23. Red
Chapter twenty-three
Red
Giddiness wells up inside as Rickon takes my hand to help me out of the Omuber car. We stole kisses with the takeaway drinks balanced on our knees for the ride from the cafe to his house, while giggling like high schoolers skipping class. My sticky thighs catch together as he leads me up narrow side steps to a second-floor unit and dials a number into the keypad.
“Welcome home,” he says, flipping the lights on even though it’s still daylight out. “It’s not much, but it’s what I have.”
My mushy heart flip-flops. Home . What a wonderful word, and all the sweeter for being said in his gentle voice. I have an alpha, and a home, and together we’re a pack. All things I was never sure I’d have.
Rickon’s shoulders sag. “Oh, I don’t have an omega’s room, sorry. I never thought I’d, well . . .” With a wry smile he waves his hand up and down to indicate me. “Never thought I’d get this lucky.”
I grab his hand and kiss his palm, flashing him a searching look. For the first time in my life, I’m the lucky one.
“Hey, that’s what I should be doing,” he says with a chuckle, reaching for my hand. Rickon exudes hotness, and he has the face of an angel coupled with a calm manner that puts me at ease, but something tells me he’s picked up the belief he’s not worthy of good things. We’ll work on that.
I follow his example and kick off my shoes inside the doorway.
Something squawks. “Hello. Come get it. Ozzie, Ozzie.”
I lean around the entrance corner and spot a giant bird cage taking up the end of a corridor. Inside, a mostly green bird stretches out his wings and bobs his orange head sideways to peer at me.
“Oh, he’s darling!” I cry, tugging my hand free from Rickon’s to skip through the door. Excitement bubbles up as I look around.
Honestly, the place is tiny, with a galley kitchen opening into a living area, and beyond that a bedroom with an en suite, but it’s cute, and mostly neat. Rickon’s love for color shines through with bold prints on the wall done in the same sparkling colors as the eyeshadow palette in his bag.
Geometric cushions sit neatly on his leather couch in a black-and-white theme that makes the splashes of color stand out. A dark purple orchid, a teal throw rug, and a photo of him and Callisto as school seniors complete the scheme. And, of course, the beautiful green parrot, who squawks again.
“This is Ozzie,” Rickon says, smiling proudly. “After you’ve been here a bit and he settles, I’ll get him out for you.”
“Hi, Ozzie,” I say, leaning down to admire him. He hooks the narrow bars with his beak and climbs up the side to eye level. Bright red hues splash around the base of his curved beak, and more red feathers morph with orange and yellow down his breast, like a sunset.
Tucking his head to the side, he chirps and proudly says, “Fuck off!”
I choke on a laugh.
“Oh, shit!” Rickon hisses. “No, Ozzie.” He spins, touching my arm. “I’m so sorry. He’s heard a lot of foul language, so he’s pretty savage.” He rubs my back as I cough. “You all right?”
Wiping tears from my eyes, I drape my arm around Rickon’s shoulder, noticing he’s the same height as me. My alpha looks like he’s about to have a panic attack. “It’s fine,” I soothe. “I like his spirit.”
Rickon slumps with relief.
I turn back to the bird and risk sticking a finger through the opening. “Nice to meet you, Ozzie. Fuck you too.”
Ozzie reaches out a claw to curl around my fingertip, sealing our pact.
Rickon glares at the bird and nudges me to turn around. Opposite my alpha’s bedroom stands the only other doorway, and I poke my head in. An electric scooter competes for the few inches of floor space left in an overflowing sewing room. A mannequin protrudes among boxes erupting with bolts of fabric, leather, and ribbons. A ribbed corset hugs the plastic hourglass torso.
“Ah, that’s, uh—” Rickon flushes, shyer now we’re in the privacy of his home than when we were sly fucking in public. It’s adorable.
“You sew?” I ask, wrapping my hands around his arm and vibrating with excitement.
He nods. “A bit. Pretty hard to come by the things I like to wear, so I started making my own.”
I scan his casual attire up and down, trying to picture that lovely corset on him, and he chuckles. “Usually I put in a bit more effort. I had no idea I’d be meeting my very own omega today.” He pivots around the doorframe to lean into me, stealing a kiss. A sweet twist to his lips tells me he’s as wildly happy as I am about this surprising piece of serendipity in our lives. He doesn’t like losing contact with me for more than a few seconds.
“Is that one of them?” I ask, pointing to a thick dress bag hanging on a rack to one side.
