Page 22 of Beta and the Beast (Beastverse #2)

"I can run and grab something real quick," he tells me, leaning down and nudging my chin with his nose.

I tilt my head to the side, knowing he wants access to my neck.

His purr rumbles deeper, and I melt into him, loving how he appreciates me doing what he wants.

His nose traces a line from the soft skin behind my ear to where my neck meets my shoulder.

He kisses a few spots, which reminds me how he has yet to kiss me.

"Let me go grab something," he rumbles against my neck like he's trying to talk himself into doing what he's saying because he's perfectly content to spend our time with his face buried in my neck.

"I am hungry," I tell him. The words are true enough, but I'd rather we keep going how we are and see if things can progress further than they did earlier.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, if I'm still trying not to get too attached, Henry is just like my brothers when it comes to caring for their omegas. He hears I'm hungry, and he decides he needs to fix it. Now.

Not that I'm an omega or even his. See, this is why we just need to have sex and get it over with, because the more he's over here acting like this could be real, the more I'm starting to compare how he treats me to how an alpha treats his mate.

I'm not Henry's mate. Even though I really kind of wish I were.

"I'll grab something," Henry says, stepping away from me like it's the hardest thing he's ever had to do. "Pizza or burgers?"

"Mmm, pizza, just pepperoni," I tell him, letting my hand rest on his pec. His heart is racing underneath his pretty yellow sweater, and I want to know if it's racing like that because he was at my neck.

"You got it," he smiles at me, then leans down and gives me a quick kiss.

It's not the first kiss I imagined. He does it so nonchalantly before taking the stairs two at a time that I don't think he even thought about it as our first kiss, but as something we just do.

I press my fingertips to my lips as I watch him jog down the alleyway. When he disappears, I pull up Hazel's number and press call before I talk myself out of it.

"What's up?" she answers on the third ring, music blasting in the background.

After we left Lucas's this afternoon, we hung out for a bit before she had to go to work. I feel kind of like a dick for calling her at work, but this is what I would call an emergency.

"What do I need to know about sleeping with an alpha?" I ask before I lose my nerves. I close my apartment door, locking the bolt behind me.

"Oh my god! Are you going to fuck that hottie twin's hot twin?" Leave it to Hazel to be screaming my business in the most dramatic way.

Of course, there's a chorus of chatter from the other end of the phone as the other girls she works with listen in and give their two cents. Not that I can hear any of them since I'm not on speaker phone.

"Yes, that's the plan," I whisper at her as if that will stop her from blabbing. "I think we both need to get it out of our system so I can stop fantasizing about more with him."

"Wait, what?" Hazel asks, all of her enthusiasm and fun seeming to die instantly. "Sarah, that alpha is crazy for you and not in a beta chaser way."

"Of course it's in a beta chaser way, Hazel," I tell her, exasperated at needing to explain this to her, of all people.

She at least goes into her flings knowing that's exactly what they are. She doesn't grow attached to them because she knows it won't work out, and she doesn't want it to either, from what she's told me. She's just there for fun, and so are the alphas she sleeps with.

"Alphas don't claim betas, and they–"

"Yes, they do," Hazel cuts me off. "Plenty of alphas claim betas."

"Well, I've never–"

"Because you keep yourself holed up in your beta-only coffee shop, going to beta-only clubs. Do you think I've never been propositioned with a bite?"

"Someone wanted to claim you?" I ask, a little breathy because she's never told me about that.

"Three alphas have offered to bite me, Sarah," Hazel says it like it's not one of the most confusing yet amazing things I've ever heard.

"Well, I mean, as they should. You're amazing." I nod even though Hazel can't see me. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Because I wasn't interested in their bites, and it makes me feel a little bad. It's more serious than marriage for them, and to reject that. I don't know. It makes me feel like the bad guy."

"You're not a bad guy," I tell her.

"No, I know, but you didn't call to hear about my love life."

"Uh, I mean, now I'm curious."

"Then we can have lunch sometime and talk about it, but right now, I want to talk to you about why you think hottie twin doesn't want you forever."

I chew on my bottom lip before answering her. "Well, he's an alpha, and I'm not an omega."

"Boo! Next reason."

"He has a beast, and I don't think he'll be satisfied with me. Aren't they hard to handle even for most omegas?"

"I've never been with a beast," Hazel says like she's thinking. "But I can't imagine you wanting to be with him and being unable to handle him. I've heard from some of the omegas up here that you know pretty fast whether or not you want a beast."

"Okay, but like the knot," I argue, but it's pointless because Hazel's cackling on the other end as soon as the word is out.

"If you don't have a toy, just wrap your hands around it and squeeze the shit out of it when he comes," Hazel says through laughs. "He probably doesn't expect you to do anything to it, so even touching it will drive him wild."

"Ugh." I throw my head back with a pathetic moan.

"Stop stressing about it," Hazel tells me, her laughter gone and replaced with my kind, caring friend. "Pretend he's just a normal guy you want to sleep with."

"Okay, okay." I nod, trying to make myself believe this is all perfectly normal. It's going to be fine and not at all weird because my body isn't meant to take a very important piece of his anatomy. But if Hazel says it's okay, it'll be okay.

Someone knocks twice on my apartment door, and I move to answer it, expecting it to be Henry with the pizza. "I have to go. He just got back."

"You got this, just don't stress yourself out, and remember that he's crazy about you. I've been around enough alphas to know when they're just chasing and when they want someone. That alpha wants you, Sarah, and it's okay to want him too."

I swallow a lump of emotions in my throat, "Thank you, Hazel. I really appreciate you."

"Anytime," she says, her amusement returning. "I've got to get back to work, but I want all the details when we have lunch."

I unlock the front door. "I want details from you, too."

"Fine, we'll both spill our guts. See you!"

She hangs up the phone as I open the apartment door. I expect Henry or Romulus on the other side with a pizza in their hands. Instead, Jace is outside, his eyes flickering between bright blue and golden as tears stream down his cheeks.

"I don't know where else to go," he says before launching himself against me, his arms wrapping around me as he sobs hard into my shoulder. I have no idea why he came to my apartment, of all places, but I don't question it.

"Let's get inside. Henry will be here soon with some food," I tell him, ushering him into my apartment and closing the door behind us.