Chapter 41
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
SKYLAR
A cry rips me out of my sleep, and my eyes fly open.
I hadn’t meant to doze off, but being curled up with Riann as she softly snored beside me made it impossible to stay awake. The comfort of being with my mate, coupled with her intoxicating marshmallow scent, allowed me to finally relax and rest.
That was a mistake.
As my senses snap into focus, I prop myself up on my elbow and look her over frantically. Her hands are pressed against her middle, and she’s squirming uncomfortably.
“Preciosa,” I whisper, reaching to cup her face. Her skin is blazing, burning against my fingers, and my stomach plummets. Her eyes are glazed over, which tells me she's in the full throes of heat.
“I need you, alpha.” Her voice comes out on a whine that wraps around my heart and squeezes like a vice. “Please, I was trying to let you sleep, but—”
I cut her off by pressing my mouth to hers, and my hand immediately dives between her slick-coated thighs. I sink three fingers into her without hesitation, driving them slow and deep before breaking our kiss.
“I don’t need to sleep. I don’t need to do anything but take care of you, sweet omega.” I curl my fingers inside her until she moans.
Her climax takes her hard and fast, and she cries out with her release, her nails biting into my shoulders.
I slip my fist back into place inside her, happy to do whatever she needs to sate the ache of her heat, and she settles.
However, this time, instead of curling up and going back to sleep, I have a different plan.
She’s a sweaty, sticky, slick-coated mess. And even though I love the way she reeks of marshmallows, I know she’ll feel much better after a shower.
When her pussy relaxes enough for me to slip my hand out of her, I crawl over her body and leap off the bed, landing softly on the floor. She whines, reaching for me.
“Nooooo. Where are you going?” she asks, the broken warble in her voice making my chest ache. “You said you wouldn’t leave me.”
“I’ll never leave you,” I assure her, bending to scoop her up off the damp bed. She nuzzles into my chest, one of her hands snaking up to hook behind my neck. “But I think a shower will make you feel better; it might help with the fever.”
“I don’t want a shower,” she groans against my chest. “I-I want my nest.”
“I know, and we’ll be back in your nest in a few minutes, I promise.” I carry her across the room to the bathroom in the corner, relieved to find it tiny and fully stocked.
“Are you going to shower with me?”
“Of course.” I chuckle, shoving the shower curtain aside and reaching to turn on the water with her still gripped tightly against me. “I’m a sweaty mess. I probably stink.”
That earns me a weak laugh, and I press a kiss against her temple while I wait for the water to warm. I keep it room temperature, not wanting to exacerbate her temperature by making it hot. She’ll probably pout, maybe even complain, but it’s what’s best for her.
I carefully help her into the shower, hating how wobbly she is on her own feet, and climb in after her. I pull her against my chest, letting her lean on me as the water pelts her back.
“It’s so cold,” she whines. “Can’t you make it hotter?”
“You’ll get used to it in a second,” I promise. “Here, let’s get your hair wet so I can wash it.”
With a whimper, she obeys, and I get her hair wet enough to massage shampoo into the long strands.
I’ve never had long hair, so this definitely isn’t my forte, but I do my best. I massage her scalp with her arms around me, moving quickly in case she gets too unsteady to stand.
Then I run conditioner through her long locks.
“That feels good,” she sighs with her eyes still closed. “Can you do this all the time?”
“As often as you want, preciosa.” I kiss the tip of her nose before grabbing a wash rag. I set to work washing her head to toe, kneeling to gently clean between her thighs.
When she’s clean, I go to reach for the faucet, but she shakes her head against my chest. “Not yet. Please.”
“Don’t you want your nest?” I ask.
“I do, but… I want… to stay here for a while.” She pulls back enough to look up at me. Her brows are slightly pinched together, and I fear she might be uncomfortable, but I don’t want to rush her if she wants to stay in the shower.
“Alright, but we’re going to sit. And whenever you’re ready to go back to the nest, let me know.”
She nods.
I adjust the shower head so it won’t be spraying us straight in the face and take a seat in the bottom of the tub. Riann plops down in front of me, her back pressed flush against me, her head leaning back on my shoulder.
“Are you comfortable, preciosa?” I ask, wrapping my arms around her and gently pressing against her middle with my hands, hoping it’ll stave off the cramps and buy us a few more minutes.
She sighs softly. “This is… perfect.”
Riann’s heat is short and brutal, lasting just over twenty-four hours. Somewhere around midnight, I began to wonder if I’d be able to get her through it. Was I alpha enough for the job? Or would she suffer because I lacked something essential to easing her discomfort?
However, in her brief moments of lucidity, when she wasn’t completely lost to the heat, she told me over and over again how grateful she was to have me. That I was doing everything perfectly.
That was enough to fuel my determination. I made her come as many times as her body could manage, until she was a limp noodle in my arms. My fist might not have been a knotted toy, or the real thing, but it did the job just fine.
When her fever finally breaks, and we’re lying beneath the glowing fairy lights in her nest, it hits me just how perfect we are together. Riann buries herself close, fitting snugly into the crook of my arm, and I settle into the sea of mellow bliss that comes from making love for hours.
With my omega sated and happy, I couldn’t ask for anything else.
I try to fall asleep, but I can’t. Not again—not since I woke up to her in pain.
A buzzing energy still pumps through my veins, the urge to watch over my omega and make sure she’s safe.
I run my fingers through her long red hair, loving how her nose scrunches as I tickle the shell of her ear.
I can’t stop staring at her, admiring the way my bite mark looks against her pale skin.
I freeze as she stirs beside me, a faint moan escaping her.
“What is it, preciosa?” I ask gently, pressing my lips on her forehead. “Do you need something?”
Half-asleep, she shakes her head slightly and sighs.
“No,” she says softly as she drapes her arm over my chest. “Just making sure you’re still here.”
“I already told you, I’m not going anywhere.” I turn ever so carefully onto my side, so I can face her. Then I trail my fingers over her shoulder, down her waist, and rest my hand on her hip.
“Good,” she mumbles without opening her eyes. “You should go to sleep.”
“I can’t,” I chuckle. “I have to make sure you have everything you need.”
She yawns and stretches, settling in once more right after. “You’re all I need, silly.”
It’s playful, but her words hit deep.
I’m all she needs. Not a pack, not a knot, not anything else.
Just me.
How did I get so lucky?
This perfect miracle of an omega who crossed my path by chance. Against every odd in the world, she ended up in my arms. I’ll never understand how it happened, but I’ll be eternally grateful that it did.
I dip my head to press my lips against the corner of her mouth, breathing in more of her delicious marshmallow perfume that’s permanently embedded in my nose. I close my eyes and lie there, her breaths the only sound breaking the comfortable silence.
Being curled up with my omega in her nest, is the definition of paradise. If this is what forever looks like, it isn’t nearly fucking long enough.