Page 62 of Scent of Home

It feels like forever when he collapses on my chest. I carefully shift my legs but shudder when I clamp down on him again.

Wow. That was intense.

“Don’t cry, Erin,” he whispers.

“I’m not.” I protest, but I think maybe I am. Because I think there’s something inside that he just broke, and I think maybe I’m not going to be able to be the same as I was.

I think we just created a bond.

Locke smiles at me and kisses my cheeks. “Okay. You’re not. But that was the best experience of my life.”

I let my head thump on the floor, absently stroking his back. “That was the most incredible experience of my life.”

Locke leans in close and snuggles against me. Every movement sends ripples of pleasure through me, but I can’t stop the happy feeling as he nuzzles me.

And then the sound starts.

A soft, deep, vibrating sound. It takes me a moment to realise that he’s purring.

An omega purr is rarer than an alpha purr. We can only do it when we are truly content and at peace or it’s needed for our pack mate. It’s not something we can do at will. No one knows much about omega purrs, just that it’s so rare an omega can go an entire lifetime without showing one.

I hold him and wonder at this feeling. This is what it would be like to have an omega. This is what it would be like to have a miracle. The warmth inside my chest pushes at me, and I lift one hand to cover it protectively.

Oh, crap, he really did bond me, and judging from this feeling, I bonded him back. An actual, proper bond. But this was supposed to be temporary. The bond between pack mates is permanent, no one bonds anyone lightly. But a bond between scent matches? That’s stronger. That’s forever. It changes you. I can already feel him inside me, changing me. What am I going to do when he leaves?

It is horrifically distressing to think of not having Locke in my life.

I push those thoughts aside and focus on the feel of his skin, that rumble against my chest, the vanilla sex scent that is all around us. Even when my lock lets us free, I don’t move, and neither does he.

I see us lying in bed together, talking as the sun rises and sets. Making love. Talking shit.

The ache of longing is surprising. I never wanted this. It wasn’t in my plans.

Plans change. Isn’t that what my aunt always says?

I stroke his hair and shift my weight. “Hey, are you hungry?”

He rolls off me and slings an arm over his face. I roll towards him and sit up on my elbow, watching.

“What is going on right now?” I ask as his entire demeanor gets defensive and closed off.

“You’re going to make it fucking impossible to walk away,” Locke growls.

My heart leaps and crashes. “You have to go back, right?”

He nods without removing his arm. “There’s no choice.”

“So, what if we just say this rendezvous isn’t the end, and we’ll see each other again?” I say cautiously.

He slowly removes his arm, his eyes full of pain and what looks like a little bit of hope. The heavy feeling inside my chest lightens. Wait, does Locke know we’re bonded?

“You’d be okay with that?”

Fuck no! I don’t know what I want, but what I do know is watching him walk away is not one of those things. “Yeah, of course.”

Locke rolls to his feet and walks to the fridge, coming back with two bottles of water. He pulls me up and leads me into the bedroom, where we crawl into bed together.

I pull out my secret stash of snacks and watch as he eats a line of chocolate.

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