Chapter Nine
Dex
I waited until Otto began to snore in my ear before ever so carefully wiggling out of his tight embrace and slipping from the bed.
Feeling my way around the floor, I found my clothes and slunk into the bathroom to dress.
I hoped that if Otto woke before I escaped, he would think I was peeing and go back to sleep.
It turned out that Otto was sleeping like the dead and I didn’t need to worry, I probably could have turned on the lights and television without disturbing him.
Once dressed, I locked the front door behind me and stepped into the moonlight, unsure where I was going.
My apartment was out of the question as Otto knew where it was and had already proved his ability to get in without an invitation.
It was nearly eleven, so too late to bug Taylor on a school night, even if I was willing to endure the scolding he’d have for me.
My stomach growled, reminding me it had been several hours since I had eaten.
“Dinner first,” I decided. “Then we’ll see.”
Given the late hour, the all-night diner was the only possibility that didn’t involve going home and cooking, so I summoned an Uber on my walk out to the main road. I slipped into a corner booth, staring out the window with my hands wrapped around a cup of hot tea while I waited for my food.
“Dex? You okay?” Corbin’s voice caught my attention.
“Corbie, hey. Want to join me?”
Corbin glanced around before looking back at me. “You alone?”
I nodded. “Why?”
Corbin shook his head. “Just surprised, I guess. Ever since you got pregnant, Taylor has been hovering over you, so I was surprised you were alone.”
“Yeah, he is a little overprotective, I guess but it’s been a lot.”
“I get it.” Corbin sat down on the booth bench across from me. “But your Dads are supportive, aren’t they? They don’t strike me as the shotgun marriage type.”
That made me laugh. “Yeah, you’re right but they have a lot going on without me adding drama.”
Our server ambled over to offer Corbin a menu, rolling her eyes good-naturedly when he waved it away and recited his standing order.
“Gonna turn into a chicken fried steak one of these days,” she teased.
“Then at least I know I’ll be delicious, Kelly,” he retorted with a grin as she left to add his order to mine.
“Moving in on the senior citizens, are you?” I teased, smirking when she patted her gray curls on her way to the kitchen.
Corbin chuckled. “A little harmless flirting can go a long way to making someone’s day,” he said with a shrug. “Now, why don’t you tell Uncle Corbin what’s bugging you?”
“You’re my uncle now?” I asked skeptically. “Aren’t you two years younger than I am?”
Corbin stuck his tongue out at me. “I have an uncle who is ten years younger than me, so just accept it and spill.”
I already knew what Taylor would have said, so what could it hurt to get another opinion? With a mental shrug, I spilled the whole story. Finishing just as our food arrived, I sat back to let Kelly set my plate in front of me while Corbin silently mulled my words over.
Halfway through his chicken fried steak, Corbin finally spoke. “I need clarification.”
“Okay.”
“Why are you having sex with Otto if you don’t want to?”
“He’s not forcing me,” I jumped in quickly.
Corbin sighed. “Yeah, you said that like five times while you were talking. Since we know he’s not forcing you, why are you doing it?”
“It’s complicated,” I huffed, stabbing my fork into my potato salad. “It’s not that I don’t want to sleep with him.” I sighed. “You all know I’ve wanted him forever and since he’s the baby’s sire, I guess I’m kind of hardwired to seek him out while I’m pregnant.”
Corbin nodded and continued to eat.
“But he’s made it clear that I’m just a convenient fuck, so I don’t want to want him because I know he doesn’t want me. It leaves me feeling like shit afterward. Does that make any sense at all?”
“Actually, it does,” Corbin agreed, shoving his empty plate away and snatching a carrot stick off mine. “Have you thought about asking Doc if they can give you anything to control the hormone response and then avoiding him?”
I sighed again. “Kind of hard to avoid him when he knows where I live, where I work, and that all he has to do is crook a finger and I’ll fall at his feet. Or on his dick, more accurately.”
