Page 11

eleven

JOSIE

J esse is sitting on my couch, and I have to pinch myself a few times to make sure this is really happening.

We were texting, and I told him it’s silly to text when he can come over, so now he’s here.

In my space. With his amazing smell and smile.

My inner Omega is bursting with happiness.

And horniness, let’s be honest. He’s so gorgeous and I can’t help but sit right next to him, with my legs tucked under me and body facing him.

“Okay, so let me get this straight,” he says, a smile on his face, “You touch other people for a living, but you don’t touch other people?”

“Not generally, no, but it does sound silly now that you say it that way.” I smile back.

“No, not silly, it sounds like you’re careful about your boundaries, and it’s something I know nothing about. It’s pretty cool, even if it sounds a bit like an oxymoron.”

“Thanks.” I’m sure I’m blushing as I glance down at my hands. “It’s, um, it’s personal for me.”

Jesse shifts so he’s facing me directly.

“I’d love to hear about your reasons if you want to tell me, but don’t feel pressured, okay? I’m happy getting to know you at whatever pace you choose.”

My heart melts as he reaches out to gently put a hand on my knee.

My leggings prevent skin contact, but it reminds me about when we held hands on our date.

Should I ask him about that? I found a Match in Vic, is it possible I have another?

Would Jesse even want to share? There’s no way I’m rejecting Vic even if I’m not ready to bond yet.

Deciding that worrying about the future won’t help, I take a calming breath.

“Can I ask you a question first?”

He smiles, “Of course. I’m an open book for you.”

“I… Um… We… Are we a Match?” I blurt out.

Jesse’s eyes widen in surprise. He suddenly looks insecure, and I want to beat myself up for asking that question.

I can’t apologize for asking, so I wait to see what he’ll say.

My inner Omega wants to soothe my Alpha because he looks so unsure, but I remind myself he’s not my Alpha until he tells me he is, so I need to be calm.

I gaze steadily at him, needing this information.

He clears his throat a couple of times before replying, “Um, yeah, we are. I figured you knew. I’m sorry that I didn’t bring it up before.”

“No, don’t be sorry. I’ll explain it.” I take a deep breath and blow it out slowly with my eyes closed.

“My parents died when I was young. Four or five, something like that. I don’t remember them, really.

They were both only children, so I ended up in the foster care system.

None of the families that I was with were bad, really, but I got a lot of families who changed their minds after they got me.

At first, it was because I was so young, they wanted older kids.

Then I did have one good family, but they moved to a new state and I couldn’t join them.

Once I presented as an Omega, it was worse. Nobody wanted to keep me for very long.

“I never lived in a place where physical touch was a thing, so I went the majority of my life without touch. I developed Touch Sickness in High School, but by then, I had presented as an Omega, so nobody wanted me around long enough to treat it. They avoided touching me even more at that point. Touch Sickness was pretty painful, my skin felt raw all the time, my emotions were out of control, and I was absolutely exhausted. All the time. When it turned into Touch Loss, the pain went away, but it means I can’t feel a Match. There’s no fixing it.”

Jesse just stares at me, his face a mask of sorrow. “I’m so sorry, Josie.”

“It’s not your fault. I can tell scents that pull me to people, and I was almost knocked over by yours, but when we held hands, you didn’t react at all, so I thought maybe we weren’t Matches.”

Jesse reaches out to gently take my hand. I can feel tears building behind my eyes, realizing that he’s knowingly touching me because I’m his Match. I can feel a tear fall as I look at him.

“You’re killing me, babe, can I hold you?”

I nod and help him arrange our bodies so he’s surrounding me with his arms and scent.

“When you dropped your purse that day we met, our fingers brushed when I handed you my number. That’s when I knew. You didn’t react that day, so I avoided bringing it up, but when I took your hand on our date, it just felt right, and that solidified it for me. I assumed you felt it.”

I shake my head and try to bury my face in his neck, inhaling his fresh rain scent.

Between his scent and how gorgeous he is, I’m a complete goner.

My mind is in disbelief that I have two Matches, but I’m so happy I do.

We snuggle and talk about shallow things until I have to go to work.

He gives me a hug before I hop into my car, and when I look in the rearview mirror, he’s watching as I drive away.

When I pull up to Ray’s house, I still feel a little giddy, but I try to calm myself before going to knock on the door.

My time with Ray should be focused on her, not me.

Henry greets me at the door, and even though I’m still happy about my time with Jesse, my Omega is greedy and wants Henry, too.

Telling my inner hussy to knock it off, I follow him to where Ray and I spend our time.

The session goes by as well as it usually does.

In two more sessions, we’ll do a re-evaluation of her symptoms to see how she’s progressing.

She’s looking a bit better each time we meet, so I’m encouraged by her progress.

