Chapter 5
FIVE
It takes everything I have not to help Elsie in the cab ride back to her apartment.
She’s moaning in pain, sweat pouring off her; I want nothing more than to help ease her anguish right here and now, but the cab driver keeps peeking into the rearview mirror, catching glimpses of her writhing into my side, and it sends me into protective mode.
I’m not an alpha, but I growl at him as much as I can, and his eyes flash with embarrassment.
“Sorry,” he murmurs. “Here you are.”
He pulls over to the curb and I quickly exit, holding Elsie close as we move away from the vehicle.
“Hey, man, what about my tip?!” the cab driver yells.
I ignore him. He doesn’t deserve a tip after looking at my girl like that. No omega should have to worry about their driver peeping on them when he’s supposed to get them back safely. I’m just glad that Elsie was too distracted to notice his perversion.
I keep her close to me as we climb the steps up to her apartment. When we get to her door, I slide my hand into her purse and feel around for her keys. It’s a little coin purse that matches her costume, but somehow it still has a million things in it. I find the singular key and sigh.
“Did you take this off your lanyard just so you could use this purse?” I ask her.
She lets out a tiny laugh but then yelps in pain. “Casey, it hurts.”
I unlock the door and turn to her. “Let’s fix it then, huh?”
Her eyes widen as I pick her up. Her legs instinctually wrap around my waist as I carry her into the apartment and shut the door, locking it behind me. She looks up at me, her eyes clearer than they’ve been since we were at the party.
“You’re going to… help me?” she asks.
“Of course.” I move in the direction of her room.
My eyes stay locked on hers with each anticipated step, the tension growing the closer we get to her bed. I place her onto it gently, my breaths becoming jagged as I look at her. She’s so freaking perfect.
I can’t believe this is happening right now.
My hands immediately move to her shins, trailing down to her feet so I can remove her shoes, then her pantyhose. The movement is slow, intentional. I am both building a storm and basking in it, desperate to get to the show but knowing that I want to make it good for her as well.
Her chest rises and falls as she watches me, her pupils dilated so much that I can barely register the soft blue I’m so used to seeing there. Her scent is exploding with each swipe of my finger, sweet sugar and crisp apple taking over my senses until she is the only thing I can see, smell, hear.
“You…” Elsie starts, biting her lip as my finger moves upward and swipes the inside of her knee. “You don’t have to help. If you don’t want to.”
I give a humorless laugh. “And who says I don’t want to?”
She looks up at me, insecurity flashing in her features. “I was just saying, because we’re friends, if this would be too awkward for you, or if you don’t want to touch me…”
“I want to touch you,” I say, but she keeps talking.
“Or if this is too much for us or our friendship, I would understand if you wanted to be anywhere else but here, doing this…”
“Elsie,” I say sternly, locking eyes with her. “I want this. I want to help you. I would do this for you every day, every hour, every minute if you wanted me to. I promise you that if I wanted to be anywhere else, I would be.”
Her brows scrunch, the pain obviously still present despite her attempt to let me out of my imagined shackles. I am not tied here or doing this against my will. I want this, I’ve always wanted this, and when she finally lets her thighs fall open, my mouth gapes.
Her white panties are soaked through, sitting prettily against her wet pussy. I swallow down a groan, my finger sliding further up her leg until it’s touching the lining, playing with it teasingly. She grunts, both in frustration and amusement.
“Casey,” she hisses.
“I’ve got you,” I say, my lips curving. I don’t waste another moment, the pain in her scent more evident by the second. I pull off her panties and throw them to the side. I get down on my knees, thanking the universe that her bed is close enough to the ground to do so.
She yelps in pain, her forehead shining once more. “It’s… gosh, it’s fucking horrible,” she says. “Why the fuck do we have to deal with this?”
“It’s the worst, but trust me. It’ll feel so much better in a second.” I close the space between us, wrapping my arms around her legs and placing her thighs on my shoulders. She gasps in surprise, her scent rushing out of her.
“I don’t see how it can feel better at all—”
I move my tongue over her in tiny circles, cutting her off mid-sentence as she moans. The sound is glorious, one that I want to hear over and over again, but I guess I’ll just have to settle for right now.
I plan to commit as many sounds to memory as I can.
Her fingers lace into my hair, her head flying back as my tongue moves over her. I can feel her pulsing underneath me, her slick already sticking to her folds and thighs. It’s the headiest thing I’ve ever tasted, my body lit on fire from the glorious candy-apple taste.
I place two of my fingers at her entrance and slide them in easily.
She groans at the sensation, pulsating around me.
She’s so warm and soft that I forget how to breathe.
