"No." The lie came out rougher than I intended.
"Liar." Her thumb brushed across my cheekbone, and I leaned into the touch despite myself. "It’s hard to hide our feelings when our bodies betray us, isn’t it?”
I knew what she meant. The cloud around us had shifted, taking on a chemically citrus quality.
“I just want you so damn much, Tessa. We all do. We can’t help it.” I pushed the words out, one by one, my voice thick with emotion and raw need.
“I promise soon, Dixon. I feel almost ready. Honest.” The sapphire fire of her eyes had faded, and I felt like the world’s biggest asshole because I’d caused that.
“None of us are ever going to rush you,” I vowed, taking one hand from beneath her and brushing back her silky, coiled hair.
“I know.” She smiled softly.
I leaned in for a kiss, pausing only long enough for her to close the gap as a form of consent.
Her hands tangled in my hair, short nails dragging along my scalp. I gripped her ass with one hand, supporting her weight, and ran my free hand up the curve of her waist. The blouse was silky with poet sleeves, the bottom of it hidden by an underbust, half-corset. Feeling dangerous, I moved my hand inward as I neared her arm. She was braless, round breasts sporting hard nipples. I felt my cock throb.
“It’s hard for me too,” she breathed out, voice muffled by our moving lips. “Every day, I’m fighting myself. My body is… God, so wet all the time. Soaked, Dixon. It’s my stupid,” she paused, darting her tongue into my mouth and moaning as our kiss quickened, “brain getting in the way,” she finished the statement in a rush.
“And when,” the kiss intensified, I couldn’t even breathe, “your body… and brain…”God, the things she did to me. “sync up,”Jesus. Christ. My dick throbbed with barely contained desire.“you’ll know it’s right.”
Tessa pulled away, gaze cutting into me as if she could decipher every thought in my brain if she stared long enough. A growl built in my chest, thrumming and unruly. She was at the end stage of her heat, the pain gone but her Omega need to mate still ramped. My rut—all of our ruts—were ticking time bombs in response. I leaned back in, kissing her hard, deep enough to bruise her mouth. She didn’t flinch away. Instead, she bit my lower lip hard enough to draw blood. Refusing to back down, I persisted in the brutal mashing of mouths a moment longer. When I decided to release her, she licked a droplet of blood from her mouth, and so did I.
“Hey, love birds. Finished yet?” Tray’s distinct voice called our attention to the doorway. He was leaning against it, arms crossed, looking amused. Ryder and Mac were his shadows, though they looked hungry as hell, not on the edge of laughter.
Tessa slid down my body and turned away from me. She didn’t walk away though, she pressed herself against my front, even moving a little to rub against my hardness.
Mac opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Catalina pushed them all aside to enter the room.
“The label rep is trying to get here. We’ll be lucky if he arrives beforethe set begins. Should we move ‘Sinner’s Kiss’?” She was looking down at her cell phone, tapping out a text. “Absolutely ridiculous. The man has had weeks to make arrangements. He should have gotten a damn hotel if he was worried about traffic and timing.”
“‘Sinner’s Kiss’ goes first,” Ryder moved into the room, quickly glancing at Tessa, his gaze roving up and down her body, before taking a seat on the retro sofa.
“But what if he misses it? You’re debuting it to build buzz and the record needs to know how the crowd reacts.” Catalina arched an eyebrow.
“It’s first. For Tessa.” Ryder shrugged, leaning forward and snagging a snack bag of cashews from the carnival glass bowl on the deco coffee table.
“Fine, but I’m worried it’ll cripple the song if the rep is late.” She sent whatever text she’d been working on, then slid her cell into her skirt. “Tessa, you look amazing by the way. I didn’t get a chance to tell you earlier.”
“Thanks,” Tessa beamed, now moving away from me to do a little twirl. “I ordered it online. I’ve not done that in forever.” Her skirt was a plaid number in shades of dark blue and black, with double slits that ran as high as her upper thighs. I’d already explored the benefits of the silky blouse and the way the half-corset supported her breasts. The Vault was hot and humid. Her dark curls were beginning to have a wild, unkempt quality. A black, cameo choker circled her delicate neck. Her doe eyes were rimmed in dark liner, making them seem even bigger. Every time I looked at her, I saw some new detail that mesmerized me.
“The shoes are my favorite.” Tessa pushed one leg forward, the slit making the skirt fall away and expose calf and knee and thigh. The shoes were Victorian style lace-up, black leather boots.
Tray slow clapped and whistled. “I do think our Omega steals the fashion show tonight, boys.”
“No fucking doubt,” I growled.
“You are quite a sight to behold, Tessa,” Mac said appreciatively.
“Goddamn gorgeous.” Ryder was the last voice, the two words betraying his deeper, lustier thoughts.
“Yes, she’s magnificent,” Cat added. “And now it’s time to get ready. Doors open in fifteen.”
Fifteen minutes.
Until we were back on the stage that truly started it all for Oblivion Haze. Our past. And right fucking in front of me was our future. I pulled Tessa back against my body; I couldn’t help myself. Leaning over, I pressed my mouth against the crook of her neck, and I breathed her in for good luck.
44
