“I’m doing what my mate needs me to do,” Roman said. “You know something?”
“Pack Kincaid is one of the nastier packs in the sex trafficking rings. Ouroboros considered Dax Kincaid at one point, I think, but the guy has a short temper and doesn’t play nice with others. Heard Nightingale talk about him once.”Jagger sighed, though the irritation had not faded from his voice even a little. Sort of impressive.“Kincaid and his goons are hired muscle for the auctioneers. Not our area. You’d have to ask the Mambas for any factual information about them.”
Roman winced as he reclined in the nest, the heel of one bare foot thudding against the top of the padded trunk. “What are the chances of wiping out the whole pack? They hurt my omega. I intend to put every single one of them in the ground.”
Jagger huffed, world-weary and exhausted.“I dunno, kid. Last I checked, they’re somewhere out in Jersey. That’s how the Mambas keep a close eye on ‘em. They’re on their turf.”
“Fuck,” Sidian snapped, the back of his head hitting the wall behind him. “That’s one hell of a drive.”
“It’s fine. We can make that. If the Mambas might give us some information…” Roman trailed off, teeth dragging over his bottom lip. “What are the odds of me getting involved with them without there being blowback from the Mambas?”
“It’s possible, I guess,”Jagger said.“I think we were on good terms with them last I checked, but for fuck’s sake, don’t bring up Ghost’s name to save yourself some trouble. What are you gonna do, drive out that way, ask for permission, and then kill these rich assholes?”
Roman pressed his lips together, his nose wrinkling. “I don’t see any reason the plan should be more complex. That gets to the heart of it quickly.”
“All right. Okay.”Jagger fell silent, though Sidian thought he could detect the man’s moodiness through the phone. He might accept this, but he wasn’t happy about it.
He debated speaking for a moment, not sure if that would make the situation better or worse for Roman. But how much worse could it get? “Hey, thanks for taking care of my alpha while I was locked up. You didn’t do too bad of a job getting him in shape.”
“Too bad of a job,” Roman echoed, smacking a hand over his mouth when Jagger made the most disgusted noise on the other side of the line. Offended, it sounded like.
Baiting an alpha into getting annoyed or angry was just like teasing a dog.
“What do you mean I didn’t do too bad of a job?”Jagger demanded, and Sidian cackled as he leaned against the wall. He had to make it a little more fun for himself, right?
Roman rolled his eyes before getting the conversation back on track, and Sidian slunk into the bathroom for a moment to enjoy the steam rolling off the top of the tub. Looked like it was almost full, and that was good; he was a sweaty, sticky, well-used mess. And for the first time in the last two years, he didn’t feel disgusted for it. He felt like he was where he needed to be.
He returned to the bathroom door. “Alpha, the tub’s almost full. Are you coming?”
“The what?”Jagger sounded scandalized, which was rich if he was the big, bad, scary captain of the Vipers.“Right, I’m gonna go before I hear something I don’t wanna hear. Kane, keep me up to date for a change. Don’t fall off the radar again.”
He cut the call before Sidian could think of something else to upset him, which was no fun. He pouted as Roman sat the phone down and stretched his arms over his head, cracking his back as he rose to his feet. There was something sexy about how big he was, how graceful, how he’d used every inch of that carved body to fuck Sidian into sweet oblivion. They had to do it again.
“I think you scared him,” Roman said matter-of-factly, and Sidian dissolved into giggles.
He squeaked when Roman pressed him up against the wall to steal a kiss, his lips and tongue warm and wet, and Sidian clawed at his shoulders to get closer to him. He was tempted to have Roman fuck him against the wall, rag-doll him when it would be oh-so-easy to pin him in place with those huge hands.
But the tub would flood the room, and that would cause trouble. “Bath time?”
“Bath time,” Roman agreed, though he looked regretful as he took a step back.
It was adorable how petulant he could be, how pouty. He could take what he wanted, and because it was him, Sidian might even give it to him without a fight. But Roman took nothing.
He’d ask, he’d offer, but he’d nevertake.It wasn’t in his nature. That was reassuring in a way few things were—the knowledge that Sidian had a mate who would always respect his wishes and honor his boundaries because he didn’t know any other way to be. What a fucking alpha.
And he would be a good father. He would be. He just needed to see Amethyst, and it would work out.
For a moment when Roman was inside of him, Sidian thought he knew. Had felt that big hand fan over his stomach and was so certain that it was silent proof that Roman somehowknew.The barely there curve of his stomach was not that noticeable, and Roman would have said something by now, right?
He had to believe that Roman didn’t know for his own sanity. That he wouldn’t let Sidian walk around as if it weren’t true otherwise. No, Roman was a worrier. He’d be trying to shove vitamins down Sidian’s throat, worried about his health and the health of the baby. The health of their son.
Roman’s expression was still pouty as he followed Sidian into the bathroom, which was all brown and green tiles, with a cute little fake plant hanging from a tall window where no one could peek inside. Steam rolled lazily off of the surface of the water as Roman sank in, getting comfortable before Sidian joined him. Roman’s broad chest was almost warmer than the water, and Sidian snuggled into him with a shameless purr, letting his omega have full control for once.
This was almost perfect. This was worth all the bullshit he’d gone through just to get Roman back.
“How are you feeling?” Roman carded damp fingers through Sidian’s hair, brushing it back so he could press soft kisses to Sidian’s forehead and cheeks.
And here he thought omegas were supposed to be the affectionate ones. “Good. Fucked out of my mind, but good. Not gonna lie, I didn’t know it was that good.”