I pump them in and out of her, setting a decent pace that has her reacting with the most beautiful sounds.
I don’t think my dick can get any harder in these stupid cargo pants, but it does just that when her thighs tighten around me.
I always knew it would be like this between us. Despite never having done this before, it’s just another thing that comes naturally to us, falling into each other with trust and care, letting our vulnerabilities free for the other to see.
“Casey… Casey,” she huffs out, her body growing taut. “Oh my god, please don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
I never had any intention as I keep my pace, my fingers hitting the same spot over and over. She tightens around me after a few more flicks of my tongue, her fingers pulling my hair in the most deliciously painful way.
She screams, bursting onto my tongue as she comes.
I quicken my pace the tiniest bit, working her through her orgasm as she holds me close and her body bends in half over my head.
A moan escapes me at the taste of her, sending vibrations into her core that make her squeal.
The sound hits me in the chest, my mind realizing where I am and who I am doing this with.
My best friend. My other half. Another omega.
I pull my fingers out and inconspicuously lick up every drop I can before I look up at her. She’s already staring at me, her eyes soft and kind. Her breathing is heavy as she comes down, her hand sitting idle on her chest.
“Well,” she says. “I definitely feel better.”
I chuckle as I stand up, my knees only slightly sore since they’re used to the maneuver. I move to step out the door, but El’s hand grabs mine before I can take a step. I look back at her and her forehead is scrunched in distress.
“What’s wrong, baby?” I ask.
“I… I don’t know,” she answers, almost out of breath. “Where are you going?”
My heart swells and I lean down to kiss her forehead. It still feels warm under my touch, but not nearly as scorching as it was at the party. “I’m going to get you some water. You need to stay hydrated.”
She takes in my words. “Okay… but please be quick.”
I know just how vulnerable a heat spike can make someone feel, having had many myself.
It’s not quite as freeing as going into a heat because you’re still aware, not completely dissociated from the experience.
Your body is in control, but you’re aware of it.
I put my hand on top of hers and swipe my thumb over her heated skin.
“I promise I’ll be right back.”
She nods, finally letting me go and rolling onto her side. The peekaboo of her ass causes me to gulp, and I quickly make my way to the kitchen to get my bearings.
If I’m not too careful, I could build up hope for something that isn’t real. I could convince myself that this stolen moment between us meant more than it did. I could let myself fall into the delusion that she is mine.
As I fill up a glass, my mind wanders back to the party.
The moment before Elsie succumbed to her heat spike comes roaring back.
The harsh but delicious hint of honey bourbon circling us, how my best friend’s skin immediately broke out in a sweat.
My body was full of mixed emotions, both aroused by Elsie’s proximity, by her touch, but also by the warmth of dark liquor mixed with sweet nectar.
It was incredible, the most delicious thing I have ever inhaled, but then it was gone and Elsie needed me.
If I think about it too much, I’ll start to come up with an explanation that might be better left unsaid.
There’s no way to know who I was scenting, or where they are now, so the hope in my chest that there’s someone out there for me…
someone fated, seems ridiculous. Scents aren’t always subtle.
I love Elsie’s scent more than my own and she isn’t my scent match.
It could’ve been a chance at scent compatibility, at being with someone compatible.
If it were, I missed my chance. Not that I mind. Even with something that tempting, I chose Elsie. I will always choose Elsie.
I tip-toe back into her room, pausing when I hear the quiet snores from beneath the covers.
My best friend curls onto her side now, exhaustion settling in after such an intense flare up.
I place the glass of water and tiny aspirin on the end table, finally undressing before I crawl in next to her.
I don’t want to leave her, too worried that she might wake up and need me once more.
I scoot closer, folding myself around her until I hear a satisfied hum from her lips.
She melts into my touch as I close the distance, pulling her into my body and holding her gently.
It hits me then that she’s going to have to find alphas and fast. I don’t think she’s hooked up with any since we’ve been here, at least not anyone that I’ve heard about.
Bile rises in my throat when I realize what this means, how the best thing for her will be me taking a step back so she doesn’t have to be in any more pain this week.
It’s not time to confess how much she means to me.
She and I both know the likelihood that we’ll find a pack that wants us both, and now isn’t the time to revisit that dilemma, not when she needs to find alphas soon.
I need to give her the space to do that, let her experience this fully.
Maybe after this is all over, I can revisit the idea of telling her how I feel.
I don’t have what she needs to make her feel better right now, and as much as that hurts to admit, I have to be realistic. Her well-being is the only thing that matters to me.
My heart aches, but at least she will be taken care of. At least that means she will be okay.