Chapter 4
A SECRET CAR RIDE
“Why does it smell funny in here?” Ballus growled.
Aaren froze, ice shooting down his spine. “Funny? In what way?”
He lowered the shirt he’d wrapped around his mouth and nose, sniffing for traces of cherrywood.
The scent of skunk hit his nose.
A skunk, of all things.
He was so relieved that he almost laughed. “That... smells like skunk.”
Hades’ scent had taken a while to fade last night; Aaren had left the windows open while he slept so fresh air could get into the house.
Except the exhaust fan must’ve brought in a skunk’s stench.
And Aaren had not noticed, because he had wrapped last night’s shirt around his face when he woke up, trying to catch the last bits of Hades’ scent.
“Skunk?” Ballus narrowed his eyes. “Seriously? I told you to shut the fucking windows when you sleep. What if someone breaks in? They’d take my TV and computer!”
Aaren scowled. “What about me? They could hurt me too.”
Ballus scoffed. “You? They’d leave you alone. You’re ugly and not that valuable. Of course, if you tried to stop them and they beat you, it would serve you right for leaving the windows open.”
Aaren stiffened. He knew he should be used to this by now; he knew it didn’t matter what Ballus thought of him. He was going to leave this alpha once he had fulfilled Gran’s inheritance contract.
But a small, vulnerable part of him hurt anyway.
“Why can’t you be a nicer alpha?” he growled.
“Nicer? I’m plenty nice. Do you see anyone else queueing up to be your alpha?” Ballus looked around pointedly.
Aaren gritted his teeth. There was Hades, but Hades wasn’t here right now. Actually, how could he be sure that Hades would respond to his calls or texts? He had only known that alpha for two hours. What if Hades didn’t keep his word?
All the same, Aaren wanted to believe that Hades would punch a burglar to keep him safe.
“Whatever,” Ballus said, dropping his dirty plate in the kitchen sink for Aaren to wash. “Get on the bed and raise your ass.”
At least Aaren didn’t mind this part of their relationship. Sex was a transaction; he used Ballus, and Ballus used him. Both of them got off and there was no more exchange of intimacy.
If Aaren pretended that it wasn’t Ballus behind him...
No one had to know.
He squirmed out of his clothes and climbed onto their bed, closing his eyes. He imagined that the heavy footsteps were Hades’, Hades prowling onto the bed behind him. Rough hands grasped his hips and lifted him higher, a thick cock pushing into his body.
Hades leaned over Aaren, stuffing his cock deep.
Aaren wheezed. He grew wet immediately, shoving his hands over his mouth to stifle his moan. Last night hadn’t been enough. Not Hades’ touch through his pants, not the dildo in his ass.
But now... Now, he had Hades’ cock inside him, thrusting rough and hard.
He pressed his face against the bed and spread his legs wider, reaching down to grip himself—where Hades had marked him with his scent.
“You got wet real fast today,” Ballus said. “Greedy for my cock, aren’t you?”
Ugh. “Yeah,” Aaren lied.
Would Hades want to hear him moan? Would he watch Ballus fuck Aaren, then come over to show Aaren how a real alpha claimed his mate?
Aaren bit his lip and shuddered. He pretended that the deep thrusts were from Hades rolling his hips, Hades swelling bigger because he was about to fill Aaren with come.
He gripped the sheets, drooling as pleasure pulsed through him.
What if he told Hades about this pretense? Would Hades judge him? Or would the alpha tell Aaren he was a good boy, thinking about him every time he was filled?
Aaren let the fucking go on for longer than he usually did. He remembered those red lips from last night, the way Hades smiled, the way Hades touched his hole.
I’ll fuck you into the bed and make you scream, make your spine arch because all you’ll know is my cock inside you, giving you the best damn orgasm of your life.
Aaren came with a choked-off cry. It made Ballus swear, his thrusts turning short and fast. Then Ballus came with a grunt, pulling out before his knot swelled.
Aaren flopped onto his side of the bed, listening as the alpha wiped himself off with a rag.
“That was good,” Ballus said. “You make a really good hole for my cock. It’s a pity you’re fat.”
Yeah, fuck you too, Aaren thought but didn’t say. He rolled his eyes and kept his face turned away. Unlike you, Hades actually looked at me like I was desirable.
He waited until Ballus began to snore. Then he went to sit on the toilet, sticking his fingers inside himself so he could stretch his hole open and drain out Ballus’ come.
He washed his hands and picked up his phone.
Aaren
Wish I had your come inside me
The reply came almost immediately. His heart leaped.
ESC
Mmm. Good to hear from you, Aaren. What brought that on?
Aaren
I slept with Ballus but pretended it was you the whole time
ESC
Yeah? And did you like it?
