Page 14 of Forbidden Taste (An Omega’s Preference #3)

Relief floods me, mingling with the ache, and I lean into his hand, my tears wetting his skin.

“Then I know some place a little more private than here,” I sigh, a flicker of hope threading through my voice.

“Somewhere we can talk.” I need him close, need to feel him against me, away from the eyes and the whispers that chase us.

I stand and reach down to help Leo to his feet.

His hand is warm in mine as I guide him toward my apartment building.

We climb the stairs, a few stares and whispers following before I get to my room and unlock my door, ushering him inside.

The moment we step in, Leo pauses, his broad frame filling the small entryway.

“It smells like me,” he whispers, a little surprised, his eyes scanning the space.

I nod, pulling him toward the back room.

“I’d been watching you for weeks, Leo,” I say as I push open the door to my nest, the soft glow of fairy lights spilling out mixing with the faint notes of classical music in the background.

“I told you. I just didn’t know if you were ever going to come into my practice room.

” The nest is a mess of pillows and blankets, one of my hoodies draped over the edge, and his spiced apple scent clings to it all, woven into the fabric from days of curling up here, thinking of him.

He tilts his head, his nose scrunched up a little. “Why didn’t you just come out?”

I sigh, kicking off my shoes and bending down to tug at his laces, helping him out of his boots.

“Benjamin was always in the corner,” I say, my fingers working the knots loose.

“Hovering, watching, waiting for me to slip up.” I don’t even notice what I’m doing—not really—until his boots are off and I’m peeling his shirt over his head, folding it neatly and setting it on the chair beside the nest. It’s automatic, this need to take care of him, to make him comfortable, and it startles me.

I’ve never tried to care for anyone like this before, never felt this pull to soothe and protect, but with Leo, it flows out of me, natural as breathing.

A flicker of fear twists in my gut—what if it’s too much?

—and I look up at him, my hands pausing, searching his face .

There’s no apprehension in his eyes, just a small, soft smile tugging at his lips. He pulls me into a hug, his arms wrapping around me and I instantly melt against him. “No one’s done any of this for me before,” he murmurs, his breath warm against my hair, his voice rough with something tender.

“It’s not too much?” I ask, my voice small, my hands resting on his bare back, feeling the heat of his skin beneath my palms.

He kisses me slow, his lips soft against mine, tasting faintly of salt from his tears. “It’s unexpected,” he says, pulling back just enough to meet my gaze, “but I like it. I like knowing I’m on someone’s mind.”

We strip down to our boxers and I situate him in the middle of the nest, the pillows sinking under his weight.

Out of habit, I dim the lights so it’s just the fairy drapery surrounding my nest and then I twist the nob on the little radio in the corner before I realize what I’ve done.

Just another one of those automatic things that I’ve stopped thinking about because I just always did it.

There’s always noise around me. Music, laughter, chaos, movies. Never a moment of silence. Because when there is, I start thinking. Thinking about everything I’ve never gotten to experience, all the things I’ve wanted, the mold I’m supposed to fill…

Firm hands pull me into my nest and I twist to curl into Leo’s chest as he presses a kiss to my forehead. “You froze for a second, princess. What happened?”

My entire face heats at the name. If anyone had ever called me that, I would have been so angry. I’m more than my money and my status but it doesn’t feel like that’s why he called me that. And yet, I have to know why. “Leo?” My voice is timid, softer than I intend.

His purr starts up, a smile forming on his lips. “Because you’re sweet and you make music with emotion. For a while, you were untouchable, out of my reach. You’re beautiful and strong. You came and found me. So yeah, princess . I think it fits.”

Something has absolutely changed in the last several hours.

Once again, I know it’s all of the biology we don’t completely understand, mates who find each other are more protective and in tune than just people who come together.

But I never thought the change would be immediate.

The way he holds me isn’t just a man following his desires.

It’s a mate who’s trying to protect me from the world outside.

“Now, tell me what just happened.”

There’s no room for argument as I bury myself a little deeper into his chest. I’ve never explained that part of me because there was never anyone to listen.

“I don’t really like silence a lot. Not when I’m alone, especially not in my nest. Mom and Dad left me alone a lot growing up, fitting me into a mold, making me who I am today.

The music gave me something to disappear into. ”

“ You made you. I like the music, though. If you need it, then so do I,” Leo purrs against the top of my head.

I finally relax, my breath evening out as his purr continues, a low, steady rumble that vibrates through me.

It lulls me, soothing the jagged edges of the morning, and I press closer, my cheek against his chest. “A lot of weird things have started happening since I stepped into your practice room,” he continues.

“My body’s changing. I want different things. ”

I chuckle, tracing lazy circles on his stomach. “I thought you were going to fight Professor Jameson this morning,” I say, the memory of his snarl flashing back—fierce, protective, so unlike the shy Omega I’d first met.

“I was,” he admits, his arm tightening around me. “She was disrespecting you. But that’s what I mean. Yesterday, I was terrified of what would happen when everyone found out. ”

“And now?” I ask, pulling away just enough to look up at his face.

“I’m pissed. I don’t know why it matters. All their comments still hurt, but it’s like I’m more worried about how this will affect you.” His hand slides up my back, resting between my shoulder blades, the other hand settling on my hip.

I nuzzle closer, my nose brushing his collarbone, my lids starting to slide shut from the pheromones wafting from him.

“Just so you know,” I murmur, my voice laced with sleep, “I haven’t had anyone care about me like this either.

” It’s true—Benjamin’s control, my mother’s expectations, they’ve never been about me, not really.

Not even the few boyfriends in high school or undergrad cared enough.

But Leo? He sees me, holds me, and it’s everything I didn’t know I needed.

“What about classes?” he asks, his voice a low rumble, practical even now.

“Fuck the classes,” I say, my lips curving into a small smile as I press them to his chest. “I have everything I want right here.” Maybe it’s reckless to want to hide away from the world a bit, for it to just be the two of us for a little while.

We can afford a missed class or two, a day to recuperate before we have to face reality.