Page 16 of The Omega Exchange: Omnibus (The Exchange)

Chapter Fourteen

Luke

"How do you feel about children?" Everly asks.

The men at the table all share a look. "Yeah, of course we're down for kids," the blond guy says.

Evie lights up.

"One day."

Her face falls.

"We're all about practicing in the meantime, though," the douche in the suit says.

"Is your biological clock ticking?" the blond asks.

My hands fist at my sides. I'm about to knock his ass out. What the fuck kind of question is that? Sure, Everly is on the older side to be unbonded, but she's nowhere close to needing to worry about having children soon. What a fucking dick.

Evie shrugs. "I definitely want kids, lots of them." She takes a drink of her wine. "The sooner the better."

The guys share a look. Their condescending laughs fill the air.

I can't decide if she's the world's worst conversationalist or she's purposely nose-diving every introduction.

"Would you be open to sperm donation?" Evie asks, her eyes darting around the table.

All three of the men stare dumbfounded.

"I mean, if courting didn't work out," Evie swallows thickly. "Is that something you might be open to?"

Um, what the fuck?

It's clear the fact she was rejected before fucked her up. But she's got to know how it goes. None of these dickheads know that. Meaning she's either purposely killing their first impression or… I don't even know.

Why is she so worried about kids?

"Omegas have less than a three percent chance of being impregnated from artificial insemination," Evie goes on in a shaky tone. Her eyes bounce around between the men. "Did you know that? They think it's something in omega biology and alpha pheromones…"

She rambles a bit more about conception rates in omegas.

Every pack she's talked to today, she's asked them about children. Now she's branching out into sperm donation?

These men wouldn't be able to help her with getting pregnant anyway, because all females have contraceptives in place.

My eyes move to Everly. She's still rambling facts of omega pregnancy. My nose twitches with her scent. It's more potent than pretty much any omega I've ever smelled.

There's no way…

"Excuse us," I say to the three men at the table. Lifting my omega out of her chair, I toss her over my shoulder and aim for the back stairwell the staff uses. Everly wiggles around. My hand lands on her ass, both to settle her and to prevent her from flashing the room.

Once we're out of the ballroom, I set her back on her feet. My body has a mind of its own as I cage her against the cool brick.

I don't say anything as I study her. Evie's beautifully stunning in a way you don't see often around here.

Her make up is so light it's barely noticeable.

While the other omegas are all dressed to the nines, this little omega is wearing an adorable red dress with white fluff and lace at the bottom.

She's got on these red and white striped tights that remind me of a candy cane.

Shit. I might not be an alpha, but my body responds to hers in a way I've never experienced in my almost thirty years of life.

My nose dances up the column of her throat.

She smells like goddamn apple pie, but it's the sweet notes of caramel and cinnamon that have my brain working a mile a minute.

I very clearly remember my alpha and omega dynamics teacher explaining that female omegas not on contraceptives smell more potent once they enter pre-heat.

But there's no way that's possible.

Archer or Murphy would've mentioned it if they saw that in her contract. Those fuckers have no shame.

"What the hell was that?" I ask, studying her face.

"I was trying to get to know them," she whispers, but she won't meet my eyes.

Her matte-black glasses fall down her nose as she stares at her feet.

"I'm going to have a heat really soon. I'm trying to stay positive and upbeat.

You don't know how hard that is when it feels like I'm the only omega in the world no one wants. "

My heart sinks. Her past really screwed her up. I get it, I'm right there with her. My history with Melody and how everything went down with my family fucked me up too.

My hand brushes her dark hair away from her face as I rearrange her Santa hat. I know of literally no other woman who could pull off the dorky hat, but somehow it only makes Evie more adorable. How the hell did she manage to keep it on when I carried her out?

Everly stares up at me from under her lashes, and my chest feels tight.

Shaking my head, I blow out a heavy breath. I don't think I can let this go. Something was off about that conversation with the last pack…

"Why were you asking about children?" I murmur as my body cages her into the wall even further. "Especially about donating sperm and how the alpha pheromones might help facilitate getting pregnant."

Everly blushes furiously. "I was making conversation. Thanks for pointing out that I'm awful at it." She laughs awkwardly.

