Page 33 of Forbidden Taste (An Omega’s Preference #3)
twenty-four
HAWK
I hold Leo close, my arms wrapped around his broad frame, his body heavy and warm against mine on the bed, the sheets tangled around our legs.
His curls stick to his forehead, damp with sweat, clinging in soft, wild loops, my fingers running across the freckles splayed across his flushed skin.
He’s covered in them, the ones spread out on his face like looking into the night sky but the ones along the rest of him are just as gorgeous, ones I intend on pressing my lips to when time allows.
He looks so fucking serene like this, his chest rising and falling in slow, steady movements, his scent softening with every breath.
I never imagined I’d find mates before leaving school, but these last few days with him and Riley have been everything I didn’t know I needed—raw, romantic, a connection that fills the cracks I’ve carried since my sister, since the guilt that drove me here.
Leo shifts, nuzzling closer, a soft whine slipping from his lips .
But we’re not out of the woods yet, and that gnaws at me. Some of the rumors have died down—Leo and Riley orbiting me, their scents on me, mine on them, a quiet claim that’s softened the whispers about coercion, about abuse. Except they’ve changed, morphed into something else, something uglier.
I’ve caught snatches of it—words scrawled in the bathroom stalls, muttered in the halls, directed at me now— rent-an-Alpha, predator, using them —nothing definite, nothing solid enough to pin down, and no one from the administration has come knocking.
Benjamin’s the real problem, though—a jagged edge I haven’t told Leo or Riley about, not wanting to scare them. He cornered me two days ago, outside the dance studio, his smug face twisted with venom.
“You think you can just slide in, Thorne? Take what’s mine?
I’ll ruin you, all of you.” Empty threats, at best, posturing from a petty Alpha who doesn’t scare me in the slightest. I’ve dealt with worse, seen real danger, and Benjamin’s nothing but a loudmouth with a bruised ego.
I laughed in his face, told him to try it.
“You better stop these shenanigans, parading around with Riley. He’s my Omega.”
“It’s Riley’s choice who he chooses,” I told him, “and it’s evident by the bite on his shoulder that he chose Leo.
” That bite had been the talk of campus lately, whispers about Leo’s Zeta designation rippling through the halls, Riley’s bond a quiet scandal.
There’d been nasty looks, muttered slurs but they died out fast, fizzling under the weight of Riley and Leo’s indifference, the way they shrugged it off, stars in their eyes as they looked at each other, hands brushing, lingering kisses, giggles.
And now I’m part of it, over the moon, my chest swelling every time they turn those looks on me, every time Riley grins, every time Leo leans into my touch.
I can’t wait to put my bite next to Leo’s, claim Riley fully, take Leo too—make him mine, maybe even take his bite if I’m lucky enough to earn it.
Benjamin tried to taunt me, telling me that Leo coerced Riley into that bite, into their bond but I was there when that bite happened.
I told Benjamin that he was minding business that wasn’t his, that the further he stepped, the more I’d be inclined to do something given the fact that both Leo and Riley were now mine to protect.
Rehashing the full extent of that incident in the classroom where Leo had actually been protecting Riley had Benjamin flustered, defensive, and that’s when I found out he was on probation, told to steer clear of Riley on campus.
Riley mentioned that he had spoken to the Dean after Leo had been all but accused of being aggressive, coercing Riley into a relationship, and furthermore by Professor Jameson that attacking an Alpha was uncalled for.
I suppose Riley straightened that out and I’m glad. I never really liked Professor Jameson.
Benjamin tried to push back against the facts but unlike Riley or Leo, an Alpha standing up against another Alpha didn’t draw as much flack. His fist curled up, drawn back by his face but I laughed at him, knowing that he would be the one to suffer, not me.
“I’m not Riley or Leo. I don’t have the same stipulations. If you throw that punch, I will hit back, and I will win. You’ll suffer your pride and your spot at this school.”
I left Benjamin standing there in that hallway but Riley is only protected while he’s here. Facing the Dean and telling her the truth afforded Riley peace over the last few days. But that could change tonight, when Riley heads home for dinner with his parents.
I don’t know what Benjamin’s planning, don’t know how far he’ll push. Riley’s strong, fierce in his own way, but his parents are ruthless from what I’ve heard, and if Benjamin’s lurking, waiting to pounce, it could get messy.
Leo stirs against me, his body shifting in the tangle of sheets, and I feel it—the moment he wakes, a soft groan rumbling from his chest, vibrating where his skin presses to mine. “It feels like it’s going to happen tonight,” he mutters, “maybe tomorrow. God, it’s so uncomfortable.”
I shift, sitting up, my hand brushing his arm. “Let’s get you dressed and home, okay?” I slip from the bed, pulling him with me, his broad frame leaning into me, and lead him to the bathroom—my tiny dorm shower, barely big enough for one, let alone two.
He’s pliant under me, letting me rinse his curls, my hands gentle as I tip his head back, water cascading over his face, his eyes closing with a soft sigh.
I wash him in silence, loving the little whimpers that fall from his lips as he tries to curl into my chest. By the time I’ve dried him off and stuffed him back into his shirt and a pair of sweatpants a little too big for me, he’s half asleep.
