Jack smiled warily at me and rested his hands over mine before drawing them away from his face. He held our hands together between us and stared at them, or maybe at the tattoos on my belly and side, for a moment while gathering his thoughts.
“I’m only a few months away from thirty,” he said, glancing up at me again. His eyes held so much regret and even more affection. It made it hard for me to breathe as he went on. “I’m ashamed of myself for letting myself skate by, doing whatever my parents told me to do. It was all I ever knew, really. I let them nip my dreams in the bud and dictate who I was going to be and how I should live.
“But then I met you,” he said, resting one hand on the side of my face. He brushed his thumb across my lip ring, which had my cock taking notice. “You woke me out of the stupor that that life lulled me into.”
“And caused your dad to cut you off financially,” I reminded him. A huge part of me didn’t want him to give me too much credit or say I was too wonderful. I was only going to disappoint him in the end, after all.
Jack huffed a laugh. “I’m smarter and more resilient than that,” he said. “Look around. This apartment is full of things that I could sell for a quick buck to make a nest egg. And my dad can’t take my law degree from me. He can’t retaliate against every law firm in the country, or probably even just Barrington. Icanand Iwillbreak away from him and start a new life.”
His declaration was just what I needed to get to the point of why I was there.
“I think I have an idea that might help with everything,” I said, resting my palms on his chest again. I might not have the ability to bond with Jack, but I could feel his heartbeat while I shared things with him, and that was as much an indicator of what he was feeling as a bond was.
“I’m all ears,” Jack said, sliding his hands across my sides to hold my ass.
I loved that. I had to lean forward and kiss him as a way of showing him.
I couldn’t let that go on for long, though. Not when I had a plan to hatch.
“Okay,” I said, sitting back and forcing myself to concentrate. My insides, especially my omega, were jumping all over the place and trying to take me out of my head and into my cock. “Here’s my plan.”
I took a deep breath and met Jack’s eyes. He was already listening more intently than any alpha had ever listened to me, especially Chester.
“So you know how Chester was waiting for me when I got back to the office after lunch the other day?” I started.
Jack’s hands tightened almost painfully on my asscheeks, and I kind of loved it. “I’ll murder him,” Jack growled.
“No, you won’t have to, I think,” I said. “And besides, I really don’t want you to go to jail.”
“He caused you to…react,” Jack went on, still fuming.
“And he reacted, too, yeah,” I glossed over what I’d explained to him the day it happened. “The whole thing was…weird.”
Jack’s anger softened into curiosity. “Weird?”
“Yeah. He was there and he wanted to apologize.”
“Apologize?” Jack snorted angrily, the same as he had the first time I told him.
“And to check to make sure I was alright.”
“I still think it’s all highly suspicious.”
“Oh, it was shady as fuck,” I said, feeling strangely secure and confident discussing the confrontation that had left me feeling so shredded. It was Jack who made me feel safe. Chester, on the other hand…. “He talked about everything he’s doing with this new app of his,” I went on, sharing the new information that had taken a backseat when I’d explained the bond reaction. “Frankly, I think the whole thing is intrusive and illegal.”
“What does the app do?” Jack asked, frowning like he already had some concerns of his own.
“It’s ostensibly a marketing app, something to make sure the right ads are served to the right people,” I explained. “But it also tracks the user’s location through their phone.”
Jack’s brow shot up. “That isn’t legal.”
“What if someone consented to it in the terms and conditions of the app when they download it?” I asked.
Jack just pressed his lips together and breathed out through his nose.
“Anyhow,” I went on, “he’s very clearly in cahoots with your dad about this whole thing.”
“I know,” Jack said.