"Don't lie to me," I snap. My voice comes out clipped even to my own ears. "All omegas are required to have birth control in place prior to their heat, unless it's specifically addressed in their contract. Do I need to tote your ass down to the medical office?"

"N-No." Her eyes get wide. "Why would you need to do that?" She puts her red-painted nails on my chest and gives a little shove. She doesn't have a hope in hell of moving me.

"You tell me, pretty girl," I murmur against the shell of her ear.

Everly shrugs. "I have no idea what you're thinking."

"I'm thinking you're here because you want to be bred." My breath fans over the unprotected skin of her throat. She shivers in response. Her hands clutch at my shirt. She wobbles her head no, but the fact her perfume radiates around us is a good indication that she's lying.

"You do," I accuse. "What the hell, Evie? Did you negotiate that with the pack that didn't show up?"

"N-No, because you're wrong," she says, glaring up at me. "And I don't like being accused of things that aren't true."

"Oh, sweetheart, you're such a terrible liar," I say, running my lips over her pulse. "You're flooding the hallway with the scent of apple pie and slick omega sex at the thought."

"Excuse me," she says, shoving against me again. "I think I've changed my mind about the mixer."

"Is that right?" I ask, brushing my lips over her ear. "And why's that? Because I figured out your secret?"

She's so transparent it's almost laughable. Her head gives a tiny nod before she can catch herself, and I do laugh.

She's fucking terrible at subterfuge.

She's filling the air with so many pheromones it's clear she can't go back in that room full of unbonded alphas. It would cause a goddamn riot.

"Why would you put yourself at risk like that?" I ask, studying her face. "God Evie, you smell like candied apple sex to me, and I’m not even an alpha. Do you know what they'd do to you if you sent a room full of alphas into rut?"

Okay, maybe I'm being an asshole. But there's a weird pang in my gut when I think about any of the guys from the mixer touching her. Especially that last pack of useless fuckers.

My lips brush over her soft cheek in silent apology for forcing her to stay when she wanted to leave earlier.

"I don't like the idea of any of those dicks touching you." My voice is low and gravelly.

Evie blinks up at me with an adorable little frown on her face.

She looks confused. Hell, I don't know what I'm doing either.

My hand brushes her cheek, and her perfume floods the air.

My knee notches between her thighs as I get even closer.

My system doesn't want there to be any distance between us.

Everything in me wants to claim this little bundle of festive Christmas joy for myself. Evie whimpers. Her cheeks are flushed, and she's blushing like crazy. Her eyes squeeze shut, but her hand grips my shoulder, pulling me closer. A slow smirk spreads across my face.

"Do you need to be taken care of?" I ask, pushing her back into the wall. "I'd be more than happy to take care of you, sweetheart."

She whimpers. I don't need to be an alpha to recognize that invitation, but I'm also not a dick. My hand slides up her neck and into her hair.

"I'm gonna need to hear the words," I murmur, pulling her head back so I can see her eyes. Those big blue orbs blink at me from behind her sexy-as-fuck glasses.

"P-Please?" she begs.

The entire hallway is filled with the scent of her perfume. I need to get her far enough away from the ballroom that we don't have any unexpected visitors. My left hand slides down cupping her ass, and I lift. She wraps her arms around my neck, scrambling up my chest.

Once I've got a good handle on her, I head up the back stairs. At the third-floor landing there's a small bench that faces a picture window. I know this place well enough to know the camera can't catch anything in that nook. That's my destination.

Evie buries her face in my neck as her wet pussy grinds against my jeans. I take the stairs faster than I ever have. Once I hit the nook, I slam her against the wall. My cock throbs as I grind against her soft form.

"Luke," she moans, "I need you." My hair is up but she yanks the base of my skull, and I groan.

"You want to come, sweetheart?" I nip at her lips. She nods wildly, and I put myself down on the bench with Evie kneeling over me.

My hand gropes her ass, pulling her even closer as our mouths meet. She tastes like the white wine she had at the mixer. I lift her and flip her around.

A soft whine escapes her parted lips as she catches sight of us in the reflection of the window. My left hand slides around her hip and teases her thigh. Fuck me, she's wearing garters attached to the top of the stockings. My thumb plays at the edge and follows the line up.

My right hand slides down the front of her stretchy red dress. I tease her hard nipple over the lacy fabric of her bra.