Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
TALLY
A fter opening all the windows in the house, turning the AC to freezing and the fans on high, by the time I walk out after a shower, there’s no lingering reminder of last night. Except the huge fuck off void hollowing me out, but I’ve lived with that before.
Checking the messages on my phone for the tenth time, I walk back to the mirror to check my clothing choice for morning Mass with Pack O’Connor. Not just the pack I know, but the extended O’Connor family.
My stomach is tied up in anxiety, and I feel like I’m going to pass out.
“For shit’s sake, pull yourself together. You’ve taken down scary motherfuckers before. Going to church will be a breeze.” I jab at my reflection. “Take those earrings out, though. Fucking hell, that’s not you!”
Downstairs, I hear the beeping sound of someone putting their code in, and a moment later, Rafferty calls out. “Tally bug, where are you?”
Putting the pearl earrings down, I do a final check. Nothing is out of place, so I make my way down to meet him.
I guess I wasn’t expecting the cloud of confusion on his face. It feeds my anxiety, and my feet start to drag.
“What’s wrong?” I ask when all he does is stare.
He’s not looking at what I’m wearing, either. All his focus is on me, his eyes searching mine, but I glance away. “How was your night with Ty?”
Keeping my gaze everywhere but at him, I start moving through the house, closing windows. He follows, and without knowing, his sage and sugar scent curls around protectively, helping me calm down from a nuclear Omega meltdown.
“Yeah, it was good,” I answer, somehow managing to sound blasé when, inside, I’m holding on by a thread.
I’m not feeling this vulnerable and bewildered just because of Tynan. Admittedly, he’s made all these pretenses harder to sustain. It’s also Rafferty, Ronin, and Keegan, and everything they offer.
Rafferty makes a noise, and from the sound I hear, it’s not hard to pick up on his disbelief.
“Must have been a good night. Tynan’s as out of sorts as you. Tally, get your arse over here and let me give you a cuddle. I’m going out of my mind!”
All the reasons I need to stay away get sucked into the abyss, along with my self-preservation, it seems. In seconds, I’m in his arms, my face glued to his neck, chasing his warmth and care.
Rafferty’s presence is the sunshine I need today, and I give myself over to all the things I feel when he’s around. For a few moments, anyway.
Rafferty is murmuring in my ear about trust again. He’s promising me a beautiful, rosy future where everything I want comes true, and all the plans he made for us actually happen. And in my moment of weakness, I take everything he’s offering and more as I reach up for one of Rafferty’s kisses.
He kisses me until my lips are swollen and he’s squirming against me.
His sweetened sage scent so thick in the air, I sneeze before I perfume too.
Our scents chase some of the sting out of last night.
I mean, I’m talking BS, really. All that happens is, my Omega side becomes even more engaged with the idea of forever with them.
“Tal, I have to ask you something,” Rafferty says, lifting me off my feet as he walks us to the nearest wall.
My legs band around his waist, and he positions me so he can rub his very hard, straining cock over my pussy.
“Raf, I can’t go to church smelling like orgasm.”
“Oh, yes, you can,” he says, pushing against me harder, groaning at the relief he finds.
“How much time do we have?”
He dry humps me, looking over his shoulder. “I said I needed five minutes with you. So, we’ve got maybe four?”
The thought of having to sit through Mass with damp panties is truly horrifying, but I would.
It’s the idea of meeting Ronin’s parents that puts a stop to the idea, though, but very obviously, Rafferty needs to come.
And I know what it’s like, being an Omega and denying yourself what you need.
I live with it constantly, although since I met this pack, seem to have forgotten that ethos and I’ve been overindulging.
I wiggle against his hold, my feet touching the floor, and then I manage to fight against this huge lump of dreamy Omega and swap positions with him.
Fumbling with his belt, I bury my hand down his pants, slow realization making me look at him differently. He’s wearing thick boxers. I never knew they existed for male Omegas.
“Raff, let me give you what you need,” I whisper against his pouty mouth.
He nods, agreeing instantly.
Carefully, I pull down his padded boxers and his black suit pants, leaving both at his knees before I kneel.
“You’re going into heat,” I say, wrapping my hand around his thick cock.
