Chapter Four
Roderic
It was a fight to keep my eyes on the road and focus on driving instead of the little omega in the backseat. I’d put her back there because I’d known having her next to me would have been too much temptation.
Nodding at the guard outside the parking garage, I eased my SUV through the gate and into my usual spot. Despite there only being about sixteen of us living in the building, there were almost twice as many parking spaces.
Cadence’s old, silver Toyota being in the second closest spot to the elevator still made me smirk every time I saw it.
Leo had upgraded her to an SUV like mine since it was safer for the baby to ride in, so she’d passed the beater to her younger brother despite his and Leo’s protests about getting something new.
It was more than a decade older than any other vehicle in the garage and looked completely out of place, but its defiance fit perfectly.
The distraction only lasted a moment as another whimper reached my ears.
Paige’s cramps seemed to be coming almost back to back, and while she fought not to show how much pain she was in, little noises kept slipping out to tease my ears.
Tension radiated from her lithe figure, and I had to clench my hands on the wheel to keep from racing around to yank her out and onto my knot.
I turned to catch her eyes, trying to keep myself grounded despite the cocktail of scents swirling around me.
“Last chance, Sweetheart. It’s not too late to change your mind.”
The crease between her brows deepened as she panted.
“Yes it is. I need a knot. Now.”
My first impression of her had been that she was a fighter, but otherwise she’d seemed like the typical quiet omega. Hearing those words come from her plush lips had my cock trying to rip through my slacks.
I couldn’t stop my grin.
“Lucky for you, I’ve got one of those ready and willing.”
She huffed, but I was out of the car before she could respond. Not wanting to panic whoever was watching the camera feed, I kept myself at a measured pace as I walked around the car and opened her door.
Just the few moments of fresh air were enough that getting hit with her scent again felt like a physical blow. My head spun, cock straining to reach the omega.
I sobered when Paige seemed to flinch as I reached for her, so I paused until I realized she was having another cramp. Instead of taking her hand and helping her out, I reached across and unbuckled her, then lifted her out of the seat.
Her pinched brows rose, surprise clear on her face even as she panted through the pain. One arm was clamped across her belly, but she wound the other up and around my neck, her touch along my nape sending shivers down my spine.
“Just a couple more minutes, then I can help you. Try to breathe and focus on something else.”
The look she gave me had me chuckling. There was enough sass in it to convince me that the terrified, meek woman I’d seen at the other apartments wasn’t what she was usually like.
It made me curious about her, but it wasn’t the time to ask those questions.
There were more important things to focus on.
Shifting her in my arms, I dug my key out of my pocket as we stepped into the elevator, inserting it and typing in the code to take me to my suite.
Leo had the top floor, and I was just below him, the last line of defense if a threat managed to make it as far as the building.
Without a key and his specific code, which only four other people knew, the elevator would stop at my level instead of his.
I turned my attention back to the woman in my arms as my finger lifted from the keypad. We were seconds away from my apartment, from all the dirty things I planned to do to her, and I needed to focus on her safety and needs before I was too lost in her to think straight.
She’s been squirming in my arms, and I’d thought it was the pain of her cramps, but as I looked down at her, I realized I may have waited too long. The stain on her pants had grown, and she was rubbing her thighs together for friction as she pressed her nose to my chest and inhaled.
Part of me loved it and wanted to let her keep scenting me, but if I did that, I wouldn’t be able to focus.
I tried to set her on her feet, but she clung to me, turning in my hold until she could wrap both arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. She moaned when she felt my erection nudging her and rocked her hips, rubbing against it and stealing my breath.
“Paige…”
It was a rumble of warning as my hands flexed on her ass where they had moved to support her. Her answer was a whine as she ground against me, almost taking my sanity.
Reaching up, I tangled my fingers in the short hair at the base of her skull and tipped her head back. Her pupils were completely blown, no sign of the pretty blue from when I first saw them.
“Paige, I need you to focus, Sweetheart.”
I couldn’t get the growl out of my voice since she continued to writhe against me. The elevator ride that usually took only a few breaths seemed to be lasting forever, but the doors finally slid open to my entryway.
Striding through the short hall, I made my way to the dining room, figuring it was the safest place that would contain the least of my scent. It was a struggle to peel her off me, her whines and wordless pleas breaking my heart, but I had to protect her the best I could, which meant talking first.
She hadn’t responded to her name, so I let my alpha side ride closer and tried a different approach.
“Omega! You have to sit and answer my questions before I can help you.”