“Oooh, no, that, that thing is a disaster.” He groans and waves his hands, clearly flustered. “A professional one, I mean, not what’s in it.” He tugs me out of the room and closes the door, hiding the mess from view like he’s embarrassed. “Okay, so do you wanna eat now, since we kind of skipped that earlier?”
“Sure.” I kinda just want to tear that knitted sweater off him and lick every inch of his lean body, but I’m pretty sure we have plenty of time—assuming Samantha and her posse don’t catch up with me too fast.
I still need to figure out how to tell Rickon I broke out of a facility.
He gets forks from the kitchen and empties the cake tray onto the coffee table before coming back to grab my hand and tug me over to the sofa. Traces of his sewing passion, sharp-looking scissors and patterns drawn on baking paper, lie on the side table next to the couch.
“You gotta try this one. It’s my favorite.” He loads up the fork with purple-and-white marbled cake and offers it to me.
I stare at him like I’m in a trance, soaking in each voice inflection and every move of muscle in his throat when he speaks. My alpha. Rickon. I lean forward and open my mouth for him to load the cake in. A splash of flavor hits my tongue, and I murmur in appreciation.
Rickon’s pale green eyes light up. “Good, yeah? It’s boysenberry cheesecake.”
“More,” I tease, swallowing and opening my mouth again. It’s smooth, sweet, and provides a burst of flavor with every lick around my mouth. Just like Rickon himself.
“How old are you?” I ask, taking a sip of my lukewarm latte.
He grins slyly and offers me another mouthful of cheesecake. “How old do you think I am?”
I scan his face while I chew. “Twenty-two.”
Rickon chuckles. “Try twenty-seven.”
My jaw drops. “Shut the front door!” I take another look, but I’d never have guessed he was remotely near thirty.
He shrugs and strokes his smooth jaw. “It’s this baby face, I know. Maybe I should grow a beard.”
“Never,” I growl under my breath. I happen to be fond of seeing all that fine-as-sin face without any part hidden under hair.
He chuckles. “Not fair. I’m not even allowed to ask for a lady’s age.”
I drag the cheesecake slice closer and dig the second fork in. From now on, I think I’m adopting all Rickon’s favorite things too. “Twenty-five, I think.” His brows pop in question and it’s my turn to shrug. “I’ve got a bit of an unusual past. It’s light on details and things like birth certificates.”
Rickon stops with his drink halfway to his mouth. “Damn, Red, that sounds like quite the story.”
I hum under my breath. “Not one I’m eager to tell.” Some days I have dim memories of the person I was before entering the House of Bitches. Hard to know how many years I was there, when the painful heats all blend together.
Time to change the topic. “Any family? No, wait, you said you don’t have any except Callisto.” I lick the fork clean.
He nods and leans back on the couch, watching me closely. “Right, I lost them.” His teeth drag through his lower lip, making me wonder just how painful the memory is. “Although Callisto’s family basically adopted me as their own. How about you?”
“None at all. It’s just me, myself, and I.” Literally. I smile at my internal joke. “I’m good like this.”
Rickon slides closer and takes my hand, lacing our fingers together. “Not anymore.”
He’s right. The truth’s written in his pale green eyes fixed on me like I’m the only person left in the universe. A strange feeling since I know he has someone else in his heart, but that feels natural too. He’s too beautiful and pure to cherish only one love.
His smooth skin warms mine, and I feel a compulsion to move closer. Rickon stiffens as my scent thickens with arousal.
“We’re not in public now,” I murmur, holding his gaze. “You don’t have to hold back.”
He swallows thickly, and it’s like someone else steps into his skin. Someone with intensity. “You should be careful with your words.”
I thought Rickon was an innocent type, but things I don’t know about my alpha lurk behind his boyish smile, and I want to discover them all. “I don’t know the meaning of the word careful, alpha.”
Rickon shifts on the couch, all his attention homing in on me. “Anything goes?”
I scoff. “I just met my scent match. I’m not interested in limits.” The teasing line from an Alpha Spy movie slips through my lips before I’ve thought about it, followed by a twinge of worry. But I shove it aside. Things will be different now I have a soul mate.
“Fuck, Red.” Rickon breathes out my name like it’s a magic spell, then drops a cushion to the floor and kneels. Seems he plans to be there for a while. A vibration runs through his throat, a purring noise that makes my breath catch. His alpha presence might be buried deep, but it exists all right.
Rickon takes my ankle and lifts it to his lips, kissing the tender skin. Prickles of electric heat gather under his touch. His thumbs press into my flesh as he works his way up my leg, gently lifting my hem over my knees. He pauses at the top of my shin. “Since the moment you walked into that cafe, my axis shifted, Red. I think I was born to be your alpha.”
