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Yearning. Straight, unaltered longing.

He needs to be around me more, and he’s punishing both of us for something I didn’t do. So, yeah. I’m done with letting him get away with it.

“You can’t look at me like that,” he groans, shifting in his seat.

“Why not?” My eyes latch onto his lap, where his cock is slowly tenting athletic shorts. Fire bursts in my veins when he palms it. Huh, not sure I’m hungry for food, anymore.

“Because I’m not fucking you right now.”

“Even if I beg?”

He runs a hand down his face. “Play a game with me.”

Oh, fuck yeah. “Always.”

That perfect face swivels my direction, moonlight brushing over his strong nose and angular jaw like a lover’s caress. “Finish the date and when it’s over, I’ll give you what you want.”

“To clarify, that means you’ll fuck me, right?”

“Yes, Daphne.” Dez laughs, and the sound warms my body. Not sexually, although he’s hot as fuck when he loosens up, but with affection. Maybe something deeper. Ilovemaking this alpha smile. It feels like the sky just handed me my own personal star.

He leans over the console and thumbs my bottom lip. “Give me an hour and I’ll do whatever you want in the nest.”

Dangerous words. I dart my tongue out for the smallest taste of him and fuck, that was a bad idea. Now that I’ve got him in my mouth, I’m not sure I want to wait.

“Be good,” he rasps, even as he leans in closer. My breath goes ragged as our chests brush, only for him to snag the bags off the footboard.

“Boooooo.”

Dez gifts me another perfect laugh in response. “Come on, little muse. Eat with me.”

I’d ratherbedinner, but I buck up when he circles the car and opens my door. After stealing the ice cream, he holds out a hand. It’s the easiest thing I’ve ever done to take it.

Dez’s palm is so warm, and I savor the contact as he helps me slip onto the hood. For a minute, he just stares, gaze hot and heavy. The wind’s blowing just enough that I don’t get the full effect of his scent, but the craving is enough to make me regret my agreement to wait.

We’re poised on the edge of a cliff, and I don’t just mean physically. Dez’s will alone has kept us apart, and I plan to unravel it like my favorite candy tonight. Damn the consequences when every part of me knows I could happily keep this alpha.

In fact, maybe that’s just what we need. A little nip, a lifetime bond. Bada bing, bada boom, we’re stuck together insecurities be damned.

Shaking out of the fog, I force my omega brain to take a backseat.There will be no biting right now. Settle down.

By the time Dez sits beside me, I’m back in control. My only complaint is the food he carefully places between us.Ishould be cradled against his side, not the fucking fries.

I’m still glaring when I take my first bite of the burger. Flavors explode on my tongue, and I know this is going to be a comfort meal from now on. We chat as we eat, keeping things relatively light. Dez tells me about the latest design they’re working on, and I update him on Nymph’s progress. He sags with relief when I tell him I’ve finally gotten the all clear to go back.

When I took the pack on a tour of the shop the day after the wholewe’re your landlordsdebacle, they were less than thrilled. None of them wanted to make me feel bad or step on my toes, but there was a lot still out of code. Shit I hadn’t taken time to look at yet. With their list of concerns, I rang the renovation team I’d hired to gut the interior and made it clear that if they didn’t fix shit immediately, I was going to ruin their fucking lives.

The call—and the threat of an investigation into their business practices—got the reno company moving, but this time, I hired an inspector to follow along and make sure things actually got done. It sucks that the company felt comfortable being so underhanded with me just because I didn’t have a pack, but I don’t need alphas to sort things out for me. Just to support me while I take care of it myself.

Despite yet another shitshow, I haven’t been idle. I spent my time working on storage systems for the back rooms, ordering mannequins and toys, and working with local employees on schedules. I’ve also been searching for Taylorson and digging into Father’s affairs to find someone I can coerce into looking for the contract for me. Hell, I asked Maverick if he knows any thieves, but all I got was a stern look and the usual, “I know nothing.”

Still, it’s better than crying on my couch every day.

When we’ve moved onto ice cream, I snuggle into Dez’s side. An omega only has so much patience before she needs to touch her alpha.

Being in his arms is like nothing else. Nate’s an octopus when he cuddles, wrapping his whole body around me so I can’t escape, but Dez just holds me steady. Keeps me balanced and level. This man won’t let anything happen to me; I just know it.

We stare at the city in front of us, talking about things we one day hope to make enough to buy—his most coveted art supplies and my dream sewing machine—when I realize this is the perfect time to ask him something I’ve been wondering for a while.