Page 25 of Beta and the Beast (Beastverse #2)

Sarah

W aking up in the arms of a purring alpha is not something I thought would ever happen to me.

Honestly, I'm surprised I fell asleep as easily as I did last night.

One second, I'm awake and trying not to roll my eyes at the absurdity of the action movie Henry put on.

The next, I'm waking up in his arms, safe and warm.

" Good morning, beta, " Romulus purrs as his hands tighten their grip around me.

A soft sound of contentment escapes my lips, and I cuddle deeper into him. His purring grows louder, signaling he likes it when I use him as my body pillow.

"What time is it?" I ask. It has to be early because the sun still isn't out, and I usually head to the coffee shop around five-thirty to make sure everything's all set up.

" Five, " Romulus rumbles. " I know you wake up around now, and I didn't want you to oversleep. "

"How considerate," I say with a yawn, stretching out and startling myself when my foot connects with another body.

My eyes flash open, but it's Jace passed out on the other end of the couch. Oh, I'd forgotten about him for a minute there. I'm glad he could sleep, though I wish he'd gone to an actual bed. The couch isn't the comfiest.

"I'm heading up to the Young Alpha Center this morning, and I'll take Jace with me," Henry says, taking over now that Romulus has had the honor of waking me up. "Sorry, we crashed out over here. Maybe I should've taken him over to my apartment."

My brows furrow, and I jerk to get enough space to stare at Henry. "You're always welcome over here. So is Jace and any of the other kids, so long as they're respectful."

Henry's lip twitches in the corner. "You mean that, don't you?" He shakes his head before I can answer, placing his lips against my temple. "Such a sweet beta."

I preen at the praise, wishing we were alone to see how much more I can get out of him.

But we're not alone, and the alpha asleep on the couch next to us might not stay that way long.

Reluctantly, I push off Henry and stretch.

I feel Henry's heated gaze traveling over my body even though I'm not wearing anything remotely seductive.

I didn't even have time to change into my pajamas last night before falling asleep against him.

"There's cereal and milk if you want breakfast," I tell him. "I can leave you with my keys if you'll lock up when you leave."

"You trust me here alone?" Henry asks, following behind me and whispering low so he doesn't wake Jace.

I turn the water on and wet my toothbrush as Henry watches me from the bathroom doorway, leaning against it and crossing his arms over his chest. It all feels so domestic, like we've skipped a few steps and have already moved on to family life.

Nope, nope, nope.

I won't allow myself to think that way, even a little bit. I duck my head, completely forgetting that Henry asked me a question, and busy myself with brushing my teeth in the hopes he'll leave me to figure out how to deal with these misplaced emotions on my own.

"Hey, what happened?" he asks, stepping into the bathroom and caging me against the counter.

I make a muffled sound of displeasure even as my body lights up everywhere he's touching.

"Don't start walling yourself off, Sarah.

You spent the night in my arms. You woke up on my chest. Talk to me.

What were you thinking about that made you panic? "

I brush my teeth more vigorously, as though it's the only thing keeping me and my emotions in check after Henry calls me out.

He keeps his hands on either side of me, watching me in the mirror as I brush my teeth, a hopeful expression on his face.

He lets Romulus take over long enough to stare at me with golden eyes, and my body, the wanton she is, thinks about yesterday before all of this other stuff interrupted us.

I bend down enough to spit and then rinse my mouth.

I think he'll release me from the prison of his arms, but he continues staring at me, waiting.

I turn around, thinking it's better to face him than to keep staring at him in the mirror.

I'm wrong because this way, I'm pressed right up against his sweater.

His sweet pepperminty smell rolls off of him in waves.

He's warm, too, always so warm. He leans in closer, our eyes level with one another.

"What were you thinking about?"

I shake my head, my whole body feeling like it's on fire with arousal, with embarrassment.

I don't know which, but at this point, I don't want to do the introspection to figure it out.

The answer isn't good enough for Henry, or it's not good enough for Romulus, maybe both.

