Page 102 of Sweet Omega
This was too much, Ludiin thought with a shake of his head.
He turned toward the half-dismantled bot, fingers fumbling the parts and wires as he began to slot the pieces together without really thinking, letting the simple work calm him. He lost himself in the quiet of the den and the clatter of metal. Hours slipped by unnoticed until the ache of hunger grew impossible to ignore.
With a reluctant sigh, Ludiin pushed away from the workbench and stretched his arms above his head, his muscles stiff from standing for too long.
“Damn, Tarymn for doing this to me,” he mumbled as he made his way down the narrow stairs. The hallway was dim and still as though the house had settled down for the night.
Ludiin stifled a yawn as he padded softly downstairs, his mind already on food. He stepped into the cooking station, then stopped short when he saw Tarymn sitting at the table, an e-reader open in front of him.
The alpha looked up at once, his lips curving into a warm, welcoming smile.
“You finally came down,” he said, rising. “I was about to bring your dinner up.”
“I…” Ludiin faltered, caught off guard.
“Come sit.” Tarymn pulled a plate from the warmer and set it on the table. When Ludiin stayed frozen where he was, Tarymn walked over to him and his hand gently closed around his arm. His scent filled Ludiin’s nose, deliciously familiar and intoxicating.
Ludiin longed to lean into the alpha, to surrender to the wildfire racing through his veins.
Fuck. Even with anger burning through him, he still wanted him.
He stepped back, but Tarymn’s grip on his arm tightened as he easily guided him to the table and helped him into the chair.Leaning down until their eyes met, he said, “Eat your dinner and then get some rest. No more work tonight.”
Then he pressed a light kiss to Ludiin’s cheek. Ludiin stared at him as he picked up his e-reader and left, the urge to ask him to stay bubbling inside him.
Scowling at himself, Ludiin dragged the plate closer and stabbed at his food. He wasn’t eating because Tarymn had told him to. Absolutely not. He was eating because he was starving. He needed the food if he was going to survive whatever game Tarymn was playing.
He crammed food into his mouth, chewing without tasting. Once he was done, he trudged to his room. The sight of his bed only deepened his irritation. Of course, Tarymn had told him to sleep too.
“Ughh…I hate him,” Ludiin grumbled into the silence, flopping down on the bed. But he didn’t hate him. Not even close. He was just furious…and aching, wanting Tarymn so badly it hurt.
“What am I supposed to do?” he whispered to the ceiling. There was no other alpha for him but Tarymn, and that truth terrified him. But how could he trust him after this? Desire pulled one way, doubt pulled the other.
The frustration lit a fresh spark of anger within him. With a sharp breath, Ludiin kicked the covers off and stormed out. He didn’t even think to knock when he reached Tarymn’s room, he simply shoved the door open.
And then he froze. Again. It seemed to be becoming a habit lately, standing there, unable to do anything but stare at the alpha.
Tarymn stood in the doorway leading to the washroom, shirtless, his powerful frame silhouetted by the dim light. Muscles coiled beneath skin, a sheen of moisture still clinging to him from his bath.
Ludiin's breath hitched. His pulse thundered in his ears. He tried to avert his gaze, to focus on the wall or the floor, anything else, but it was useless. His eyes kept pulling back to the alpha like a moth to a flame.
Tarymn was devastatingly beautiful. So hot.
I want him.The thought pulsed through Ludiin’s mind. His body betrayed him, moving before his mind could catch up, until he was suddenly standing in front of Tarymn.
“Ludiin?” Tarymn growled, the sound vibrating through the air and sending shivers down Ludiin’s spine.
Ludiin squeezed his eyes shut, telling himself to turn back, to retreat to the safety of his room. But his body refused to obey. Instead, he stepped closer, breath hitching in shallow, uneven gasps as heat licked its way down his spine.
The air between them thickened, charged with something intense and unspoken.
“What are you doing?” Tarymn asked, his voice taut.
Ludiin didn’t answer. His feet carried him until there was no space left between them, until Tarymn’s chest pressed against his. Tarymn’s scent wrapped around him in a heady wave, leaving him dizzy. He’d never been given the chance to feel this outside of the fevered haze of his heat, to know what Tarymn’s touch might feel like without the burn of desire clouding everything.
Now, he wanted to know. Needed to know. Ludiin’s fingers trembled as they traced along Tarymn’s arm, the heat of the alpha’s skin sparking against his own.
“Ludiin,” Tarymn bit out, his voice rough with restraint. “If you touch me like that, I won’t be held responsible for what happens next.”