Aaren
Much better when it was “you”. I came because I was remembering last night.
ESC
Good boy. Would you like to move this to a call?
Aaren
Okay. I gotta leave for work soon though.
Even though he was expecting it, Aaren jumped a little when his phone vibrated with an incoming call. “H-hello?”
“You sound lovely today, sweetheart,” came that familiar rumble.
Aaren gulped, growing warm all over. He cradled his phone to his ear and moved to the other side of the house, far away from Ballus. “You sound amazing yourself.”
Hades laughed quietly. He seemed to be alone in a quiet place.
“Did you really mean it?” Aaren blurted. “When you said you would answer my calls. You said you’d show up if I needed you.”
“Yes.” Again that unshakable certainty.
Aaren blushed. “Okay.”
“I know it’s early yet. I’ll prove myself to you.”
“You’re not heading off to find the next runaway cook?”
Hades huffed. “No. I was only looking for you.”
The warmth in Aaren’s face exploded into a wildfire. “Oh.”
“When do you take your lunch break? I’d like to see you for a bit.”
“Really?”
“I’d like to hold you again.”
“Aw shucks,” Aaren mumbled, squirming. “I usually have my break when there’s a lull in the dinner crowd. I’ll text you an estimate, then another text when I’m taking my break?”
“Mmm. Sure. I want to see your lovely face again.”
Aaren’s heart skipped. “That’s so nice of you. Ballus said I’m fat. Which is the truth, but he said it right after sex. What an asshole.”
Slow, measured breathing on the other end. “I would love to punch him right now, but you told me not to.”
Aaren bit down his smile. “It means a lot to me that you want to. And that you’re not going to.”
“Like I said, I want you to trust me,” Hades murmured.
“You know this is kind of crazy, right? Out of the blue, you show up, and now I’m doing all these things with you that I never thought I would.”
“It is a little crazy.” Hades laughed quietly. Aaren wished he could see the alpha’s face. If they were talking in person right now, how would Hades behave around him? Would he touch Aaren again?
Suddenly he felt too cold, his skin hungry for Hades’ hands. “I should go,” Aaren said reluctantly. “It takes me a while to walk to the Wine Shack.”
“Want me to pick you up? I can drive you there.”
Aaren’s stomach flipped. “You don’t mind doing that?”
“It’s break time for me anyway. It shouldn’t take me long to get there.”
Excitement bloomed in Aaren’s stomach. “Um, could you pick me up on the next street? Violet Lane. So he won’t hear you.”
Hades sounded like he was smiling. “Sure. Be there in fifteen.”
Aaren squeaked. “Sorry, sorry. You weren’t supposed to hear that. I’ll go shower and get dressed.”
“Mmm. Sure. I’ll imagine what that looks like.”
“Don’t make me wet right now!” Aaren groaned.
Hades laughed. “See you in a bit, sweetheart.”
Aaren set down his phone and showered in record time, making sure to scrub his skin to get rid of Ballus’ scent. Not that it was difficult; Ballus hadn’t deliberately scent-marked him, so there wasn’t a lot of his boxwood scent to erase.
He dried and got dressed, threw his phone into his worn backpack, and hurried out of the house. As he turned onto Violet Lane, a black car rolled up on the cross street, heading toward him.
Hades was in the driver’s seat. When he stopped the car, he reached over and popped open the passenger door.
In the bright light of day, he looked just as good as he had last night.
Still with that artful stubble, still with his intense gaze.
Aaren climbed into the car and let himself look—at Hades’ broad shoulders, the thin shirt hugging his sculpted chest. His pants didn’t hide much either, and the whole car smelled like cherrywood.
“This is amazing,” Aaren said. “You’re so hot.”
Hades grinned. “Yeah?”
He reached over and cupped Aaren’s nape, drawing him over the center console.
Aaren thought Hades was going to kiss his mouth. But the alpha brushed a kiss against the corner of his lips, before tucking his nose into Aaren’s hair. “You smell good.”
“I smell like soap. If you see me later today, I’m going to smell like food.”
“No complaints from me.” Hades nipped his earlobe. Then he released Aaren, brushing the scent gland on his wrist against Aaren’s neck.
Aaren flushed deeply. “N-not that I don’t enjoy it, but I can’t go home wearing your scent.”
“You can wear it for the rest of your day, before you go home. Am I wrong?”
“You’re not wrong.” It sounded amazing, actually.
Hades pressed a small bottle into his hand. “Scent suppressant.”
Aaren’s heart skipped a beat. “So we’re really doing this.”
With the scent suppressant... Hades could get close to him, really close, and Ballus wouldn’t have the slightest clue.
“We are.” Hades smiled and began to drive. “Do you have any objections?”
