I squeeze my eyes shut, ignoring my instinct to rub his scent all over me. “Yes. Go.” My hips start to rock against the cushions beneath me, craving some kind of release. “Please.”
“Okay,” he breathes. “If that’s what you want.”
“It is.”
I can’t be around him when I’m like this. Not after last time. If I let him in and he breaks my heart again, I fear I’ll never recover.
“Take care of her.” A vein in Jagger’s forehead pulses as he nods at Nash and Tae.
“Of course,” Tae replies solemnly, returning to my side. He traces circles up and down the back of my hand. “We’ll make sure she’s got everything she needs.”
TWENTY
Delilah
As Jagger’s slow footsteps fade away, it feels like something major is missing. I cradle my stomach. Yet without him here, I feel like I can fully let go, releasing a yelp as painful, prickly heat grows in my core then spreads through my limbs.
“What can I do, Delilah?” Tae strokes my cheek, his espresso scent injecting dopamine into my bloodstream. “I’ve never been with an omega during…” I glower at him, silently warning him not to go there. Hearing the H-word isn’t going to help anyone. “Likethisbefore. Are you sure you want me here?”
“Yes.” I nod, my voice raspy. “I need… help.”
“We’ll go at your pace.” He leans in to kiss me, his lips soft and pliable against mine, almost cautious. “I’ve got you, cookie. Just tell me what you need.”
“Touch me.” It’s not a request, it’s a plea. I’m so desperate for skin to skin contact with him, I’ll beg if I need to. “I need to feel… something.”
Nash clears his throat in the background, reminding me that he’s still here.
“I should… uh…” Nash looks around. “Fix the pipe in the kitchen.”
“You want to go?” My voice trembles. “Now?”
Maybe that’s a prerequisite of being an alpha in this pack. The desire to run.
I detect the change in my own scent, like burning pie. Nash’s marshmallow scent ramps up as he steps closer.
“I just thought you may be more comfortable with Tae alone.” The flickering candles around the fireplace illuminate his sculpted jawline and cause shadows to dance over his face. “I’m more than happy to stay, if that’s what you want. Would you rather I be here?”
“I…” I gulp. “I think so.” I force down a frown, hoping that didn’t sound too needy.
“And you’re sure about that, darlin’?”
That accent… I swear I feel his words between my legs.
“If you don’t mind? I know we basically only just met, unless you count my crying episode in the rain, and then…” I don’t stop for air. “Sorry, I talk a lot when I’m stressed. I can’t help it. The words just keep coming, and I can’t stop them and?—”
“You don’t have to be stressed. We’ve got you,” Nash reaffirms, his stern features morphing when he grins, lines crinkling next to his eyes. “I won’t leave, if you don’t want me to.”
I get the sense that he’s talking about a lot more than helping me through this heat spike, but I don’t have the capacity to unpack that right now. All I know is that the chance of finding your scent match is incredibly rare, and if you match with one member of the pack, you’re pretty much guaranteed to be a match with everyone else in it too.
From the way my body responds to his voice and craves his closeness, it’s clear that my instant connection to Tae and Nash is similar to how I felt when I first met Jagger. Although this time, my heart is much more guarded.
“You don’t have to… do… anything.” I cringe. “Just stay close, in case?—”
“In case she needs a knot.” Tae finishes my sentence for me. “I’m happy to keep you thoroughly satisfied, yet I know I can’t provide everything an omega needs during heat.”
“Not that you’re not enough,” I interject quickly.
After our encounter the other night, I know that this beta knows exactly what he’s doing and could please me just fine. However, a knot really helps with the discomfort…
