Josie smiled, and she and Ben started talking more about their plans. I would miss working with him, but I wasn’t sure what our company would even look like after all of this.
I glanced over at the fire that had now died down. It was warm in the cabin right now, but I wanted to make sure we had enough wood for tonight. I slipped outside while the others were clearing the dishes and tried to not feel jealous that Josie would probably go ahead and bond Ben.
I found stacks of firewood covered by a tarp at the back of the cabin. Before I could grab any, I heard footsteps and turned, immediately on the defensive. I sighed in relief when I saw Josie bounding towards me. She didn’t slow as she got closer, jumping into my arms. I caught her, one arm around her waist and the other under her ass.
“Hey, love,” I said, tightening my hold on her. I cupped her ass and groaned when I realized her t-shirt had ridden up. “You okay? You should be inside where it’s warm.”
“You were taking too long. I missed you,” she said, pulling me in for a kiss. I dipped my tongue in her mouth, tasting her sweetness as she ran her fingers down the thick stubble covering my jaw.
“I’ve been gone thirty seconds,” I said dryly, although I was secretly pleased by her words… by her missing me.
“Never seen you with a beard,” she said between kisses.
“I need to shave. Unless you like it this way?” I’d always preferred being clean-shaven, but I would keep it if she wanted me to.
“I like you all the ways,” she said, her voice sultry as she rubbed her core against my hard-on.
“How’s your thigh?” I choked out. I loved having her legs wrapped around me, but I was worried it was hurting her.
“Weirdly, it feels much better,” she responded.
“Huh,” I mused, my mind spinning.
“What?”
“Well, I read a research paper that proposed that alpha semen can have healing properties for omegas.”
Josie’s mouth fell open. “You’re shitting me.”
I grinned. “I never joke about peer-reviewed journal articles.”
She snorted. “That sounds like total alphahole propaganda, except that my leg isn’t even hurting now and it’s been painful for days.”
I squeezed her tighter, hating that she’d been in pain, that she’d been shot. Fuck, what if the bullet had hit an artery or organ? She could have been taken from us so easily.
“You have that stressed, grumpy alpha look,” Josie said, poking my cheek. “I’m fine, and I’m going to be even better once you give me that magical semen of yours.”
“Have I said how much I missed you?” I asked with a laugh. “Should we go inside?”
She shook her head. “I want you to bond me right now.”
“Here?” I asked, looking at the dingy cabin exterior, woodpile, and rusty tools littering the ground.
“Yes, right here. I don’t want to wait. Besides, I read in a book that bonding outside leads to a stronger bond. It connects to our primal urges as alphas and omegas.”
I stared at my mate, brow furrowed. “That’s not true.”
She shrugged, grinning. “Won’t know until we try.”
“Why out here, angel?” It felt like this was important to her, but I didn’t understand why.
“Because I need you to understand that I love you just foryou. I know you wanted our bonding to be fancy and romantic, and I love that you want to give me that. But I don’t need that. I just need you.” She brushed her hand through my hair and I purred. Her touch, her words, just… her. She was everything.
Maybe my desire to have things meet some elusive romance standard was tied to my belief that I wasn’t good enough, just as I was.
“How do you know me better than I know myself?” I asked, looking deep into her green eyes.
“Because I see you, Theo,” she murmured. “My sweet, tender, steady alpha. Make me yours.”
