I trail off, suddenly embarrassed. Charlie raises his eyebrows, telling me to keep going.
“I used to come here and pretend it was mine. Pretend I lived here instead of…” I don’t want to voice the rest.
“Instead of with your father,” Charlie finishes gently.
I nod. “I’d imagine what it would be like. To have a room like this. A house like this. A family like yours.” I laugh, but it comes out shaky. “Stupid, right? I was just a kid playing pretend.”
“It’s not stupid.” His voice is fierce, and when I look at him, his eyes are intense. “Willa, wanting to feel safe, wanting a place that’s yours—that’s not stupid. That’s human. That’s…”
“Omega?” I supply somewhat bitterly when he trails off.
“I was going to say normal. But yeah, Omega too.” He reaches over and takes my free hand, threading our fingers together. “You deserve every ounce of love the world has to give. Let us court you properly. Be our Omega.”
My throat tightens. “Charlie…”
“I mean it. You fucking deserve every softness and smile and comfort.” His voice roughens with emotion. “When I think about it, I get so fucking mad. Mad at myself, at your father, hell, even at Caleb for leaving you there alone when you needed someone.”
“Charlie—”
“Just be here,” he says, bringing my hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to my palm. “With me. With us. The rest will figure itself out.”
He leans in, and when his lips meet mine, I breathe in his exhalation. His hand slides into my hair, cradling my head, and I taste coffee and something sweeter. The kiss turns heated, his tongue sliding against mine, a low rumble building in his chest that makes my Omega purr in response.
His other hand finds my waist, pulling me closer, and I’m climbing into his lap without thinking, the scent of my slick thick between our bodies, the coffee mugs forgotten somewhere beside us.
He groans into my mouth, the sound vibrating through me, and I can feel the hard length of him pressing against me even through our clothes. Charlie grips the oversized shirt I’m wearing until I’m trapped in the cage of his arms. I rise up on my knees to deepen the kiss, and I feel his Alpha surge to meet me.
“Charlie!”
We break apart, both breathing hard. Jake’s voice carries up the stairs, exasperated and loud.
“Get your asses downstairs! Breakfast is ready, and if you two don’t stop making out in that room, I’m eating all the bacon… or joining you… or both!”
Charlie drops his forehead to my shoulder with a groan. “I’m really going to kill him this time.”
I laugh, breathless and flushed, my lips still tingling. “He’s not wrong, though. We should probably…”
“Yeah.” Charlie pulls back reluctantly, his eyes still dark with want. “But we’re finishing this later.”
“Promise?” The word slips out before I can stop it.
His smile is slow and devastating. “That's a fucking promise, buttercup.” He pulls me in for one last slick-inducing kiss.
That I amdefinitelyhere for.
TWENTY-THREE
beau
@RodeoTimes:THE SAINT ADVANCES TO FINALS! 94.5 points on Tornado Alley—if he wins, he’s ONE RIDE AWAY from his 4th National Championship title. The legend continues. #PBR #DenverQualifiers #BeauMcCrea #ChampionshipBound
@RodeoQueen2024:That man is so fine it should be illegal. Four-time champion AND he looks like THAT?
@BullRidingForever:ONE RIDE from history. Beau McCrea is inevitable at this
point.
@BeauMcCreaThirst:The way that man looked in those Wranglers tonight…
