Ollie held Ronin’s gaze, although his eyes couldn’t help lowering to the alpha’s lips. Ollie wanted so bad for Ronin to lean in and kiss him. The alpha must have seen something in his eyes because he held Ollie’s gaze as he pulled him closer, and the omega's body sank into Ronin’s bigger frame.
“Goodnight,” Ronin said, then lowered his lips to Oliver’s. The kiss was sweet and soft, and waaayyy too brief. Ronin let him go slowly, and then pulled the zip of Ollie’s sleeping bag open for him. “In you go.”
Ollie scooted downwards until Ronin could pull the sleeping bag up for him to slide in. When he was lying down, his mate zipped it up before placing another gentle kiss on his lips.
“Sleep tight, Ollie. I promise I’ll watch over you.”
Chapter Ten
Ronin
Ronin had taken over patrol, giving his friends a chance to sleep, although he knew from experience on a mission that even while asleep, they were still alert.
Ro stared into the night thinking, but all his thoughts circled back to Oliver. Right as he had that thought, Ronin felt his wolf sit up, and he slowly looked over his shoulder and saw Oliver standing there.
“Hey.” Oliver’s voice came across the distance, barely above a whisper. When Ro turned around, his mate was waving at him, and when their eyes met, Ollie looked down at his socked feet. He moved in closer, making his way towards Ronin.
“Hey.” Ronin couldn’t hide his smile.
“You're not sleeping, huh?” Ollie took another step towards him.
Ronin shook his head.
“Uhhh, did you let Roman and Devon know that you've got us?” Oliver asked.
The last people Ronin wanted to be thinking about at that moment were his brother and his brother’s mate, but if that was what his mate wanted to talk about, then sure, he was up for it.
Ro nodded. “I called them earlier. They can’t wait to see you guys, especially Devon. Rome said Devon is so happy that you're all safe.”
Oliver managed a smile. “We have him to thank for it. He got out, but he didn't forget us.”
“Yeah, my brother is so happy because Devon is. Rome said this may be the first night Devon sleeps without having nightmares.” Even though Rome hadn't been too happy about Anton still breathing, he'd understood when Ronin explained how shit went down—they were raised the same way.
Ollie sighed and looked over to where his friends slept. “I think this is the best sleep we've all gotten in a while.”
Ro stepped closer to his mate. “Having trouble sleeping?” His eyes roamed over Ollie's face, taking it in...Fuck,he wanted to steal another kiss from Oliver, but it felt like it was too soon after all his omega had been through.
Ollie shrugged. “Can’t seem to fall asleep, and I saw that you weren't in your sleeping bag, so I thought maybe you would like some company.” His mate looked down awkwardly at his shuffling feet.
“I will never say no to spending time with you,” Ronin said honestly. He put a finger on Ollie's chin and lifted it up so they were looking at each other. “I will always want to spend every moment with you.”
Oliver nodded, his eyes on Ro, and the smile that grew on his face had Ro smiling as well.
All Ro wanted to do was taste his mate's lips again, and he felt like Oliver’s eyes on him saw right through to his soul. His mate's eyes darkened and his body swayed closer to Ro's, who knew immediately that Ollie was imagining the same things that he was.
He didn’t even need to hear Oliver’s thoughts to know that—not that he could anymore. He'd spoken to his brother about it, and Rome said he had a feeling the mate bond had felt his mate's panic, his need for Ro, and all the intense fear, andthatwas why they could communicate before they'd actually mated.
Ronin looked away from him as they both awkwardly stood there, neither one going to make the first move. As the alpha, it should have been an easy decision for Ronin, but he didn’t want to take advantage of the situation. He didn’t want to scare Oliver away or push him before he was ready.
His mate closed the remaining space between them.
“We can take it slow.” Ronin made sure that his mate knew that there was no rush. Ronin searched Ollie's face, and he appeared anything but scared.
“I don't feel pressured or rushed.” Oliver’s voice was low, his eyes on Ronin. “You make me feel more than... I feel safe with you.”
“I hope you always feel like that,” Ronin said.
Oliver had a teasing look on his face. “I know you want to kiss me, but I can also feel that you’re hesitant.”
