Page 80 of Claiming Their Omega

The others laugh while Jesse blushes and glares at them without any real heat.

“No, guys, I’m serious!” I say, even though I’m laughing. “I think it might’ve been a really good thing. Because I think everything ended up working out how it was supposed to.”

“I agree,” Easton says, earnest as ever.

“You seem so much lighter,” Hendrix notes.

“I feel lighter,” I admit with a small laugh. “I was so scared of my heat. I was terrified. But then it came and it ended up being wonderful. Not just fine, or okay, but amazing.” I smile at them. “I owe that to all of you.”

“We were happy to do it,” Cade says gruffly.

“For the first time I… I feel like being an Omega isn’t a bad thing. I feel like it’s something I can handle. It doesn’t make me unhappy. I’m at home in my own skin.”

Hendrix nods, his eyes glinting. “You look happier than we’ve seen you since you got back to town.”

“I feel happier than I can remember being since I got into town,” I admit. “And that’s not on any of you, by the way, you’ve all been lovely. This whole time. So patient with me, I really don’t have words.”

“Does this mean you’re over your other fears?” Cade asks, an amused lilt to his voice that takes me by surprise. He’s usually not one to joke around.

I glance at him. “What do you mean?”

“I mean the motorcycle.”

“Wait.” Jesse cocks his head. “Is this why you had to walk all the way out to nowhere to go and get it?”

Cade explains how I was drunk and too scared to get on the bike, so we had to walk home. I bury my face in my hands, my face flushed with embarrassment all over again even as I laugh softly.

Hendrix chuckles. “She wouldn’t get on the bike? Darlin’, you’re never safer on a bike than when you’re with Cade.”

“It’s just scary! Especially when I was drunk! I thought I’d fall right off because my balance was terrible.”

“Well, are you scared right now? The new and improved you? After all, a heat wasn’t as terrifying as you thought it would be.”

“I—I don’t know.”

“I could teach you,” he offers. “Help you face another fear.”

I hesitate, but… I really do feel on top of the world right now. I feel like I could do anything.

“Why not?” I say out loud. Today is the day for something like this, while I’m still riding the high.

Hendrix grins. “Hell yes.”

Chapter 27

Grace

The very next day I’m staring at Hendrix’s motorcycle and wondering what the hell I was thinking, agreeing to do this.

Clearly the post-sex, post-heat hormones muddled my brain. There’s no way I’m going to be able to conquer this. Just looking at it makes me feel queasy.

“This is insanity,” I say out loud.

“The fun kind,” Hendrix replies. He grins and hands me my helmet. “Go on, safety is important.”

“You don’t need to wear a helmet when you get into a car,” I point out, but I put the helmet on anyway. “Because a car is safe.”

“A motorcycle is safe if you use it properly. People get into car crashes all the time. What’s important is that you’re responsible.” Hendrix adjusts my helmet. “Don’t you worry, darlin’, I know you’ll do great. You’re one of the toughest women I know.”

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