Page 65 of Curvy Nerdy Omega

“There’s no way I could ever forget about him.” She cleared her throat and looked away from me. “You said omega.”

Was she really getting defensive and territorial about some imaginary omega?

I kissed the tip of her nose and moved so I was sitting on the other end of the couch, arm resting along the top so I could prop my chin up on my fist and watch her. “I swore off omegas after I almost killed one during my first rut.”

I watched her like a man possessed. She settled into the corner of the couch on the other side, eyes wide as she absorbed that, but she didn’t seem horrified so I pushed forward, deciding to get it all out now.

“I was young and had no clue how bad my rut was going to be so when she overdosed on my pheromones, I wasn’t in any state of mind to notice until Liam pulled me off of her. Then he let me fuck him to pieces instead.”

Lucy inhaled sharply. It was subtle – unnoticeable to a normal person, but I was watching her too closely to miss it. Our omega desperately wanted to see us fuck.

And what kind of alpha would I be if I didn’t give her what she wanted?

“You’re the only omega who’s ever been interested in me,” I admitted, my eyes dropping to her bare thighs when she pulled up her legs and wrapped her arms around them. “I didn’t think there was a single omega out there who could handle me, let alone both of us, but you proved me wrong, didn’t you?”

Her eyes flashed and I smiled at the pride I could see in them. Lucy had this need to be acknowledged as an omega even if she’d never admit it. Not that I’d ever make her. It wasn’t hard to give her what she wanted when this was the reaction I got.

“Is your rut like that every time?”

My smile suddenly felt forced and yet she still didn’t look afraid. “Every single time.”

Resting her chin on her knees, Lucy considered the empty space between us. Neither of us said anything and I couldn’t help but notice how comfortable she looked despite having me in her apartment.

My presence wasn’t making her anxious or self-conscious. She was even looking to me for answers, trusting that I wouldn’t lie to her.

I had to tell her everything.

“Liam wanted to tell you this himself, but I’m not willing to risk you finding out before he can.”

She raised an eyebrow at that. “I thought you said you can’t tell me about his game.”

“I can’t and I won’t. This isn’t about that.” I sighed and studied my motorcycle boots, trying to organize my thoughts. “The security company that Valor hired a little over a year ago? It’s one of Liam’s private companies. Legally, I own that company, but he holds the majority of the shares – it’s not owned by the Valor pack, or Valor Enterprises. I also wrote the program he uses to monitor the footage for potential problems.”

“Of course you did.” Lucy released her legs with a grimace and stared out the window. “Why does everything keep coming back to you, Cas? It’s fucking suspicious and I know I’m not the only one who’s going to think that.”

We were right back to square one and I tried really hard not to freak the fuck out.

“I know it looks bad Lucy, but I promise you I didn’t know jackshit about the missing data until you asked me about it.”

She pressed the pads of her thumbs to her eyebrows and I resisted the urge to help ease some of the stress I knew this information was giving her.

“You and I are currently the only people I know of who could do something like erasing data from a corporate server and getting away with it,” she reminded me. “That doesn’t mean there aren’t others, it just means it has to be someone with the right skills and connections to the security company or the Valor IT department. Maybe even both. Which would make sense. How else would they get away with killing such a public figure? In his office. On the top floor of a skyscraper.”

Lucy let out a frustrated sigh and leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest to glare at nothing.

I didn’t know what to say or do because she was right. Whoever was fucking with our shit probably had something to do with Gideon and there weren’t many people in the city of Acheron who were anywhere near my level. Probably not even in the state.

Other than Lucy.

“There are cameras in the server room at Valor Enterprises and all over the Aegis building. You can check the timestamps and footage if you think I might have something to do with this,” I tried to reassure her. “Yeah, I could erase it all without anyone noticing, but I’m not invisible. You can follow me across the city like you did Gideon, or check my phone records. I never turn it off just in case Liam needs something.”

Lucy glared at me and the relief I felt that she was finally looking at me again was making me dizzy.

“It’s not that I don’t believe you, Cas It’s that there is always the possibility without proof.” She turned back to the window and I had to take a deep breath when I felt a surge of irrational rage that she wasn’t giving me her attention even though I was sitting right here.

“They have to have connections to someone with the keys to the kingdom or they’d never be able to sneak into a building as heavily guarded as Valor Enterprises,” she muttered as she chewed on her thumbnail.

“They would need more than just connections.” I reached out slowly and wrapped my hand around her ankle, pulling her closer until she was sitting in between my legs. Instantly I felt like I could think straight again. “You have to scan a badge to get past the gate in the lobby. Every employee and visitor is logged electronically and stored in the Aegis servers, not Valor’s. It’s the same with the gate to the estate.”