Chapter 12
GETTING TO KNOW YOU
Aaren gaped. Then he blushed. “I’m sure this house is big enough.”
“Well, at least I wasn’t counting on the house to make you moan,” Hades said dryly. Aaren choked. “C’mon, let me show you around before I drive you to work.”
Aaren scrambled to follow Hades to the front door. “You like frogs? These look familiar.”
“Funny you should say that. I saw an ad for them at the Wine Shack and asked Olson about it. Turns out, his best friend’s coworker, Perry Larkin... His alpha was selling some frog-themed decorations. Something about a Youtube channel. Anyway, I thought these looked hilarious and bought them.”
“They’re adorable,” Aaren said fervently. Then the front door opened, and Hades waved Aaren in.
The first thing that struck Aaren, was that Hades’ house smelled entirely of cherrywood.
He stopped next to the door and just breathed.
Hades raised an eyebrow.
“Smells so good,” Aaren blurted. “I love the way you smell.”
Before he could claw back the words, Hades grinned. “I figured as much. You keep trying to sniff me.”
Aaren blushed hotly. Hades rumbled, and cradled Aaren’s face with one hand, skimming his thumb across Aaren’s cheekbone.
“You’re beautiful when you blush,” Hades murmured.
“Well, so are you. Beautiful, I mean. Even when you don’t blush. But if you ever blush, I want to see it.” Aaren froze, horrified that these words were falling out of his mouth. What was he doing? Surely no one told ex-cons that they were beautiful! Especially ex-con alphas. “Um.”
Hades stared at him. Aaren stared back, wracking his mind for a distraction.
In a sudden fit of inspiration, he stepped forward, palming Hades’ bulge. “Mmm!”
Hades laughed. “As distraction techniques go, this is pretty effective.” His voice dropped to a rumble; he covered Aaren’s hand with his own, rolling his hips.
His bulge slid seductively against Aaren’s palm, half-hard and tempting.
“Now, we should do the tour before I end up fucking you against the front door.”
“I wouldn’t say no to that,” Aaren’s mouth said. “I would ride you like a merry-go-round.”
Another laugh. Hades’ eyes crinkled. “Damn, you’re bad for my self-control. That said, don’t you want to see the inside of my house?”
“Oh!” Aaren turned to look.
The living room was a homey space, plush navy couches in front of a large TV.
A guitar hung out in one corner, and a fake potted plant stood guard in another corner.
Framed band posters decorated the walls, but with uneven gaps between them that made Aaren think Hades still had yet to finish his poster collection.
“Those are some wide couches,” Aaren said. “They’re almost like beds.”
“They’re comfy enough to sleep on. And the backs are... comfy too. For you to bend over.”
Heat bolted through Aaren; he remembered last night. “Mmm. Last night was amazing.”
Then he remembered that houses had kitchens, and he promptly released Hades’ bulge to hurry there.
Behind him, Hades chuckled. “I didn’t think there was anything that would make you release my cock.”
“I’m not obsessed with it,” Aaren protested.
“Uh huh.”
Aaren pretended not to hear that, slowing down closer to the kitchen. It was larger than he expected, more spacious than Ballus’. If Aaren could, he would’ve written a love song for this kitchen.
The granite counters were clean and uncluttered, the double sink was large enough to fit a huge pot, and the fridge was a humongous masterpiece.
Aaren hefted a frying pan—one of the better brands—and found a seasoned cast iron pan.
The knives were mounted on a magnetic strip above the sink, and a stand mixer perched on the far side of the counter.
The spice rack was full of spices, including some that Aaren had always wanted to try but couldn’t afford.
The spices were fresh too; he sniffed at a jar of rosemary and purred in delight.
When he opened the cabinets, he found a pile of kitchen gadgets that were hyped up on the internet, but that he had never gotten his hands on. Aaren squeaked. “You have the fancy pepper grinder! People say this one is the fastest in the industry.”
“Yeah, the regular grinders are way too slow,” Hades rumbled. Then he looked hopeful. “Is the kitchen to your liking?”
“Yes! You have all the things.” Aaren carefully did not start pulling out all the gadgets; he wanted a whole day here to slowly examine each and every one of them. “It’s bigger than Ballus’.”
Hades’ laugh curled down his spine. “You knew that, going in.”
“It can go in again,” Aaren blurted, and blushed vividly. “I didn’t know about your kitchen. This place is like a wet dream.”
“Good,” Hades purred.
Aaren peeked into the oven to check how much space it had, then he peeked into the fridge and freezer too. There were stacks of vacuum-sealed meat in the freezer; he pulled out a package of bison and wriggled excitedly. “Can I cook this?”
