Chapter 20 - Andrew
It had only been two days of living with Bridget, and I was coming apart at the seams.
When Bridget had declined our offer of a date, I’d tried to resign myself to the fact that I’d probably never see her again. It hurt, but at least I hadn’t had the time to truly fall for her. It was a crush, an intense one, sure, but still just a crush.
Having her in the apartment was a different story.
I was hiding it well, though. I kept my distance from her as much as possible and tried not to overwhelm her, even though I wanted to spend every moment taking care of her. My Alpha was pushing me to do insane things like feed her by hand, massage her feet, and buy her extravagant gifts.
Gabriel could feel it, of course. He tried to calm me down through our bond and reassure me I wasn’t scaring her. It helped, but I was living in a constant state of tension. Even the intensifying pain in my knee had faded into the background.
Hearing her talk about the abuse she endured growing up, even in such vague terms, had nearly killed me. An impotent rage burned me up from the inside until I had to leave the room before I threw myself at Bridget’s feet and begged her to let me get revenge.
It also didn’t help that her scent seemed to be getting stronger. Even though it was still much fainter than it should have been, I could detect the separate notes with ease. There was something floral I didn’t have the botanical knowledge to identify, but the sweetness was definitely honey.
That second night, I nudged Gabriel through the bond.
We’d been ostensibly watching a movie, something in black and white, but I had no idea what it was about because Bridget was wearing an oversized shirt and a pair of shorts.
Yes, she had wrapped herself up in a throw blanket, but I still knew.
The glimpse of long, slim legs I’d gotten as she sank onto the couch had made my head spin.
When Gabriel turned to me, I tilted my head towards our bedroom with a meaningful look.
Not for the first time, I wished he could completely read my mind.
He sat next to Bridget, close but not touching.
I’d sensed some kind of awkwardness when I got back from my walk to clear my head, but we hadn’t talked yet.
And I wanted a moment to speak with her myself.
Gabriel raised his eyebrows.
“Go,” I mouthed.
He rolled his eyes slightly but smiled.
“I am going to take a shower and go to bed,” he announced abruptly and awkwardly. I glared at him as he walked out of the room.
Bridget looked around, bewildered.
“Sorry. I wanted to talk to you and he’s being an asshole,” I said and paused the movie.
I hesitated for a moment, then moved from the armchair to the couch.
My knee protested at the movement, but I ignored it.
Bridget wrapped the blanket a little more tightly around herself.
“I wanted to apologize for earlier. I shouldn’t have stormed out like that. ”
“It’s okay,” Bridget said. “Gabriel said you were angry about what I said. I get it. I’m angry, too, most of the time.”
“My dads are also controlling pricks. Not as bad as yours, from the sound of it, but still assholes. My mom and sisters… I’ve tried everything I could to get them away from their influence.
But my dads have total control. I haven’t seen or spoken to them in a few years, not since Gabriel and I bonded.
I think that was the final straw.” It had been a memorable Christmas, and the last time my dads allowed me to enter their pack home.
“Why? How could someone not like Gabriel?” Bridget asked. She sounded incensed on our behalf.
“Well, partly because he’s a man. My fathers always emphasized the strength of a ‘traditional pack structure.’”
Bridget rolled her eyes and nodded. I figured her dads had been the same: looking down on any packs where the Alphas were involved sexually with men.
There was some excuse about needing to ‘preserve the hierarchy of the pack leader’ or ‘protect Alpha masculinity’, but it was just homophobia with more steps.
“But also because he’s a Beta,” I continued.
“I was supposed to choose one of the Omegas they kept throwing at me. The only reason I got a pass from them for so long was my career. But I don’t want to talk about them…
I wanted to say I know how brave you are for escaping.
It’s difficult. I wish my sister Nina could meet you.
She’s an Omega, just turned seventeen. If she could see you, I think she’d realize she doesn’t have to be what they want. ”
“See me?” Bridget asked incredulously. “I’m a mess. I’m currently crashing in your guest room because my life has imploded.”
I shook my head. “You don’t see yourself clearly. As an objective observer, you’re definitely not a mess.”
Bridget looked away for a moment. She was playing with the fringe on the throw blanket. “‘Objective?’” she asked, and I detected a hint of something playful in her tone.
“Yeah, okay. Maybe not. But you are incredible.”
She shifted on the couch. Was her scent stronger? “You guys aren’t supposed to be this nice to me. It’s making me feel even guiltier for inserting myself into your lives.”
