I took his hand, and he pulled me out of the car, his grip firm and steady. We walked to the front door in silence. He unlocked it, guided me inside, and closed it behind us with a finality that made my heart race.
The entrance hall was quiet. Hastings and Fritz were still somewhere over the Atlantic on their way to New York.
It was just us. Me and Etienne and the realization something had brought my heat on fast. It wouldn’t be long until it consumed me completely.
He turned to face me, his eyessearching mine.
"Go upstairs," he said gently. "I'll shower and meet you in your room. We have to talk about this. First I need to think."
I nodded, but I couldn't move. My feet were rooted to the marble floor, my body trembling with nerves.
"Presley."
I stared at Etienne and whispered, "I've never..." The words stuck in my throat. I tried again. "I’m scared I’ll lose all sense of myself. I want to remember something. Will you... I mean."
Understanding flickered across his face. He stepped closer, his hand cupping my cheek. "I'll take care of you."
17
Presley
I paced my bedroom,my hands twisting together, my heart thumping at my ribs so hard I thought it might break.
What was I doing?
This was supposed to be a professional arrangement. But there was nothing professional about the way my body ached for him. Nothing professional about the way my pulse jumped when I heard the shower turn off down the hall.
The door opened.
Etienne leaned against the doorframe, his hair still damp, water droplets clinging to his shoulders. He wore loose gray joggers and nothing else. His chest was bare, muscles defined, a light scatter of hair trailing down his stomach.
I couldn't breathe.
“Can I come inside?”
“Oh you mean, am I inviting you into my nest?” I swallowed the lump that had formed there.
“Yes, Omega.”
My thighs involuntarily clenched. It was the first time a man had called me ‘Omega’ but this was also the first time I was going to have sex with an Alpha. My stomach flipped.
I’d heard plenty of stories of Omegas and Alphas going into a kind frenzy when Omega’s heat was in full force.
“Presley. You’re spiraling."
I swallowed. I needed to feel an Alpha’s knot before my heat took over and I couldn’t remember. “Please come in.”
He closed the door behind him, his eyes never leaving mine. "Tell me what you need," he said quietly.
"I don't know."
"Then we'll figure it out together."
He crossed to me, slow and deliberate, giving me every opportunity to tell him to stop.
I didn't.
His hands found my waist, warm and steady. "Are you sure about this?"
