Page 45 of Welcome to Bone Town

Jax holds out his hand. I take it, and he pulls me into a kiss gentler than I thought him capable of. This isn’t how I imagined my first kiss with my scent match. In an ancient temple. Nearly naked while he’s fully clothed—well, at least, wearing pants. Out in the open, where any of the others could see us.

Breaking for air, he spins me around and gives me a light slap on the ass. “In the pool, love.”

Again he surprises me. I thought he would try to take off my panties, progress things further than just looking, but he stays by the pillar, watching me as I walk away to dip my foot into the hot spring. My toes tingle from the change in temperature. Looking back over my shoulder at Jax, I lower my panties, kicking it off once it gets to my ankles. He groans and palms his cock over his jeans, but still doesn’t move closer. I’m a little disappointed. He doesn’t strike me as the type to take it slow, but I guess it’s probably a good idea.

There are steps that ease into the water, and I walk down them confidently, aware of Jax checking me out as I go.

The water feels amazing. I didn’t realize how sore and exhausted I was until now. It’s not just the adventures of today. It’s everything. My first dig has been a far cry from my typical pursuits, very different from the solely scientific experience I was expecting.

Bones and jackals and scent matches. Oh my.

Easing down onto the bench, I lean my head back against the edge of the pool, closing my eyes. For a moment, I forget about Jax and his career of choice, about Roman’s attitude toward me, about all of it, and just breathe.

Tension seeps out of my body like the steam rising from the pool.

Gentle ripples lap at my chest, and I open my eyes to see Jax entering the water. He’s completely naked now and…woah. His shirtless torso had me salivating before, but now my mouth is dry as he walks down the steps toward me with his proud cock standing at attention.

I’ve never taken the time to really look at a man’s genitals before, but he wraps a fist around himself and pumps once, almost daring me to look. I can’t help admiring his thick, veiny shaft. Can penises be beautiful? If so, Jax’s is stunning.

His waist dips below the surface as he takes the last step down into the pool, regretfully hiding his glorious cock. The water parts around his muscular frame as he draws closer, intense purpose in every step.

“Um… hi,” I say, awkwardly, once again feeling uncertain. After seeing him in all his naked glory, I feel more shy than when he was watching me undress.

His scent blooms, strengthened by the heat of the pool and the power of his arousal. It makes my head swim, my body responding to his.

“You promised, little mate.” Jax runs the back of his hand gently over the small tattoo on my breast. My breath hitches at even that slight touch.

I slide further under the water, looking away. “Um,I’m not sure if you know this, but hummingbirds symbolize healing. And hope. I read that somewhere anyway.” He tilts my chin up, encouraging me to face him while I confess this.

“I’ve always had…health issues. Bad ones that messed with my self esteem, my confidence. In grad school I hit a low unlike any I’ve ever experienced. I learned about the symbolism of hummingbirds around that time, and decided I wasn’t going to let my health issues beat me. I was going to try my best to conquer them. I drove to a local tattoo shop that same night, before I could overthink it. I wanted this little guy close to my heart, but a little secret just for me, to remind me to keep moving forward. To have hope. I’ve never done anything even remotely crazy in my life—well, up until then—so I decided to go big and add lots of color, too, hoping it would help brighten my world.”

Holy crap, did I really just spill all that to him? I’ve never told anyone I evenhavethe art, much less why.

I don’t want Jax to dig further, to ask what exactly myhealth problemsare, so I quickly change the subject.“I’m… um… not really sure how this scent match thing is supposed to work. I mean, you barely know me. Although, I guess you probably know me better than I know you, since you’ve been watching me for a while. How long have you been watching me, anyway?”

“Shhh, little mate.” He brings a finger to my lips to stop my rambling. “Don’t overthink it. We’ll have all the time in the world to get to know each other, but right now, I want to taste you.” His finger drags down, pullingon my bottom lip so it curls and then bounces back in place.

“Taste me?”

“Hmm, yes, taste you.”

Before I realize what’s happening, he’s lifting me out of the pool to sit on the edge of the hot water. He spreads my legs, gaze intently locked on my dripping center. Being so exposed to someone who is basically a stranger should make me embarrassed, but the way Jax looks at me has me spreading my thighs wider, voluntarily giving him access.

Instead of diving right in, Jax brings his lips to the inside of my knee. Featherlite kisses move along my thigh toward where I’m already dripping, but he continues up to my right hip bone, then licks a line across my mound to the other side.

“Jax,” I moan, breathlessly.

He pauses briefly to reply. “Yes, love?”

He wants me to say it out loud doesn’t he? This is cruel and unusual punishment. When I don’t respond, he continues his trek, licking and sucking down my other thigh until he’s made a full circuit.

Reaching for him, my fingers tangle in his hair and tug, wanting him to kiss me, lick me, fuck me.Something. Anything. All the things. “Please, alpha.”

I’ve never used an omega whine before, but the desperation makes me rely on my baser instincts. The noise I make is indecent and desperate.

“That’s it, love. What do you need?”

“You, alpha. I need you.”

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