Hopefully she’s opened up to some friends her age and is getting touch time in that way as well.

It’s good to have some variety, assuming you know the person.

Henry meets me at the door to the room I was in with Ray, and I can’t help but smile at him.

“Are you my personal attendant today?” I sass him.

He laughs, “I suppose I am. I was actually hoping I could walk you to your car?”

“I’d like that.”

He nods, and we start toward the main door, and I notice a bag in his hand. Wonder what that’s for.

“How have you been?” he asks.

“Good. An old friend of mine moved back into town, and we were able to spend some time together, so that was amazing. Normally we see each other once a year at the most due to the distance.”

“That’s awesome! I’m glad that she was able to be closer to you.”

I giggle, “I’ll tell him that.”

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to assume. It just popped out.” He runs his hand through his hair, sheepishly.

“It’s no problem, I didn’t exactly give you any clues,” I giggle.

He grins as he opens the door for me. It’s a gorgeous day today, and there’s a light breeze that feels good flowing through my hair. I take a deep breath, appreciating the smell of nature, and the hit of Henry’s scent makes my knees weak. The scent alone makes me gone for this man.

“I realize, we never made plans for your confidence-boosting seminar,” he tells me.

I frown at him, trying to remember what he’s talking about, before I remember what he called our potential date. I start chuckling as I recall.

“We should fix that then,” I tell him.

He grins and pulls out his phone. “My calendar is pretty open, honestly, just making sure here. Is there something that works better for you?”

“I think the weekend. I’m usually pretty wiped out during the week in the evening after my touch sessions,” I hum, tapping my finger on my chin.

“Okay, I’ll pick you up this weekend, and we can grab dinner or drinks. Maybe both if we’re lucky,” he waggles his eyebrows.

Another laugh escapes me, and I lean against my car now that we’ve arrived here. I’m not sure what else to say, but I don’t want to give up my time with him. So, we stare at each other for a moment, just smiling.

“Oh!” he startles and holds the bag in front of him. “I got you something.”

Honestly, I don’t remember the last time someone got me something just because. Excitement and disbelief flood me, but then my greedy Omega comes out, and my hands itch to get into that bag. My eyes go wide, and I look at him with awe.

“For me?”

His smile is blindingly bright. “Yes, for you. I hope you like it. If you don’t, I can get you something else.”

I snatch the bag out of his hand, “No! It’s mine!”

“You’re such a cute Omega.”

I preen at his words before opening the bag to look inside.

There’s a gift-wrapped box that I tear into, and I gasp.

The fluffiest, most gorgeous green blanket I’ve ever seen is nestled inside the box.

My hand reaches in to touch it, and I gasp at how soft it is.

It’s a chunky knit blanket, so incredibly soft, and looks cozy and warm.

I can’t help but pull it out and rub my face against it, purring a little.

“You like it?” Henry asks with a smile.

My eyes meet his, and I feel incredibly special from the gift.

“Thank you,” I whisper, “Thank you so much!”

He just smiles, and my Omega instincts take over before I can think about it.

I shove the blanket at him and rub it over his chest, around his neck, and under his arms. Fussing to make sure I get the right amount of scent on it from where he’s pumping it out for me.

When I bring it to my nose, I whimper at how it smells exactly the way he does. Just like I’d hoped it would.

“Fuck, I want to kiss you. Can I do that? Or is that too fast for my adorable Omega?” Henry’s words are so unexpectedly dirty that I can feel a small rush of slick hit my panties.

“Um, I don’t know… I… Usually don’t like touch,” I admit, even as I step closer to him.

Henry grasps my waist and makes a point of bringing his nose close to my neck, inhaling deeply.

Another whimper escapes me, and I bare my neck for him to explore.

His skin doesn’t touch mine once, and I think that turns me on even more.

He’s respecting my boundaries even when I’m not sure if I want to hold them.

A rumble sounds deep in his chest when he pulls away to look into my eyes.

“You smell like heaven itself, and I want to keep you. Tell me I can keep you, at least for a little while,” he begs.

I nod wordlessly, I’m sure my mouth is open and drooling as I gaze at him.

He chuckles, “Good Omega. I’ll call you.”

When he steps back, the spell is broken and I begin to breathe normally again instead of massive inhales of his scent.

Grinning, I nod at him before turning to climb into my car.

I keep the blanket on my lap, not wanting to part with it.

It’s truly one of the first “just because” gifts I’ve gotten.

It’s now one of my favorite possessions.

Sometimes, Vic would send me things, and always for my birthday, but that feels different because I’ve known him longer.

A full giggle escapes me as I drive back to my condo, and I can feel that my cheeks are flushed with delight. I have two Matches and an Alpha courting me. How lucky can one girl get?