Page 7 of New Year with the Cartel

"Well, I think it's time you started thinking about it," I said firmly. "Because Gustall... I can't in good conscience let you leave here and go back out there. You need help, and I'm willing to provide it. But you have to be willing to accept it, to trust me."

It was a tall order. He wasn't going to start trusting me just because I wanted him to. It was going to take time, and I didn't know if we could be patient about it.

His eyes widened at my offer, a mix of hope and trepidation warring in their green depths. "What are you saying?" He asked. "What kind of help are you talking about?"

I smiled, slow and deliberate. "The kind that will keep you safe, keep you fed and clothed and warm. The kind that will give you a purpose, a reason to keep going when things get tough. The kind that will... give you a future, if you'll let it."

That was a lot, especially considering that not too long ago, he was fighting tooth and nail just to stay alive. Now, I was offering him much more, but of course, I was a stranger, and he wasn't going to trust me simply because I wanted him to.

I could be patient, though. I had to be. I was already eager for the reward I would reap if I played my cards right.

I could see him considering it, could practically hear the thoughts rushing through his head. He wanted to accept, wanted desperately to be free of the constant fear and struggle of living on the streets. But he was still wary, still uncertain of my motives.

And, well, he wasn't the only one who was suspicious; I was too. He was vague in his answers to my questions, not revealing the whole truth. I needed to change that.

"What's in it for you?" He asked, his gaze sharpening. "Why do you want to help me so much? You must want something in return."

I shrugged, a mischievous glint in my eye as I leaned back in my chair, folding my arms behind my head. Did he think it was going to be so easy?

"Me? I'm just a guy who likes to help out a fellow in need. It's what, I don't know, keeps me warm at night." I winked, letting the innuendo hang in the air between us. I wasn't about to admit my true thoughts just yet, not until I had him more off-balance. When that happened, I would strike.

"And besides, it gets boring around here with just my boys to talk to. A pretty little omega like you..." I let my gaze rove appreciatively over his body, "... well, let's just say you're a breath of fresh air, to say the least."

Gustall flushed and crossed his arms, clearly uncomfortable with the scrutiny. "I'm not some 'pretty little omega' you can just... just look at." He stammered, but I could see the way his pupils dilated, the slight hitch in his breathing. He wasn't as unaffected as he wanted to pretend. In fact, I could say he was feeling something similar to what I was.

I chuckled, leaning forward to brace my elbows on my knees, bringing us closer. "Oh, I know you're not. But you are a beautiful creature, Gustall. Any man or woman with eyes can see that."

I reached out, intending to tuck a strand of blond hair behind his ear, but 'accidentally' brushed my fingers along his cheek in the process. I felt the warmth of his skin, the slight rasp of his breath, and I had to suppress a shudder of want. Dios mío, the way he responded to even the slightest touch...

Gustall jerked back as if burned, his eyes wide with shock and a confusing mix of emotions. "Don't... don't touch me like that," he warned, but his voice came out breathless, betraying his true reaction. He couldn't lie to me.

I held up my hands in mock surrender, a wicked smile playing on my lips. "My apologies, I didn't mean it. It won'thappen again. Unless..." I let the suggestion hang, enjoying the way his gaze darted around the room, looking for an escape route that wasn't there.

"Unless what?" He asked, his voice tight. I could practically see the struggle in his head, trying to decipher my true intent. But as usual, it wasn't going to be so easy.

I stood then, slowly, letting him drink in my towering height, the predatory set of my shoulders. I circled the room, like a wolf eyeing cornered prey. "Unless you ask me to touch you. To kiss you. To make you feel things you've never felt before." I paused behind his chair, leaning down to growl in his ear. "All you have to do is say the word, Gustall. I'm very open to negotiation, especially when it comes to things like that."

He shivered, his hands clenching on the arms of the chair. I could smell his arousal, see the way his body was tense with it, even as he struggled to maintain his composure. This cat-and-mouse game was thrilling and infuriating. I couldn't wait to flip the script, to pin him down and show him just how a real alpha claimed what was his.

"Why would I do that?" Gustall asked, but the breathiness of his voice undermined the bravado. "I don't need to be touched. Again, I'm not some... some plaything for you to amuse yourself with." Oh, he wasn't?

I chuckled darkly at his weak protest, leaning down to invade his space further. He didn't like that, obviously.

My breath ghosted over the shell of his ear as I murmured, "Plaything? Oh no, dear, I don't want to play with you. I want to make you my whole focus, my sole obsession. I want to map every inch of your body until I know it better than you know yourself."

Gustall's breath hitched, a choked noise escaping his throat. His fingers dug into the upholstery of the chair, knuckles turning white. I could practically feel the heat radiating off his body andcould smell the way his arousal spiked at my words. He was so responsive...

I straightened up, slowly, letting the cool air of the room replace the warmth of my body. But I didn't move away entirely. My hands found purchase on the armrests of his chair, caging him in. Gustall had to crane his neck back to keep his gaze on mine, and I could see the way his throat bobbed with a hard swallow.

"What's the matter, little omega?" I purred softly, drinking in his flushed face, the way his chest heaved with staccato breaths. "A big, strong alpha like me offering to worship your body, and you look terrified. I thought you'd be pleased at the prospect. Most omegas would be."

His mouth opened and closed a few times, no sound emerging. He looked trapped, a rabbit in the headlights of an oncoming car. I could almost see the thoughts racing through his head—panic, confusion, shame, and the faintest hint of grudging desire. Poor boy, so out of his depth.

"I... you..." He licked his lips, the action drawing my gaze like a magnet to a metal shaving. "You're not really offering to... to do that. You just want... want to use me."

His voice was barely above a whisper, his gaze dropping to his lap. Accusation hung heavy in the air between us, but also the faintest, most reluctant hint of interest. Maybe he didn't want to admit it yet, but his body was catching on.

I sighed, shaking my head in mock sadness. "Use you? Gustall, if I wanted to use you, it would be so much more intense and pleasurable than any of these teasing little touches. I would have you screaming my name, begging so sweetly for my cock, for me to fill you up and breed you full of my pups. That's not using, that's claiming."

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