chapter THIRTY #3
A rapid knock at the door startles us both. Bo gestures for me to stay back as he moves to check the peephole.
"It's Beckett," he says, relaxing slightly before opening the door.
Beckett Monroe lounges against the doorframe, golden hair artfully tousled, grin firmly in place. "Well, well, well. You're both alive. And fully clothed. Disappointing."
"What do you want, Monroe?" I ask, trying for annoyed but failing to hide my smile. After everything we've been through, his irreverence is oddly comforting.
"Just checking on our favorite coxswain." His eyes scan the room, taking in the stripped bed and open window. "Sounds like you had quite the night. These walls are remarkably thin."
Heat flushes my cheeks as I realize the team likely heard everything. "Fuck."
"That's what it sounded like, yes." Beckett's grin widens.
Bo moves protectively toward me. "Beck."
"Relax, big guy. I'm just messing around." Beckett holds up his hands in mock surrender. "Actually, Zane sent me to warn you that Gray's on the warpath. He's organizing some kind of team strategy session before we leave, and he's particularly interested in your... condition, Cox."
"My condition is fine," I say, trying to maintain some dignity.
"I can see that." His eyes sparkle with mischief. "Bo clearly has hidden talents. Who knew all that Southern gentility was hiding such a wild side? The things we heard..."
"That's enough," Bo growls, but there's no real heat behind it.
"Just saying, Strickland." Beckett winks at me. "If you need any assistance during the bus ride home, I volunteer as tribute."
"I'm good, thanks," I reply, rolling my eyes. "How's everyone else?"
Beckett's expression turns more serious.
"Concerned. Jackson's on edge, keeps mumbling about biology and complications.
Eli's been calculating something all morning, probably your pheromone half-life or something equally nerdy.
Cameron hasn't said a word, which isn't unusual, but his brooding is at maximum intensity. "
"And Gray?" I ask, almost afraid of the answer.
"Our fearless captain is in full-on crisis management mode. I think he's drawing up rotation schedules." Beckett leans closer, voice dropping. "Just a heads up, he's planning something for when we get back to campus. Something about 'maintaining stability until your prescription arrives.'"
My stomach twists with a mixture of embarrassment and something dangerously close to anticipation. "Great."
"You feeling up to a team meeting?" Bo asks, his concern evident. "The suppressant's completely gone now."
I consider the question honestly, taking stock of my body's signals. "I think I'm okay for now. Your... assistance... has taken the edge off."
"I bet it has," Beckett murmurs, eyebrows waggling.
Bo shoots him a warning look, but can't quite hide his pleased expression. "Happy to be of service."
"I bet you are." I roll my eyes, but can't help returning his smile. "But seriously, I should be okay for the bus ride back. Once we're on campus..." I trail off, the uncertainty of the situation catching up to me again.
"One problem at a time," Bo says, the phrase he's repeated throughout this ordeal. "We'll figure it out."
The simple assurance, delivered with such confidence, makes me believe him despite the complexity of the situation.
"Well, I'll leave you lovebirds to finish getting ready," Beckett says, backing toward the door. "Gray wants everyone in the lobby in twenty minutes. Don't be late, or he'll probably come drag you out himself."
"We'll be there," Bo promises.
When Beckett leaves, a strange silence falls between us. The teasing made things real in a way our private bubble hadn't. The team knows. They heard. And they're planning for what comes next.
"Thank you," I say, meeting Bo's eyes. "For everything."
Bo's expression softens. "You don't need to thank me, Reese."
"I do, though." I step closer, needing him to understand. "You could have taken advantage. Could have claimed me when I was vulnerable. But you didn't. You gave me exactly what I needed without asking for anything in return."
He cups my face in his large hand, thumb tracing my cheekbone. "That's not entirely true."
"What do you mean?"
"I got something pretty remarkable in return." His eyes hold mine, serious now. "I got to see the real you. Not just the coxswain. Not just the Omega. You, Reese Callahan. And that's worth more than you might think."
The sincerity in his voice makes my throat tighten. I lean into his touch, turning my face to press a kiss against his palm.
"We should go," I say, not trusting myself to respond to his words without revealing too much. "Gray hates tardiness."
Bo nods, understanding my retreat. "After you, Cox."
The return to my title, even teasingly delivered, helps shift us back toward our public roles. Coxswain and rower. Team members with a professional relationship.
Except nothing about our relationship feels professional anymore. We've crossed a line that can't be uncrossed, opened a door that can't be closed.
As we gather our bags and head for the door, I steal one last glance at the rumpled room behind us. For one night, it was a sanctuary. A place where designation and biology brought us together, but something else entirely kept us connected.
Now we face the world beyond—the team, the university, the complications that await us back at Sable Ridge.
My heat isn't over, just temporarily sated.
The suppressant situation remains unresolved.
And the question of what happens between Bo and me, between me and the rest of the team, lingers unanswered.