Marcellus shook his head. "I'm not leaving you alone. At least let me drive you home." He glanced around. "Did you bring your own car?"
Wes shook his head. "No, I usually take taxis in the city." He toyed with his fingers. "Maybe it would be best if I went home on my own."
Marcellus glanced down at him. The space between them was so small they could practically feel each other. He worried that Wes was going to turn him down, say no thank you, and walk away. Instead, he sighed. "I told you that I didn't want to talk about these things."
"I get it." Marcellus quickly shook his head. "I shouldn't have brought anything up, but I did, and now I'm apologizing." He pushed a hand through his hair. "So, how about I get you home?"
Marcellus couldn't leave Wes alone. Every second that they stood outside, he was becoming more intoxicated by Wes' scent. The omega was now in full-blown heat, and it was going to hit him like a brick wall soon. Marcellus didn't want to leave him on his own.
"Okay," Wes finally nodded. "Normally I would say no, but I'm not feeling great." He bit his lip and then glanced away. "I'll show you where to go."
Marcellus wrapped an arm around Wes. His car was brought to them in a few minutes, and he opened the passenger door before Wes slipped inside. Marcellus jogged around the car and slid in, closing his own door and snapping his belt into place. Things were going to work out fine. He just needed to get his omega back to his own place and let him take a moment to collect himself.
Six
Wes
Wes was crawling out of his skin. Every inch of him felt like it was on fire, and he knew exactly what it meant. The heat was coming. It had started out so small and unexpected that he was sure it would be okay, that the feeling would pass. However, as they drove from the restaurant, Wes squirmed and wriggled in his seat.
"You okay?"
Wes shook his head. "Hell no. All I can think about is how hot I am." He tugged at his shirt. "It's so hot."
"I know." Marcellus cranked up the AC and when the chilled blast hit Wes in the face, he sighed happily. "Is that better?"
"Barely." He shook his head and glanced away. "I-I'm not used to anyone being around during things like this." He squirmed. "This is so embarrassing."
Marcellus reached over and tapped his leg. "It's not embarrassing. It's nature. As soon as we get you to your place, we'll run you a cold bath, get you an ice pack, and put you in the bed."
Wes glanced up at him. He hadn't expected that, but his heart picked up speed. Marcellus was being so good to him. It was nice to know he had someone, even if only for a little while, to help him through things. Wes had never had anyone help with his heats except for his mom when the very first one hit. He’d been very young and didn’t understand what was happening with his body. After that, he'd only ever dealt with them all on his own.
"Thank you." Wes laid a hand on his arm. "I really do appreciate this."
It was much more than appreciation that ran through his veins, though. Wes wanted him. He'd tried to deny it since the day they met. During the whole dinner, the urge grew, and Wes felt like he really was about to cross over the console and crawl into his lap. He pointed out the directions to his apartment, and Marcellus got them there in record time.
"Come on." He held out his hand, and Wes took it. "Let's get you inside."
Wes nodded. Their fingers laced together, and Wes felt comforted for the first time since his heat had set in. Okay, he could get used to holding Marcellus' hand. The alpha squeezed it and gave a little tug, and Wes woke up enough to lead them up to the apartment and then unlock the door.
The door swung open, and Wes flipped the switch on the wall, causing the room to be filled with soft light. Wes toed off his shoes but found that even that was hard. He was shaky and the heat came flooding back now that the AC was gone. The slight relief that he'd felt had disappeared, and he was once again consumed with the urge to touch and kiss and fuck the life out of Marcellus.
"You okay?" The alpha grabbed his elbow and steadied him. "Do you need to sit down?"
Wes waved a hand. "I'm not incapable of walking or moving on my own. It's okay." He shuffled down the hall. "Can you sit on the couch for a minute? I'm going to change into some shorts or something."
The words that came out of Wes' mouth were slurred and choppy now, and he could barely focus on what he was doing. Wes forced himself to push forward until he slipped into his bedroom and shut the door. For a minute, he leaned against the door and took in a deep breath.
"Okay, gotta... gotta..." He glanced around his bedroom. What the hell did he need to do? He searched until his eyes fell on his dresser. "Right, shorts." Wes pushed off from the door and padded over to the chest of drawers and dug around inside until he found a pair of black shorts that he could wear. Now all he had to do was get undressed.
That was where the trouble started. No matter how much he tugged and pulled at his clothes, he couldn't get them off of his body. Wes grunted, frowned, and fell onto the bed just trying to get his clothes off, but his fingers trembled, and the heat that spread all over his body consumed him.
"You okay in there?" Marcellus knocked. "I can hear you struggling from the living room."
"I-I'm fine." Wes moaned and pushed his face into the bed. "I just..."
He didn't know what he needed. The fire wouldn't subside, and it was too late to snag the suppressants that he'd picked up a few months back in Mexico. They weren't going to dampen what had already been set in motion. His fingers twisted into the sheets, and he gripped them tightly. Slowly, his eyes darted up to see Marcellus as he opened the door and stepped inside.
The alpha stopped in his doorway, his well-built frame taking up almost the whole space and blocking out most of the light from the hall. He looked Wes up and down, and the omega wanted to disappear underneath the bed in embarrassment. He was a complete mess. Their eyes met as Marcellus crossed the room until he was close enough to touch Wes. In his head, the omega begged him to do just that, but he didn't move.
