“It’s been a few hours. Let’s take that diaphragm out,” I tell her as I turn around, and it’s the first smile I get out of her since the two Alphas got into it. “You know, you’re kind of a menace not in heat, but you’re down right devious during your heat.”
She just grins as she parts her legs, and I slide two fingers inside of her and grab the edge to pop it out of her. I wash it off in the sink before putting the purified water in the sterilizer and turning it on to clean off the device.
“You know, the chances of me getting you pregnant are like slim to none,” I tell her, and she shakes her head in disagreement.
Her hands are gripping my waist as I step between her legs. There’s some commotion in the bedroom, and I sigh and grab her face.
“They are big boys. They’ll figure it out. It’s just you and me right now. That’s all that matters.”
She smiles as I lean in and kiss her swollen lips. Even as a Beta, I can appreciate her sweet scent, but I’m thankful I can still keep a clear head about things.
“I’m always on your side, Sloane. No matter what, I’m always in your corner, okay?”
She bites her lip and nods her head, spreading her legs even further. Her slick pools against the counter.
“Alright, none of that, it is indeed tub time.”
She makes a noise of protest as I pick her up and bring her into the bath with me but slowly starts to melt against the warm water. I sit behind her, cradling her body as I use the pink loofah—per the manual—to use her unscented body wash—also per the manual.
“Not trying to brag, but I do think reading your little binder before your heat put me at an advantage here,” I tell her, scrubbing her smooth freckled skin.
She melts into me like butter, and I can tell her muscles are tense from sleeping on Max’s chest like that.
I kiss her shoulder, and she sighs. I wonder what’s going on in her head right now and how much she’s going to truly retain.
It’s a chicken shit move. But I’ve had this weighing on me too long.
“That night at the diner, I didn’t mean to push you away after. I was just scared,” I tell her. She hums but doesn’t speak. Not that I thought she would.
She isn’t facing me, and she likely won’t remember the conversation. But that’s okay, I really just need to get it off my chest.
“Growing up, things were terrible in my house. My father beat my mother near daily. I wasn’t excused from his fists either, but she primarily took it all. My mom was sweet. I remember all the small moments where she tried to make things special for me. We didn’t have a lot of money, but she would make me a cake on my birthday and take me to the park. I don’t know how she got my gifts for Christmas, but she made it happen.”
I scrub her skin gently, and slowly, the fear of telling Sloane the truth fades away the more I share.
“I don’t know why she didn’t leave. I can only assume she had nowhere to go, no money to get us out of that situation. Until, one day, my dad hit me so hard he fractured my jaw. I cried throughout the night. When my dad went to work the next day, she took me to the hospital and admitted abuse was happening in the house and requested I’d be removed from their custody.
“I remember being so upset and wondering why my mom didn’t want me home with her. But on my second night in a new foster home, my social worker came to visit me and told me that my mother had passed away and that my father was in jail. I found out later that he had beaten her to death.”
Sloane’s body stills against mine, and I wonder how much she is understanding and retaining right now.
“So when I tell you I’m not a violent man, I mean it. I’d never, fucking ever, raise my hand to you. Who I was that night scared me, but I know I’m not like him, and I’m sorry for pushing you away, and I’m sorry for word vomiting this all to you now when you likely won’t remember it when you’re done with your heat. I just needed you to know that you’re my priority, and I’ll always keep you safe, sweetheart.”
The water sloshes over the lip of the tub as she perches on my lap. When I look at her face, I swear it’s like she’s fighting with her rational mind. She sighs in frustration as she cups my face and furrows her eyebrows.
“Special,” she says simply, lightly tapping my cheek, making me smile.
“Fuck, you’re cute.”
That makes her smile as her fingers explore my face. It’s sensual and far more intimate than I expected her heat to be. She leans down and kisses me before wrapping her arms around my shoulders and squeezing me tight.
“Being with you is the most special I’ve felt in a long time, sweetheart,” I whisper, and I swear the Omega holds me even tighter than she did before.
CHAPTER 27
Ihold my Beta tightly.
I love him. He takes such good care of me.
