Page 34 of Claiming the Pack’s Omega (Riverwell Omegaverse #2)

“Part—part of the reason I was so damn pissed off at you in particular was because I was starting to like you. That room, those nights together, they—they didn’t feel real, you know?

It was all a fantasy. Except I was the fantasy for all the other men I’ve serviced.

But when you walked in, it was the kind of fantasy that I could enjoy.

And then I started to cling to it in my head, the idea that maybe it was okay for me to finally lose myself in a fantasy. ”

Theo’s gaze is so intense, it’s like he’s cataloguing every single pause, every single waver of my voice as I explain my feelings to him. I don’t know whether I like it or not. I feel vulnerable, like I’m baring my heart to him.

But I’ve spent my entire life paying attention to others. I guess it’s my turn for someone to pay attention to me. I deserve that, don’t I?

“But when I realized you were lying, that you were only spending time with me for the case and you were asking me to throw my entire life away, I was smacked in the face with the fact that I liked you. Liking an alpha, especially a Northside one, has never been a possibility in my brain, before this, you know? I’ve had so many—” I shake my head after my voice cracks a little.

“So many shitty experiences with alphas that it felt like I was betraying my values or something. So I clung to a reason to hate you. Or at least I tried.”

Theo’s expression shifts throughout my entire monologue. Anger at the mention of other alphas, sadness when I explain my worldview, but what lingers is the hope I see sparking in his eyes.

Theo uses his hold on my hips to lift me up onto the kitchen counter. He steps between my legs, settling between them and making room for himself. His smoky cardamom scent fills my lungs, with him this close to me. It makes me want to bury my face in his neck like he did to me.

“You’re right, I did know who you were before I first met you, and I did come and see you because of the case," he murmurs. “Stone had mentioned you to us and Milo did some digging to figure out where else you worked.”

I swallow hard, nodding. I had assumed that’s how it happened.

“But I swear, from the moment we first spoke, the case became secondary. There was just something about you that was enchanting ," he says, his gaze darting between mine like he’s imploring me to believe him.

I don’t miss the fact he says “from the moment we first spoke ,” not from the moment he first saw me. It’s just one word, and at face value, one word shouldn’t mean so much to me, but he said it without thinking. It wasn’t my body that drew him to me.

I’m sure my body didn’t hurt, in fact, I’m sure it helped a lot, but a soft smile tugs at my lips at the thought that he actually likes me. Likes me for me.

“I looked forward to those Saturday nights in a way that was frankly, a little scary. I haven’t looked forward to something like that in a really long time, Spitfire.”

His words settle around my heart and squeeze. There’s a tightness in my chest and in my throat that has me wrapping my arms around his neck.

“Me too, you have no idea. I never looked forward to work before you started seeing me.” I blink up at him through my lashes. “Tell me something.”

“Anything,” he whispers.

We’re so close that we’re practically breathing each other in. It’s intoxicating. I want more. I need more.

“Why didn’t you touch me?”

I need to know the answer. I trust Theo to be honest with me if I ask him something, but I don’t trust him enough to have faith he’s not hiding something from me.

Something like he doesn’t want to touch an omega like me, with the kind of past I have.

“Remember how I said I like control only when the person surrendering to me trusts me enough to do so?” He murmurs, his words making butterflies flutter low in my belly.

“Yeah,” I nod.

“Same idea. There wasn’t that real trust between us because I was lying to you.”

“Well, you’re not lying to me now, are you?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Perfect.”

I close the distance between us, my lips meeting his. The kiss starts off slow, with Theo testing the waters. His lips are soft against mine.

I fist my hands into his dress shirt as I melt into him. He seems to take that as permission to do what he’s teased me about this whole conversation and take control.

One of his hands come up to grip the back of my neck, tugging at the root of my hair at the base of my skull as he angles my head to meet his increasingly fervent kiss.

The other hand traces down my back until he’s pulling me closer to him, until I’m sitting on the edge of the countertop, the front of my body pressed along the front of his.

Oh fuck .