“Too bad,” I said with a grin. I unpaused the movie and settled back into the couch. “What are we watching again?”
“It Happened One Night,” Bridget said immediately, sounding defensive. “It’s… Gabriel said I could choose something. I know it’s old, and I’ve seen it a thousand times, but I promise it’s still good.”
“What’s it about?”
As Bridget ran through the plot, I scooted infinitesimally closer, and she relaxed out of the tiny ball she’d scrunched herself into.
“This is the best part,” she announced. “They have to share a hotel room because there are no more buses. It’s like…
the origin of the ‘they’re forced to share a bed’ trope.
And yes, I know there are twin beds,” she put her palm out to forestall my imagined challenge, “but that’s only because it was 1934. ”
I smiled at her passion. Onscreen, Clark Gable, whom I recognized vaguely, was taking off his shirt. Bridget’s shoulder touched mine, and I tried not to tense up.
“This film was one of the last released before the Hays Code, which added a ton of rules to what you could depict on screen. That’s why it still feels so fresh, I think,” she whispered, her eyes still glued to the screen.
After a moment, she must have felt my attention. “Sorry. I… really like movies.”
“Don’t apologize. I really like hearing you talk.”
We kept watching. She explained things here or there, and her commentary was funny and thoughtful. By the end of the film, I was invested. And Bridget was tucked under my arm.
As the credits rolled, Bridget moved carefully away. “Thanks. For watching with me.”
I tried not to show how disappointed I was to no longer be touching her. “Thank you for the film education.” The blanket was still around her shoulders, but the tantalizing view of her bare knee made my heart race. I imagined how soft her skin would feel under my fingertips.
“Right. Sure.” She swallowed and met my eyes again. “So… goodnight?”
I wanted to kiss her, but I also wanted that to be her decision. So I just smiled. “Goodnight.”
Her scent trailed after her as she went to her bedroom, and I couldn’t second guess it any more. It was getting more potent.
Gabriel was still awake and reading. I’d felt him in the bond, amused and pleased, and he was smiling slyly as I undressed for bed.
“You are molto carino, mi amore,” he said, when I settled next to him, propped on the headboard. “Your nervousness is so adorable.”
I rolled my eyes. “Thanks for letting me have some time with her.”
“Of course,” he said with a brilliant smile, but I felt his brief uneasiness.
“What’s wrong?”
Gabriel sighed, and a thread of guilt flowed down the bond. “Allora… I think I am giving Bridget the wrong idea. Earlier, she… it was not a perfume, I think, but... I was touching her, and her scent grew stronger.”
A strange mix of jealousy and lust poured through me. “Touching her how?”
Gabriel’s eyes went molten. He slid his hand into the hair at the base of my head. I couldn’t stop my instinctive purr as his fingers brushed my skin. “Like this, mi amore.” His thumb caressed my ear, and my purr became a growl. “Is it not an innocent touch?”
“Not from you,” I said darkly. “Are you sure you meant it to be innocent?”
Gabriel’s thumbnail scratched lightly against the shell of my ear. “I think so, yes.”
He had to stop touching me, or I was going to ravage him. And I couldn’t do that with Bridget sleeping in the other room.
“We should sleep,” I said, grabbing and placing a kiss on his wrist. His own cedar scent was laced with Bridget’s sweetness, and I groaned against him. “Oh god, you smell like her.”
“I will shower,” Gabriel whispered.
“No,” I growled before I could stop myself.
Though we lay quietly, I could tell Gabriel was as wide awake as I was. I was almost vibrating with pent up desire, a delayed reaction to Bridget’s earlier proximity, and her remaining scent. I knew it was affecting him, too.
“Fuck it,” I whispered and pulled him on top of me.
Gabriel responded enthusiastically. “Finalmente,” he murmured as he kissed me.
The kiss was savage, almost brutal. Gabriel knew I liked it rough, and he gave it to me. His teeth clashed against mine as we fought for dominance, then sank into my lower lip until I moaned, trying to stay quiet. His hand around my cock was almost too tight.
He stroked me, hard and fast, until I came on my chest, bucking into his grip. It barely took the edge off.
I gulped down deep breaths. As much as I liked it rough, Gabriel liked tenderness. So I calmed the beast inside as best I could.
Once I had Gabriel beneath me, I kissed him again, and he melted under my touch. I stroked his cock with teasing touches until he moaned softly, unable to stop himself.