He’s so wet already, his gathering slick coating his erection. I lean forward and flatten my tongue, cleaning up the mess he’s making. The flavor of him is incredible, and both of us moan. His hips are already moving, chasing the release he needs.
“I wanted to ask,” he manages before I take his tip between my lips, lapping at his slick. Rafferty becomes incoherent as he pitches up impatiently on his tippy-toes, begging in garbled moans.
I open wider, pulling in more of him, and he’s taking and praising in desperate whispers.
I focus on him, not letting my own body get dragged into his pleasure.
Sucking him hard and fast, I work him with my mouth and hands, and he holds my head still once he’s inside my throat.
He's careful but eager as he uses me. Dipping my finger through his pooling slick, I trail upwards, and he squats for me, ready for what I’m offering.
“Two, sweetheart. Give me two, hard and fast. Push them in as far as you can.”
I get the instruction and drive both fingers past the tight ring of muscle, fingering him and opening my throat. He grinds over my hand as he starts filling the back of my throat. Breathing is hard, and I have to will myself not to gag, but watching him in the throes of his orgasm is a privilege.
His gaze is on mine, nothing but endorphins and adoration in them. He doesn’t pull out, instead he flicks his hips and drops further onto my hand, chasing even more release.
And like the first time, within a few minutes Rafferty comes again with barely any effort. Nothing like the intensity of his first, but an orgasm is an orgasm. When you’re in a state of constant arousal, as only Omegas can, every climax is satisfying.
Releasing my fingers, I climb to my feet, giving him a quick kiss before I wash up, leaving him to put himself back together.
We meet back in the corridor at the same time. He looks like a different person, well kind of. It’s the same cocky Rafferty, but he’s lost the frazzle.
“So, obviously, in a day or so, I’m going into heat. I wanted to ask if you’d come”—he wiggles his eyebrows before going on—“join us. I want you there.”
It’s not horror that dawns, more like JFC WTAF OMG, yes, please. But I somehow manage to pull him in for another snuggle instead. “I’m not making any promises, but I think that would be amazing.”
I go to walk off, but he snatches me back to him. Whispering in my ear, he adds, “I’ll ask Tynan to be there too.”
Using my hand over his mouth, I shut down everything. “I’m nervous about today. Later, tonight, tomorrow, we can talk about your heat, but let me focus on meeting Ronin’s family first.”
Rafferty rolls his eyes, looking adorable, while he tongues my hand almost like an example of how his heat will be. He reaches over and grabs my handbag and my hand before we make a mad dash outside. Honestly, I’m surprised the rest of Pack O'Connor didn’t come inside.
Ronin’s on the phone, talking a mile a minute to someone with a heavy Italian accent. I’m solely focused on the way he’s assessing me, and holding his hand out for me to help me climb into the front seat, to even hear what he’s talking about.
Admittedly, it’s made even harder to follow Ronin’s conversation because Rafferty’s at my ear, teasing me. “I’ll phone the dealer and ask them to put a step around the side for you, short stuff.”
He shuts the door on me, but I don’t get the chance to settle before my seat is dropping backwards, Keegan’s lethal smirk hovering above.
He waits until I’m lying all the way back before giving me an upside-down kiss that’s completely inappropriate, given the audience.
And toe-curlingly perfect, given the circumstances.
Before I can do or say a thing, his finger is on the controls of the seat, taking me up to sitting. The moment I’m back in position, Ronin is driving off, still talking.
Twisting, I catch Tynan’s eyes. He’s walled himself away, and braced for my presence, hiding behind even more barriers than usual.
My admiration for him grows exponentially. I told him to protect himself, and he has. I won’t begrudge him that. I only hope, one day, he remembers what I said about trusting me too.
Ronin hangs up, keeping his focus on the road.
Grateful he’s somewhat distracted, I sit forward, barely moving a muscle and taking his moment of silence to try to steady myself.
Being in the car with them sounds ridiculously easy, but it’s getting harder to maintain any sort of distance.
And no shit, I keep blurring those lines every chance I get.
I squeak when something touches my neck and go to brush it off, but it's not something easy to budge. Ronin’s hand slides around my nape, his thumb trailing over my racing pulse. He calms me in a few touches before obliterating my heart rate all over again as he drags me over my seat to his mouth.
The fool is laughing under his breath at the shock in my eyes.