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I tucked the comforter around her as she snuggled into my chest. Her skin was warm against mine, her orange blossom scent wrapping around me like a physical thing. My heart was still beating a mile a minute, but the second she put her head on my chest, relief washed through me. The warmth of her body and aura soothed away the last tendrils of panic, grounding me in the present.

“Everything all right?” I asked again, running my palm down her back. It wasn’t that she was unwelcome in my bed, but just that she and Theo usually slept together, cuddled up in their nest. The deviation from routine made my engineer brain immediately search for problems to solve.

She huffed out an annoyed breath that tickled my skin.

“I feel silly,” she said, her voice muffled against my chest.

“About what?” I pulled strands of hair away from her face, letting my fingers enjoy the silky texture. Her hair always felt impossibly soft, like it wasn’t quite real.

“About feeling silly,” she said.

“You feel silly about feeling silly?” I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my lips.

“Yep.”

I knew I should sit up and have a proper conversation with her, but she slid her leg between mine and curled around me likea vine. The press of her breasts against my side made it hard to concentrate on anything but the feel of her.

“I want something and, I don’t know, I feel silly for asking for it.” There was an uncertainty in her voice that made me bristle. My omega should never feel hesitant to ask for what she needed.

“Well, considering that there probably isn’t a single thing you could ask for that I wouldn’t give you, I’m not sure I completely understand how that would feel silly.” I meant every word. I would tear down buildings for her with my bare hands if she asked.

She was quiet for a long moment, her fingers drawing absent patterns on my chest that sent electricity through my nerves.

“Before, you know, with Daryl,” she made a disgusted noise before continuing, “he hated it when I asked for things. Omegas are too needy.”

I took a slow breath, desperate to keep the rage down. Red-hot anger burned in my gut, but I forced it back. I didn’t want her feeling that in my aura. Just the mention of that asshole’s name set me off, made me want to find him and tear him apart with my bare hands. I was fucking with his digital life enough right now, I really didn’t need to bring that kind of violence into the physical plane.

“You and Ren,” she said, making a vague gesture in the air, “you’re just so different. Sometimes I don’t know how to, you know, do things.”

I nodded even though she couldn’t see it, my jaw tight with suppressed fury. We’d been dancing along this fine line when it came to her ex-alpha. She didn’t see things in that relationship as being abusive. She just saw us as ‘different’, as she said. Maybe I should talk to Ren about therapy. I wasn’t sure avoidance would ultimately be healthy.

“Well,” I said, forcing my voice to stay light, “you could always try hinting at it, but Ren and I are kind of dumb. We might notget it.” She playfully swatted my pec as if I shouldn’t have called myself dumb.

“So maybe just say it. Tell me what you want.” I ran my palm down her spine, feeling the delicate bumps of vertebrae beneath her soft skin.

She picked her head up and looked at me. The blue light reflected in her hair, making her look like an anime drawing. Her eyes were dark pools in the dim light, her lips slightly parted.

She narrowed her eyes. I couldn’t tell in this light if she was annoyed or being playful, but either way, she was breathtaking.

“Cockwarming,” she said, her voice low and unexpectedly direct.

“I’m sorry, what?” My brain short-circuited for a moment, blood rushing said appendage so fast I felt light-headed.

“Cockwarming. That’s what I want, and I feel silly for asking for it.” Her eyes darted away from mine, that uncertainty creeping back in.

“You want cockwarming?” I questioned, my voice rougher than I intended.

She nodded. “Daryl didn’t like it. But I am,” she paused and licked her lips, the gesture sending a spike of heat through me, “sometimes I just need to be filled,” she said, little frown lines appearing between her eyes.

“Mmm. Omegas have needs,” I said around a smile, my body thrumming. The thought of being inside her, just there, connected in the most intimate way possible. Fuck, it was better than any fantasy I’d ever had.

“If you don’t want to,” she trailed off and pulled away, that vulnerability making my chest tighten.

I snatched her to me and rolled her over onto her back, pushing her legs open so I could fit between them. Themovement was possessive, almost desperate. I didn’t think I could bear her leaving my bed right now.

I ground my hips into her so she could feel me getting hard, already aching for her. The soft gasp she made sent a shiver to my toes.

“I have a little confession,” I said, lowering my voice to just above a whisper, watching her pupils dilate in response.