Hades grinned indulgently. “Not right now, but I can set that aside for you. Tell me what ingredients you want to use with it, and I’ll make sure they’re here.”
I love you, Aaren almost blurted.
No, that was too soon. No one fell in love in two days.
He returned the bison meat to its proper place and checked the other packages—seafood, chicken, lamb, and beef. So many different meals, so many possibilities.
A thought struck him. He turned and frowned at Hades. “You can cook.”
“Yes,” Hades admitted. “I can.”
“So why did you follow me all the way to Meadowfall and pay me two hundred bucks to cook for you?”
Hades smiled crookedly. “Sweetheart, there’s a difference between knowing how to cook, and cooking well. Your cooking is phenomenal. Better than anything I can make. Sometimes I use boxed mixes and take shortcuts.”
“Well, I do that too. It’s not like I go out of my way to make the best things for Ballus.” Aaren shrugged.
“Would you do that for me? Go out of your way, I mean.”
“I will if you give me the ingredients, enough time, and some advance warning,” Aaren said dryly.
Hades came closer, grinning fondly. “Your parmesan-crusted chicken was beyond perfect, and you whipped that up with no advance notice at all.”
“Half the battle is won by having the right ingredients on hand.”
Hades huffed. “Just accept the compliment, sweetheart.”
He held Aaren’s gaze and didn’t look away.
“Fine.” Aaren finally let Hades’ words settle around him. He really admires me. That felt new, and amazing. “But at some point, I want to taste your cooking too. Please?”
Hades gave him a wry look. “Sure. Just lower your expectations when you taste it.”
“That’s better than what any other alpha has done for me. Even just... agreeing to cook for me. Most alphas think it’s below them.”
Hades curled his lip. “All those alphas you’ve been with, none of them are good enough for you.”
Aaren’s heart skipped. He let himself enjoy the indignant look on Hades’ face for a while.
Then a thought struck him. “What if I cook for you on my days off? Either for real, or just pretending to. I’ll be your ‘private chef’.
It’ll give me an excuse to stay away from Ballus’ house for a longer time. ”
Hades lit up. “I can cook for you on those days, too. I love it.”
“Or you could paint me.”
They exchanged a look, a nameless thing pulling taut between them. Hades’ gaze darkened. “We could do a combination of both. I could paint you in the kitchen, too.”
“Naked?”
“Wearing just an apron.” Hades licked his lips. “Yeah, I like that idea.”
“You’re going to fuck me over the counter, aren’t you?”
“No promises.”
But going by the look in Hades’ eyes, Aaren’s future involved a very messy cream filling. He swallowed hard. “I can’t work during my heat.”
“Mmm.” Hades growled. “Is your heat still reserved for me?”
“Yes,” Aaren moaned. “It’s next week. But I don’t know if you’re gonna be busy with work or something.”
“Any alpha who worries more about his schedule than his omega’s heat is not a good alpha.
I’ll be ready.” Hades palmed himself. “Then again, maybe I’m just completely selfish.
Heats are alphas’ wet dreams, sweetheart.
Having you writhing and begging for my cock?
Watching you spread yourself to show me your wet, ready hole?
There’s nothing that’ll make me harder.”
A blush rose through Aaren, starting from his chest and sweeping up his neck, to his face. Hades rumbled, gathering Aaren into his arms.
“Anything you need, I’ll provide it,” Hades said into his hair. He pulled Aaren flush against his strong chest, his bulge growing thick. “And before I forget—we should get a lawyer to look over your contract. Maybe we can get you out of it.”
Aaren grimaced. “Lawyers are expensive. It’s okay. I can hang in there for another six months.”
Hades grimaced back at him. “Don’t worry about the cost. I’ll pay for it. I don’t want you to suffer.”
Did he hear what he was saying? Lawyers were expensive! Aaren couldn’t wrap his mind around it.
“At some point, I’ll have to meet with Gran’s inheritance lawyer again,” Aaren blurted instead. “To prove that Ballus and I are still a thing.”
“Ugh.” Hades rubbed his back. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. Just think about having some new eyes on your contract, all right? I want this to be as painless for you as possible.”
“I’ll try,” Aaren sighed.
“Good omega.” Hades dropped a kiss on the crown of Aaren’s head.
Was it even possible? It would be so nice to come home to Hades every night, to burrow into Hades’ bed and cuddle with him, instead of suffering Ballus’ hurtful insults.
But lawyers cost thousands of dollars, and that was too much for six months of peace.
