I can see the tension returning to her jaw. "We are doing everything we can, Zo. The second wing will be finished by the end of the year."
Zora shakes her head and drops the files onto the desk with a dull thud. "That doesn't help the kids who need a safe place tonight. I spent two hours reading about a seven-year-old boy who has been bounced through four different foster homes in six months because they do not know how to handle his emotional outbursts."
I move a step closer, close enough to see the way her chest is rising and falling a little too fast. "You cannot carry the entire system on your back. The point of this center is to provide quality care, not just to fill every square inch of the building with beds."
She looks up at me, and for the first time today, our eyes meet. There is a deep, aching fatigue in her brown eyes that makes my chest tighten. "I feel like a fraud, Micah. I sit on my stream and talk about safety and empowerment for Omegas, but here I am deciding which child gets a bed and which one stays in the system. Who am I to make that call?"
I reach out and let my hand hover near her arm, waiting for her to signal that it is okay to touch her. "You are the one who cares enough to stay awake worrying about it. That makes you the most qualified person in the city."
She doesn't pull away, but she doesn't move toward me either. The distance is still there. Her scent shifts; the honey and vanilla notes turn slightly acidic as her anxiety climbs. I need to keep her grounded before she spirals, but she is already turning back to the files, her hands shaking as she picks up the first folder again.
The paper in Zora's hand crinkles as her grip gets tighter, the sound echoing in the small room. Her breathing has shifted from the steady rhythm of work into the short, shallow gasps that I recognize all too well. Zora lets out a jagged breath that sounds like a sob before she drops her head. "I’m going to fail them. I’m going to pick the wrong kids and someone is going to get hurt because I wasn't enough to fix it."
I drop the box of gauze on the counter and move to her before she can spiral any further. I reach past her and close the exam room door, clicking the lock into place to shut out the noise of the power drills and hammers in the hallway. The room becomes a quiet, private box. I turn back to her and place my hands on her shoulders, feeling the way she is vibrating with nervous energy.
I keep my voice low and steady, pressing my palms against her shoulders to anchor her. "Zora, put your hand on my chest. Feel my heart and stay right here with me." I take her hand and press it flat against my sternum, right over the steady thud of my heart.
She tries to focus, but her head shakes as she struggles to draw in a real breath. "I can't do this. Everything is moving too fast and I can't catch up."
I slide my other hand from her shoulder to her face, cupping her cheek so she has to look at me instead of the files. My thumb brushes over her cheekbone to keep her focused on the touch. "I need you to listen to my heart and stop thinking about the intake lists."
I take a long, exaggerated breath, letting my chest expand and holding it while I count to four. She follows the movement, her hand rising and falling with my chest as she mimics the pattern I’m setting. We stand there in the center of the small room, our shadows stretched long across the tile floor. I lean my forehead against hers, closing the gap until our breaths mingle in the small space between us. "You are more than enough. You are theonly reason these kids even have a list to be on. Without you, there would be zero beds for anyone."
Zora lets out a long, shaky exhale and sags against me. I catch her weight and pull her into my chest, wrapping my arms around her as if I can shield her from the files sitting on the desk. She buries her face in the crook of my neck, her hands clutching at the back of my scrub top with a desperate grip. She smells like the stress of the morning, but underneath that, I can still find the honey and vanilla that usually defines her scent.
I rub my hands in slow circles over her back, feeling the tension eases out of her muscles as she stops shaking. "The weight you feel is proof that you are doing this for the right reasons. If this didn't hurt you, I would be worried that you were the wrong person for the job."
She pulls back just enough to look at me, her eyes wet but much clearer than they were a minute ago. She reaches up and touches the skin of my neck, her fingers still trembling slightly. "How do you always know exactly what to say to get me back to the ground?"
I let out a small, self-deprecating laugh and hold her closer. "I have spent six months watching you, Zo. I know every shift in your breathing and every way you try to hide it when you are overwhelmed. I have made it my full-time job to understand what you need before you even have to ask for it."
She doesn't look away this time; I see the moment her brain stops categorizing me as a threat or a liar and starts seeing me as the man who has stayed by her side through every single panic attack. She runs her hand down my arm, her touch light but intentional as she finds the edge of my sleeve.
Zora takes one more deep breath, and I can tell it finally reaches her lungs. "I have been so angry with you. I wanted to keep being angry because it was easier than admitting that I still want you around."
I keep my hands on her waist, holding her steady. I don't want to push her, but I can't look away from the way her lips are parted. "You are allowed to be as angry as you want."
She shakes her head and steps even closer, closing the last inch of space between our bodies. "I was hurt by how you guys went about things, and the fact Reid still tries to control my life. But I’ve noticed how you’re all trying to be better. You’ve all helped make this dream a reality, and it’s time I stop being so harsh with you."
She reaches up and grabs the front of my shirt; her knuckles brushing against my chest. Before I can say anything else, she pulls me down and presses her lips against mine with a force that catches me off guard. The kiss is desperate and tender all at once, a sudden release of everything we have been holding back.
The kiss tastes like the salt of her tears and the cool mint of the tea she was drinking earlier. I lift her up and set her on the edge of the exam table, the sanitary paper covering crinkling loudly under her weight in the quiet room. I step between her knees and pull her flush against me, my hands finding the curve of her hips through the thin fabric of her skirt. She wraps her legs around my waist, pulling me closer until there is no air left between us.
I pull back for a second to look at her, my thumb brushing over her lower lip to catch a stray tear. Her golden-blonde hair is a mess, a soft halo around her face that I want to bury my hands in for the rest of the day. I keep my voice steady even though my heart is trying to hammer its way out of my ribs. "Are you sure about this, Zora? We are in the middle of a medical wing and anyone could walk by that door."
Zora lets out a breathy laugh and pulls my head back down to hers, her fingers digging into my shoulders. She grips the back of my neck with a strength that tells me she isn't letting go. "Ihave never been more sure of anything in my life. I need to feel something that isn't work or stress."
I slide my hands under the hem of her silk shirt, my palms grazing the warm skin of her stomach. She shivers at the contact, her head dropping back as I trail my lips down the line of her throat to the spot where her pulse is racing.
I unbutton her shirt with slow fingers, keeping my eyes on hers to make sure she stays present with me. When the silk falls away, she looks radiant in the dim light of the exam room, her skin glowing against the white paper of the table. I reach out and cup her breast, my thumb rubbing over the peak until she lets out a low moan that vibrates through my chest.
Zora reaches for the buckle of my belt, her movements a little clumsy but determined as she works the leather loose. I help her, stripping out of my clothes until we are both bare in the quiet room. The air coming from the vent is cool on my skin, but the heat coming off her is intense enough to make my head swim. I lay her back on the table, the thin paper tearing beneath us, and move over her. I am careful with my weight, making sure I am grounding her against the table without making her feel pinned.
I enter her slowly, watching her face as I slide deep into her pussy. She arches her back and grips my shoulders, her nails digging into my skin as I find a rhythm. Her head falls back as she moans, and I can't help but lean down to brush my lips over her neck. Picking up the pace, I use more force at an angle to rub the head of my cock along her g-spot. The metal of the table groans. God, she feels so good wrapped around me. I know she's been sleeping with Theo and Dameon, but this is the first time I've gotten to be with her since her heat, and I'm not going to last.
Gently, I ease her back so more of her lies on the table and bring my hand between us to stroke her clit, wanting her to come with me. My cock pulses as the knot pushes deep into heruntil there is no room left for anything else. Zora gasps, her eyes snapping open and searching mine as the fullness takes over her entire awareness.
Leaning down, I press my forehead against hers. "I am going to lock with you, Zo."
