Page 66 of Curvy Nerdy Omega

“And the alpha of Valor approved off-site logs?” Lucy raised her eyebrow at me. “I have a hard time believing that.”

“Nicolette knows Liam owns Aegis and that he put it in my name for his own reasons.” Sliding my hand up her calf, I savored the silky sensation of her skin against my palm.

Goosebumps rose under my touch and she shivered, watching the path of my hand just as closely as I was. “Why would Liam do that? I just don’t get it.”

I rubbed my thumb against the curve of her knee and leaned down to kiss the top of it. “Two years ago, his mother denied my application to the Valor pack. I only applied because Liam wanted me to, but when she rejected my application he got a little…nasty.”

That was one way to put it. His mother had called it a temper tantrum, but what he’d done in retaliation was far too calculated to be considered childish or immature.

“Liam didn’t fight her on the decision, but he did start a new company she had no control over.” I skimmed my hand over her thigh and the way her breath caught was like music to my ears. “When Nicolette offered to accept my application if he put the security company under his name, Liam refused. Asked her how it felt to be told no.”

Looking up from what I was doing, I smiled slightly when I saw just how focused she was on the way I was absently rubbing little circles into her skin. Did she have any idea how much I’d fucking missed her?

“You were right, you know.”

“About what?” Lucy still couldn’t tear her gaze away from what I was doing.

“Nicolette doesn’t want us to have a public relationship because I’m an alpha – one who was stronger than Gideon even if he’d never admit it. Liam trusts me more than the alpha of his own pack and his mother knows it.”

She grabbed my wrist to stop me when I reached the hem of her tiny little shorts and I let go, propping my elbow on the back of the couch instead of ripping them off like I wanted.

“Liam threatened to leave the Valor pack if she tried to force me out of his life again, so his mother hired Aegis to manage their security as a last-ditch effort to placate him,” I explained. “Which means that Nicolette wouldn’t dare risk something like that again when he makes it public he’s chosen his omega. Even if she doesn’t like you, it won’t matter. Liam has too much power and they all know it.”

I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my thighs, watching her face to make sure I didn’t miss a single shift in her expression.

“My relationship with Liam is complicated. We help each other through our ruts, and we agreed to be each other’s life partner. It’s not all that romantic, but we are…loyal. Does that make sense?”

Lucy looked down at her hands and nodded, picking at her nails.

“Can you please look at me?”

She didn’t move, but she slid her gaze back to my face and her eyes were such a luminescent silver they really did look like the moon – Liam’s opposite in every way and yet, they were still somehow reflections of each other.

Liam was the most confident person I’ve ever met. He was the epitome of what I thought it meant to be a legacy alpha, but there were times he got all fucked in the head – worrying that I’d up and leave one day just because we didn’t share the same name.

He could be wildly insecure for the weirdest reasons and it turned him into a fucking nutcase. Lucy was the same and the only thing that seemed to ease that insecurity was showing him what I refused to show anyone else.

I showed that same vulnerability to Lucy now, letting her see just how nervous I was—how fucking worried I was about my weird relationship with Liam and how much I fucking needed it. I let her see just how scared I was that this might be some kind of deal breaker now that her head was clear of the way her heat had made her feel.

Showing her that I wasn’t sure there’d be a place for me with them was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but she had to know or she’d always wonder if I actually needed her.

“I love that asshole, Lucy. He protects me from the legacy alphas, and gives me a safe outlet for all my crazy – gives it a purpose, but it has never been enough, and will never be enough to replace you.”

Liam needed her just as much as I did, if not more, and it was my job to make sure whatever Liam wanted, he got, but if Lucy demanded I choose…

“I can’t lose either of you, do you understand?”

Lucy stopped picking at her fingers and the way she looked at me felt like she was trying to decide if I was worthy or not.

When she lifted her chin, my chest constricted and I couldn’t remember how to breathe.

“Are you afraid I’ll make you choose between us?”

All I could do was nod as I stared into those grey eyes that no longer looked like the moon, but a raging storm.

“And what if I did?” She lifted her chin even higher, outright challenging me. “You really don’t want me to choose you, Cas? Only you?”

I smiled slightly, sensing the trap.

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