Page 41 of The Omega Project

A clarification that sends a bolt of heat through me, memories of our shower sex cutting through my haze. “It seems strange. I feel so close to you, and yet we haven’t had a proper kiss.”

“Then let’s remedy that,” he murmurs, tilting his head so he can press his mouth to mine. He tastes like cloves, with a hint of sweet vanilla seeping through, and I wiggle closer, licking at the seam of his lips. There’s only the briefest brush of his tongue, but it sends a jolt through me, and I pull back with a needy whimper. “Mmm,” he purrs, licking my taste into his mouth. “That was better than I imagined.”

I flush, remembering his eyes on me as I took Lang’s knot, then fell asleep with Derek buried inside me and my mate nuzzling our marks. “Good enough for another?”

“Good enough to dream about,” he smiles, but there’s a hint of exhaustion under the sweetness, and I nudge him back down. When he’s still, I feather kisses all over his face, stealing another hint of vanilla from his lips. We linger there for a moment, breathing each other in, before he gives a happy sigh, his eyelids drooping. When I pull away, he wiggles a little closer to Derek,his foot curling around my boyfriend’s toes. “Wake me if you need me, okay?”

“Sleep, sweet boy,” I tell him, dropping a kiss on the tip of his nose, because he’s as addicting as he looks. “I’m going to find your mate.”

His lips curl up, his eyes gleaming under their lids. “Make sure you kiss him for me.”

I smile, but he’s already drifting back under, so I tuck him in tighter and crawl to the edge of the nest. I can feel Finn’s gaze on me the whole way, and my skin tingles, little starbursts going off at the attention. Even in a room soaked in alpha pheromones and omega slick, I can smell his earthy, woody scent, like cinnamon-sprinkled cedar. It makes my mouth water, and I have to swallow a needy little whimper when he sits forward, tilting his head to take me in.

“Can I see?” Finn nods at my throat, and I flush as I realise I’m tracing Lang’s bite with my fingertips. There’s no anger in his voice, but I hesitate, since we all agreed there would be no claiming bites until after my heat.

Oops.

“Are you going to tell me off?” It sounds childish – especially after my speech about knowing my own mind – but he just pats his thigh, which is all the invitation I need to climb onto his lap. He’s the only one in the room left with any clothes on and I melt against his chest, my nipples tingling as they brush the soft material of his hoodie. His hands land on my hips, but his touch is more comforting than intimate, and I study his pale grey eyes. I imagine a lot of people think he’s cold, the way he can stare through you like a soldier on post, but the warmth coming off his body is enough to make me purr.

“It’s good,” he says, and I realise he’s talking about my mating bite. He’s pushed my hair off my shoulder, his thumb gentlewhere it traces the bite mark on my throat. I shiver at the touch, and he cups my neck. “Does it hurt?”

“No.” I pause, remembering the sting of teeth, the pain somehow morphing into the same pleasure as the knot throbbing in my body. “I didn’t want it to end.”

He grunts softly, his thumb brushing the mark again, like he can’t resist tracing its shape. “Your skin is so soft. Lang is a lucky man.”

I don’t know what to say to that, so I drop my gaze to his hoodie, staring at the faint emblem. “Is my heat over?” Something about the way he keeps wearing the sweatshirt, long after its newness has faded, makes me want to climb inside it and wear him against my skin. “You said you were going to keep your distance until then.”

His lips tip up, no doubt at the salty edge to my voice. “You’re just experiencing a dip. You’ll have a few waves of heat over the next couple of days, followed by some spikes after it ends. Here, you need to drink.”

I grimace, since my body feels drenched in fluid right now, but when he tips the bottle of water against my lips, I gulp it down. A little spills from the corner of my mouth, running down between my breasts, and I wait for him to chase it with his mouth. There’s no hiding my disappointment when he wipes it away with the corner of his sleeve. “You’re really not going to touch me?”

I grind on him a little, to make my point, and while his hand stays loose on my hip, his head drops against the back of the chair. “To answer both questions, I’m not going to tell you off about your mating bite, since I’m glad it happened. You are exactly what Lang needs, and he’ll cherish you as only he can. And while I want to touch you more than you can imagine, I’m not going to do it now.” I open my mouth to protest, and he gives me a look that makes me both hot and shivery at the same time.“The things we need to talk abouthaveto come first. Anything else would be a breach of consent.”

I study him, and while his expression is as unreadable as ever, it’s not hard to guess what he means. “You think I don’t recognise a master manipulator when I see one? I grew up staring at him across the breakfast table. But the difference between you and my father is that you keep your worst impulses on a leash, while he gave them full rein.”

His gaze dips away from me, and if it was any other man I’d think I’d won the argument. But Finn just rubs a thumb over my hip and shakes his head. “You don’t know me well enough to say that yet.”

“Maybe not. But isn’t that what courting alphas and omegas do? Get to know each other better?” I rock forward a little, breathing in his scent. The whole room smells divine, but Finn’s scent is high-octane, and I’m pretty sure one gulp could shoot me all the way to the moon. “Why else did you ask me to sit on your lap if you didn’t want to get closer?”

“Because I wanted to feel you. As much as I’ll allow myself.” He leans over, and I think he might finally be ready for more, but he takes a familiar testing kit from the table. “Plus, I need to check if you’re okay. Would it be alright if I took a reading?”

“Hmmm.” I frown a little as I eye the swab and vial. “Isn’t itmyjob to collect data?”

“This one’s for me. So I know my instincts aren’t just telling me what I want to hear.”

I’ve deduced enough to know it’s rare for Finn to talk about himself like this and I tilt my head, curious. “And what’s that?”

“That you’re right where you belong. With us.”

I can’t keep the smile from breaking over my face, because while I’m not sure what belonging to Finn Visser will feel like, he’s looking at me like he doesn’t plan to let me go. Which isexactly what I want, especially now I’m wearing Lang’s bite and can taste Soren on my lips.

“Okay. Same test as before?” I stick out my tongue, arching a brow at him when he doesn’t move. “What?”

“This one is to check your slick.”

“My slick?” I wriggle closer, eyeing the swab with more interest. “But I’m not sure I know how to take that test.”

“I can help you.” His voice has dropped an octave, and I shiver at the hint of a growl. Goosebumps prickle my skin as his fingers tighten on my hip. “Would you like me to do that, Emily?”

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