Page 82 of One Wild Omega

“Don’t take it. Give us a chance to see what happens when you’re clear. I know I don’t deserve anything from you after all I’ve said… but please… can you give us a chance?”

Tanner held Fitz’s stare a moment before answering. “If I don’t take it… there’s a chance…”

“It could potentially trigger a heat.”

It was the one thing Tanner didn’t want to think about. It had hung in his mind all the years, another reason not to come off hisScentex. He didn’t want a man who hated him claiming his body. Without the medication in his system, Tanner could go into a contact heat if he was close to his alpha. Contact heats didn’t go by any schedule. It didn’t care how full the moon was. It ignoredHeatex, the med that stopped a heat. The body reacted to the nearness of one’s mate, the scent and instinct flipping that switch.

And flipping it hard.

Scentexhad prevented that from happening. It hid Tanner’s scent from Fitz, but it also dulled Tanner’s senses and instinctual need. If he didn’t take his dose, there was a good chance it would happen the minute they laid eyes on one another.

Once the med was completely out of his system. He had a week, maybe a little longer.

“I understand completely if you want to take it. You’ve got a lot going on right now. The fire was stressful, and there are a lot of loose ends that need to be tied up in the coming weeks. You don’t need more stress added in. You don’t need to worry about some guy who was a dick to you. You could take it… and in three months, maybe we could revisit this conversation. Maybe your life would be in a better place then.”

“Youwantme to take it?”

“No. Obviously I don’t want you to take it. But I understand if you don’t want to deal with me… with us… right now.” Fitz looked away. “But I don’t know how close I could be with you during those three months. I’ve already hurt you enough. I won’t continue hurting you now.”

Tanner didn’t want to lose Fitz. Another thought popped into his head. “What about that job? The one that’s sending you away?”

Fitz lifted his stare. “I’ll pull my name out of the hat. I won’t leave you. Not now.”

“I don’t want to be the reason why you gave up on a good opportunity.”

“You want me to leave?” Fitz asked, one brow rising.

“No,” Tanner said. “I didn’t want you to leave when you told me the first time but the hell if I’d tell you that.”

Fitz smiled slightly. “I thought I saw something in your eyes that day, but figured I was dreaming it.”

Tanner chuckled slightly. “I couldn’t let you know how I felt.”

“Howdoyou feel?”

“Honestly?” Tanner stared at him a moment, a hint of fear in his eyes. He looked away slightly, unable to hold Fitz’s stare. “Confused. I have been for years. I feel the bond. But everything that went on… there was this push and pull.”

“I felt it too. Even through the anger… there was something else. Something that intrigued me. The anger overshadowed it… but I can sense it now. Stronger. Enough to know what I almost ruined. And what I want to do everything in my power to save now.”

Tanner met Fitz’s stare, wanting to know what the alpha felt for him. He opened his mouth to ask…

When his stomach growled. Loudly.

“Why don’t we go out somewhere? You go grab a shower and put some clean clothes on… and we can go have a nice meal.” Fitz reached over to where his laptop sat and picked up a small bag. “Here, you like almonds?”

Tanner snatched the bag from Fitz and quickly tossed a handful into his mouth. “Ohdear godsI don’t like almonds, but I’mstarved.” He tossed in another handful, regardless.

Fitz chuckled. “Don’t go overboard. I know a nice place Uptown. My brother’s one of the chefs there, and his cooking is amazing.”

Tanner handed Fitz the bag back. “Is this just a ploy to get me into the shower?”

“Well… ithasbeen over a week,” Fitz said with a grin.

Tanner cringed. “I wasn’t in the mood… to doanything. And honestly, I don’t know that I’m ready to be out in the world. That pizza sounds better. You can call while I go have that shower.”

“Pizza, it is,” Fitz murmured, a slight smile on his lips.

“And just so you know… just because I’m letting you stay and eat with me… it doesn’t mean everything’s a-okay all of a sudden.”

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