A knock on my door brings me back to the present, and I close the closet. That’s still Mags’s secret, something I have no right to reveal if it’s Kip or Kaden knocking.
Mags stands there in her PJs, head hung in shame, and fuck if I can’t help but feel like an asshole for yelling at her.
“What is it?” I say, all anger gone from my voice. All I have left is exhaustion.
She rubs her arm; her eyes fixated on the floor at my feet. “You, uh, seemed pretty angry back there. I just wanted—Fuck. I wanted to apologize for getting caught. For fucking up the grift.”
Oh, Lord, is she an idiot? “You think that’s why I was mad?”
“Well … Yeah, I mean, you had Threnody right where we wanted her. You were almost done, and I jacked everything up.”
I place my fingers under her chin and tip her face up. Her grey eyes swim with unshed tears. “Mags, I’m not mad about the job. I’m more hurt that you lied to me about being in heat. I could’ve helped you.”
She huffs out a bitter laugh. “Well, it all worked out. I mean, we’ve got two professional heat helpers in-house, so … they helped.”
“Is that all that was?”
“Huh?”
Yep. She’s an idiot. “Mags, you’re getting into dangerous territory. Kip is in love with you, and Kaden’s probably not too far behind. One of these days, you’re going to have to admit that you have feelings, too, and that means an end to the cons.”
The tears finally spring forth, and some of her old fire, her old defiance, comes back to her.
“Kip has feelings, huh? And Kaden … and me … But not you?”
“That’s not what this is about.”
“Sure.” Mags pokes me in the chest. “This isn’t about you being a fucking hypocrite. You talk aboutuscatching feelings, but the second you saw me with them, you exploded.”
I pull her into my room and check the hallway for the twins before slamming the door shut. “Mags, I was fucking worried sick when Threnody told me what Dave did. Can you imagine how it felt to see you having the time of your fucking life when I was afraid I’d catch you and Dave—” My voice catches in my throat, and I swallow back a lump. “Fuck, Mags, I thought he was going to hurt you.”
“Well, it wasn’t for lack of trying. If Kip and Kaden hadn’t walked into the pool area when they did yesterday, I might’ve been in trouble. Their timing was perfect, though.”
There’s that rage again. “What? He tried something?”
She waves dismissively. “Oh, yeah, cornered me by the pool. It’s fine; I’m fine. Just a jerk being a jerk. Besides, we’re done with them anyway. It’s neither here nor there.”
I almost wish I was there again. I’d fucking knock Dave into next Tuesday for that stunt.
“It’ll be different next time. I’ll lock up my meds, and we can—”
“Next time?” I can’t bear the thought of another close call like that. “Mags, there might not be a next time. Word is gonna spread about this. We fucked up, and it’s going to be hell getting another omega’s family to trust us again.”
“We just need to move quickly. We’ll be fine.”
I can’t do this. I can’t watch Mags put herself in danger again. It worked out this time, but what about the next family? What if there are two asshole alpha brothers, or three? What if she finds a family that knows about her designation? They could flip the script on us and try to trap her with a pregnancy, which I know for a fact she doesn’t want.
“There’s not going to be a next time. Not for me, Mags.”
She blinks up at me. “What? We can’t do this without you, Nik. These families want their omegas to bear heirs. Kip and Kaden can’t do that, not like you can. You’ve got the alpha juice, the breeding stock. The twins won’t pull in a job on their own. They—”
Before she can finish, I pull her into an embrace and shut her up with my mouth on hers. I pour all my unspoken feelings, all my pent-up emotions, into the kiss, purring like a motorboat. Mags stiffens, then softens. She leans into me and kisses me back, her hands on my chest and my hip. I moan into her when her fingers find my nipple.
“Fuck, Mags … Let me mark you. Please.”
To my horror, she hesitates. Did I fuck up?
“Th-that could bond us, Nik …”
