Important Research
Alexei
Alexei opened the front door with one hand, juggling his grocery bags with the other, all while keeping an eye out for any wayward kittens trying to sneak out. They were fostering three on top of their own cat, Tux, and pretty much all of them were devious little escape artists.
He didn’t see any, meaning they were probably napping in the little bed Jay had set up for them in the upstairs bathroom.
He paused at the door after closing it, noting that something felt off, and then realized—Jay hadn’t called out his usual greeting.
“Sweetheart?”
“I’m here!” Jay’s voice sounded from the living room, so Alexei set his bags down and made his way over.
There was Jay, right where he’d left him, sprawled out on the couch in his purple underwear, e-reader in hand, Tux tucked between him and the couch cushions.
He didn’t look up at Alexei’s arrival. That was also out of character.
Alexei scanned the bond, but he didn’t feel anything off there. Just the usual low hum of arousal that always came through when Jay was reading one of his bawdy romances. He wondered what it was this time. Highlanders again? Or maybe an English duke and his virginal governess?
He strode to the couch and leaned over his mate, brushing a few strands of messy dark hair out of Jay’s gray eyes. “You okay, kitten?”
Jay finally looked up then, teeth worrying at his plump lower lip. His cheeks were flushed pink, and his eyes were a bit glassy.
A really good bawdy romance, then.
Alexei couldn’t help his grin. “Good book?”
Jay’s flush deepened, and his eyes darted to the side as he hugged his e-reader to his chest, as if to hide the damning smut from Alexei. “Mm-hmm.”
Alexei leaned down for a kiss, unable to resist when his mate was acting so adorably coy.
Jay met him with his normal enthusiasm, mouth opening obediently for Alexei’s tongue.
But rather than climbing up and onto Alexei as he usually would have, Jay kept it surprisingly brief, ducking his head back after only a few moments.
Huh.
Alexei cocked a brow. “I got all the ingredients we need. You ready?”
Jay had recently discovered the joys of The Great British Baking Show, and it had put him on a bit of a tear, wanting to bake every single thing he saw the contestants attempt.
Alexei was all for it—even when their attempts ended in disaster, Jay was so unbelievably pleased it was impossible not to want to try again.
Today it was milk bread. The recipe was straightforward, and Alexei was fairly certain they could manage it.
The hardest part about bread was Jay’s impatience, waiting for the dough to prove.
But—as another spike of arousal flashed through the bond, making Alexei’s cock twitch—he was more than convinced he could find a way to distract him during the allotted time.
He realized Jay hadn’t answered his question. Alexei’s little mate was staring off into the distance, his eyes still glassy and unfocused. “Kotyonok,” Alexei prompted. “You ready?”
Jay’s gaze darted to his, and he started nibbling at his lower lip again. “Um, maybe in fifteen minutes?”
Alexei’s brow furrowed. That morning, Jay had been bubbling over in his excitement to try this recipe. But if his mate needed more time to perv over his newest book, Alexei wouldn’t begrudge him that. He pressed a kiss to Jay’s forehead. “All right, sweetheart. Fifteen minutes.”
But it was a full hour later when Jay finally met him in the kitchen, face still pink and his tight underwear cupping a noticeable bulge.
He didn’t jump Alexei’s bones, though, or do that coy little dance he sometimes did when he wanted Alexei to jump his.
So they got started on the recipe, using the fancy mixing bowl with the dough hook attachment Alexei had gotten for Jay as a surprise gift.
Jay seemed enthused enough but also…distracted. He didn’t try to paint Alexei’s face with flour or sneak a bite of raw dough or make a song out of the mixer’s whirring like he usually did.
When they’d gotten the dough into the bowl, wrapped and set up to prove, and Jay still didn’t quite seem like his usual self, Alexei decided enough was enough.
He grabbed Jay by his slim hips and set him on the edge of the counter, kissing his nose when he made a delighted sound of surprise. “All right, kitten. Time to spill.”
Jay cocked his head, worrying his lip again. “Spill what?”
“Whatever’s got you so in your own head.”
“Oh.” Jay’s gaze darted around the room, almost as if he was too shy to focus on Alexei. “Well, I got a new book…”
Alexei bit back a smile. “I noticed. Real steamy one, huh?”
Jay kept up the coy act for about five more seconds before he seemed to make a decision, straightening his spine and setting his hands on Alexei’s shoulders, finally meeting his eyes. “Alexei. Have you ever heard of omegaverse?”
That…was not what Alexei had been expecting. Mostly because he had absolutely no idea what that was.
“No?” He racked his brain, still drawing a blank. He hazarded a guess. “Is it a superhero thing?”
“No, it’s— Um, so in my romance book, there are men and women.”