The only sound was Corbin gnawing on the carrot for a minute and then he perked up.
“Have you thought about taking off for a bit? I mean, you have a ton of vacation time saved up and if you’re not in the area, you can’t fall under his spell,” he snickered, “or on his dick while you sort shit out in your mind, right?”
Hm.
“That’s not a terrible idea,” I said slowly. “Robin keeps nagging me about using my vacation time, but where would I go? It can’t be too far in case something happens with the baby.”
“I know just the place,” Corbin announced with a grin and pulled out his phone. “A woman I work with bought a cabin up in the foothills and when she’s not using it, she rents it out on that website for vacation rentals. Give me a sec.”
I finished my club sandwich while he tapped and thumbed through images on the screen.
“She says it’s available starting tomorrow. We could swing by your place so you can pack and then you can spend the night on my couch. Do you think Robin will approve your vacation request that soon?”
I shrugged and reached for my phone. “Only one way to find out.”
~*~
Otto
When I woke up alone and said my Omega was gone, I had no idea how right that statement was.
I had low-key stalked Dex to the point where I had his work schedule memorized, so I assumed that I would find him at the coffee shop. Hurrying through a shower, I pulled on the first pair of jeans and t-shirt that I found pawing through the basket of clean laundry and headed out at a brisk walk.
When I didn’t see Dex at the counter, I slipped around to check the employee break area where I’d found him before. Other than a teenage girl hosing the patio off, it was empty.
“Can I help you?” She was eyeing me suspiciously and pointed to the no-entry sign on the half wall. “This is an employee-only area.”
“Sorry, I was looking for Dexter and didn’t see him inside.”
I was rewarded with an impressive eye roll and sneer. “Duh. He’s on vacation. Why would he be here?”
Vacation? He didn't mention a vacation to me. More importantly, why the hell was he out of bed at the crack of dawn on his first day on vacation? Especially after I kept him up and wore him out the night before?
“Oh, right. I forgot about his vacation. Sorry I bothered you.” I smiled but the alarm on her face suggested it might not have translated well, so I gave up and headed back to the front of the building before she decided I was a threat.
Walking the few blocks to Dex’s building, I made my way to his third-floor apartment with the usual lack of trouble and knocked. No response. I knocked again, louder, and called Dex’s name softly.
Still nothing.
Pressing my ear to the door, I listened for any sign that Dex was inside, either ignoring me or in distress but didn’t hear anything.
“Don’t think he’s home, hun.”
I jumped, somehow managing to bang my head on the doorjamb as I tried to make it look like I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop through the door.
The way the old lady was stifling her giggles as she looked out the door across the hall assured me that I failed miserably.
“Do you know where he is?”
She shook her head. “Nope, but he was hauling a fair-sized suitcase when he and that other handsome young man left last night.”
“Last night?” I parroted. “I, uh, saw him last night.”
“Oh, it was late,” she said conspiratorially. “Almost two in the morning. You know how young lovers are.”
“You were up at two in the morning?”
She laughed. “I was walking a gentleman caller of my own out when they left,” she said saucily.
Okay, then.
“But Dex didn’t say where he was going?”
“We just waved,” she said, “but I did hear the other young man say something about picking up keys to a cabin, if that helps.”
Nope, we were in the middle of dozens of areas with cabin rentals, so that didn’t help at all.
“Thanks.”
“Do you want me to give him a message if he comes home?” she offered. From the gleam in her eyes, I suspected she was more interested in gossip than in helping me.
“No, thanks. I’ll just call him.” I pulled out my cell phone and waggled it in her direction, as if that was going to convince her. “Have a good day.”
Back out on the street, I leaned against the building and dialed Dex’s phone number, chewing the inside of my cheek while I waited to see if he picked up.
Voicemail.
I blew out my breath as a lump began to grow in my chest. Where was my Omega and who was the man with him?
Why had he left?
How was I going to get him back if I couldn’t find him?
Fuck.