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sixteen

JESSE

F resh air hits me as I exit the pub, leaving the three men I was with stunned.

To be honest, I’m just as stunned. I really thought I could do it.

I thought I could open up and talk with them.

When I tried, though, it was like my vocal cords stopped working.

I could feel the anxiety churning in my gut, so I left.

Now, I’m speed walking to my car, trying not to give in to a panic attack.

As I drive home, I do deep breathing. Deep breaths in, hold, let it out.

It keeps things under the surface for now, and when I get home, I can just let loose and collapse until it’s over.

I can see my goal as I park my car in my driveway.

The front door is right there, calling to me.

My feet carry me to the door, but before I can unlock it, I hear a delighted yell behind me.

Oh shit, I don’t want Josie to see me like this .

My nose senses her first, her comforting scent of cinnamon desserts curling around me like a weighted blanket.

My shoulders drop a fraction as I take it in, but when I turn to look at her, it’s almost like everything comes crumbling down.

She’s so beautiful and amazing, how in the world is she a Match for someone like me?

I’ve been alone for so long, and the anxiety that I thought was long gone has roared to the surface at my first attempt to interact with more than one person.

For some reason, with just Josie, it’s easier.

Her expression drops as she sees my face, and I close my eyes, not wanting to see the pity in them.

Instead of pulling away, she wraps her arms around me.

She’s tall, but not quite tall enough to really comfort me while standing, so she rests her head on my chest, just below my shoulder, and squeezes her arms around my chest. Instinctively, I circle my own arms around her, and we stand like that for a few moments.

She doesn’t speak and she doesn’t ask me to, she just holds me and exists with me for a few moments.

I can tell the moment her Omega instincts override her normal reactions when she pulls back and holds my face so I have to look at her.

“My nest or your place?” she asks fiercely, and I know she won’t leave me by myself for a while.

“Your nest,” I tell her, wanting to be surrounded by her.

She grabs my hand and marches me back to her condo, locking the door behind us before pulling me further to her nest. Before I can step in, she indicates for me to wait and spends a moment adjusting everything just so.

This is the second time I’ve seen her Omega instincts take over, and it’s a beautiful sight.

She knows exactly what she wants and how to do it. Her confidence is breathtaking.

“No shirt, no pants, lie down,” she commands before departing the room.

A low laugh escapes me at her commands, but I do what she says, and I’m only in my boxers when I enter the nest and lie down in a cozy spot.

She returns with a box of cookies and two bottles of water.

Her eyes soften at the sight of me in her nest, and she sets the snacks down out of the way, but close enough to grab later.

Josie strips out of her shirt and pants and clambers in next to me in a sports bra and panties.

My dick tries to rise to the occasion but I tell it not to get its hopes up. My dick gets up anyway.

Josie lies down on her back and yanks me to her, bringing my head to her chest and letting me sprawl over her.

My skin touching hers brings a wave of serotonin, and I relax into the happy hormones.

After some creative wiggling on my part, I manage to bring a blanket up and ensure we’re both covered, increasing the cozy feeling.

Josie purrs and runs her fingers through my hair.

“I haven’t had anyone comfort me like this in a long time,” I rasp out.

“You better get used to it, mister. You’re mine, and I’m going to be here to comfort you when you need it.” Her voice is teasing but firm.

I turn my head and kiss her where her cleavage starts, giving it a small lick for good measure. A small giggle escapes her, and she wiggles underneath me. I grin against her skin and lay my head back down, relaxing once again into her purr.

“You don’t have to tell me what’s going on,” she says softly, “Just know that I’m always here if you do want to tell me, okay?”

I nod against her skin, “I want to tell you, but I’m nervous to do it. Let me try, though.”

“Whatever you want, babe,” she assures me.

I give myself a moment to build up my courage and start speaking slowly.

“The guys and I went out today… It was an escape room, so just the four of us, you know?”

She gives an affirmative noise but doesn’t rush me. How is she so perfect?

“It was fine, kind of fun really, but I’ve been on my own for probably 15 years now. I don’t talk to people much, only when I’m forced to for work. I think… I think I forgot how to. Talk to people, I mean.”

Josie continues her steady stream of purring and running fingers through my hair. My words don’t feel like they’re making sense, but she hasn’t asked me to clarify yet, so maybe she does understand.

“You’re easy to talk to for me. It’s natural, like breathing air.

It takes more effort with the guys. Vic and Henry are so outgoing, and even Simon gets social once he’s comfortable.

I just can’t seem to. I mean, I can’t get comfortable.

I can’t socialize. I tried, honestly, I tried.

They all shared, and I wanted to. I couldn’t. It was like my body froze.”

Josie just holds me tighter, letting me get the words out.

“I never expected a Pack. Maybe I wanted one at some point, but I couldn’t tell you when.

The longer I’m alone, the more I crave solitude.

Maybe I can’t do it. What if I can’t? I’ll ruin everything for you.

I want you, Jojo, more than anything, but if I can’t handle Pack, then how can it work?

I know you want a Pack, and you deserve it.

Me? I don’t know. Everything feels so jumbled. It’s easier when it’s just me.”

I finally go quiet as the last few words leave my lips. I feel a bit better, like a cleansing of my emotions. Josie waits another moment before speaking.

“First of all, you called me ‘Jojo’, and I insist on that always now.”

I chuckle, but let her continue.

“Second of all, you are mine , my Omega has declared it. So we will figure it out,” she says, before tipping my head back and looking into my eyes, “ together . Understand?”

My smile feels wide as I respond. “Yeah, Jojo, I understand.”

“Good!” she says firmly before pushing me so I fall back before pouncing.

Her lips latch onto mine, and a moan escapes me as I sink into the feel of her. Her lips are so damn soft and her tongue teases as much as mine does, playing a small game of cat and mouse. My hands start to roam her body before she puts a stop to it.

“As much as I love your body,” she pants, “We need a snack first.”

I relent, laughing a bit at her insistence, and sit up with her.

We each crack open a water bottle, and she opens the cookie container between us.

It’s one of those peel-top boxes, so you can just grab from the top of the container.

Way easier than the old style of tearing open the package and trying to fit the plastic holder back in.

She settles in next to me, our bodies touching as we sit side by side, the cookie package balanced between our legs.

“Jesse?” she says timidly after a couple of cookies.

I look over at her, my mouth full of cookie.

“I really like you. I don’t care if you need space, I’ll give it to you. I just want you okay?”

I swallow the cookie, and it feels like there’s an extra lump in my throat when I swallow. Leaning forward, I drop a small kiss on her forehead.

“Thanks, Jojo. Sometimes it’s too easy for me to close in on myself.”

“It’s too easy for me to stop trusting people. So I promise to always be here and pull you back out if you promise to always be here and remind me to trust you.”

“I can do that,” I tell her.

When I’m full of cookies, I offer the package to Josie before putting it away.

We both take another sip of our waters before snuggling back down into the nest. This time, I’ve turned her on her side so I can hold her from behind.

Her ass fits perfectly in my pelvis, so I make sure to hold her hips firmly to mine.

Her head rests on my other bicep as I curl that arm around her body.

She grabs my arms in response, and we let ourselves sit in the quiet of her nest.

Eventually, we must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know, there’s muted sunshine filtering through the fabric she has covering her windows.

My hand pats around for my phone, and when I find it, the time tells me it’s 8 a.m. Time to get up, I suppose.

At some point in the night, Josie turned to face me, and her body was sprawled on top of mine, her nose buried in my neck.

I decide that being here is too heavenly to get up just yet, so I set a new alarm and let myself doze with my Omega in my arms.