Page 4 of Nursing the Alpha

FLYNN

T he bookstore smelled like old paper and cinnamon candles. It was one of those cozy little chains that tricked you into thinking you’d only stay five minutes but somehow stole hours of your life.

I was only going to glance at the new alien romance table. Just glance.

Thirty minutes later, I was holding a glossy paperback with a shirtless, horned alien clutching a human omega to his chest like a prize. The tagline read:

He’s obsessed. He’s bigger than I can take. And he won’t stop until I’m bred full of his heirs.

My cheeks flamed.

God. Why did the disturbing ones always make my pulse quicken? The darker the premise, the faster my chest went tight and my thighs pressed together.

I thumbed through the first chapter. The omega had already been collared and thrown over the alien’s shoulder.

What would that even feel like?

A too-large hand wrapping around my neck. Being held down, milk dripping from my pecs as ? —

I snapped the book shut, heart hammering.

“Nope,” I muttered under my breath. “Not doing this in public.”

But I still carried it to the counter. Along with two more equally unhinged selections. Just in case.

The line was long. Of course it was.

I checked my phone. 3:52 p.m.

Shit.

The subway. If I didn’t get moving, I’d miss the 4:05. Sure, there’d be another one in twenty minutes, but he wouldn’t be on that one.

The handsome alpha.

The one who had the build of an alien mercenary from one of the books I read a month ago.

The one who smiled at me whenever I got on the train.

The one who listened patiently when I rambled on nervously because I had to fill the silence between us or become uncomfortably unaware of how huge he was.

Of how he could crush me between his fists.

And okay, maybe I’d been crushing on him harder than I’d admit out loud.

Who wouldn’t after he saved me the embarrassment of walking home with a milk-soaked shirt?

Maybe I liked the way his scent—cedar and spice—lingered in my nostrils long after we parted.

The ride we shared on Fridays was never long enough.

The line crawled.

I shifted my weight from foot to foot, feeling the familiar ache in my chest as my pecs grew heavier. I hadn’t expressed for a couple of hours. Running for the subway wasn’t going to help.

When the cashier finally waved me forward, I almost dropped my phone fumbling for my wallet .

The second the receipt printed, I was out the door, bag bouncing against my hip as I took off down the street.

The air was cool, but sweat prickled my back. I quickened my pace. Each step tugged at my chest painfully, milk pooling heavier with every stride.

God, please don’t leak.

The train looked about ready to close its doors when I barreled down the steps, lungs burning from the sprint.

“Hold the door!” I shouted to no one, clutching my bag like it might fly out of my arms. Like they would really hold the door for me. It took the last bit of energy out of me to slip inside, just before the door shut.

That was close.

I was still catching my breath when I swept my gaze over the car. And landed on him.

Seth.

Sitting in his usual corner seat, one arm slung lazily over the backrest like he owned the place.

My heart skipped a beat.

How did he always manage to look… dangerous? With his broad shoulders, sharp jaw, and all that dark, slightly messy hair. He had the kind of face that made people glance twice and instinctively give him space.

But from the handful of times we’d exchanged a few quiet words, I knew better.

He wasn’t scary.

He was… sweet.

Too sweet for someone built like a mercenary.

My chest ached again, and not from running this time.

I swallowed hard, trying to calm the flutter in my stomach. But the car was packed. Every seat taken.

Including the one next to him.

Disappointment tugged at me .

I took a step forward anyway to stand in the small open space by the pole closest to him.

“Here.”

I froze.

Seth was on his feet, impossibly tall up close, motioning to his seat with a big hand.

“You just ran to catch this train, didn’t you?” His dark eyes flicked to the faint sheen of sweat at my temple, then lower before returning to my face.

“Yes. I didn’t want to miss—” You. “The train.”

“Sit. You need it more than I do. You look flushed.”

My cheeks went hot. Thankfully, he thought I was flushed because of the run rather than the unbelievable things his presence was doing to me.

Because if he knew…

If he knew how badly I wanted his massive hands to shove me against the nearest wall like that alien mercenary did to his omega in heat… If he knew how badly I wanted him to hold me there, unbothered by my squirming, while he claimed me.

How I couldn’t stop imagining those thick fingers spreading me open. Sliding in deep.

God.

I shifted, crossing my legs tight to hide the way my cock was swelling in my jeans.

He probably thought I was just catching my breath.

But the truth was, the more time I spent with Seth on the train, the more I couldn’t stop making him my alien mercenary. He sure had the build for it. That little omega boy had hated it at first, but by the end of the book, he’d become a slut for the alpha.

The idea of becoming some alpha’s slut shouldn’t be so appealing .

