Linus let out a happy sigh, wrapped his legs around me, which caused more slick and cum to leak from him, hugged me, and rested his head against my shoulder. “I forgive you,” he said, nuzzling his face against my neck. “I definitely forgive you. Now I understand why people like stuff like that.”
I felt so honored hearing him say that. There had been times when I’d questioned why I liked playing out ostensibly cruel scenes with omega playmates. I’d gotten into it as a way to discipline my own mind, but in those moments when I enjoyed it a little too much, like I just had, I wondered if maybe something in me was irreversibly warped. The affection Linus showed me now was proof that the whole thing was mutual and enjoyed.
I lost the giddy grin that had popped onto my face when I said, “If we were doing this right, I would lavish you with the best aftercare the world has ever seen.”
“Hmm?” Linus lifted his head and smiled blearily at me.
“You can’t just play a scene like that without offering extensive aftercare.”
“What’s that?” Linus blinked at me, then yawned.
I couldn’t help but laugh. He was just so sweet. “I should cuddle with you while you’re this sleepy, for one,” I explained. “And I should give you a nice, long, warm bath and check to make sure I haven’t broken any skin or something like that.”
Linus let out a long, happy hum and rested his head against me again. “That sounds wonderful.”
Again, my smile dropped. “We’ve got a job to do,” I reminded him. “The clock is ticking, the police will be here soon, and the Dumfries gang. We’re in the middle of a sting operation, not a cozy weekend away.”
I hated that I had to burst my omega’s bubble like that, especially since he felt so content with me. That contentment vanished as he lifted his head again, not hazy or smiling this time.
“We have to take the flashlights back to the boathouse and get pics of the guns and things,” he said. “The police are counting on us.”
Just like that, the wonderful moment I’d never seen coming vanished. I let Linus down to his feet again, and we spent the next few minutes picking up clothespins and tidying the area we’d just messed up. Linus mopped up everything that had leaked from him with an old rag, his face bright red. I felt more than just embarrassment from him, though. I felt a streak of empowerment and a giddy enjoyment of what he’d done. Our life together definitely wouldn’t be boring.
Our life together. Thinking about it made my heart pound and my skin prickle. I had an omega to take care of and share my life with now. I didn’t know what that would look like, whether Linus would want to get married and start a family or whether he’d just want to live together and take one step at a time. Thatwas yet another thing we would have to think and talk about once the weekend was over, though.
“I think a few pictures will be enough,” Linus said once we were back at the boathouse. He held a flashlight in each hand, shining them into the van so I could snap the required pics with my phone. “I hope this whole thing doesn’t come down to the police needing these pics because the actual guns and things are gone for some reason.”
An idea hit me. “How mischievous are you feeling tonight?” I asked with a sly grin.
I immediately felt sheepishness and desire from my adorable omega. “Pretty darn naughty,” he said.
I chuckled. “Then maybe you should slash the van’s front tires. If everything goes wrong, they won’t be able to drive the van away, but if you just do the front tires, chances are they won’t notice from this end, closer to the dock.”
“Ooh! Great idea!”
We searched around the boathouse for something sharp enough to slash through the tires. Fortunately, there was an old pair of scissors near some fishing equipment that did the job.
As Linus and I walked back up to the house in the dark, hand in hand, it was like we were two kids who were out after our bedtimes, causing mischief that we knew we’d get in trouble for later. It didn’t feel at all like we were in the middle of a high-stakes police operation that could put a smuggling gang out of business.
Until we walked through the house into the kitchen.
“But I don’t understand,” Lucas’s voice snapped before Linus and I turned the corner to see what was going on. “You’re just an ESA. You don’t have anything to do with this. Why won’t you let me tell Wally not to bother coming?”
“Because things have gone too far,” Fenn said just as we came to a stop right inside the kitchen. He glanced to me with aserious look that said things had taken a turn while Linus and I had been outside.
“I can’t do this,” Lucas said. “Things are supposed to go smoothly. I can’t make the exchange with people looking on.”
“And what do you think will happen if you call the whole thing off?” Fenn asked him, obviously frustrated. “You already have the guns out there in your boathouse.”
Lucas made a strangled sound and paced around the kitchen restlessly. He didn’t look good. His skin had a slightly pale tint to it, his hair stood up at odd angles, and his face was pinched with discomfort.
It was Linus who figured out what was going on. “Lucas, is your heat over?” he asked, confused.
“Yeah,” Lucas said glumly, looking briefly at him as he paced, hugging himself.
I put a few more things together, then. Lucas was dressed in pajamas, and he was keeping well clear of Fenn, and now me.
“It’s only been a little more than one day,” Linus said, a hint of horror in his voice. “You didn’t…you didn’t get pregnant, did you?” He glanced accusingly at Fenn.