Either way, a growl signals that Romulus is back in control, and he's not as sweet and gentle as Henry.

I whimper as Romulus presses his hips into mine, kicking my legs open with one foot so he can take up more space between my legs.

One of his hands stays on the counter as he leans into me.

The other wraps around my throat to hold me.

He doesn't squeeze, doesn't do anything other than pin me so thoroughly that I'm not getting free without a fight.

Okay, I could tell him to let me go, and he would, but that's no fun.

" Do I need to bite you now, beta? " Romulus asks, no tease in his voice, no amusement.

He says it so seriously that my eyes widen into saucers, my heart rampaging in my chest. I open my mouth to speak, but I don't even know what to say or how to respond to him.

" Henry wanted to do this in a more romantic way, but I want you to stop thinking we don't want you.

So, tell me now, do you need my teeth in your neck? "

Romulus presses more of his weight into me, my breathing becoming more erratic, my heart thundering so hard I think something might be wrong with me.

There's no way he wants me as a mate. He said it twice last night, but I don't know.

I thought that was just a slip of the tongue or him trying to seduce me.

" You're thinking too much, little beta, " Romulus purrs, and it pulls a whimper from my lips.

" This is why you need an alpha. Let me take control for a little bit.

You don't need to think or worry about anything.

I can take care of you. I want to take care of you.

Anything you need, I can give it to you. "

He brings the hand that's caging me up to my face, brushing away a stray tear that slips from my eye.

His nostrils flare greedily as he inhales the mixture of my arousal and uncertainty.

I don't know if it's the sincerity in his words or how everything feels so right when I'm with Henry and Romulus.

All I know is I want to tilt my head to the side, brush my hair back, and offer my neck to Romulus.

"Are you two going to be in there for a while? I have to use the bathroom," Jace's voice breaks whatever moment Romulus and I were about to have.

I push at Romulus's chest, but he stays planted between my thighs, pushing me higher up on the counter as he stares at me, wanting to ignore the teenager in the doorway. At least we aren't doing anything. That would be mortifying.

" We're not done, " Romulus tells me, dipping his head until his lips brush mine.

It's just as quick as last night's. There's no heat, just a brief kiss as though it's something we do now, something we've always done, and it's become routine and habitual.

Henry is in control and blushing when he pulls away and opens his eyes.

"Jace, my guy," he laughs as he steps away from me, tugging his hair out of the ponytail holder that isn't doing much with how messy his hair is from sleeping. "We need to talk about your timing."

"What?" Jace asks, looking between us. When Henry finishes pulling his hair back and securing it again, he leaves the bathroom, patting Jace on the shoulder before heading down the hall back toward the living area. "Did I interrupt something?"

I open my mouth to respond, still sitting on the counter. I shake my head, "No, no, of course not."

"Good, would've been a dick move," he says with a half-hearted smile.

"Language," the admonishment comes out before I even think about it, but the boy hangs out all day with other alphas. Someone should call him on the appropriate times to use profanity because I doubt the alphas care.

His cheeks turn scarlet as he gives me a quick nod.

I slide off the counter, grabbing my little pouch of makeup to take to my room to finish getting ready for the day.

Before I slip out of the bathroom and leave Jace to wake himself up for an early morning, I pause when I get to him.

I have to look up to see his face since, just like every other alpha out there, he's huge for no reason.

"Do you have somewhere to sleep tonight?" I ask. He swallows hard, his Adam's apple bobbing as he dips his head again. His red curls fall away from his forehead, obscuring his eyes as he shakes his head. "Then you'll come back here."

I don't expect a response from him, so I slide around him, going in the opposite direction of the living area and into the safety of my bedroom so Henry and I aren't alone again.

I was about to let him bite my neck when we haven't so much as talked about what this is.

I got too caught up in the moment, too caught up in how he makes me feel when it's just the two of us alone.

He must've gotten caught up, too, or Romulus is still in full infatuation mode because he hasn't gotten laid yet.

I can't let him make life-altering decisions for both of them when he's running off instinct and base desires alone.