Page 69 of Omega in Hiding

He knits his brow. “If you want to sleep in your jeans, then you have to sleep on the floor or in that chair.” He lowers his foot and gives me a challenging look. “That’s the rule.”

“Oh, that’s the rule? Says who?”

“Saysme. The esteemed, Paolo Syracuse.” His lips smirk.

It’s hard to be mad at him because he looks so fucking sexy. His black briefs outline every nook and cranny of his thick, beautiful cock. His abs are rock hard and his chest smooth, yet defined. He’s too damn sexy and that’s one reason I didn’t want to sleep in my underwear. If I get a boner, he’ll see it.

But I don’t want to sleep on the floor.

“Fine,” I grumble, unzipping my jeans. I feel self-conscious because he watches me as I undress. When I glance up, there’s heat in his eyes, but he quickly looks away. Once I’m out of my jeans, I slip into my white briefs that are on the floor. Then I get in the bed and quickly under the covers.

He lowers the volume of the TV, which is surprisingly considerate of him. I wouldn’t have thought he had it in him after leaving me cuffed to the bed for hours. I lay on my side, facing away from him. I swear I feel him watching me, and little goosebumps rise up on my flesh. I have to fight the urge to scoot closer to his warm body. I long to be tucked against his ribs.

“Have you come to any decision?” I ask softly.

“About what?” He mutes the TV.

“Well, you said you were trying to decide what to do with me. Did you mull that over while you got drunk?”

He exhales and clicks off the TV. “I definitely gave it a lot of thought.”

I turn over to face him. The light is still on by the bed, and our eyes meet. He surprises me when he reaches out and traces one of the red marks on my wrist from the cuffs. I shiver because just the slightest contact with him gets to me.

“They don’t hurt really,” I volunteer.

“Okay. That’s good.” He twists his lips and a flash of guilt shifts through his eyes, but then it disappears. “I mean, not that I really care if the cuffs hurt you or anything.”

“Stop pretending you don’t care about me, Paolo. I know you do.” His fingers still linger on my skin and I hold his gaze. “It’s okay to tell me how you feel. I know I hurt you, and I want to make it better.”

“Not possible.”

I say gently, “Yes, talking will make it better, Paolo.”

“How? You’ll still be the son of Seamus Murphy and you’ll still be a liar.”

I sigh. “I left my family. You need to remember that. I left because I hated them. I hated how vile and horrible they were. Please, Paolo, I wanted to start new. Can’t you let me do that? Why are you pretending like I’m the same as them? You know that isn’t true.”

“I don’t know that.”

I squint at him. “Yes, you do. Have I ever done anything even remotely violent around you?” I grimace. “I mean other than that day in the park, and that was to protect you. Not to hurt you.”

He pulls his hand away. “Why did you try to seduce me earlier?” There’s a line between his dark brows, and he truly does look confused.

“You know why, Paolo.” I sit up on my elbow. “I want you. I’ve wanted you since the day I met you.”

He blinks at me, and it’s obvious he doesn’t trust what I’m saying. “Was I just there?”

“What?” I frown.

“Is that what you do, Connor? You don’t want to be alone, so you pick an available alpha who watches out for you? Someone like me or Sully? Is it just whoever is around ends up as the ‘chosen one?’”

I scowl. “Paolo, that’s not fair. I’m not like that. Before I met you, I hadn’t been with anyone in a really long time. And I’d never bonded with any of them. That includes Sully. You were different. You were… special.”

“Don’t tell me that, Connor,” he growls.

“Why not? It’s the truth. Are you afraid of the truth?” I reach out and touch his arm. “My feelings for you are scary, Paolo. Terrifying, in fact. Especially since you don’t believe a word I say anymore.”

He studies me, and I’m happy he doesn’t pull away from my touch. “Do you regret it happened?” He looks like he’s bracing himself.

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