Aaren wouldn’t be able to make enough money to pay Hades back for it.
It was a nice daydream, though. Aaren would content himself with these stolen moments with his alpha.
Hades scooped Aaren onto the counter and caught his knees, pushing his legs apart. Aaren gasped. Hades’ smile turned hungry.
“The way you look when I spread your legs, sweetheart,” Hades growled.
“H-How do I look?” It felt as though all the air was escaping the kitchen, when Hades hauled Aaren’s ass to the counter’s edge and stepped between his legs, forcing them to open wider around him.
“Your pupils dilate,” Hades said quietly. “Your mouth falls open, and your breathing goes shallow. You grew wet, didn’t you?”
Aaren’s hole fluttered. “A little.”
“Beautiful.” Hades leaned in, brushing their noses together. Then he slanted his lips over Aaren’s.
Truth be told, Aaren didn’t think he would ever grow tired of kissing Hades.
There was something seductive about Hades’ kisses, the way he slid their mouths together so friction exploded between them.
He sucked on Aaren’s lower lip, flicking his tongue against it.
He grazed that sensitive flesh with his teeth, then slid his tongue into Aaren’s mouth, softly at first, before thrusting in possessively like he was claiming Aaren with his cock.
As he stole the breath from Aaren’s lungs, Hades slipped his hands under Aaren’s shirt, dragging his wrists up Aaren’s back to cover him in his scent.
He marked Aaren’s arms too, then slid his hands up the front of Aaren’s shirt, trailing his wrists over Aaren’s belly to his chest. He ground his wrists against Aaren’s nipples, rubbing pleasure into both pebbled nubs.
“You don’t mind my belly?” Aaren mumbled into Hades’ mouth. “It’s... not flat.”
“More for me.” Hades cupped Aaren’s belly with both hands, squeezing him there. He squeezed Aaren’s thighs too, kneading the soft flesh. All his touches felt careful, lingering and reverent. It was nothing like Aaren had experienced before.
How long will this last? asked a little voice in his head. How long until Hades gets tired of me?
Aside from his ability to cook, Aaren wasn’t much. He got excited easily and made stupid mistakes; he wasn’t wise or financially stable like Hades. Surely there were more capable omegas out there, omegas who were prettier and less of a disaster than Aaren was.
He could ask. But what if Hades hadn’t thought about this before, and Aaren’s asking made him remember all his other options?
Hades pulled back, frowning as he looked into Aaren’s eyes. “Sweetheart? What’s wrong?”
Aaren made a face. Crap. “Um. The counter is too hard?”
A huff. “Try again.”
Aaren stared at Hades’ chest, afraid of meeting his eyes.
“You didn’t—and you still don’t—have to pick me.
What if you grow tired of me and go away?
I mean, it’s not like I can tell you how to feel about me.
We’ve only known each other for a few days.
But I’m scared that you’ll leave. This is the sort of thing we’re not supposed to talk about, right?
No one is supposed to make promises this soon. ”
“Oh, sweetheart.” Hades cupped Aaren’s face with both hands, tipping his head back so he could look into Aaren’s eyes. “I’ll be here as long as you need me.”
“But... you don’t need me.”
Hades raised an eyebrow, gesturing behind himself. “Do you see a line of omegas waiting for me?”
“Well, they haven’t met you. They’d be queuing up if you hold a meet and greet.”
“Ha. That line will be halved just because I’m an ex-con. And halved again because I’m not... I can get violent with other alphas, you know. I have blood on my hands.” Hades didn’t even look regretful.
Aaren swallowed. “You’re not hurting innocent people, right?”
Hades shook his head. “No.”
“Then I think you’re fine.”
Hades exhaled. “Just like that? Really?”
“I know there are alphas out there who suck,” Aaren muttered. “If you want to hurt them, I’m not stopping you. Except for Ballus because I want my inheritance.”
Hades snorted. “Well, I’m not going to argue with that, if it means I get to keep you.” He lowered his gaze. “Sometimes... Sometimes I get lonely, you know. My friends have been pairing up left and right. They’re spending more time with their omegas than me these days.”
Yeah, Aaren could understand that. He still believed Hades could have his pick of omegas, but... It was better not to think about that right now.
It wasn’t as though Hades had offered to give Aaren his bonding mark.
He curled his fingers into Hades’ shirt, tugging him closer. “I still have a bit of time before my shift starts. Will you touch me again?”
Hades flashed a quick smile and nuzzled him, purring in his ear. “Yes. I’ll give you a couple of good orgasms, then take you to work. How does that sound?”
“Please,” Aaren said.