"You used to love ice cream." I swung off the bike and took her helmet, setting it on the seat. "Chocolate chip cookie dough. Extra sprinkles."
Something flickered across her face. Surprise that I remembered.
"That was twelve years ago."
"So?" I moved closer, backing her up against the brick wall of the building. "You telling me your favorite changed?"
"I..." She licked her lips nervously. "No. It didn't change."
"Then wait here."
I left her there and ducked into the shop, emerging five minutes later with two cones. Chocolate chip cookie dough with extra sprinkles for her. Plain vanilla for me because I'd never been fancy about dessert.
Reina was exactly where I'd left her, leaning against the wall in the shadows of the alley. The dim light from the street barely reached us here. Private. Secluded.
Dangerous.
I handed her the cone and watched as she took the first lick, her eyes closing briefly in pleasure.
"Good?" I asked.
"Perfect." She took another lick, then looked up at me. "You remembered."
"I remember everything about you, Reina."
The words hung between us, heavy with twelve years of meaning. She stared at me, ice cream forgotten, her scent starting to shift into something warmer.
"Jaxon..." It was barely a whisper.
I moved closer, caging her against the wall with my body. "I never stopped looking for you, Pretty Girl."
"You should have."
"Why? Because your mom told you to disappear? Because she convinced you that you were dangerous?" I reached up, tracing her jaw with my thumb. "You're not dangerous, Reina. You're perfect."
"I'm Category Red," she said, her voice breaking slightly. "My scent makes Alphas violent. Makes them fight. Makes them..."
"Makes them recognize their mate."
She inhaled sharply.
"That's what you are," I continued, my voice dropping lower. "You're not unstable. You're not a threat. You're a dual-bondOmega and your body's been trying to tell you that for twelve years."
"That's not..." She shook her head. "That's not possible."
"Isn't it?" I leaned in, my nose tracing along her neck where her scent was strongest. "Explain why your suppressants keep failing. Explain why your body responds to both me and Vale. Explain why being near us makes you feel safe instead of scared."
Her breathing had gone ragged. The ice cream cone was dripping, forgotten in her hand.
"I can't..." she started, but I cut her off.
"You can. You just won't." My hand slid down to her waist, pulling her closer. "Stop fighting it, Reina. Stop fighting us."
"Jaxon, please..."
"Please what?" I pressed against her fully now, letting her feel exactly what she did to me. "Please stop? Please keep going? Tell me what you want, Pretty Girl."
Her eyes were dark, pupils blown wide. Her scent was everywhere now, thick with arousal and need and desperation.
