Chapter XIV
The event seems to last for ages. At a certain point, my mouth is running on autopilot while I engage in meaningless conversations around the room. I excuse myself from one but then get caught right up in the next. Most people have left by now, having gotten a look through the telescope.
As I inch my way toward the door, I bump into the Beta who’s been stealing Ari’s attention. Brock’s tense eyes lock with mine as we regard one another, trying to remain polite.
“Congrats,” Brock sneers. “He’s a pretty Omega. I’d give him all the credit, too,” he winks, patting my shoulder.
“I didn’t give him credit because he’s pretty. I gave him credit because he deserves it,” I mumble low.
“Right,” he begins sarcastically before leaning in. “You don’t think his success has anything to do with eavesdropping on my research, reading my textbooks, sorting through all our tools and parts?”
“No, as a matter of fact, I don’t. Arius is highly intelligent and has been studying astronomy since we– Since he was a kid.”
Brock stares at me for a moment, not buying my explanation.
“Sure, man. That’s why he ran out of here and straight to your office. To study astronomy,” he bites back before engulfing a glass of wine and turning away.
Anger rolls off me in waves. Judging by the looks of people nearby, I’m producing strong pheromones into the air.
It takes everything in me to leave instead of marching up to that Beta prick and punching him until every tooth is knocked out of his mouth.
The only thing stopping me is Brock’s revelation that Arius is waiting for me in my office. I like that image a lot.
Ari tucked into my personal space, marinating in my scent. My Omega has finally come back to me. The primal thoughts consume my mind as the Alpha in me threatens to take over. I need to get to him. Quickly.
Marching through the halls with determination, I burst through my office door and Ari startles, standing quickly from the sofa.
With wide eyes, he opens his mouth to say something, but I silence him by closing in with a passionate kiss, surprising even myself.
He tenses at first while I hold his head in place, but he doesn’t pull away.
Instead, he melts into it with a moan that makes my chest rumble in delight.
Delicate hands wrap around my neck as I consume his lips, prioritizing kissing over my need to breathe.
Ari’s mouth on mine feels incredible. Like this is what I’ve been missing my whole life.
All my anger dissipates with his body pressed against mine.
His hands grab at my clothes, shedding my jacket and letting it fall to the floor with a gentle swoosh.
My hands reach for his silky vest, and we go back and forth, stripping fabrics from one another between kisses until we’re mostly naked.
The sweetest scent to ever reach my nose permeates the air when his pants come off, making my dick throb and ache.
I feel Ari shiver as the scent in the room thickens, driving my Alpha side wild.
With a soft grunt, small hands shove my chest until I’m seated on a couch and Ari climbs onto my lap to straddle me, acting on instincts.
The way he prowls has me slack jawed in awe.
Watching him move, I squeeze the base of my cock hard so that I don’t embarrass myself by shooting a load all over his smooth thighs.
His eyes sparkle as they stare into mine, our breaths ragged and beastly, mingling together in the inches of space between us.
He lowers himself slowly, slicking up my cock between his wet cheeks, never glancing away for a second.
It feels so right, giving me full-body shivers as I place my hands on his hips, lost in a trance of him lifting up and down.
When I can’t take the teasing anymore, I grip him tightly and line up with his puckering hole.
“This…is this weird?” Ari whispers, feeling my girth beg for entry below.
“Not unless you think so,” I lean forward and place a quick kiss on his lips. “It’s only natural, isn’t it, Omega?” I smirk, trying to ease his discomfort.
We’ve been friends for so long, I guess we never imagined we could be anything more. Are we something more?
Ari sinks down onto my length, making me lose all thoughts. His body happily invites the first few inches of my cock inside as mother nature intended, and we both moan in tandem.
“I guess so, Alpha,” he replies sheepishly.
My cock twitches in his tight hole and I feel my brain being taken over by primal instinct. This is entirely our bodies making decisions for us while our minds take the back burner. No more dancing around our feelings and emotions. The heart wants what the heart wants.
“I wanted to kiss you…” the confession rolls out of me as if the brakes gave out.
“At our spot by the telescopes. I don’t know if you remember, but I was going to meet you there and finally lean in to take these lips and make them mine…
at least, that’s what I had fantasized I’d have the confidence to do. ”
Balancing his hands on my shoulders, Ari begins riding me at a steady pace while listening, taking his time gliding up and down on my cock. It feels so fucking good that the pleasure creates orgasmic tidal waves across my entire body.