I slide my hands through his glossy white hair. “And what are you doing on your knees?”
“Worshiping,” he replies immediately. “Putting you on a pedestal so high up that when I ruin you, the fall will make you shatter.”
The molten gold of his words burns through my brain, dragging a tremor from my lips. I’ve been fucked, I’ve been ruined, but I’ve never been adored. “Do it.”
His eyes shutter slowly, and then he surges up to unzip my sundress. He murmurs as he peels the sides open, baring me for inspection.
“So beautiful.” Energy quivers through him and he grabs the back of my neck, dragging me down to meet him for a scorching kiss. Freed of societal restrictions, he doesn’t hold back, his tongue questing for mine and teeth dragging across my lips.
“You know you’re gorgeous, don’t you?” he asks, broken breath burning across my cheeks.
“I do.”
“Good. Hold on to that thought because I want to know if you taste as good as you look.” Rickon drags on my thighs, dumping me sideways on the couch. I gasp as he licks straight through my damp pussy. His thumbs peel me open and his tongue slips in, exploring every rise and fall.
I whimper, pressure building through my hips.
“Doing so well, Biscuit,” he mouths against my skin, dragging me even closer. “Cheesecake has nothing on you.” His words send a hot pulse spiking through me and I spasm. I’m his new favorite flavor.
He licks around my sweet spot, sending lightning shooting everywhere. I whimper and buck my hips.
“You’re mine now, Red.” His hot breath gusts over my slick folds, making me whine. “I’ll give you my everything, and in return you’ll be mine, and you’ll come on demand.”
Fuck me! Another hot spasm shakes my body.
His fingers dig tighter into my skin. “Am I understood?”
“Yes, a-alpha.” My shattered breathing makes it hard to talk.
“Good girl.” His tongue dives deep into my burning pussy and I tighten my knees around his head on instinct, holding that sweet sensation in place with a promise I’ll never let him go.
“Prove it,” he rasps out.
I moan and thrust my hips against his face instinctually. “How, alpha?”
He lifts his head to catch my gaze, thumbing my clit. His pale green eyes burn with lust. “Come for me.” He plunges two fingers inside and crooks them, setting me on fire.
I shout as I’m filled to the brim, energy exploding inwards. A shiver runs through my body and then I break open. His fingers continue to thrust and instead of coming down from the high, I’m thrown into a new place.
I shiver uncontrollably. “Rickon,” I cry, feet slipping on the couch as I look for purchase.
He arches over me with one knee up on the sofa edge, covering me with his body while his hand works without mercy. “I’m not stopping, Red.” He drops his mouth onto mine, sucking at my breath. “Not until you come again.”
I convulse and suddenly my pussy floods and I’m squirting up his arm, gasping at the driving pressure. I wrap my arms around his shoulders, rocking us both with my wild movements as I spasm, helpless to control myself. Never have I felt such an intense sensation.
I gasp and cling to him, shaking us both with my force. “Shit, alpha!” I whine. “You weren’t kidding.”
He nuzzles into my neck and breathes in. “I’m just getting warmed up, my love.”
I shiver.
He smiles down at me and drops kisses on the O of my lips. “I want to know what you feel like in every position, what you sound like driven beyond your senses, and how far I can push what’s mine.” Rickon rubs the cum on his forearm into my thigh with a sly grin. “And now I know you can squirt. That’s one more thing I know about you.”
A faint laugh works its way through my throat.
“And my cock wants another good look inside you. My first time wasn’t enough.” He rests me gently down on my back, tucking a cushion under my head. I watch as he stands and pulls that knit sweater off, revealing a white undershirt underneath.
I reach out one hand lazily, catching the waistband of his pants. He smiles as I drag down, helping when the fabric catches on his erection. “Your first with me, you mean,” I tease.
He grabs my wrist and holds me in place, his big, beautiful cock finally exposed. “First with an omega. First with a woman.”
I freeze, my gaze climbing his lean, pale frame to hook his gaze. “First—?” The sincerity in his lovely pale green eyes hijacks my train of thought.
His grip tightens on my wrist. “I spent most of my life burning for Callisto, remember? I’ve only fucked a handful of men who reminded me of him.”
I blink twice, my brain whitening. Fuck me! I stole this man’s bi-ginity by fucking him in a coffee shop.
He smirks. “Don’t look at me like that, Biscuit.” He moves my hand from his hip to his cock. “Today’s been the best day of my life.” He contorts to press a kiss to my lips, and I rise to meet my alpha.