"What about it?" She's staring at me as if I'm the only thing in the world. As if the mess outside this closet doesn't exist. As if nothing exists except this moment.
"It's making me..." I lean closer. My nose brushes her temple. I breathe in deep and every nerve ending in my body lights up. "Feral."
A tremor runs through her. Her fingers fist in my scrub top, fabric bunching in her grip.
"I can smell you too," she whispers. Her voice wavers. "Pine and mint and something else. Something clean and sharp and it makes my omega want things I shouldn't want."
My hand slides higher. Thumb stroking the inside of her knee in slow circles. "What things?"
"You." The word breaks on a sob. "I want you to touch me. I need to forget everything except this. Except feeling good instead of worthless."
My forehead drops to hers. Our breaths mix in the tiny space between us. I can taste the salt of her tears, smell the desperation rolling off her in waves.
This is the moment. The line I'm about to cross.
"Jessica." Her name is a warning. A plea. My voice has gone deeper, rougher. "If I touch you the way you're asking, I won't want to stop."
"Then don't." Her hand tangles in my hair, nails scraping against my scalp. The bite of pain makes me groan. "Please, Pedro. I need this. Please."
The please shatters what's left of my control.
My hand moves to her hip. Grips hard enough to bruise. Hard enough to anchor. "Tell me exactly what you need."
"Make me forget." Fresh tears spill down her cheeks but these are different. Hot and desperate instead of broken. "Make me feel anything other than worthless and stupid and ruined."
I pull back just enough to look at her properly. To see the way her chest is heaving. The flush spreading down her throat. The glassy desperation in her eyes. Her scent is so thick in this closet I'm drowning in it, choking on it, drunk on the sweetness.
"You're sure?" I need to hear it again. Need her to say yes one more time before I cross this line. "Because once I start, I'm not stopping until you come apart."
"Yes." No hesitation. Her hand tightens in my hair. "God, yes. Please."
My hand finds the waistband of her pants. Fingers hook in the elastic. I pause, giving her one final chance to change her mind, to push me away, to remember all the reasons this is insane.
She lifts her hips.
Permission granted.
I slide her pants down to her knees. Slowly. Watching her face the entire time. Then her underwear. Simple cotton. Already damp. The scent of her arousal hits me and I have to close my eyes and breathe through my nose to keep from completely losing my mind.
When I open them again, she's watching me. Vulnerable. Exposed. Trembling.
"Spread your legs for me." The command comes out pure alpha. Rough and demanding and leaving no room for argument.
She does. As much as she can in this cramped space, knees falling apart, offering herself to me.
I drop to my knees between her thighs.
The concrete floor is hard and cold. I don't care. Don't care about anything except the sight in front of me. Jessica, legs spread, already glistening, her scent so strong it's making my mouth water.
"Pedro." My name is a whimper. "Please."
"I've got you." I press a kiss to the inside of her knee. Gentle. Reverent. "Let me take care of you."
I work my way up slowly. Kissing. Nipping with careful teeth. Tasting the salt of her skin. Her thigh trembles under my mouth. I can feel her pulse jumping, hear the way her breathing has gone ragged and uneven.
When I reach the crease where her thigh meets her body, I pause. Look up at her.
She's watching me with wild eyes. Her hands are gripping the edge of the shelf behind her so hard her knuckles have gone white. Her chest is heaving. A flush has spread across her cheeks, down her throat, disappearing beneath her blouse.
