Page 97 of Sweet Omega
“Use me,” Ford said, stepping closer. “I’ll be your model.”
The instinct to step back rushed through him, but he froze when he saw movement behind Ford. Tarymn on the landing, watching.
Ludiin’s heart skipped a beat.
Ford moved even closer, smiling.
Tarymn’s eyes narrowed, going dark.
Ludiin shivered.
Ford mistook the reaction for something else. “Is that a yes?”
“I…” Ludiin’s tongue tripped over itself. He barely registered the words forming in his mouth, his entire focus locked onTarymn.
The alpha stood there, silent and brooding, his golden eyes aglow with something that shimmered in the air like heat off a flame. That gaze crawled over Ludiin’s skin, sent tingles down his spine, and lit a fire low in his belly. A dangerous ache. The kind that made him want to test Tarymn. To push him. Break him. Own him.
From somewhere outside himself, he watched his lips stretch into a smile and heard the words tumble out of his mouth: “Yes. You can be my model.”
He turned to his workbench before Ford could reply, his pulse fluttering.
“What do you want me to do first?” Ford asked, clearly eager.
“Take your clothes off,” Ludiin blurted.
He winced. Damn. Had he really just said that?
Ford laughed, a little startled but amused. “Wow. Straight to it, huh? I thought we’d ease into this. But okay. I guess it’s an honor, you modeling a bot after me.”
He tugged at his collar just as Tarymn’s voice broke the moment.
“Ludiin,” he said, his scent sweeping through the space thick and charged with dominance. It filled the room, slithered into Ludiin’s lungs, and curled possessively around his body. Ludiin tensed. Every nerve screamed at him to lower his gaze. Submit. But he clenched his jaw.
Nope never.Not after the way he treated me.
“Damn,” Ford muttered under his breath. “Didn’t realize you were an aggressive alpha.”
He tried to play it off with a strained smile, but it was clear the scent was getting to him. Still, he stood his ground.
Ludiin shot Tarymn a venomous look.You asshole.
Tarymn smiled in return—a cruel, knowing curve of his lips. Then, as if granting mercy, his scent receded, giving the room space to breathe again.
“Are you going to introduce me?” Tarymn asked casually, like they weren’t in the middle of a tense standoff.
“What?” Ludiin blinked at him, thrown off balance. He knew Tarymn recognized Ford. Of course, he did. And he’d heard him and Luci argue about him earlier. He was fucking there. So whywas he pretending otherwise? Why demand an introduction he didn’t need?
“Well?” Tarymn pressed. “Who is he?”
“This is Ford,” Ludiin muttered, forcing the words out. “I met him last night. Luci invited him. You already know that.”
“I know,” Tarymn said smoothly, though the darkening of his eyes betrayed him. He turned his attention on Ford, gaze assessing. “What the fuck do you want from Ludiin?”
Ford barely spared him a glance as he answered with cool confidence. “I want to be Ludiin’s friend. And I’m also his newly appointed model.” He stretched his arms over his head, offering Ludiin an easy smile that only made the tension spike higher. “So… where do you want me?”
“Uh… uh… on the couch,” Ludiin said, backing away toward the workbench. He snatched up his e-reader and hugged it to his chest like a shield.
He didn’t look at Tarymn. He couldn’t. But he could still feel him. Like heat against his back. Like fingers dancing up his neck in a soft caress.