“You don’t mind that I have a boyfriend? That I might sometimes sleep with him?”
A sharp smile flashed across Hades’ lips. “Sweetheart, I’m going to make you forget he exists. Why would I mind?”
Aaren’s breath hitched. There, in that smile, was a hint of the predator he had glimpsed last night. The dangerous thing that had sent Hades to prison.
Somehow, it roused a thrill in Aaren’s belly.
He fastened his seatbelt and stuck the scent suppressant in his backpack. Then he dared to reach over, poking Hades’ thigh.
Hades caught his hand and tangled their fingers together, keeping his eyes on the road.
“I should’ve read you Emmy’s pickup lines,” Aaren blurted.
“Really?”
“Yeah. Emmy said they would get me an alpha. And they did, but it was the wrong alpha. If I had read them to you instead of... You would’ve been my alpha for sure.” He bit his lip. “Should I not have said that?”
Hades grinned. “I’ll be your alpha with or without the pickup lines. But go ahead and use them on me if you want.”
“You don’t mind? Bal—Some people have said they’re terrible.”
The alpha hummed. “With these things, I think it’s your intent that matters most. It’s fine if the pickup lines are... unusual. I’ll listen to them anyway.”
Aaren cheered up. He still had Emmy’s pickup lines stashed somewhere. “Okay. They’re amazing lines.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
Before Aaren knew it, they were pulling into the parking lot behind the Wine Shack. He checked the time. “I have twenty minutes before my shift starts.”
“Twenty, huh?” Hades grinned. “That’s plenty of time.”
“It’s not enough,” Aaren whined.
“Shoes off,” Hades said, clicking off Aaren’s seatbelt. Aaren obeyed with some confusion. Then Hades slid his own seat back, and scooped Aaren onto his lap.
Aaren squeaked, clutching Hades’ shoulders. This was much closer than they had been last night, his legs spread around Hades, their faces inches apart. Hades was huge and warm under him, all muscle. And he was stroking Aaren’s thighs, running his hands up Aaren’s sides and squeezing his chest.
“Beautiful,” Hades murmured, sliding his hands under Aaren’s shirt. Aaren shivered. Then he shivered harder when he realized that Hades was dragging his wrists all over his skin, marking him with cherrywood.
“Everyone’s gonna know,” he yelped.
Hades paused. “Everyone? Is there someone else you need to hide this from?”
“Oh! No, I meant my boss and my friends.” Aaren peeked out of the car windows, but there was no one in the parking lot around them. “I only see them when I’m working in the kitchen.”
Hades resumed his marking. “Ah. Do you want me to stop?”
Aaren shook his head. “They know Ballus sucks. But I don’t think any of them were expecting me to... do this, either.”
He bit his lip, wondering how badly his friends were going to judge him.
“I’ll stop if you need me to. And I’ll listen if you need an ear.” Hades tucked his nose under Aaren’s jaw and sniffed his neck. Then he squeezed Aaren’s ass, sliding his hands down the back of his pants.
Aaren swallowed his whimper when Hades marked his cheeks. His cock felt so neglected. He spread his legs wider in a silent plea. “Are you going to...?”
“Not right now.” Hades grinned. “I’ll mark you here later.”
He pulled his hands out of Aaren’s pants and brushed his thumb over Aaren’s bulge, a bold, possessive caress.
Because he already owned that part of Aaren.
Aaren moaned. “I like it when you touch me there.”
“I know.” Hades stroked him again, his lips curving when Aaren’s cock swelled under his touch. “You obey me so well, sweetheart.”
He petted Aaren until Aaren whimpered and squirmed, before wrapping his arms around Aaren in a firm hug.
“No more of that, or you’ll start smelling like you’ve been freshly fucked,” Hades said in his ear. “Let’s calm down a little.”
Aaren whined. “I want to come.”
“Later. I’ll make you come good and hard later. You can be patient for me, can’t you?”
Another whine. “But—”
Hades kissed his neck, flicking his tongue out to taste Aaren’s skin. “Sweetheart.”
And there was that note of command again, that made Aaren’s hole clench. “You will be patient for me.”
Aaren shivered. “Fine.”
“Good omega.”
Something about those words... They went straight to Aaren’s core and lit him up from the inside.
Hades pressed a kiss to Aaren’s throat, his stubble scraping Aaren’s skin. “Time for you to head in.”
“I don’t wanna.”
“The sooner you start your day, the sooner you’ll get your reward.”
That had Aaren sitting up straight. “During my lunch break?”
Hades smiled. “We’ll see, won’t we?”
Aaren slid back into his seat and put on his shoes.
For the first time in months, as Hades patted his ass and nudged him out of the car, things seemed to be looking up for Aaren again.