Page 25 of Heat Me

He let out a huff, sounding so annoyed that I decided to drop the topic immediately. It was too early to assure him about what I felt.

For now, he didn’t have a clue what I truly wanted from him. He was in… for a surprise.

But it had to wait.

"Here’s the frying pan," he offered, handing it over when he saw me looking around with a carton of eggs in hand.

"Thanks," I said, taking it. "You know, there’s something you should know about me—I don’t make empty promises. That’s just not my style."

Damien gave me this look, like,Yeah, sure.He clearly wasn’t convinced, and honestly, I couldn’t blame him.

"How about something simple—scrambled eggs with tomatoes and chives?" I proposed.

He gave me a shy smile. "I’m in heat, so I’m not really hungry, but… sure, why not?"

"Yeah, I get it—heat messes with your appetite, but a little food won’t hurt. Eggs are packed with protein, anyway."

"Maybe just a bite," he replied, sounding unsure as he sat down at the table.

I started chopping tomatoes and chives, and he leaned forward slightly. "So, what did you do at the matchmaking agency before?"

"Oh, a little of everything. Back in college, I worked there as a bodyguard, but I wanted to become a matchmaker."

"What’d you study?"

"I majored in Family and Divorce Law and did Counseling Psychology at the same time. It was a lot of work, but I figured matchmaking would be a good mix of both. After I graduated, I started as a junior client assistant and handled some… enforcement stuff on the side because, well…" I gestured to my chest with a smirk. "I guess I look intimidating enough for it."

"Enforcement?" he asked, tilting his head. "Like bodyguard work?"

"Not exactly. The agency has some authority, almost like a court. Our agreements are legally binding, and if someone breaks a contract, we mediate and try to fix things before it goes to court. Sometimes, you’ve gotta nudge a stubborn party—diplomatically, of course. It’s all about avoiding the hassle of court. I got called in for those situations because of, well, my physical presence."

"Huh. So what counts as breaking a contract?"

"The usual—cheating’s a big one. Breaking a no-infidelity clause comes with massive fines, sometimes more than the contract itself."

He nodded slowly. "What else?"

"Lying—like hiding a criminal record, infertility, or a serious health issue. That can void the whole deal, and the violator has to pay up. Then there’s abuse. If an alpha hits an omega, the penalties are harsh. It’s almost guaranteed jail time."

"Wow," Damien muttered, resting his chin on his hand. "That’s one upside of those contracts. Regular relationshipsdon’t have those kinds of protections. If an alpha hits their omega in a regular marriage, the omega rarely gets justice."

"Exactly. That’s why these contracts are so popular now. People want clear rules and real consequences. Regular marriage? Not so airtight."

Damien looked thoughtful. "Who usually signs up for them?"

"All kinds of people. A lot of older, wealthy alphas looking for omegas to start a family. Then you’ve got older omegas with careers who don’t want flaky alphas—they’ll buy long-term contracts with younger alphas who’ll stick around."

"Interesting. What about betas? Do they buy contracts with alphas or omegas?"

"Pretty evenly split," I said with a chuckle. "Some betas like being on top, some prefer to bottom," I added with a wink.

Damien nibbled on his lip, then mumbled, "I prefer to bottom," like it just slipped out.

There was this charged silence. What do you even say to that? For a second, our eyes met, and I swear something passed between us.

Then he cleared his throat. "Are beta contracts even popular?"

"Totally. Not everyone wants kids, and betas make great partners—steady, balanced. Perfect for older omegas or alphas with kids from previous relationships, or just someone to grow old with."

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