Grason lingers at the edge of the room, hands clasped loosely in front of him, looking almost shy in a way thatdoesn’t quite fit his size. His eyes flicker to my nest, then back to me, like he’s too scared to ask permission to enter.
I lift my head just enough to look at him. “You can come in, if you want,” I say softly.
That floors the alpha.
His eyes widen and his breath catches before he nods. “Yeah,” he says quietly. “Okay.” He kicks his shoes off by the door, as if he’s suddenly hyperaware of making noise, then eases down next to the edge of the nest.
The big alpha hesitates again, his fingers hovering over the button of his jeans. "Should I...take these off?" he asks with a grimace.
I look at the denim, the rough, abrasive fabric, and frown. It’s a stark contrast to the soft, plush comfort of my nest.No, rough fabrics are not allowed in my perfect little sanctuary.
I shake my head, my expression serious. "No jeans," I say firmly. “Not in the nest.”
Grason slips out of his jeans, the denim hitting the floor with a soft thud. He steps out of them, standing in front of me in just a pair of briefs and a thin white T-shirt. The sight of his thick, muscular thighs and the way the fabric of his briefs hugs his body makes my mouth go dry. He turns to me, his eyes soft and gentle, and I can't help but feel a quick flutter in my chest.
Moving slowly, he eases down, crawling next to me in the center of my nest. His large frame takes up a significant portion of the space, his head and feet brushing the edges of the nest.
As he settles beside me, the contrast hits me all at once.
Grason is enormous. Broad shoulders, long limbs, solid weight that makes the nest feel smaller with his presence. When he shifts to get comfortable, the blankets bunch anddip, and I instinctively curl toward him, fitting into the space his body creates.
I feel small next to him.
And it surprises me how much I like it.
I’ve always been so much taller than all the other omegas. Too long-limbed to ever feel delicate, always aware of how much space I take up in a room. I learned early how to fold myself inward, how to be less noticeable. But next to Grason, all of that disappears. I don’t have to shrink myself.
I just am.
Grason’s arm comes around me, and I tuck myself against his chest, my head resting right below his shoulder. My cheek presses into the soft cotton of his shirt, and his warmth seeps into me, steady and grounding.
“You okay?” he asks quietly, like he always does.
I nod, fingers curling lightly into the fabric at his side. “Yeah,” I murmur. “I like this.”
His breath eases out of him, and I feel his body relax around mine, like that answer mattered more than he expected.
“You know.” His thumb drifts along my side, a quiet touch through my shirt. “I was actually going to ask if you wanted to walk around the garden with me.” There’s a hint of sheepishness in his voice, like he’s half-expecting me to laugh. “But I like this a lot more.”
I smile, nose brushing his chest as I look up at him. “I would love to walk around the garden with you.”
“Oh, no,” he says, his voice softening as he pulls me a little closer. “I think this might be my favorite place in the world right now.” He lets his fingers rest lightly on my hip, warm and steady, as he traces little circles.
I rest my head back against his firm chest, breathing in his woodsy pine scent.
We lie there for a minute, quiet settling in again, the kind that doesn’t need to be filled right away, his hand warm at my back, careful and steady.
“You left before the movie was over,” I say.
“Yeah.” He hums. “I was talking to Cass.”
His fingers push under the hem of my shirt, grazing my skin. The touch is innocent enough, but each caress of his hand sends a tiny spark of heat shooting through my veins, pooling low in my belly.
“Are you okay?” Grason whispers, his voice suddenly very deep.
I am suddenly hyperaware of every single place our bodies are connected. The heavy weight of his arm draped over me, the hard plane of his chest against my cheek, the way his thigh presses flush against mine.
Even through the layers of fabric, I can feel the heat radiating off him, sinking into my skin.