“Flynn.” His voice was gentle but firm. One large hand brushed my arm lightly as he guided me down.

That single touch burned through my sleeve like a brand. He felt so powerful. I knew there was a reason I feared alphas like him. You instinctively wanted to run away from them and simultaneously bare your slicked hole for them to rut in.

So dangerous.

I didn’t just want an alpha to bed me though. I wanted one who would stick around and wouldn’t get turned off by my excessive milk production when I had babies.

“Th-thanks.” My voice cracked embarrassingly.

“Anytime.”

Seth shifted to stand in front of me, one hand braced lazily on the pole as the train jolted into motion.

His crotch was directly at eye level.

Perfect.

Now I was sitting there, red-faced, milk-heavy, and staring far too hard at the bulky outline in his jeans every time the train rocked.

I wanted to press my face against him, bury my nose in the thick scent trapped in his jeans, and inhale until it filled my lungs, until it drowned me. Just one deep breath of pure alpha musk, and I’d probably cream my fucking pants like some pathetic little omega in heat.

I forced my gaze to the floor. The blurb of one of my new alien romances flashed through my mind. “He was massive, overwhelming, and I couldn’t look away.”

Stop it. Stop it right now.

We didn’t talk. Not with the crowd and our awkward positioning.

But that was fine.

The train screeched to a stop, jolting me forward. Doors slid open with a hiss, and people shuffled toward the exits. Seth shifted closer to let a pair of commuters squeeze past.

Closer.

Too close.

As his thigh brushed my shoulder, my breath hitched, and for one wild, heart-stopping moment, my face was only inches from the front of his jeans.

God.

The musky, faintly spicy scent of him hit me like a drug. My nostrils flared helplessly as I inhaled—deep and desperate—before I could stop myself.

It wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough.

I wanted to press my face there. Nuzzle. Let his scent flood my lungs until I was dizzy. Until I forgot where I ended and Seth began.

My cock twitched in my jeans, painfully hard now. My chest ached too, my milk heavy and almost throbbing with need.

Seth didn’t seem to notice. His hand remained braced casually on the pole, his gaze flicking lazily to the door as more passengers shuffled past.

By the time the train lurched forward again, he’d shifted back a few inches, leaving me shaking, flushed, and painfully aware of how empty my chest and my insides felt.

When the train finally screeched to our station, I stood at once. As the doors opened, the crowd pushed past us. Seth put his hand on my back lightly, guiding me forward with surprising care for a man his size. The heat of his palm burned through my jacket like he’d pressed a brand there.

“Careful,” he murmured as I stumbled on the step up to the platform.

“Thanks.” My voice came out soft, breathless.

We walked side by side, and I couldn’t think of anything to say. Not without it sounding weird. Not without blurting out something like, “Will you pretend you’re an alien and breed me nonstop all night?”

But he would leave if I didn’t say something, and my mind was stressfully drawing a blank.

“New books?” Seth nodded at the bag hanging from my arm.

“Y-yeah.” I adjusted the strap, trying to hide my blush. “Some alien romance. The… um… unhinged kind.”

His lips twitched. “Unhinged, how?”

“Oh, you know.” I waved a hand vaguely, instantly regretting it. “Possessive aliens. Obsession. Breeding. That sort of thing.”

The corner of his mouth curved like he was fighting a grin. “Sounds intense.”

“You could say that.” I laughed nervously, heat creeping up my neck. I shouldn’t be telling him these things, but he made it so easy to talk to him. “Not that I’m weird or anything. It’s just a different world and a lot more fun to read.”

We reached the stairs leading out of the station, and we both slowed.

“You’re allowed to like alien peen,” he said.

“Oh god!” I covered my face with my hands, and he laughed. “Pretend I never mentioned it.”

“All right, then. You headed straight home?” he asked casually, his strides slower to allow me to keep up with him.

“Yeah. You?”

“Same.” His hand flexed slightly at his side, like he wanted to reach out again but didn’t. “I, uh, hope those books are good.”

“They will be,” I said. “They always are.”

“Then I’ll wait for your update. ”

At the street level, we both lingered awkwardly, as if waiting for the other to make a move.

Did he want to ask me out? I would say yes in a heartbeat.

It wasn’t every day I came across alphas who weren’t put off by the scent of a lactating omega.

Especially one who gave birth to a child that wasn’t his.

“Well.” I fiddled with the straps of my bag. “Guess I’ll see you next Friday?”

“Yeah,” Seth said, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes. “Next Friday.”

He gave me a small smile and turned down the street.

I stood there for a second longer, clutching my book bag to my chest like it could hold back the ache building there.