Chapter 20
Dorian
Not that Opal wasn’t worth waiting for, but I shouldn’t have had to wait this long. I didn’t want his filthy hands on her—truce or whatever deal we’d made, be damned.
But I couldn’t deny that she had a happy glow after their afternoon date. Her cheeks were rosy. She bounced on her strappy heels, swaying her curled ponytail behind her. I tore my eyes up from her shapely legs and the little black dress she’d changed into as I opened the door to the vehicle.
My Omega radiated sex and charm.
I couldn’t wait to get her all to myself.
Finally.
“This is your car.” Opal sniffed the interior as I slid into the driver’s seat of my GTO. “How did you get them to allow this?”
I almost groaned at the sight of her bare thighs resting on the leather passenger seat and I couldn’t help myself as I leaned forward to grab her seatbelt, getting a whiff of cotton candy that made my beast howl.
She smelled of home. A hot summer day. Sticky sweet memories. The rush of a rollercoaster dip. The freedom of an aerial turn. Kettle corn and laughter.
I couldn’t wait to bring her to the pack.
I winked as I finished buckling her in. “I have my ways.”
There was another buckle click as the cameraman settled in the backseat. We looked at him and he waved. “Don’t mind me. I’m not here.”
Growling, I shifted gears.
“Where are we going?” Opal asked.
“Crazy.” I smiled. “Care to join me?”
“Yes, please.” Her laughter was rich and warm, rumbling through the car like the engine as I sped down the mountain roads, trying to lose our tail.
“We could slow down.” So much for him being quiet. I checked the rearview mirror. The camera guy assigned to us looked a little green and the rest of the team still followed in the black sedan.
“Should we?” I glanced at Opal as she bit her bottom lip. Laughter danced in her big, blue eyes when she gave a slight shake of her head.
It seemed my Omega wanted fast.
My wolf howled again.
Give our mate what she wants.
*
My wolf was still fired up as I pulled to a stop outside the nightclub. Reporters and journalists and social media influencers stood on either side of the red carpet, awaiting our arrival.
“Is this okay?” I asked Opal as I held open the door, blocking them from getting a good shot of my girl until she was ready.
“I love to dance.” She smiled, timidly putting her hand in mine.
And I was a beast for taking it, for pulling her to her feet and pressing her close to my side, and soaking up the attention as the cameras flashed and cheers rang out. “I’ll always dance with you.”
If they weren’t sure yet, the world would be tonight. Opal Morganton was my mate and I intended to show her off properly.
The bass thumped and lights swirled overhead as the security helped clear the way to the VIP room. Ken had loved this idea, getting viewers involved and getting a real time glimpse into our date, so information might’ve been leaked as to where we were going.
I was glad he’d insisted on extra security tonight.
Being aware of my surroundings came naturally. I could extend that awareness to my entire troupe, being cautious of placement and safety protocol, while watchful for any ticketholders who got out of line. My Alpha abilities gave me an edge that had been lacking in Bailey Pack.
So I wasn’t expecting my heart to want to jump out of my chest as I led Opal through the crowd of horny clubbers all screaming her name.
Quit looking at her. He snarled.
The protective nature of my wolf took me by surprise and I responded by keeping my hand possessively on her hip as we marched up the stairs.
I’d wanted to show her off.
Now I wanted to keep her hidden.
It didn’t make sense.
It wasn’t until we were safely behind the roped off VIP section that I could fully relax.
“What are you drinking?” I whispered in her ear, still not letting her go as I walked us both to the mahogany bar counter.
“Brandy?” She said it more like a question.
“I usually like rum, but brandy sounds good tonight,” I answered in turn, signaling the bartender.
The taste of it suited her. Rich and sweet and smoky like me… Or she would be when I finally succeeded in removing the rest of Atlas’s smell.
Fucking cattlehide and sagebrush still lingered on her skin.
It shouldn’t have smelled like home.
I took a long pull from the glass, banishing that dumb thought, and inhaled the notes of Opal’s cotton candy scent.
Now she was home.
The music continued to thump around us as I leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I thought I wanted to show you off, but now I want to get you alone.”
She sipped her glass, smiling into it. “You were the one who chose the venue for the date.”
The camera crew regretted that now.
I could tell by their frustrated faces that sound recordings were a nightmare. We had a more romantic, and quiet, dinner planned after—if Opal decided she’d rather do that—but my plans were fluid. Like always.
“Besides, you promised me another dance.” My Omega slipped from her chair and out from under my arm, sashaying those sexy hips as she hurried away.
Catch her! My wolf growled.
Laughing, I threw back the shot of brandy, letting her get just to the edge of the ropes before I sidled up next to her.
Opal gave a little squeal of surprise as she jumped, breathing faster when I tried to corral her back to the black couches. “Or we could talk…”
“That’s no fun.” She pouted.
Then the little minx ducked, slipping under the ropes and escaping into the crowd.
My heart was thudding as hard as the music when I finally caught up to her, pulling that curvy body flush against mine as the heat of the other dancers on the floor pressed in on us.
Their scents mingled with sweat and lust. A few wide eyes locked onto my mate. I growled at them despite her giggles, groaning as she wrapped her hands behind my neck and rocked against me.
Blood thrummed hard through my veins as I lowered my arms to cage her in, forming a protective barrier against any idiot dumb enough to try and touch her.
She moved in those restraints like a seductress sent to destroy me. Not pressing any further, obeying the rules I’d unconsciously set, but I was no fool.
Opal was in control.
“You like the spotlight,” she hummed against me as her leg found its way between mine.
