letting me pull her up.
“Now you’re just being ridiculous!” Patty barks, footsteps stomping away.
I tuck myself back in very carefully while Hannah watches like she’s waiting for an encore.
“Think she knew what we were doing?” she asks.
I blink at her. “I was screaming about delicate organizational work while you had my cock in your mouth. Patty thinks we’re alphabetizing porn magazines at best.”
She snorts so hard she nearly doubles over. “We should get back before they try to break down the door,” she says, turning for the door.
“Or…” I catch her wrist, pull her flush against me, my mouth brushing her ear. “I could return the favor right now. Get on my knees. Taste you. Make you come so hard you forget your own name.”
Her breath stutters, which is music to my ears.
“It’s tempting,” she whispers, heat blooming under her skin. “But we really do need to go.”
“Fine.” I let her turn… then reel her back in again, my voice dropping, dark and possessive. “Just know something, Hannah.”
She swallows.
“You can run all you want. But you’re my scent match. Which makes you mine. And I always claim what’s mine.” My lips brush her throat. “It’s only a matter of time before you stop fighting it… and let me take you apart.”
She shivers, her entire body lighting up, her arousal spiking, sweet and sharp. “We’ll see,” she breathes, trying—failing—to sound steady.
I press a slow kiss to her pulse. “No running, Hannah. Not from me.”
She doesn’t pull away.
And I know, with blinding certainty, this Omega is about to wreck my entire world, in the best possible way.