Page 61 of For What It's Worth

When Jen pulled away, I was swept up in a hug from Aidan, who spun me around, causing a very high-pitched squeal from me.

“Congrats, Koda bear,” Aidan said, right before he pressed his lips to mine in a hard kiss. It was an awkward kiss since my lips were pulled thin in a smile and I was trying my best to not laugh as I literally dangled from Aidan’s grip, but neither of those facts seemed to deter Aidan.

“Thank you, Addie.” I wiggled my feet and Aidan got the hint to set me back down. My body swayed slightly as I tried regaining my balance from the spinning, and a new pair of hands steadied me.

There were no words, but Enzo pulled my back against his front. A gentle purr coming from his chest had my body relaxing and my eyes falling closed. I wrapped my hands on his forearms and pulled them around me, keeping myself tucked into him. When I felt the tip of his nose draw a line down my neck, my body couldn’t decide if it wanted to be languid or taunt.

“I like the look on your face, Orsetta,” Enzo said, his voice thick, making his accent stronger. I turned my head to smile at the alpha, half amused he had to break his neck to be at my eye level and half simply happy to have his attention. “I have to go now. There’s some stuff I have to get done before I take you to class tomorrow, so give me a proper goodbye.”

It wasn’t a question from Enzo—simply a demand—but I didn’t mind the authority.

Jen let out a playful growl—at least I thought it was playful. I wouldn’t admit it, since I knew I’d have Aidan with me all day, but I was going to miss this alpha. Like a stupid amount. That thought had me rushing to push onto my toes, pulling down Enzo’s head to force his lips on mine like he might’ve disappeared if I didn’t kiss him soon enough.

His mouth opened without hesitation, letting his tongue play with mine.

My core clenched, ready to make slick if Enzo was determined to continue mouth fucking me. I ran my hands down his neck, lightly scraping my nails, until I reached his shoulders and then I held on for dear life.

Enzo’s arms tightened around me to the point my back was starting to ache from the arch, but the pain had me trying to reach a point on my toes so I could be higher, kiss him harder, leave bruises on his lips—

“Enzo,” Jen growled, the single word warning enough to have him pull away.

My lips tried to chase him for a moment, but he returned to his full height and my goal of his lips was lost. Sparks of panic came with the thought of letting Enzo go. It seemed even more impossible to ignore them than reaching his lips without climbing him like a freaking tree.

“You’re picking me up after my classes, right?” I asked. The words were weak, but I didn’t care if Enzo knew I was going to miss him. No. I wanted him to know I would miss him, so he was thinking of me all day like I’d be thinking of him. Counting down the time until I could be with him again.

Enzo inhaled deeply like I had done with Jen, his grip tightened around my body as if he was ready to pick me up and sprint away with me. “Yes, Orsetta. I’ve told my band about needing a flexible schedule for the next few months. Stay with Aidan and when you’re done with classes, meet up with Jen.”

What I wanted to say was he’d need a flexible schedule for a lot longer than a few months, but since I didn’t trust my tongue not to pronounce those traitorous words, I only managed a nod. Every step Enzo took in the direction of the parking lot made me want to call him back. I knew he had duties besides being constantly by my side. The same way I did. We both needed to be able to be separated, even if my reasoning didn’t feel worth it right now.

I took a fortifying breath, tucking away my longing for Enzo underneath my need to get my degree and my happiness with having Aidan and Jen in my first class.

“Okay.” I reached out for both Jen’s and Aidan’s hands, needing contact with both of them. “If I’m going to get through class today, I need more caffeine. Maybe a Romano with a double shot. Yeah, that sounds good. But we have to hurry if we’re going to get to class on time. And by on time, I mean for Jen. Technically, it will still be early for me.”

“I think you’re already caffeinated enough,” Jenson said.

I shook my head before he’d even finished talking. “Coffee, even the strong kind you have, isn’t enough to get me through the day. I need an espresso shot” —or ten— “or I’ll get tired and cranky.”

“Don’t want a crabby Koda bear,” Aidan added.

“We’ll get an espresso machine for home,” Jen said in his signature, stern teacher-esq voice, earning a glare from me. There was something about being on campus that made me feel braver in regards to my relationship with my posh alpha. It probably helped that we’d just come from a meeting where he defended our relationship to a male that had the ability to punish him for his involvement with me. “Then we can work on cutting your caffeine intake back. But for today, I guess we will have to indulge your bad habits.”

I was about to argue with my alpha when Aidan squeezed my hand, pulling my attention. He gave me a secretive wink. “C’mon, let’s go get our mate’s grind on.”

Both Jenson and I groaned at the terrible pun.

Chapter Twenty-Six

My first sip of my Romano hit the spot. My second was just as good. But then Jen started leading us back toward his classroom, and my nerves grew sip after sip, my Romano becoming less delicious. I wanted to blame the drink for somehow losing its delicious flavor, but the truth was more than just my drink was ruined. My nerves were turning my stomach to lead, tightening my throat until every sip felt like work.

When we finally made it to Jen’s classroom, the sun had started rising, but the temperature was still so cold that the inside of the room felt like I’d walked into a meat locker. After putting his stuff down on his desk, my bonded alpha pulled my shivering body to his, letting me steal his body heat as the heater got to work.

“This is going to be fine, little bear,” Jen said softly. “Luck is on our side that this is your first class. It’ll help us ease into separating.”

Just the thought of not being near Jen had me panicking. I wasn’t worried about my safety. I just didn’t trust others to not flirt with my mate. My bonded alpha didn’t have a mark saying, ‘fuck off’ or another pack member to make sure no one came too close. And I knew plenty of females flirted with my sexy professor. I’d literally been in a ‘pay attention to me’ contest with them, and I was sure surrounding his desk with pretend questions after class wasn’t a one-time thing. My natural defenses kicked in, turning my nerves into anger at the prospect of anyone flirting, touching, or begging for attention from my bonded alpha.

I tightened my grip on Jen, suddenly wanting to wrinkle his clothes like the fabric could be my temporary mark on him. My omega side felt pretty confident I could hold Jen’s attention against any betas, but my beta side was telling me we were replaceable in the view of an alpha. Wrinkling his clothes it was.

Small shoulder shakes told me my intentions weren’t hidden from a laughing Jen, but he didn’t let me go, tightening his grip around me, so I assumed he agreed with my plan.

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