“I remember, Knox,” he mutters against my mouth, the taste of my wine from the gala now mixed into his breath. “I think I like kissing you in your top-floor executive office better…we made it so much farther than I could’ve dreamed.”
Brimming with satisfaction, I watch him get drunk on our lovemaking, his sweet little panting sounds morphing into a whimpering mess.
His dick pulses, sliding against my abs as he rides me while never breaking eye-contact.
Reaching between us, I grab him and stroke, making him jerk with a hiss.
Bringing so much pleasure to my Omega fulfills every void within me.
The friction is enough to make him erupt fast, arching his back and biting his lip as a climax crashes through him. The noises he makes tip me over the edge and I burst deep inside him with a drawn-out groan, shuddering beneath his weight.
Damn, that didn’t last long. His mouth falls open with moans that I kiss away as his grinding hips slowly wind down.
Our bodies are sweaty and sticky as we twitch through the aftershocks and catch our breaths.
It was fast and desperate, not nearly enough, but I think it’s what we both needed right now.
“I should’ve come back to you…” he whispers the confession.
“You did.” I kiss his worries away. “That’s all that matters now.”
Ari slouches against me, tucking his face into my neck.
As I stroke his hair tenderly, reveling in his mature Omega scent, I’m already imagining doing this again and again.
And again. After everything with the telescope, I can admit that I understand his choice eight years ago to enjoy his independence instead of watching me live all his dreams for the both of us.
It’s the very thing that divided us before BOW camp.
But he’s here now. Back in my life by the grace of the universe. For that, I should be grateful.
Over the next few days, we fall into the same scandalous habit. Ari comes up to my office, we pretend to converse about work, and then I fuck him on every surface. It’s not right. It’s not allowed. I could get fired. But I’m on a high that no drug could ever replicate.
My brain has been completely rewired to think of nothing else but Arius. His body, his moans, his face. Oh, gosh, his face when he cums is nothing short of fantastical. The epitome of ultimate pleasure. I need to continue exploring his body as much as I need to breathe.
He just looks so good bent over my desk, pressed up against my bookshelf, and riding me on the sofa. I’m thinking of pinning him down on the rug by the fireplace tonight. Bending his compliant body anyway that I please. Fuck, I need it.
I’m staring blankly at my monitor screen when my office door opens. Blood immediately flows South, anticipating Ari for our fantastical endeavors. Instead, it’s Jaimie who strolls in with a cleaning cart. My anticipation dies out like a flame.
“Good evening, Mr. Beckett.”
“Hey, come on in,” I greet him casually, standing up to get out of his way. “My desk needs the most attention today. I’ve been a little off this week,” I admit, strolling over to the beverage counter.
“Yeah? If you’re still stressed about the presentation, don’t be. You did amazing.” Jaimie sounds surprisingly sweet for once.
I turn around with mango-flavored fizzy water, finding him in front of me instead of near the desk.
“Thanks, Jaimie. That’s, uh, really nice of you,” I nod, taking a sip, and his eyes track my throat with each swallow. Disturbed, I wipe my mouth and set the drink down.
“I’d like to do more projects with you in the future.” He steps even closer with bright eyes. “Maybe I’ll get a telescope named after me, too. I’ve supported you for a long time after all.”
My face pales and I fidget under his gaze. What the hell is he doing? His eyes dip down for a second, and I pale even more. I’m not fully hard, but any blood-flow lingering down there is from expecting Ari to show up. Not Jaimie.
“Of course we can do more projects in the future,” my voice comes out strained as I try to remain professional. Jaimie doesn’t relent, biting his lip suggestively and reaching for the buttons of his shirt.
“Why don’t we do one together right now?” he whispers, unfastening the buttons on his top.
I panic.
“Jaimie, enough, this isn’t– “
“Oh, please. Don’t tell me it's not professional, Knox. You can fuck Arius in here, but not me? What’s the matter with you?” he bites back, continuing to peel off his shirt. “Don’t you want this!”
Maybe Ari and I haven’t been as inconspicuous as we thought.
Unsure what to do, I reach for Jaimie’s shirt and snatch it closed, but he battles me.
