Page 94 of Altius
To say nothing of the devastation she wrought on my other senses.
How lush she smelled. A potent orchid, leaves dotted with tropical dew, begging to be plucked. The undercurrent of ripe star anise, ready to burst. Rich vanilla, a hint of citrus…
It had been hard enough to resist her scent from a respectful distance. But up close?
There was nothing respectful about the way I’d devoured her.
How I relished the responsive roll of her full hips as her greedy fingers tangled in my hair. The way her whimpers morphed into satiated coos.
Omegas were biologically designed to bring alphas to their knees. Morgan was no different.
And to my shock, neither was I. My alpha was hard-wired to stay there, kneeling between her glorious thighs, plundering her with my fingers and spelling out chemical formulas against her clit with my tongue, locked in a circuit of mutual pleasure.
I was never a desirous man. Until today.
A personal breakthrough with lifelong consequences, because I would never crave another.
Which was problematic, to say the least. I may have physically pleased Morgan to the point of breaking her heat, but I was left unsatisfied.
On every level.
And now I couldn’t even put myself back together. I sneered at my bare cuffs. My throat felt too bare, too exposed, without a tie.
Disgruntled. That was the word for it. I was disgruntled.
And hungry.
A bleary-eyed Alijah walked into the office, still wearing Morgan’s fluffy robe.
“We’re doing Chinese.” He handed me a takeout menu, then shuffled over to the sofa, where he curled up beside Tenny. They yawned in near unison. “And don’t worry about the appetizers. Think Cal’s ordering ten of everything.”
“He would,” I said, scanning the entrees. “I’ll have the chicken chow mein, please.”
“Finally, a normal order.” Alijah remained in place, head resting against the back of the sofa, regarding me with a probing near-black gaze.
“Out with it.”
“Nothing. Just wondering how you’re holding up.”
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
“Not necessarily. I mean, yeah, I’m exhausted, and I’m pretty sure Joaquin plans to sleep for like twenty hours after he shovels two orders of fried rice into his mouth, but…I don’t have any complaints. Or regrets.” His head tilted to one side, looking perfectly innocent as he lobbed a loaded question. “How about you?”
I leaned back in the chair, steepling my fingers to my lips, and studied my youngest packmate. He was less perceptive than Joaquin, but his emotional intelligence was the highest among us, perhaps save for Cal.
Had I made another mistake?
“It’s just… You look—and smell—frustrated. Like maybe you were hoping her heat would last another couple of hours. Forreasons.”
“My primary role was to facilitate. Not participate.”
“And yet…”
“I only did what was necessary,” I said, firm tone leaving no room for him to retort, extending the menu with a flick. “That’s all.”
“If you say so.” He yawned and got to his feet, heading back into the foyer of Morgan’s suite. “Call you when dinner gets here. Oh, and before I forget.” Alijah leaned back through the doorway. “If a shirt or something goes missing, don’t look for it. Cal says it’s a delayed nesting instinct. Just let her have it.”
I glanced at the lounging Tenny. It seemed my accusations of theft weren’t entirely unfounded. He was an accomplice who allowed his owner to make off with my tie and cufflinks in exchange for a mere belly rub.
