“Of course.” I dip my head in a brief nod.
He doesn’t glance at me again as he turns and leaves the room, heading to his office. I return to the sink full of dishes, mentally preparing a list of things Kaitlin and I will need to take with us tonight.
In a few more hours, we will be free. Leaving Whitlan and the cult my father created behind.
The pounding of my pulse drowns out the creaks of our old house as I lie alone in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Counting the minutes until the medicine I slipped into Colin’s dessert shouldkick in. There are no footsteps on the stairs; no movement on the lower floor.
Did they work? Is he already asleep?
Anxiety makes my nausea worse, threatening to have me rushing to the bathroom before I can contemplate checking on my husband. Being pregnant and stressed out isn’t great. It’s downright dangerous if my blood pressure spikes too high. But that is a risk I must take if I want to get away from this awful place.
Slowly inching from beneath the covers, I keep my steps light as I make my way to the doorway. I’m barely breathing as I move down the hall, careful not to hit any squeaky spots. Light still shines from Colin’s office, but the door is closed, and I cannot see inside. I press my ear against the wood, asking Fate to grant me this one small reprieve and let him be asleep.
Inch by inch, I push the door open. Terror threatens to overwhelm me, my instincts screaming to run, to hide away in bed where we will be safe. Fighting back those urges takes tremendous effort, but I stay rooted to the spot as Colin comes into view. His body slumps over his desk, eyes closed. Taking a careful step into the room, I wait for his eyes to flicker open or his hands to twitch from the scraping of my feet on the floor.
My breath whooshes from my lungs when he doesn’t react.It worked!
Scrambling back out of the office, I let the door click shut behind me. It’s a race against time as I run up the stairs and change out of my pajamas. After shoving a few days’ worth of clothes into a duffel bag, I sweep through the bedroom to grab anything I cannot easily replace. My daughter’s baby pictures. Childhood photos of my sister and me. Any evidence of my connection to the DAU. It all gets packed away. Material things like clothes and toiletries can easily be replaced once we are somewhere safe.
Kaitlin’s soft snores fill the air when I step into her room, tossing several outfits into the bag with mine. I make sure to grab her favorite blanket and stuffed giraffe, not wanting to leave them behind when I know they will comfort her during our escape. She stirs slightly as I slip her out of bed and into my arms, but quickly settles as I tuck her face against my neck.
Buckling her into her car seat is difficult with my baby bump in the way, but I make it work. She stays asleep throughout the entire process, worn out from a day of playing outside in the heat. Pausing, I press a kiss to the crown of her head and whisper that I love her. Just in case this all goes wrong.
Settled into the driver’s seat, my hands shake as I press the button to raise the garage door, terrified the noise will somehow penetrate Colin’s drug-induced sleep. Nothing moves in the house as I turn the engine over and shift into reverse. The headlights automatically turn on, flooding the garage with bright light. My grip on the wheel tightens, breaths coming in ragged puffs as we slowly inch out of the garage. Every second is agonizing, but as soon as we pull out onto the road, I let go of all my fear.
We’ve made it this far, so I won’t let anyone get in our way now.
As soon as we reach the end of the road, I dig into the side of the duffle bag and pull out the small flip phone hidden there. DAU agents will meet us closer to the border so we don’t have to risk taking Colin’s car out of state. He won’t have any way of following us, not without asking for help from someone else in the community, but he could easily report the vehicle as stolen. That’s trouble I don’t need.
The phone powers on, bright in the darkness. I press the only number saved in the contacts and type out a quick message, attaching the location of the motel we’re heading to.
Pull us out.
Chapter Two
Hot water streamsover my body, stealing the stress of another day away. Working as an agent with DAU can be taxing, especially on days when our operations are stalled or don’t go to plan. I try to leave work at the door when I return home, but sometimes our failures haunt me.
Soft hands travel from my lower back up to my shoulders, kneading the strain from my muscles. After a minute of exquisite pressure, I gently knock them away and turn to lock eyes with my Omega. Tousled black curls fall over his forehead, adding to the playful curve of his lips. Stubble covers his jaw and upper lip from three days of shifts at the hospital. The rugged look makes him appear closer to his actual age of thirty instead of the early twenties everyone mistakes him for.
“Did you enjoy your nap?” I ask, trailing my palms down his sides until they settle on his hips.
“Mmm, I did. I love waking up to see you like this, Alpha. Naked and hard for me.” Mischief gleams in Foster’s aquamarine eyes, and his fingers dance down my chest.
Entwining my fingers with his, I stop his wandering touch and let my eyes roam over his body, admiring his athletic build. A lean chest leads to a flat, soft stomach, and resting proudlyagainst the bottom is his beautiful cock. Slick leaks from the reddened tip, trailing down over his balls and soaking his thighs. Tongue darting out to swipe across my bottom lip, I flick my eyes back to his. “I’m always ready to take care of my insatiable Omega.”
He frowns, but heat simmers in his eyes. I can feel the needy whine building in his chest. Using my grip on his hips, I pull him closer. Our lips meet in a messy kiss. A mix of tongue and teeth that has us both groaning.
This is what makes it easy to set aside the stress of my workdays.
My beautiful mate and the connection we share.
Walking him backward until he hits the shower wall, my lips tilt up into a smile when a startled sound slips from his lips to mine. I make a show of slowly lowering to my knees, hands skimming lightly down over his waist and thighs. My mouth waters as his scent sweetens, the buttery notes of the lemon tart deepening. I cast my eyes upward, watching his expression as I lick a long stripe upward from his base to swirl around the tip, soaking up his slick. Heat reddens his cheeks, and his eyes roll back as I swallow him down.
Smirking around his length, I work him in slow pulls, letting my tongue tease the head of his cock. His hands scramble against my shoulders, blunt nails digging into the back of my neck as his orgasm builds.
“Fuck, Alpha, please, I need-”
I drop one hand to tease his balls. Slipping back to press two fingers into his ass sends him over the edge. His body shakes, knees sagging beneath the weight of the pleasure coursing through him. Salted lemons coat my tongue as I savor his release. So damn sweet with the perfect bite of tartness. I’m obsessed with the way he tastes.
