Page 92 of Bound By Pain
Swinging the door open, I bite back a smile when Ridley pauses mid-knock. “Fucking hell, sunshine. This is the best morning!”
I’m over his shoulder, hand cracking down on my ass, before I can blink. Giggles flow from my lips as he runs to my bedroom, Orion calling out in complaint behind us. I glimpse Creed and Lex in the kitchen. Twin growls accompany the burst of their scents when they see my bare pussy and ass flying by them.
Ridley slides me down his chest when we get to my bathroom. Letting me feel every hard ridge of muscle in his ridiculously hot body. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” I whisper back.
He steps away from me, finally getting a good look at him. Sweet Fates, is this man wearing a crop top?! The cutoff t-shirt stops just beneath his belly button, leaving several inches of glorious abs on display. These men are determined to torture me into heat, I swear!
“Let’s get you showered.” He spins slowly, stripping his clothes off to reveal miles of tanned, toned muscle. “I might not have enough time to knot you, but I will absolutely send you into work with shaking legs and a sated pussy.”
He does exactly as he says. Washing my body and fucking me against the shower wall until my legs are made of jelly, and I’m riding a post-sex high.
I always knew mated life would be bliss.
Heat leave should be filled with fantasy-worthy sex and an endless buffet of knots. Not being trapped in the house while my mates work.
After I bonded with Shiloh Sunday night, I ended up having heat flares at work for the next two days. As a result, HR has forced me onto early heat leave. Despite my barely-there scent, they are concerned I will be in danger around the unbonded Alphas who work at the label.
I shouldn’t be, as a bonded Omega, but, according to Shiloh, it’s better to be safe and stay home.
Honestly, I wouldn’t mind the short break from work if I weren’t always alone. Shiloh and Orion are busy at work preparing for the beginning of the year things at the label, while Creed and Lex are still knee-deep in the FCDA’s hunt for Marcus and the other escaped Eternals members.
Ridley left the DAU and would be home with me, but he’s gone back part-time to help my parents with the influx of victims from the Wexern complex and the breeding ring. Quite a few of them were sold by loved ones and have active threats against them. I can’t fault my Alpha mate for wanting to help. If I weren’t so close to my heat, I would probably have joined him.
Stomping through the empty penthouse, I fight to regain control of my emotions. Lashing out won’t do anything but hurtmy mates. Even if they promise they aren’t upset by my temper, I still feel bad after I’ve calmed down.
Footsteps sound downstairs, perking me up. I’m out of my bedroom door and flying into the living room in record time. I falter when I see Lex in the foyer, a bouquet in hand.
“Rough day?”
“I’m going out of my mind,” I admit. “Being trapped here alone is not what I need.”
He smiles, stepping close enough that I can feel the heat from his body. One arm slips the flowers to the side so we don’t crush them; the other pulls me flush against his chest. “I thought that might be the case.”
“You did?”
The look he gives me is answer enough. Yes, we spent several weeks on tour together, and he learned quickly how much I hate being alone. Even pissed as hell with him for constantly cockblocking me those first few weeks, I always needed to be around them. Maybe it was the Fated connection urging us together, or maybe it was just my inability to handle solitude. We’ll never know.
“Grab your swimsuit. We have plans.”
I blink up at him several times, then hug him tight and run back upstairs. There’s no way in hell I’m passing up a chance to leave the apartment.
Lex looks hot as hell in his black swim trunks and cutoff white shirt when I rejoin him by the door. Things are still awkward between us. The emotional gap between us is too wide to bridge quickly. We have to take it one day at a time. Let the wounds heal slowly.
“Ready?”
“Duh!”
He rolls his eyes and takes my hand in his, pulling me out of the penthouse. The late November air is biting when we stepoutside, but his Jeep is nice and warm. Heated seats are amazing on chilly adventures.
The massive building we pull into two hours later has a glass-domed roof over the front half. It’s nondescript, with only a large sign marking what’s inside. ‘Astral Fun Park’ is adorned in funky text, artfully displayed in front of rolling waves and the colorful twists of a water slide.
“A water park?”
Lex nods, hands tight on the steering wheel. “Is that okay?”
Grinning, I push my door open and hop out. He’s quick to follow, laughing when my teeth chatter from the stark breeze blowing through the parking lot. “Let’s get inside where it’s warmer.”
