Page 43 of Dream Mates (Into The Parallel Omegaverse #2)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Jett

…nine…ten…eleven…twelve… I finished my set of pullups as the scent of sour lemonade filled the gym we had in the basement.

Hopping down from the pullup bar I turned to Evan who leaned in the doorway.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Bad day at work?” I wiped my sweaty face off with a towel.

“Yeah.” Evan wrapped his arms around my sweaty body, resting his head on top of mine.

“Rose?” I knew her case was really bothering him. But it was a sad case. Not to mention the whole thing with her uncle trying to shoot Evan.

He nodded. “Yeah. Can we go in my room and talk about it? Maybe watch a movie and have some gummy bears?”

Anxiety shot through the bond.

“That sounds great. Should I get my bag?” There were a couple of ties I did on Evan to help his anxiety. The compression could ease the parasympathetic nervous system and was sort of like covering him with a weighted blanket.

“Please?” He nodded.

“Okay, we’ll do that first. Then we’ll watch the movie and get out the gummy bears?” I didn’t like him mixing recreationals and ropes. While I was happy he trusted me that much, safety and consent were really important to me.

“Sure.” Evan kissed me and left the room.

I cleaned off the equipment I’d used, and went upstairs to our suite. Like most of the suites, there were three rooms. Our living room also doubled as Brennan’s office, because we’d turned the third room into something else.

Entering the code on the keypad, I opened the playroom. We had a bed, a complete rigging setup capable of safely suspending someone, as well as a number of other things, including a swing. All three of our scents hung heavily in here.

I got my bag out of the cupboard, which had everything I needed to do exactly what he was asking. Double checking to make sure I had scissors and the correct ropes, I closed the cupboard.

My eyes fell on the swing in the corner. Every time I looked at it, I thought of Evan’s fantasy of me, him, and Brennan having Grace in it.

Maybe one day.

Ever since Evan’s heat, my attraction to her had been growing. But with Spencer courting her, I hadn’t made any moves. The last thing I wanted was to overwhelm her. At least Wes wasn’t being insecure anymore. The two of them had come back from their seaside getaway relaxed and happy.

I also grabbed the gummy bear tin out of my box of recreationals, then texted Brennan who was working late on the estate project.

Me

Evan’s having a bad day. We’re going to watch action movies.

Brennan

Work?

Me

Yeah, the Rose thing.

Evan got really attached to his clients. It was part of what made him so good at his job. But I also hated to see him hurting.

Brennan

You take such good care of him. Let me know if you want me to bring anything home or if you need me.

Love you.

Me

He’ll probably get the munchies so maybe bring home the usual?

Love you, too.

The house was quiet. Spencer had something tonight. I wasn’t sure where Grace and Wes were.

“Can I come in?” I knocked on the ajar door to Evan’s suite, which opened into his sitting room.

“Please?” Evan sat on the couch, which wasn’t as giant as the one in the living room, but still comfortable for someone of his size. Everything was done in the oranges, browns, and dark reds he preferred. His desk sat in the corner.

Evan’s suite only had this room and his bedroom, the third room had been gutted to enlarge his bathroom and closet, and add his nest.

A bunch of snacks littered the coffee table. He had the remote in his hand, the TV on.

“ Whale-cane or Drug Raccoon? Drug Raccoon is subtitled. Whale-cane just sounds funny. If you want something dubbed maybe The Last Stand of Small Penis Man? ” Evan asked.

“ Drug Raccoon? My co-workers were talking about it the other day.” I sat down on the couch next to him. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on at work?”

Evan liked to talk about things as I tied him. Brennan preferred silence.

“Yeah, I would.” Evan turned on the couch so I could tie him better. He now wore a form-fitting shirt that looked delicious on him.

Since he liked corset ties, I got out two different colors, brown and burnt orange.

“The usual?” I asked, making sure the scissors were within reach.

Evan nodded. “Yeah. So, those guys, the ones who were at the talent show asking about Rose? They’re bothering her by sending gifts and trying to talk to her in public.

But there really is nothing illegal about sending someone unwanted gifts, especially since they’re just ordinary things.