At the same time, my office door swings open, and the Omega I’ve been waiting for stops in his tracks.
Mid-argument, Jaimie and I freeze, turning toward Ari.
This looks bad. I know it does, but my hands remain paralyzed on Jaimie’s open shirt. I shove him away and march toward the door, but Ari is already slamming it in my face.
“Arius!” I bellow down the hallway after him. “Ari, wait! That wasn’t what it looked like!”
He doesn’t look back as he marches down the hall.
Quickly, he enters the elevator, pushing the buttons with a heartbroken expression.
At the last second, I catch the door, shoving my way inside before he can descend.
With my speed and stature, I end up barreling into him, pinning him against the far wall as the elevator closes us in.
“Ari, please. Just listen,” I beg.
“Get off me, Knox,” he shoves at my chest. It does nothing, but I push myself off him anyway.
He slips out from under me, trying to press the elevator button to open the door. It doesn’t listen to him and begins descending.
“No! Dammit!” he pounds his fist on the door.
“There’s nothing between me and Jaimie,” I begin calmly after a beat of silence.
Ari tenses but doesn’t face me when he responds.
“Right. That’s why he was on stage with you while I was in the back drying dishes. I get it, Knox. He’s gorgeous. Have at him,” he shrugs, envy thick in his voice.
“I don’t want him like that. He came in unannounced. I told him no, but he wasn’t— “
My sloppy explanation falls flat as the elevator stutters to a halt.
Ari and I glance up at the digital display.
We’re paused on floor six, but the door doesn’t open, indicating that we must be trapped between two floors.
Concerned, Arius approaches the buttons again, aiming for the first floor.
He presses it repeatedly, mumbling pleas under his breath. The elevator does nothing.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he runs a stressed hand through his hair. “Does it do this often?” he finally turns around to face me in the tight space.
I rub a hand over the back of my neck and shrug uselessly. Ari scoffs and begins pacing in front of me, fists clenched at his sides.
“Great! Perfect! We’re stuck in here! You fucked up the door!”
I tilt my head and my eyebrows dip.
“Woah, I fucked up the door? What about you rage-pushing all the buttons?”
Angry eyes pin me in place.
“Don’t do this with me right now, Knox.”
I sigh in agitation, pinching the bridge of my nose.
“Okay, okay. Look, just press the emergency bell. Someone will get us out of here.”
“Oh, so now you want me to push buttons?” he lifts an eyebrow.
I glare at him and step forward to pull the red lever myself. A bell rings three times. We wait in silence for a few minutes. Eventually, noise from the speaker crackles.
“Is this the executive elevator in the North wing?” an operator comes through.
Leaning in, I push the button to speak.
“Yes. Yeah, we appear to be stuck near the sixth floor.”
“Copy that. We’re doing everything we can to get you out. Hang tight.”
“And how long is that going to take?”
“We’re working as quickly as possible.”
I sigh irritably. With that, all we can do is wait, and try to stay afloat above the tension drowning us. Swallowing nervously, I face Ari standing with his arms crossed.
“I never had sex with Jaimie. And I never will,” I declare honestly, wanting to squash this while we’re already stuck in a shitty situation. Arius looks skeptical, keeping his distance from me in the cramped box.
“Why were you taking his clothes off?” he asks quietly, voice breaking like it pains him to speak.
“I wasn’t. I was trying to put them back on.”
Ari gives me an unconvinced look and I huff.
“I know that sounds stupid, but it’s the truth, Arius. I think he’s just jealous of you. He knew we’d been messing around and wanted in on it,” I throw my hands up, laying out the truth. If he doesn’t believe me or trust me anymore, then there’s not much else I can do to convince him.
“Jealous? Of me?” Ari baffles like that’s impossible. “He has it all! He’s pretty, he has a job on the executive floor, and he has you!”
“No. He doesn’t have me. You do, Ari, and that’s exactly why he’s jealous.”
He looks puzzled by that but at least contemplates the truth of my words. I take the opportunity to step closer, tilting his chin up to look at me.
“You are pretty. You have access to my executive floor. You had me first and always will have me.”
The sadness and betrayal drain away from his eyes slowly as we hold one another’s gaze. He always had me and saying that out loud makes my heart ache at how true it is. I never got over him. I never forgot about him or moved on. All this time, all these years, I’ve still been waiting for Ari.