Page 52 of Heat Island
Her cheeks flush instantly, eyes widening before narrowing into slits. “Excuse me? If you think I’m some stereotypical omega just waiting around for an alpha to command me?—”
I laugh, the sound genuine and warm rather than mocking. “This has nothing to do with being an omega, Trinity.”
She blinks, clearly thrown by my response. “What?”
“Being submissive isn’t about your designation. It’s about what you need.” I take a small step back, giving her breathing room. “Cash is the same way.”
“Cash?” Her brow furrows in confusion. “But he’s?—”
“A tightly wound beta with a high-powered job?” I smile, remembering with a spark of pleasure the first time I saw through Cash’s carefully constructed facade. “Exactly. All day long, he makes decisions that affect thousands of people. Everyone looks to him for answers, for leadership, for solutions to impossible problems.”
Trinity’s expression shifts from defensive to curious. “So?”
“So when he comes home,” I explain. “The last thing he wants is more responsibility. More choices. More pressure.” I lower my voice, holding her gaze. “What he wants is for someone else to take control. To make the decisions. To tell him exactly what to do so he can just...let go.”
Her scent changes again, not just arousal now but something deeper—recognition.
“You’re the same way, aren’t you?” I ask gently. “All day long, planning perfect events, handling crises, managing other people’s expectations and dreams. Always in control, always responsible, always the one who has to figure everything out.”
Trinity swallows hard. “That’s my job.”
“It’s exhausting,” I say, not a question but a statement of fact. “And sometimes, just sometimes, you wish someone would step in and take all that weight off your shoulders. Tell you to stop thinking. Stop planning. Stop being in charge of everything.”
Her lips part slightly, but no words come out. The truth of it hangs between us, heavy and undeniable.
“It doesn’t make you less,” I continue softly. “It doesn’t diminish your strength or independence. If anything, it takes incredible strength to recognize what you truly need.”
Trinity’s hands grip the railing behind her. “And what do I need, according to you?”
“Permission,” I say simply. “Permission to let someone else take control. Permission to surrender. Permission to not have to make every single decision.” I reach out slowly, telegraphing my movement before gently turning her chin back to face me. “In certain moments? With certain people?”
Her pulse jumps visibly in her throat. “I don’t know.”
“I think you do.” I let my thumb brush across her lower lip, feeling her shiver. “I think you’ve known for a long time, but you’ve been afraid it makes you weak. For the record, it absolutely doesn’t.”
Trinity’s eyes search mine, vulnerability and desire warring in their depths. “And if that is what I want?”
“Then you come to bed and let us take care of you,” I say, my voice firm now. “No more sleeping on couches. No more pretending this is just business.”
Her breath hitches. “Just like that?”
“Just like that.” I step back, giving her space to decide. “The choice is still yours, Trinity. But sometimes the bravest choice is admitting what you really need.”
I see the wavering in Trinity’s eyes, the way they darken with desire even as her lips press together in that stubborn line I’m already coming to recognize. She wants this—wants us—but she’s spent too long denying herself to admit it now.
“How about an experiment?” I suggest, keeping my voice light.
Her eyebrows lift. “An experiment?”
“Yeah. No pressure, no expectations.” I take a small step closer. “If you don’t like anything I do, you just tell me to stop.”
“Stop?” she repeats, testing the word.
“It’s like a magic word.” I smile. “You say it, and everything ends immediately. No questions asked, no judgment.”
Trinity considers this, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her nightie. “What exactly are you proposing?”
“Just a massage. You’re wound so tight I can practically hear your muscles screaming.” I gesture toward the sliding door. “Come inside where it’s warm.”