Her pupils flexed as she looked up at me from the wooden seat, finally releasing my jacket so I could put a couple steps between us. I still smelled her all over me, but the physical distance helped me think.
“I need to know if you have any triggers. Anything that would be a hard no.”
She blinked, pink tongue slipping out to wet her lips before it disappeared. I wanted to chase it with mine, see how she would respond to my kiss, but after what I’d seen happening to her, I needed to be sure I didn’t cause any harm while trying to help her.
“I—don’t think so?”
I knew it would be twice as hard for her to focus, but my command and our separation seemed to have helped bring her back for the moment.
“There’s nothing you don’t like? Nothing that would make you uncomfortable?”
She wasn’t young enough that I thought this was her first heat, so it was a little suspicious when she shrugged and shook her head.
“Bondage? Gagging? Toys? Discipline?”
Her eyes got wider with each suggestion, and I was still in vanilla territory, making me think the issue was limited experience.
“Have you been with an alpha during your heat before?”
Suppressants and the drugs used during heat were frowned upon, but that didn’t mean people didn’t use them. Some of the worry that had grown behind my breastbone eased when she nodded that she had.
“How many?”
That little furrow appeared between her brows again, and she pulled in a shaky breath before answering.
“One.”
The alpha side of me was both excited and furious. I wanted to be her only alpha, but I was also relieved she had some experience. And since she’d only been with one, it meant I could still be her first in other ways.
“Did he ever tie you up? Gag you? Spank you? Use toys like dildos, clamps, vibrators…”
She shook her head for each one, squirming in the seat. Her knuckles were white where she had her fingers curled around the edges of the chair. She was fighting her urges, but I could see she was losing to them as her thoughts turned at my suggestions.
Squatting so I was eye level with her, I ignored the way my slacks pulled tight across my swollen shaft.
“Anal? Plugs or him?”
I watched her throat work, and she licked her lips again before dipping her chin the slightest bit.
“Once. Him.”
Her cheeks were already flushed but the color deepened, and she couldn’t maintain eye contact.
“And did you enjoy it?”
Her jaw flexed and her knuckles blanched whiter. She let out three harsh breaths before her head dipped again, although she still avoided my gaze.
Reaching out, I gripped her chin and lifted her head. She tried to keep her focus to the side of me until I growled, snapping her attention to my face.
“There is no reason to be embarrassed by what you like, Sweetheart. It would be like me being embarrassed about enjoying Asian food. Some people like it, some don’t, but neither preference is wrong.”
I held her gaze as she studied my face, her grip easing and her muscles loosening as she realized I was being honest with her. There was nothing she could have told me that would ever have caused me to make her feel bad about it, but it seemed like someone else had.
“Good girl. Thank you for answering me honestly.”
Her whole expression lifted at the compliment, and a gentle vibration started in her throat before she cut it off with a cough.
Lips lifting, I let her pull out of my grasp, filing the information away for later. My little omega enjoyed praise, and she was going to get as much of it as she could ever want.
“How about I tell you what I enjoy, and you let me know if there’s anything you don’t want to try? Hmm?”
She was breathing hard and her whole body was trembling, but I still needed a little more information to be sure I didn’t take things too far.
If she’d only ever been with one alpha, he may not have had my tastes, and while a lot of omegas couldn’t remember their heats clearly, I didn’t want her to think I was going to take advantage of the huge amount of trust she’d placed in me.
She swallowed and nodded, worry and curiosity mingling on her face. That was good, smart, and I wouldn’t hold anything against her if she said no. She had the control, and I needed her to see that.
“I enjoy tying up my partner, either to the bed with ropes, or sometimes simply restraining their hands with cuffs. I don’t generally use gags, but I do like blindfolds.
I like using a variety of toys to help me please them, from vibrators to clamps.
A little domestic discipline is fun, too, but I won’t leave permanent marks. No claiming.”
Her lips had parted, and she’d clenched her thighs together as I spoke. The scent of fresh slick was overwhelming, and I had to reach down to adjust myself before the pain of my slacks digging into me grew to be too much.
“And I also enjoy a bit of anal play. We can start with plugs and work up to more.”
A high-pitched whine filled the room, calling to all my instincts. Her eyes were so wide and black I wasn’t sure she’d be able to respond, but I asked anyway.
“Does all of that sound okay to you?”
Chest heaving, she threw herself off the chair into my arms, mouth crashing into mine in a demanding kiss that cut off all thought of conversation.