I can feel him through his slacks. His hardness is pressing against my pussy and I’m worried the thin fabric of my panties and leggings does nothing to disguise the rush of slick that leaves my body.

I grind against him, desperate and needy.

This kiss is the culmination of weeks of tension, and it’s just as good as I dreamed it would be.

Actually, no, scratch that. It’s even better than I dreamed it would be, because this is real . There’s no way I’m dreaming right now, not with how solid Theo’s body feels as I grind against him.

“Ahem.” A throat clears from the entrance of the kitchen.

Theo and I jerk apart, our chests heaving.

Killian is standing in the doorway, his brows raised in surprise as he glances between the two of us, making out in the kitchen like teenagers.

We’ve probably got that deer-in-the-headlights look of two teenagers who were just kissing, too.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Killian says, his eyes trained intently on me.

I feel his gaze like a caress on my body. It starts where Theo is still pressed against me, my legs open for him. It drags up to linger on my swollen lips, my flushed cheeks, and my messy hair.

His black tea scent grows thick in the air, and God, does it smell delicious.

I’ve never been a fan of tea, but his scent may change that.

Also, damn, if I’m telegraphing my attraction to these alphas as much as Killian is telegraphing how much he just liked the show, then I might as well have a huge neon sign hanging above my head screaming HI I’M HORNY.

“Do you want me to leave?” Killian’s voice is so low, it’s almost hard to hear him from over there. I can’t help but take the way he’s saying it as a challenge.

Like he’s daring us to make him leave. Because he actually wants to stay.

Neither Theo or I say anything. Maybe Theo’s waiting for me to say something, but there’s no way in hell I’m saying something to piss Killian off right now. I feel like my entire body is one big frayed nerve after that kiss. I’m not in a mood for a fight.

Damn, I never thought I’d think that. I’m normally always ready for a fight.

If only a kiss with a charming, hot as hell alpha can do that to me, I need to take a cold shower and seriously reevaluate what’s going on in my brain.

The oven beeps, cutting through the thick silence between the three of us.

Theo gives my hips a squeeze and my lips one last lingering look before he takes a step back from me.

“I should get that,” Theo says. He nods to Killian. “You don’t have to leave, man. I’m just wrapping up the last parts of dinner.”

“Dinner,” Killian says, eyeing me with a look so intense it makes my breath catch in my throat.

Fucking hell, he’s looking at me like he wants me for dinner.

“I—I should go get Milo,” I say, hopping down from the counter.

I have to pass by Killian, in order to head towards the stairs.

He feels huge, up close, less so because of the actual size of his body—don’t get my wrong, I’m definitely dwarfed by his size, but Stone is bigger than him, but doesn’t give off the same energy—and more so because of him.

He has a presence that seems to jump at me.

“Wait,” he says, turning, his hand closing around my wrist.

I freeze, staring up into his green eyes that are dark with intensity.

“What?” I say, clenching my jaw to keep from licking my lips.

His thumb strokes along my pulse point and a shiver runs down my spine. Fuck, he can probably feel how my heart is racing.

“I have an opening in my schedule tomorrow at one PM. We’re going to the doctor’s.”

I narrow my eyes at him.

Would it be too much of me to expect him to ask me instead of ordering me around? Probably.

I guess Killian’s dominant side extends outside of the bedroom.

Fuck. I should not be thinking about what Killian is like in the bedroom.

My petrichor scent grows thick with the scent of ozone, like lightning is going to strike, as I imagine what it would be like, bent over between Killian and Theo, my arms pinned behind my back as I?—

“Careful, Princess,” Killian growls, taking a step toward me, his chest brushing against mine. “I can see what you’re thinking behind those pretty eyes of yours.”

I jerk backwards away from him, my chest heaving, which seriously doesn’t help, because all that fills my lungs is his ridiculously expensive black tea scent.

“Fine,” I say. “Doctor’s, one o’clock, got it.”

I back away, my heart racing, until I turn the corner. The last thing I want to do is give him my back. For all I know, it’ll inspire him to chase me down and act out those dirty thoughts running through my head.