“I can leave you to relax, if you like?”
“No!” I sit up so fast, bubbles slop down the sides of the bath. “Stay. Please?”
“Whatever you want, little omega.” Cole kneels next to me before gesturing to the many soaps and lotions stacked on the bath’s edge. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I made sure we had everything.”
“This is perfect, Cole,” I sigh, leaning back to rest my head on the bath pillow. “Seriously.”
His slate eyes sweep me over me, even though he can’t see much of my body beneath the bubbles. “How is your pain?”
“Better. For now.” I give him what I hope is a reassuring smile. “You know, I had my first heat in the bath. My gram helped talk me through it, but it was nothing like this one.”
I remember my first time like it was yesterday. I went into heat at seventeen, a few months before a blood test confirmed I was an omega. I’d felt sick all day while working in the shop, soGram sent me to take a bath, thinking it was bad period pains. I’ve suffered from bad ones all my life, which can be an indicator of an omega designation but not necessarily. While I was soaking, surrounded by rose petals, a sudden, stabbing stomach pain had me convinced that I was about to die. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t move; all I could do was try to breathe through the pain.
When Gram came to check on me, she explained that something similar happened when my mom had her first heat. Luckily, she had heat patches stashed in our first aid box for an emergency, and a few hours later, I had it under control. The next day, she took me to a doctor to get suppressants, which had been working well until coming to SVU and meeting the Silverwoods.
“You never have to go through a heat alone ever again.” He holds up a small glass jug. “May I?”
I nod, watching as he dips the jug into the water, making me hyperaware of how close his arms are to my naked body.
“Sit forward and tip your head back, little omega.”
I do as he asks, a sense of peace wafting over me as he wets my hair with one hand while using the other to block water from getting into my eyes.
He holds up a bottle of shampoo. “This was handmade by an apothecary that specializes in omega care. The sign said it’d be extra calming, or something like that.” His attentiveness is super cute.
He continues to wash my hair with surprising tenderness. His rough hands massage the suds into my scalp, and I melt under his touch. The bubbles dissipate, exposing the tops of my breasts, but nothing distracts Cole from his hair washing duties. He carefully applies conditioner before gently untangling my hair with his fingers and carefully rinsing it out.
“Mmm,” I sigh. A warm tingling hums beneath my skin, a signal that my heat is stirring again.
Who needs to go to a spa when you have a pack leader at your disposal?
He rubs a bar of soap between his giant palms to create a foamy, pink lather. “Time to get you clean.”
He begins at my feet, rubbing his thumbs in circular motions. I groan as he moves farther up. My mind strays to what’s hiding beneath his clothes, wondering how his knot would feel. “Does that feel good, little omega?”
“Not as good as a knot would feel.”
Cole’s hands kneading my thighs slide higher.Just a little closer, I mentally plead. Unfortunately, he’s not psychic, pausing just before touching between my legs. Instead, his hands skim upward to stroke my stomach. I huff, making it clear where I want to be touched.
“We’re cleaning you off, little omega.” He tsks. “There’ll be plenty of time for that later.”
“But I want it now.”
“Behave yourself.”
I splash him, sending purple bubbles in his direction as I stick my tongue out. “Or what?”
“Or…” He leans in. Our noses are so close they’re almost touching. “I’ll have to get in there with you.”
That settles it. I slam my fist into the water like I’m banging a drum and create a splash big enough to soak his T-shirt through.
“Oh no, you didn’t,” he growls playfully.
I grab a handful of bubbles then blow a kiss, sending the pile floating through the air.
Cole laughs, causing crinkles to appear at the corner of his eyes. He’s even more gorgeous when he smiles. It strikes me how I don’t see him laugh as often as Laz or Ren. Not because he isn’t happy, but because he seems to be in a state of high alert andtoo busy making sure everyone else is okay. Being a pack leader comes with a lot of responsibility, so it’s nice to see him let loose and have fun.
I push my luck and splash him again, giggling as I send more water sloshing onto the floor.
