My fucking dick won’t go down, excited to get this close to my first love, not to mention soaking in my omega’s satisfaction.Shit. I’m such a thirsty bastard. I need to think of something else.
Red’s last words spring to mind, and I jump up. “Right before she fell asleep, Red said something about her pockets.”
“I’ll check,” Calli volunteers, lurching to his feet.
“The dress she has on doesn’t have pockets, so she probably meant the pants she took off before her shower.”
He nods and goes to the wardrobe, checking on Red before returning. She lies calmly in the bed, chest rising and falling in a deep sleep. Peaceful. I hated seeing her experience that, but I’m glad she won’t suffer through another three days of fevered anguish.
Callisto holds out the skinny jeans, and paper crinkles against my fingertips as I dip into the pocket. I tug the note free and unfold the creases.
Hey, guys.
I’m not sure what kinda shit’s gonna come out of my mouth today, but I know it’ll be gruesome. Please don’t believe it. I want my pack, and I’ll be sorry when I wake up. If you managed to sedate me, then from the bottom of my heart I say thank you.
And really, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any of it.
Your Red.
I blink hard and stifle a laugh, tingling emotion welling up in my chest. “She really is a sweetheart under all that ferociousness.” Waving the page toward Callisto, I add, “I think these post-heat messages are becoming a tradition.”
He grins and reaches out to read the paper. “That’s sweet. And reassuring. Do you feel better now, seeing what she wrote?”
I nod and dry my tears. “Yeah, I was worried. I couldn’t bear for her to truly hate me.”
Callisto sets the letter on the table and opens his arms for me. “No one could ever hate you, Ricky.”
Perhaps it’s all the pheromones in the air, or the hell we just went through, but I let him fold me into his chest and covertly inhale his cherry wood scent. My traitorous dick snaps back to attention. Fuck my alpha stamina.
I rest my hands on his chest and push away. “Um, I think I need . . .” A shower, right? That’s what I should say. Instead what comes to mind is: You. I press my fingertips to my lips so the word doesn’t spill out.
“Yeah,” Callisto murmurs, without releasing me. When I meet his gaze, it’s warm and intense, like he’s seeing me for the first time. But my best friend doesn’t look at guys that way.
Right?
I swallow hard as his eyes soften, locking onto my soul. “Calli?” I whisper. My fingertips graze his chest, the muscles hard beneath his crisp white shirt. His breath catches.
My touch, affecting him? I must’ve fallen asleep beside Red and started dreaming. But his scent’s so strong, and growing thicker by the second. I couldn’t possibly dream that up, could I?
My dick jumps against his leg and heat swarms my cheeks. I cringe. “Sorry, I’ll—”
Callisto tugs me closer, trapping us body to body where nothing about my interest can stay hidden. “It’s . . . it’s not something to hide,” he whispers huskily.
Bloody oath.
Then I feel it. His heart thumps heavily under my hands, racing as fast as mine.
“I mean, it’s natural, right?” Callisto says slowly. “You’re a healthy, handsome alpha, and your omega just went into heat.” His scent thickens, taking on a sweeter, fruity quality, and his gaze locks on mine in a stupefying way.
I want to run my fingers through the combed-back lines of his hair and dishevel them. But he’s right. We’re drunk on the hazein the air, nothing more. But one word soaks through the fog to splash in my brain. “Y-You think I’m h-handsome?” I sputter.
Callisto smiles, luscious lips tilting up. “No.”
I droop. Of course Calli wouldn’t think a male was good-looking. I’m such an idiot.
Callisto swoops close, cheek brushing ever so lightly over mine. “I think you’re stunning—the kind of beauty that’s impossible to look away from.”
His words seep in, melting me like lava and reaching some deep place that always longs for affection. Callisto skims his hand down my naked back, stopping on my ass. My breath judders through me, shaking my slight frame. Electricity lingers under his fingertips.