“Okay?”
“But within those genders, there are also alphas and omegas.”
This was maybe starting to ring a vague bell. Or was Alexei thinking of wolves?
“And alphas are big and strong, while omegas are smaller, and sweeter, and more…docile?” Jay’s cheeks flushed pink. “Submissive, even.”
“Uh-huh.” Alexei had a feeling he knew where this was going. Jay had always had a bit of a thing for their size difference, and when it came to romance concepts that might highlight that difference…well, Jay liked to play, didn’t he?
It was all coming out in a rush now. “And they have these things called heats and ruts, like—like animals do? And when omegas get aroused, they produce something called slick so even—even the male omegas can get…wet.”
With every new bit of information Jay was sharing, the arousal that had been simmering through the bond built higher and higher, and Alexei’s cock began filling—not so much at Jay’s words themselves, but at how clearly turned on Jay was by this whole concept.
“And they like the scents of each other—they scent mark, like their necks and their wrists. And they’ll bite their mates to claim them.
And, and, and when they’re in heat, omegas make nests out of pillows or blankets or their mate’s dirty clothes, and they can get pregnant.
” Jay said the last word in a whisper. “Their alphas can knock them up.”
Alexei tightened his hold on Jay’s hips, his hands almost seeming to have a mind of their own. “This is all very fascinating, kotyonok.”
“And I thought—I thought—”
Alexei pressed closer, nosing along Jay’s neck. “Do you want to play, sweetheart? Want to pretend to be my little omega?”
Jay’s breath hitched. “Yes. Yes. Would that be okay?” He pulled back and peered up at Alexei through his lashes. “It wouldn’t be too weird?”
“Oh, I think it makes perfect sense. You’re already small and sweet, aren’t you, baby?”
Jay preened. “I am, aren’t I?”
“And we’ve been known to bite each other a time or two.”
Jay nodded with enthusiasm. “That’s right.”
“So I don’t think I’d mind being your big, strong alpha.”
“Yes,” Jay sighed.
Alexei leaned down to capture his lips, but then Jay was pushing at his chest. “Wait! I need to shower.”
“Okay, I’ll—”
“Alone.”
Alexei widened his eyes, taken aback. Jay rarely ever wanted to do anything alone. But maybe it had taken more courage than he’d realized for Jay to admit to this fantasy. Maybe he needed time to regroup.
“All right.” He released his hold on Jay’s hips, and Jay leaped up from the counter, darting away to take his shower.
In the meantime, Alexei needed to do a bit of research.
As the en suite bathroom door opened, steam billowing out, Alexei set his phone aside. His research had been…illuminating, to say the least.
He might not have had quite Jay’s level of enthusiasm for this omegaverse thing, but he was definitely intrigued. Especially after he’d gotten to the section on knotting.
Fuck. The thought of Jay being locked onto him—onto his cock—unable to escape for hours, being pushed to orgasm after orgasm as he milked Alexei’s knot?
Yeah, Alexei could see the appeal.
As could his beast—just the thought of it sent a snarling rush of satisfaction through them both. A helpless, mewling Jay. All worked up with nowhere to go. All theirs.
Speaking of…
Jay stepped out of the bathroom, and Alexei watched him hungrily. Jay hadn’t bothered keeping his towel on—he rarely did, Alexei’s sweet, nudist mate—and his pretty cock was bobbing in front of him, already hard and leaking.
No surprise there. Alexei had felt the cresting arousal while Jay had been in the shower, and he was pretty sure of what his little vampire had been up to in the bathroom.
It wasn’t something Jay did often—he rarely prepped himself, preferring to lie back and let Alexei finger him thoroughly. A true pillow princess.
But Alexei had a fairly good idea why he’d broken the norm this time.
His omega needed to be wet for him, didn’t he?
But this dithering at the bathroom door wouldn’t do. Alexei patted his knee, his voice low and smooth as silk. “Come here, kitten.”
Jay’s hesitation ended there. He bounded over, stopping between Alexei’s spread legs, and Alexei wrapped his hands around his hips once more, stroking softly at the bare skin. “How do you want to play this, sweetheart?”
Jay toyed with the hem of Alexei’s shirt, humming thoughtfully. “I’m an omega going into heat.”
Alexei tightened his grip. “Is that so?”
Jay’s gray eyes met his. “And you’re my alpha.”
A hot punch of arousal went through him at those words. Yeah, he was definitely getting the appeal. He rubbed circles into Jay’s soft skin with his thumbs. “Shouldn’t you be making your nest, then, little omega? Getting ready for your alpha to breed your needy hole?”
Jay’s lips parted, and he let out a soft, gasping “Oh.”