“Because, Lucy,” I remind him, “every pounding you take is a pounding you’ll have to recover from.”
His pretty face contorts into a scowl. Eyes narrowing in disdain. “I don’t care.”
“You might not care now, but you will later.”
“I won’t,” he grumbles as I pull him up and lead him to the living room. “You’ll see. I’ll be the omega who won’t care about that.”
“Let’s get you a few sips of coffee and a glass of electrolytes.”
His arms are stiff at his sides, nose pointed a little higher in the air than usual. “I don’t like electrolytes.”
Unsurprising.
“I know you don’t, but there’ll be no passing out from dehydration during this heat. Not on my watch.”
His top lip flares and he shakes his head as if I’m an idiot. “If I were you,” he mutters, “I’d be more worried aboutyoudehydrating than me.”
I chuckle, mixing a packet into a glass of water for myself as well. “Don’t worry. I’m plenty worried about that.”
I toss the drink back in a few gulps and put the glass down on the counter.
“Yucky, right?” he asks, giving me a smug look.
“Delicious,” I correct. “What was your first heat like?” I ask the question in part to take his mind off the taste of the electrolytes, and in part because first heats, though usually much milder than subsequent heats, are a good indication of what to expect from future heats.
“Umm,” he says, dragging the word out and looking away. “I didn’t have a first heat.”
I stare at him, gaping, and quickly correct. First heats usually occur at twenty. Medically, it’s highly advisable for omegas to go into heat before starting a suppressant. It regulates their systems, among a slew of other health benefits. Not only that, failing to have a first heat is known to cause much more severe heats in the future. Lucien is twenty-six. That means he’s six years overdue for his heat. Six years!
He crosses his arms, presses his lips together, and raises his chin defiantly, challenging me to point it out to him.
I decide not to.
Instead, I change the subject. “So, I guess we should talk about what your expectations are for the next few days. Hard yeses and nos. Dos and don’ts, that kind of thing.” He looks at me blankly, so I continue, “You know, things you want and thi—”
“Cock,” he says earnestly. His eyes are big, pupils impossibly dilated, his lips swollen and dark pink. I swallow the giggle that threatens. Before I can correct him, he amends, blinking and smiling like a schoolboy who is sure he knows the answer to the question a teacher is asking. “Alphacock.”
“Okay.” I bite my cheek. “Maybe we should have had this discussion yesterday.” He looks mildly confused, so I explain, “I meant, do you like it hard or gentle? Do you like being held down and dominated, or do you like taking control? Dirty talk, no dirty talk? That kind of thing.”
“Ah.” Lucien nods slowly, eyes darkening, as he runs a finger over his bottom lip absently. “Thosethings…yes. I like them.”
His gaze wanders to a spot to the left of my head and a smile creeps up his face. I wonder if he’s seeing flashes of us together. Fucking hard. Fucking slowly. My handson his wrists, holding him down as I drive my dick into him. Him on top of me, mouth open, head thrown back. Images flash before my eyes like a movie. A movie with a pornographic soundtrack. A soundtrack made up only of the sound of Lucien moaning and groaning as my knot cleaves him open.No, that’s me. I’m the one seeing things.Shit. I have it almost as bad as he does.
“Just one thing,” he adds, like an afterthought, “no biting. No mating mark.”
“What? No. Definitely not,” I say quickly. “Absolutely not. No mating mark.”
A mating mark is administered by an alpha biting an omega’s scent gland during heat. It forms a permanent spiritual, emotional, and physical link between an alpha and an omega. It’s the most serious commitment two people can make to each other. Nothing and no one—with the exception of death—has the power to undo it.
I think my response was a bit strong because Lucien looks away, embarrassed about having brought it up. It’s the last thing I want. I want him to feel like he can talk to me about anything. “But you’re right, thank you for bringing it up. It’s exactly the kind of thing we need to talk about.”
His embarrassment fades, and he looks relieved. “And no mocking me,” he adds. “And no denying me.” He gainsconfidence with each additional statement. “And…and, you know what, how ’bout you just do whatever I tell you to do when I tell you to do it? That’ll probably work best.”
Ordinarily, I’m an alpha guy through and through—and in more than designation alone. I have my shit together. It’s not posturing or big-headedness either. It’s simply a product of my personality as well as my biology. I’m strong and a leader. A leader who knows who he is and what he’s prepared to put up with. A leader no one tells what to do.
Incredibly, the truth is, I have it so bad for Lucien that I’d probably give him whatever he wants, heat or no heat.
I manage to stop myself from telling him so. Just. Almost. “All you have to do is ask, and it’s yours.”
