Page 96 of Follow the Rhythm
I suppressed the former in favor of cleaning the cuts on her hands and knees. She half-heartedly protested, saying she could do it herself, but the look on my face must have changed her mind. I sat her on the couch and knelt in front of her to tend her wounds.
“So what have you been doing? Other than missing me, of course,” she said, wincing as I dabbed her right knee.
“I went to London, actually. To visit Michael’s parents.”
“London?” Jess said, indignant, then she got quiet. “You’re moving back there?”
I paused. “I was thinking about it. But recent events have changed my mind.”
I kissed her, but she pulled away quickly.
“If you really want to move back, you should,” she said stubbornly.
“The only reason I wanted to leave was that Fairview felt too full of you. But now, wherever you are, that’s where I am.” I stroked the side of her face until she smiled. The gold flecks in her eyes sparkled in the afternoon sun that gilded her profile. I used my thumb to brush her lower lip, re-memorizing every line of her face.
“You’re stuck with me, too,” she said.
I leaned in, breathing in her scent. Each lungful both calmed me and inflamed the part of my brain that wanted to claim her then and there. I settled for a gentle kiss.
“What do you want to eat?” I asked, leaning back on my heels.
She looked bewildered at the change of subject. “I’m not hungry.”
“Wrong answer. You’ve lost weight.” I stood and held out my hand to pull her up.
Even though she grumbled the entire time, she let me cook my signature, and only, dish: scrambled eggs and toast. When I sat at the bar, with the plate in front of me, she scowled.
“I’m not letting you feed me like a child,” she said.
“Let me take care of you, love,” I replied, gesturing for her to sit in my lap. “It's either this or letting me draw you a bath. My Alpha is insistent."
Jess blushed, and her perfume spiked. But she let me pull her closer.
“Do you not like being spoiled?” I asked when she finally settled in my lap.
She took a reluctant bite of toast. “Not historically.”
I combed my fingers through her long, dark hair, starting at the base of her neck. She shivered on my lap. “Your scent is telling me you like the idea.”
“Is that a thing?” she asked, her voice higher than usual. “I mean, for Alphas and Omegas. Wanting towashme?”
I nuzzled her neck. “I don’t know. What I do know is my Alpha wants to care for you, in any way you’ll let me.”
“Do you want to build furniture for me?” she asked.
I barked a surprised laugh. “Where did that come from? Do you have an IKEA bookcase you need assembled?”
“No, it’s just… Charlie did that. When we first met. He built a dining set for me and washed my hair.” She squirmed a little in my lap, which did interesting things to my cock. “I thought he was just being way too nice.”
“I see,” I said carefully, not wanting to spook her. There was clearly a part of their story I didn’t know. “To me, that sounds like an Alpha that wants to show he’d be a suitable mate.”
“He told me he didn’t want anything serious,” she protested, and took an angry bite of toast.
“Yeah, well, men are idiots, love. What can I say?” I circled her tiny waist with my hands, enjoying the way her hips flared out under my palms. “Do you miss him?”
She squirmed again, and I gripped her hips tighter. “Yeah, I guess so. A little.”
I drew the hair off the back of her neck and kissed her there, scraping my teeth gently against the delicate skin. “Then I’ll tell you what I told him. If you want him, I won’t stand in your way. You’re built for a pack, my little Omega, and I trust your judgment on who that pack should be. It’s your choice, no one else’s.”