“I was born into it.” My hands slid over her ass and it took everything in me not to grab two handfuls. “No. That’s not quite true.” I frowned at my admission. “It took me a while to get where I am today and I enjoy the rewards the spotlight brings now.”
“What do you mean?” She blinked up at me as she rolled her hips.
I groaned, trying to focus. The dancefloor was the last place I’d ever think to have a conversation, but with our shifter hearing and the cameras fighting to find a good angle in the crowd, this was as private a place as any.
“You really don’t know who I am,” I teased as I found a good grip on her hips, pulling her close to me again.
“I read the rumors.” She twirled, backing her sweet ass against me as she rested her head back on my chest. “I’d rather know the truth.”
I hummed my approval as I traced my hands down her arched sides, feeling my blood burn hotter.
She moved like water.
Like she was made for me.
Perfect.
“My pack never had an Alpha born before,” I spoke against the shell of her ear. “They had to hide me when I was young, otherwise the asshole Beta ringleader would’ve disposed of me.”
Opal gasped, but I wouldn’t let her turn around because I didn’t want to see sympathy in her eyes.
“As soon as I was old enough, I took care of him,” I told her, eating up that little cry she made as I pressed my hand firmly on the front of her hip, letting my finger trail just above the outline of her panties underneath the flimsy material. “And then I stepped into my rightful place.”
“You’re making it hard to empathize with little you when big you is touching me like that,” she whimpered.
“Oh, I have big plans for all the ways I want to touch you,” I teased, dragging my hand back up her side. We’d attracted too many curious gazes. Security was forming a ring around us.
Some of the thrill had died down as the authorities closed in. Opal noticed it and pouted.
Maybe my girl liked a bit of exhibitionism too.
“What about you?” I asked.
“The spotlight?” She shook her head as she turned back around to face me. “I’ll stand in it with you, but it’s not my thing.”
“What is your thing?” I asked, suddenly needing that answer more than I needed air.
Sweat beaded on her skin. Heat flushed her body as she smiled up at me. There was a soft, knowing look in her eyes, as if she’d thought this through and was pleased with her answer.
“I want to be happy,” she said.
I exhaled slowly. That… That I could try to do.
I leaned down, brushing my lips against hers, tasting the salty sweetness of her breath.
“Are you happy right now?”
Opal nodded as her lips whispered against mine. “But I’d be happier if we could get out of here.”
*
I rested my hand on Opal’s bare knee as she leaned forward, letting the camera guy crawl out of the backseat in front of the restaurant.
“Give us a second to get set up,” he said, flustered from trying to record in the nightclub. “We need better footage of you two exiting the vehicle.”
“Sure.” Opal smiled as she looked my way.
He closed the door and—
I shifted to first and left them behind in our dust, listening to my mate’s laughter fill the night.
*
“You totally planned this!” Opal giggled as we sat on the hood of my GTO under the starry night with the airport runway and their lights down below the cliff where I’d parked.
“What makes you think that?” I sipped from the bottle of spiced rum, offering her more of the kettle corn I’d packed in the trunk earlier.
“How did you know about this spot?” She snuggled next to my side.
“Contrary to what the press says about me, I can read maps.” I chuckled.
“So, you’re not really a delusional playboy?” She asked softly, smiling when I shook my head. “And what would you have done if I wanted to go inside the restaurant?”
“I would’ve wined and dined you like a proper gentleman.” I touched my heart, offended that she didn’t think I’d provide. I took care of what was mine, no matter the cost. “If you’re hungry, I have more snacks.”
“It’s okay. Atlas fed me earlier,” she said.
The night air turned cold.
You should’ve made her eat dinner. My wolf reprimanded me. I growled back at him.
Opal shivered. “Atlas said the two of you had a truce?”
I shook my head, trying to shake off the possessive nature of my beast, and gathered her back under my arm. “For now. We’re more concerned with making sure we take care of you while we sort this all out. Are you cold?”
Heat pulsed from her as her scent warmed.
I’d thought she’d shivered from the breeze, but something burned within her eyes as she looked up at me.
“I know a way you can warm me up.”
My wolf howled at the waxing moon shining bright above as Opal climbed onto my lap.
Her dress rode up and I rested my hands on those milky thighs, spreading them further as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders.
And I burned, feeling the heat of her center press through her thin panties as she lined herself up with my cock straining through my pants.
Her hair fell around us as she tilted my chin up. Our breaths mingled like fog in the curtain of her making as those beautiful eyes stared into my soul.
She smiled. “Kiss m—”
I didn’t wait for her to finish the request.
My lips crashed into hers, taking. My claws dug into her plump little ass as I held her against me and ravaged her pretty mouth.
Sparks ignited at her sugary taste. The sweetness of her tongue as it danced with mine. I’d never felt this alive before. It was flying. Falling. Crashing all at the same time.
Opal moaned into my mouth as she rocked her center along my aching length, digging her nails into the back of my neck.
My mate burned too and wanted to take from me.
I spread her thighs wider with mine, encouraging her to chase that high. Because I was going to drown in it.
In her.
I wasn’t that much of a gentleman.
I released her ass to fist my hand in her hair as her fingers frantically fumbled with my shirt, tearing the buttons off as she ripped it open.
Tilting her head back, I drank deeper of that kiss, intending to flip her over and—
Rushing helicopter blades were deafening as the spotlight rose over the cliff, blinding me when Opal tore her mouth away to scream.
Laughing, I released her to put my hands in the air. Opal buried herself against my chest, mortified.
“Guess you found us,” I called out to a very pissed off Ken, who sat in the helicopter with the cameras rolling.