What is wrong with you? You’ve been alone for approximately three minutes. Since when did you become so codependent?
“Shut up,” I groaned at the critical inner voice, a painful cramp gripping me. I didn’t care how unreasonable I was being. I was vulnerable and in pain and I needed my alphas here, dammit.
Cam got an emergency call this morning from one of their employees, resulting in a lot of cursing and grumbling before he reluctantly left to see to the crisis. Ben had cleared the mostly untouched lunch spread he’d prepared and was putting it away in the kitchen. Theo cryptically said he “needed to get something” and left me here. Alone.
My uterus cramped again and I whimpered, curling up in a ball. I knew the suppressants were working, and without them I would likely have ended up in the hospital. But that didn’t do anything to comfort me when my insides felt like they were on fire.
My hand brushed against something soft and I lifted my head to see what it was. It was a folded-up knitted blanket. I shifted so I was propped up against the headboard and unfolded it.
What the hell?It was the ugliest blanket I had ever seen. It looked like it had been knit by a color blind two-year-old. But something about it made me want to curl up with it. It smelled just right and was knitted with a super soft yarn. I rubbed it against my cheek before tucking it around me and curling up in the center of the bed.
The door opened and my heart leapt as Theo walked in. He wore black sweatpants and a soft gray t-shirt that clung to his muscular chest. His rich coffee scent washed over me and the tension drained from my body.
When he didn’t immediately come into the nest, I forced my eyes away from their perusal of his body. Theo was holding something behind his back and shifting side to side, barely meeting my gaze. Were his cheeks flushed?
“I got something for you,” he said, running his hand through his hair.
My omega perked up. “Like a courting gift?”
So far, the guys had given me candles, bath bombs, and the massive, fuzzy blanket I had wrapped around me. Growing up, I had never been given gifts, even when other kids got them on birthdays and holidays. When I was little and asked why I didn’t get presents on my birthday, my parents told me I didn’t deserve gifts just for being born. If I worked to be a better omega, I might be lucky enough to one day have alphas who would give me gifts.
I hated how much I wanted gifts from the guys. I didn’t want to be too needy, too stereotypically omega. Designation traditionalists often talked about how omegas were too easily swayed by gifts, leaving us open to bribery and corruption. That was one of the many reasons we could never serve in leadership positions or hold jobs. There was also the nagging fear in the back of my head that anything my alphas gave me came with strings attached, although more and more, that argument didn’t make sense to me.
“Umm… maybe?” he responded.
I raised my eyebrows, feeling impatient. Slowly, Theo brought his hands in front of him, cheeks flushing further to a dark crimson.
I stared at it. He stared at it. Then we stared at each other.
“You got me… a dildo?” I stammered.
“It’s not just a dildo, technically. It also vibrates and can… um… move.”
Theo looked like he wanted to run from the room, which somehow put me more at ease.
“You want me to use a vibrating dildo?” I stared intently at Theo’s face, refusing to look at what he held for fear of bursting into flames.
“I… I just got it for you in case you wanted to use it. You might already have one. But I just thought, just in case…” He paused and ruffled his hair for the third time in thirty seconds, muttering an embarrassed curse to himself before dropping his hands. If it was possible, his cheeks grew redder. “I can take it back. But you can also take it. I mean, nottake itlike that. Well, of course youcan, that’s what it’s for.” Theo looked hopelessly lost, then his expression morphed into shock as the dildo began to vibrate in his hand.
“Shit!” he flung it away and it landed next to me on the bed, where it kept making a furious buzzing noise. We both watched it for a moment, wearing twin expressions of shock before we burst into laughter.
“Come here,” I said, patting a spot next to me in the nest.
Theo picked up the dildo and turned the vibration off before sitting down stiffly next to me with the dildo in his lap. Unfortunately, it was positioned over his crotch, making it look like he had a huge erection. I covered my mouth but couldn’t stop a giggle from escaping.
“Fuck, I’m terrible at this,” he said, setting the dildo on the nightstand and scooting down into a more relaxed position. He draped his arm over my shoulder and I snuggled into him.
“You’re not terrible at this,” I responded.
He arched an eyebrow.
“Well, maybe you are,” I said with a smile. “But so am I, so that’s okay.”
“It’s not just a random gift,” he said. “I did some research on what can help with suppressant-assisted heats. I know you’ve been in pain all day.” He squeezed me closer. “Apparently, using something likethatcan help reduce the cramps.”
I pressed my face into his chest as a happy warmth flowed through my body.
“I can’t believe you did that for me,” I said.
