Page 19 of Slick

His voice is a low rumble, not like an alpha, but like a late-night whisper in my ear. Dex sounds like that sometimes, when he’s too tired to move, or when he’s spun such a long story about the mermaid and her sailor, his voice is husky from overuse. It’s an almost perfect memory, and I feel a flush of need quiver over my entire body. As much as I try to hold it in, I can feel slick soaking through my sweatpants, and I whimper as I bury my face in Rowan’s neck.

“It’s okay,” he soothes, the words rolling over me like the softest velvet. “You’re not doing anything wrong, Diana.”

I squirm harder, my name on his lips pushing a tender button inside me. “But I’m getting you wet…”

My voice breaks off as I feel something nudge the underside of my thigh. It’s hot and thick, and so alive it makes my pulse race. I know what it is, because Dex often gets hard around me. How can he not, when his job is to take care of every inch of my body? But Rowan is both a stranger and an omega. Is it bad to feel such a violent thrill that I can make him respond like this?

“That’s it, sweet girl,” he murmurs, and I realize I’m rocking over him, chasing the friction of his hard length. A deep, all-consuming heat is blooming between us, wet and sticky and so delicious I can’t stop the cry that falls from my lips. “Take whatyou need, Diana. That’s it, sweet omega. Every drop of pleasure is yours to enjoy.”

It’s such a strange thing to hear after years of being told the opposite, but instead of making me pause, it just drives me higher. I cling to his neck, my other hand clutching at the muscles of his thigh. Everything about him is sleek and strong, every dip and bulge perfectly formed. I look down to see the hard ridge of his erection through his pants, angling my aching core so I can brush the thick tip. He bites back a groan, his hands dropping to grip my waist. His omega scent is like a sugar-coated cloud around us, and when his hips lift to meet mine, my head spins at the sensation.

“Rowan.” I cling to him, my mouth greedy as it works its way across his throat to his gland. I can’t help myself. His cookie scent is strongest there, the tiny hint of male musk just making it even more potent. “I need… I need…”

I can’t put it into words, but if I listen to my body, like he said, I’m singing a song of pure joy. Especially when I catch his hard length between my thighs, and it throbs at the contact. One more needy rock over his lap and sparks explode inside my channel, an electric charge zipping up my spine and curling through my blood. Every inch of my skin is tight and tingly, but it’snothinglike being in a slick suit.

“Oh.Oh.” Those waves of pleasure have me in their grasp, rolling and tugging until I’m a shivery mess. I can barely open my eyes, and when I do, my head is back and I’m staring at the ceiling. “Whatwasthat?”

“An orgasm, sweet girl.” Rowan’s voice is gentle as he nuzzles my neck, but I can still feel the urgency throbbing under my thighs. He’s still as hard as stone, and his breath is a tight hiss in his chest, but he makes no move to touch himself as he cups my face. “Please,pleasetell me you’ve had one of those before.”

“I did. With Kane, when he knotted me.” I lower my eyes, too full of emotion to relive that right now. Instead, I play with the dark curls at the nape of his neck, as soft as silk between my trembling fingers. “And I wanted to do that with Dex plenty of times, but my slick was always monitored. Uncontained deposits were discouraged.”

“Uncontained deposits.” When I glance at him through my lashes, his eyes have narrowed to slits, his lips pursed like he’s tasted something bad. I’d feel ashamed, except it’s clear his anger is all directed at The Serenity Center. In fact, he’soutragedon my behalf, and that feels almost as good as the orgasm still twitching through my limbs. “Sweet girl, repeat after me. ‘My body is mine. My pleasure is mine. My slick is mine.’”

The words ring like bells in my mind. They’re so simple but so momentous, all I can do is stare at him. “Is that something omegas are taught, outside of places like The Serenity Center?”

He looks surprised, which I like, because it makes his eyebrows lift into perfect, sleek arches. “I guess so, although I can’t remember ever being told that exactly.” A small smirk pulls at his mouth. “But if anyone would know the intricacies of body rights, it would be a porn star.”

That’s what Marcus and Royce called Luscious, and I’m not sure it was meant to be a nice label. It makes me squirm for a different reason, because how Rowan could have anything in common with Luscious, other than parking his trailer on her lot? “I don’t really know what porn means, except… Were you inWet and Willing?”

Rowan makes an abrupt choking sound but then shakes his head. “That was Luscious’ breakout role, not mine. Did she tell you about it?”

“Royce did. Or Marcus. They were talking about it when they brought me here.”

Rowan studies me for a moment, then leans forward and kisses my cheek. It’s as brief as the brush of butterfly wings, but it sinks into my skin like the sweetest burn. “Okay. I think we get you some new sweatpants, and then we talk about a few things, okay?”

I nod, even though climbing off his lap is the last thing I want to do.

And when I’m standing on shaking legs, I instantly regret it, because there’s no way I can hide the evidence of my orgasm. I’m dripping from the waist down, and there’s a wet patch on Rowan’s crotch. I’m not exactly sure what a big deposit looks like outside of a slick suit, but I have a feeling that he just wrung me dry. “I’m s-so s-sorry.”

The stuttered words have barely left my lips before he’s pulling me into his arms, his eyes intense as he stares down at me. “Never. Apologize. Your pleasure is a gift, Diana, and I feel like the luckiest guy in the world that you shared it with me.”

I melt, every drop of shame and discomfort draining out of me. “Really?”

He smiles at the look of wonder on my face, then drops another kiss on my cheek, this one achingly close to my mouth. “Really. Now, let’s get into dry clothes and cuddle on the sofa.”

He couldn’t describe a more perfect scene, and I’m thrilled at how close we sit once we’re snug under his blue blanket. He seems intent on rehydrating me, a fresh hot chocolate in my hands as he pulls me under the curve of his arm. He has a TV, but neither of us reach for the remote, and my gaze wanders around the room before settling on a polished doll sitting on the bureau. It’s of a beautiful bronze-haired man in a sleek tuxedo, and it’s not hard to guess who it’s meant to be.

“Nesting dolls,” Rowan says, following my gaze. “You want to see?”

I nod, and he slips away to grab it, settling even closer when he returns. I stare down at the perfectly painted face, watching as he sticks a nail into a hidden crack and pops off the head. I gasp, but there’s another doll inside it, as delightful as the last. He repeats the process until six little versions of Rowan are lined up on the coffee table in front of me. “It was an omega craze a few years back. It’s meant to represent our layers. Lover, mate, friend, colleague… Some omegas had them painted in different costumes, or at different stages of their life. Of course, when you’reme, it’s all about getting naked with each layer.”

He holds up the smallest doll, which I assume is a miniature version of Rowan without a stitch of clothing. When I take it in my hands, I can’t stop myself from rubbing my thumb over the tiny face. “You’re very beautiful.”

He gives a soft, rumbling laugh. “I’m small, but in proportion.”

“Just the right size to keep in my pocket,” I reply, closing my palm to demonstrate. “That way, I can take you out and admire you whenever I want.”

He laughs again, and pleasure blooms through me, softer than the orgasm, but sweeter in some way. I like making his face light up, those throaty chuckles traveling all the way to my toes. But then his eyes grow serious, his fingers curling around mine. “We all deserve privacy, Diana, and I’ll do everything I can to protect yours. But Marcus is not a nice man, and as you’ve discovered, Luscious is a piece of work, too.” He squeezes my hand. “You’ve told me enough to make me worry, and now I have a lot of questions. If you don’t want me to ask them, I understand, but I also need to make sure I can keep you safe.”

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