Seconds later, he jerked back, pulling out of me. His cum shot all over my chest as he cried out.
The last of his fight seemed to leave him then. I cleaned us off then ushered him to my bed.
Cuddled in beside him, enjoying the rise and fall of his chest under my palm, I felt my own tiredness take hold.
“Kane?” he whispered.
“Yeah?” I hoped he didn’t want a deep conversation, as I was on the verge of sleep.
“Do you believe in fated mates?”
“Yes,” I whispered, no longer sure if I was awake or dreaming. I leaned closer, aiming to kiss his cheek, only sure it was some part of his body. “I never used to, until I met you.”
As sleep took hold, I held onto the contentment of having Desmond lying beside me once again.
Chapter Sixteen
Desmond
Alone. In a bed not my own. Kane’s scent embedded in the sheets. As much as I yearned to have the omega back in bed with me, to bury my cock deep within him, I was glad to wake up by myself. Shame twisted in my stomach and through my chest. I’d arrived at his place so emotionally wrecked that I couldn’t shift back into my human form.
I’d thought letting my wolf run would dispel all my anger. All my frustration with Conn Adan for having more people at his private memorial service than my mother had at her public one. For hurting so many people when he was alive. For never acknowledging he was my father. Even though he had my graduation picture that he used as a bookmark—I’d found it in the bag of his belongings that the coroner had given to me. And all the staff at the prison had referred to me as his son.
It proved too much. Nothing my grandparents said—as they grieved in their own way—helped. Neither did a bottle of whiskey. So, I’d shifted, hoping to get a break from the onslaught of sorrow, the grief for the father I never had and the mother I still missed. It didn’t work. Instead, I’d sat in the park and howled at the moon until the police arrived, telling me to move on or I would be arrested.
Instinct had brought me to Kane’s place. In my human form, I’d tried to avoid him, not wanting to burden him with my problems. Conn had already made his way into our relationship with the early warnings about me he’d received, and the interrogation from his father at Christmas. I wanted to get a grip on it all before I talked to him again.
My wolf decided otherwise, leading me to his place in the middle of the night. And Kane had brought me in, petted me until I was able to shift back. Then he’d washed me and let mefuck him, my mind filling with nothing but an insatiable hunger for the omega.
In the morning, I was left with remorse from it all. Guilt hung over my head for using him in such a way.
There was a knock before Kane opened the door. His own door. Why had I made him feel like he had to knock?
“I made breakfast and there’s coffee ready.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “Or I have a bottle of Gatorade if that’s all you can stomach right now.”
“Thank you. I’ll be out in a minute.” I sighed, frustrated with myself. What kind of alpha was I, being such an emotional wreck that an omega had to take care of me?
With a door to the bathroom from the bedroom as well as the main part of the apartment, I went there to relieve myself then dressed in the clothes Kane had left out for me. With my head down, I headed out to greet him.
“Morning.” I couldn’t meet his eyes, sure he was ready with an excuse to get me out of his apartment and his life. “Sorry about last night. I shouldn’t have come here and bothered you.”
He walked up to me and pushed my shoulder. “What do you mean by that? I’ve been waiting to hear from you for days, and you’re telling me you regret seeing me?”
I gulped, the shame too much. “I regret you seeing me like that. This is my pain to deal with, not yours.”
Placing his palms on my chest, he pushed me against the fridge door and stared up at me. “Did you not hear what I said to you last night?”
I tried to look away, but he clasped my chin. “It’s all a bit fuzzy.”
He pressed his body to mine and held my face in his hands. “Well, since you’ve had an emotional few days, I’ll excuse you not paying attention to me. But this is important, and you need to listen now.”
I nodded, my heart pounding so hard, I could hear it.
“You asked me last night about fated mates.”
I sucked in a breath, unsure where the conversation was headed. I didn’t remember much from the night before, had no idea what I’d said to him.
“And I told you I didn’t believe in them until I met you. I believe you’re my fated mate, Desmond.”
