Page 37 of The Runaway

“Is it okay if I get undressed?” Gabriel asked.

Connor’s mind was a riot of confusion. No, he didn’t want Gabriel to take his clothes off. But at the same time, he felt a sudden longing to see what he looked like beneath his shirt. Smooth skin, firm muscles. Would he have hair on his chest, or be mostly bare? The question was tantalising.

“Yeah, that’s okay,” Connor said. Tentatively, he reached down and began unlacing his own boots. They would have to come off sooner or later, and it was probably a good idea to be naked before Gabriel got impatient about it.

Gabriel stripped off his shirt, dropping it beside Connor’s. Then he unlaced his boots and pulled them off, along with his socks. He stood up and undid his belt. He paused, meeting Connor’s eyes.

Connor felt himself go rigid in fear. The pants would come off, then he’d be thrown face first down onto the bed and mounted, pinned to the mattress, helpless to resist…

Once again, Gabriel stopped, standing still as he waited for Connor to… To what? To tell him it was okay? To take his own pants off? What did he want?

By slow degrees, Connor willed his body to relax. He needed Gabriel’s cock. And he couldn’t have it unless Gabriel took his clothes off. Helen had said Gabriel wasn’t going to be very energetic about it, he reminded himself, trying to stay calm. This was fine. This was going to be okay. He nodded, remembering to breathe.

Slowly, Gabriel lowered his trousers and his erection sprang free. Alpha cocks were huge, as Connor well knew, far longer and thicker than an omega’s cock. And Gabriel’s was no exception. It wasn’t quite standing out straight, its own weight dragging it down a fraction, but he was hard and full, there was no doubt about that.

Gabriel tugged his pants off his legs and dropped them on the floor. Then he collected the bottle from the desk and put it on the nightstand.

“What’s that?” Connor asked. Was he allowed to ask questions? He didn’t want to be rude, but he also didn’t like unexpected surprises.

“Olive oil,” Gabriel said. “Antoine said it might help. He said if… that sometimes… Um…” It was disconcerting to see an alpha sounding so uncertain. “He said it would help with lubrication. In case you’re not making enough by yourself. That way, it should stop the mating from hurting you.”

Connor eyed the bottle, feeling confused all over again. Why on earth would an alpha care if…? But at the same time, he felt another flush of moisture in his ass. Previous matings had indeed been painful, but this time around, his body seemed to be getting on board, producing plenty of lubrication of its own. But even so, the thought that Gabriel was willing to provide more was… Well, he wasn’t sure what it was, actually. Only that it was making his heart do a funny little dance in his chest and making his face feel warm. His hand drifted down to rub against his own erection, still encased in his pants.

As he watched, thin threads of gold wove their way into Gabriel’s eyes. That, more than anything else, was a clear sign that he was going into rut. For the first hour or two of the heat, the golden colour would come and go from both of their eyes. After that, it would become constant, once Connor was fully in heat and his pheromones had pushed Gabriel all the way into a rut. And at that point, Gabriel would be completely out of control, overcome by the fierce need to mate and unable to temper his needs with reason or logic. And despite his own disgust at the idea, Connor would be just as mindless, driven by an overpowering urge to be mated. That was the part of the heat that was the worst, the idea that he was willingly seeking all the degrading things that had been done to him, that he hadn’t even considered the idea of resisting.

God, he hated this.

Gabriel’s hand drifted down to his own erection, stroking it lightly. His eyes fluttered closed and a faint moan left his lips. “God, Connor…”

Knowing there was nothing to be gained by dragging this out, Connor shoved his pants down his legs and over his feet, tossing them off the side of the bed. But now what? Should he get up onto his knees? Or lie face down? Or should he just not move and let Gabriel decide how he wanted him?

Gabriel took a slow step forward and sat down on the edge of the bed. He put his hand on his erection again, meeting Connor’s eyes. “Do you want to touch me?”

“No,” Connor said immediately. The less time he spent anywhere near Gabriel’s cock, the better.

Gabriel eyed Connor’s erection. “Is it okay if I touch you?”

“Why?” Connor asked, a hint of his old rebellious attitude nudging at him.

“I want to make you feel good,” Gabriel said. His eyes were still streaked with gold.

“But how would…? Why do you…? Yeah, okay,” Connor agreed finally, deciding not to question it. The sooner they got on with this, the sooner it would be over. Let Gabriel do whatever he liked.

Gabriel shuffled forward, then gently pressed Connor’s shoulder back. He lay down on the bed, obediently spreading his legs. Gabriel was going to make himself feel good, not Connor, but that was just the way things were.

He felt a strong hand wrap around his cock and reminded himself to breathe. The hand was firm, but gentle, not pulling too hard, not squeezing too tight, and at least if Gabriel was more gentle than his previous alphas, that would be something. Then he felt a teasing thumb stroke over the tip of his erection.

Connor felt his breath hitch as a tingling sensation shot through him. His hips flexed upwards, as if seeking more. Okay, that was… not bad. He realised he’d closed his eyes and opened them again, peering downward just in time to see Gabriel leaning down over him, his mouth heading for his…

Connor scuttled backwards with a startled cry. Fuck that. There was no way he was letting Gabriel bite him there.

Not that he had much choice, he remembered a moment later. Gabriel was in control here, not Connor.

“Sorry, I… Do you not like that?” Gabriel asked.

“No, I don’t want to be bitten, thank you very much,” Connor blurted out, too unbalanced to remember his manners. Why would Gabriel ever think that was a good idea?

But Gabriel smiled, seeming to be holding back a laugh. “I’m not going to bite you,” he said.