Though it’s creepy because they clearly know things about her and it’s reflected in the gifts. ”

As he talked I took the brown and burnt orange ropes and looped them together with a square knot. I wrapped it around the lowest part of his sternum, using the brown as the base and orange as the lace.

“Very true, but you should alert the police anyway,” I told him, threading the orange rope through the brown, then wrapping the brown around him.

“We have. But Detective Esposito can only do so much. We have no proof, and no good reason for her to investigate them. Sure, they’re bad news, but they have no outstanding warrants; they’re allowed to visit Rockland.” Evan sighed.

“You’re doing all you can.” I wrapped it around him again. “How’s that feel? Too tight? Not tight enough?”

Evan thought for a moment. “Perfect.”

“Good, let me know. I can always tighten it later,” I reminded, continuing to wrap the ropes around him, building a corset.

“She’s scared and those men are sketchy as fuck .

But we can’t actually prove a relationship between her uncle and them even though Rose mentioned her uncle owing them money.

Even though she’s sixteen, there’s no actual law that they can’t try to woo her.

They just can’t bond her before eighteen without a judge. ” He rubbed his forehead.

“Yeah the whole situation is fucking suspicious. Do you think the uncle is trying to sell Rose to them to pay off a debt or make money? Or even already sold her? Perhaps they’re running an omega trafficking ring?

” While this wasn’t my area of specialty, I’d been called in enough times on stuff like this to foresee a number of scenarios.

“We can’t prove anything. It could go so many ways.”

I checked the ropes to make sure they were straight and symmetrical. “Still comfortable?”

“Yes.” Evan nodded. “The gifts make me think that they want her for them, not for trafficking, and they’re not known for that anyway. She’s scared. They know exactly where the lines are and don’t cross them.”

“I feel really bad for Rose. She didn’t ask for this. I wish there was something we could do to help. Now, does it still feel okay?” I asked, reaching out through the bond to double check, as I finished up the corset portion of the tie.

“Perfect.” His eyes closed. “Mmmm. It’s also freaking out the headmistress. I’m afraid that she’ll kick Rose out because this could be a safety issue for the school.”

“I can see that, and I understand where she’s coming from.” Adding another brown rope, I took my design up his chest.

“Yeah. I wish there was more I could do, too.” He started to relax.

“You do the best you can, Baby. You’re great at your job, and I love the compassion you have for your clients. I’ll see if there’s anything I can do on my end.” Maybe someone would have some helpful information for me.

Continuing to work, I brought the ropes over his shoulders and across his back, forming a harness, leaving his arms free.

“That would be great. Hey, can you make it a little snugger?” he asked.

“Of course.” I tightened my work a little, continuing to watch him for any signs of discomfort or distress.

Evan sighed happily and went quiet. I focused on my work, continuing to check in with him. I finished and pulled him into my arms, covering us with a blanket.

“Better?” Kissing his temple, I stroked his hair.

“Much better, Hot Stuff.” He got cozy in my arms. “Tell me about your day? Anyone get in trouble? I love how that’s a thing.”

I told him about my day, and he let me know about other things going on at work.

“They want me to go through Crisis Response Team training. It would be amazing, but I’m not sure I want to leave being an advocate for that.” Sitting up, he grabbed a bag of chips, then laid back down in my arms again, opening it and taking one.

“They do? That’s fantastic. Would you have to leave your job, though?

Couldn’t you just be on a roster for big crises or be on-call or something?

” I took a chip. They were the in-the-field crisis-response workers for the Omega Center.

They were often referred to as the Blanket Brigade because of their big duffels full of blankets and other comfort items that they always had with them.

“I’d do that in a moment. I like my job, but I’m happy to help in an emergency. They’re looking for people for their shelter roster, I think. If it was with your station, I’d take it in a moment.” He ate another chip.

“I’d love that.” I gave him a kiss.

“Yeah, if I could just be on the on-call list for disasters and big emergencies, I’ll do it. I might do it anyway. Just because you take the training doesn’t mean you’ll pass,” he told me.

“True. You’d be good at it.” It required a lot of complex problem solving. But they were crisis workers and didn’t maintain the long-term relationships advocates usually had with their clients. However, I could see why they’d want Evan in that position. He was magic in an emergency.