Page 55 of One Last Chance

“No one else has ever enjoyed it,” he says firmly. “In fact, people ran away from it, from me, because of it. People I’ve loved, people I thought were going to be something meaningful and long term, couldn’t stand this thing that is ingrained in me. My entire life. Relationship after relationship. Some were nice enough about it. Some made me disgusted with myself—othered, broken, unlovable."

He scoffs.

"All those times I ran away from us, or pulled back, even under the guise of being an adult or doing theright thing…subconsciously, I’ve always used it as a justification to myself that…it was what I deserved. It ended like that because that’s how things should be.”

“But that isn’t true, Dayton,” I say, finally mustering the courage to hold him back. Wrapping our fingers together, I squeeze his hand tightly. He seems appreciative, smiling faintly. His pheromones, the very thing he hates so much, sets my entire stress-strung body at ease the closer I get.

“I’ve always wanted a family,” he admits, sounding somber. He brushes his thumb against my skin slowly, probably to soothe himself. It does more for me than him, I think. “I almost started to believe that this thing would make it impossible and then…then you came around.” Something in him lights up. Smile tugs at his lips. “After getting closer to you, I thought maybe I could get over it, but with everything going on, I kept wondering if I could ever be as good of a parent as you.”

I snort, shaking my head.Oh, Dayton.

He widens his eyes in surprise when I cup his cheek. When he closes his eyes and leans into my touch, I can't keep myself from not kissing him.

“Mac adores you. You’re so good with him. And Mina… She soughtyouout for help. Out of everyone, when she was in this terrifying situation, she called you. She never hated you, she just…hated herself. You have some things in common, looking at it,” I say with a chuckle, and Dayton opens his eyes. He can’t disagree with me. “Which is why you kept her safe. And why you would be a wonderful parent to them. Or any future children.”

Dayton looks at me with eyes full of emotion. I can almost taste it on my lips—the vulnerability and longing translating through his pheromones.

“Partner, too,” I say meekly. I’m ready to get on my knees and beg if that’s what I have to do to get him back.Alpha prideaside. All the bullshit expectations and societal crap that’s been holding us back aside. Fuck it all.

“I don’t want to lose you, Day. These past few months without you have been hell. I’ve been…walking around the world like a body without a soul. Please, tell me we can work this out. Tell me that is what you want, too.” My heart threatens to burst out of my chest. This somehow feels like the most important moment of my entire life.

He faces down with a smile, nearly giving me a heart attack, before he looks back at me and presses his lips against mine.

My entire being melts into an incoherent mess of bliss, relief, desire and joy—all emotions so strong I don’t know what to do with them. We lean into each other, pressing our faces and bodies as close as we possibly can without morphing into a singular entity.

I’ve never tasted anything sweeter, and I want to smell nothing but the scent of citrus peel and olives for the rest of my days.

As we part, desperately reaching for air, Dayton chuckles against my face.

“I love you, too, Rowe.”

Chapter 17

Dayton

I’ve never hated this man more than I do right now. “Rowland Hall, don’t you dare pick up those boxes!” I shout as I walk outside the front door and see him lifting three of them out of the back of my car.

“A-ah! You’re not feeling well, so I insist,” he says firmly and just as I’m about to reach for them, he lifts them above his head. Rowland isn’t much taller than me, but he is taller enough for me to not be able to reach them.

I frown deeply at his childish grin.

“You’re being ridiculous,” I say with a sigh and grab one of the smaller boxes. Turning around on my heel—a little too quickly for my aching head—I walk back to the house without looking at him. He catches up, laughing to himself, and places a quick peck at the back of my neck, exactly where my venus gland is, making my entire body shiver with an intense wave of pleasure. “Rowe!”

Ugh. This bastard knows exactly what he’s doing.

“You can’t possibly blame me for trying to keep you comfortable. You said it yourself. You’ve felt the symptoms coming on since the morning.” He’s all giddy walking next to me, and in that yellow shirt and dark gray khakis, he looks even more boyish. “What kind of alpha would I be if I let my poor partner suffering frompre-heat syndromeoverstrain himself,” he says with a heavy lacing of playful sarcasm to his words.

Going up the stairs, I clench my teeth and shoot him a glare. Mina and Mac are still helping to unpack my books by putting them on the bookshelf in the living room. From the looks of it, though, it seems like they’re both progressing rather slowly, studying each of my graphic novels with an especially keen interest instead of actually putting them up.

“I just have a headache and feel a bit lethargic,” I note. “Didn’t choose my heat to start the day I’d be moving in, did I?”

We’re finally in the bedroom, so Rowland drops one of the boxes on the bed, making my heart hiccup. “Hey! That one has all my fragrances!” I blurt in panic, but then notice it was the box with my clothes he dropped. Rowland slowly turns the other box around, presenting me with the writing on it, and then places it on the ground in a theatrical over the top slow movement.

I groan and roll my eyes, but feel my mouth’s corner tug upward. Rowland’s still smiling from ear to ear and I begrudgingly have to admit that I love seeing him like that.

Once I place the smaller box with my winter accessories down, I already feel him behind me. His warmth enveloping me, Rowland hugs me from the back, putting his chin into the dip between my neck and shoulder. “Though I hate seeing you high-strung and uncomfortable, I think we can find some positives to this unfortunate coincidence, hm?”

The urge to close my eyes and lean back to him is stronger than me right now, so I do so with a deep exhale. His pheromones, with their sweet scent of figs, release some of the pressure behind my skull.

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