“Shit,” he murmurs, a long moan coming from him, the scent of his arousal spiking in the air. “It’s so goddamn messy. Fuck, I think I need you again.”
“Yeah, definitely time to go, babe. Come on.” I help him back into his shoes, his skin flushed as he starts nuzzling against my neck.
We’re definitely out of time, my cock thickening at the thought of fucking him right here again.
If I do that, he might very well have his heat in my dorm room and that’s not a fucking option.
One of my roommates is sprawled out on the couch with a beer when we step into the main room, his eyes widening. “Thought I smelled a little sugar factory in here. Damn. ”
“Shut it,” I snap, my hand firm on Leo’s back, guiding him past, his steps sluggish.
My car’s parked close, thank fuck for that, Leo groaning as he sinks into the seat, his head tipping back, his hand falling to his cock, languidly stroking himself through his pants.
His nostrils are flared, jaw pulled tight as another one of those delicious sounds comes from him.
It’s going to make driving home a bitch but it’s still better than Leo in heat around my roommates.
I dial Riley the moment I get in the car, pulling out onto the street.
“Hey,” Riley answers, his voice bright but edged with concern, “is everything okay?”
I glance at Leo, his eyes half-closed, still stroking himself, his hips starting to meet his hand. “Kind of. It could be worse. What time’s dinner?”
“At five,” Riley says, a laugh threading through his words. “My family eats like old people— so early in the day. I’ll be over around seven or eight. Do I need to bring anything?”
“Maybe some of your favorite pillows. Something with your scent. I’m going to order a few things to the house—don’t think he’s in any state to be shopping.” A loud groan rumbles from Leo beside me, his scent flooding the car, my pants suddenly too tight.
“Let me get off this phone before I have to fuck my hand,” Riley voice hitches, a squeal at the end of his words. “I can feel him through our bond and it’s making it really hard to concentrate. I’m going to be hard through dinner.”
Riley hangs up, his giggles still echoing in my ear as I reach over to grab Leo’s hand from his dick. “Babe, I know what you need and I’ll give you all of it when you get home. However, if you come right now, you’re going to regret it.”
All I get is an unappreciative grunt in response .
“If you go into heat in my car, you will be insatiable and I refuse to have your first heat in my backseat. It’s not far, okay? Just hold onto my hand, think about something else.”
He tightens his grip on my hand, a soul crushing pressure that has me biting my tongue.
Him not going into heat in the passenger seat is just as important for him as it is me because I’m at the edge of my control.
I might not mind fucking him on the side of the road but Leo will once he comes out of that heat haze.
Leo barely manages to hang on and I get to keep my hand by the time we reach the apartment, my beautiful Zeta taking up residence on my couch.
He drags a pillow over his lap and I slot myself beside him, firing up my laptop, scrolling through nesting supplies—blankets, pillows, plush throws—anything to make this space his, ours.
Leo’s quiet, his head resting against the couch, but he perks up now and then with little grunts and growls, always choosing the darker colors.
He’s leaning into his Omega instincts, purring softly every so often, a deep rumble that vibrates through my chest. Then come the frustrated whines when he can’t see the screen, his brow creasing, his hands flexing, so that I tilt the laptop toward him, teasing him. “Easy, babe.”
But that doesn’t seem to be enough, Leo discarding the pillow and dragging me into his lap, his fingers splaying across my belly, his chin settling over my shoulder, his breath hot against my neck.
It’s sweet the way he holds me, claiming me in this quiet, tender way as his arms tighten, his purr deepening.
I finish the order—blankets, pillows, a soft throw—hitting delivery with a satisfied hum.
“Okay, they should be here in two hours.” I stand, stretching with my hands reaching toward the ceiling before turning to tell Leo I’ll make dinner, when he lurches forward, his hands ripping my pants open—button snapping, zipper tearing and then swallowing my cock whole.
I gasp, my knees buckling, my hands clutching his shoulders, his mouth taking me deep, his tongue curling around me.
“Hey, baby,” I rasp, my voice trembling, thick with need, “you needy for me?” Leo hums, a low, vibrating growl that shoots fire through my veins, his eyes fluttering shut, lost to his instincts—wild and desperate.
His lips stretch wide around me, his throat tightening as he sucks.
My fingers sink into his curls, guiding him as he pleasures me, his groans muffled.
I can already tell that his heat is going to be volatile, a tempest that’ll demand everything I have—every ounce of strength, every shred of control and I’m so fucking ready.
My hips rock forward, matching his rhythm.
“That’s it, babe, so fucking good for me,” but it’s more than that—it’s the way he looks, the way he feels, that undoes me.
I glance down, and he’s gorgeous, his sea-green eyes hazy with need, his cheeks flushed, lips glistening with spit and pre-cum, stretched around me like he was made for this, for me.
He’s leaning into his instincts fully now, no hesitation, no shame—just pure, primal need, his purr rumbling against my cock, sending shivers up my spine, his tongue flicking, teasing, tasting me like I’m his only desire.
“Fuck, Leo,” I whisper as he swallows me deeper, his lips brushing against my knot, “you’re so beautiful like this. Look at you, giving yourself to me, so fucking perfect.”
His whine answers me, his hands moving to grip my thighs and I let him have me, my hands cradling his head, my heart pounding, one shaky, desperate breath at a time.