“No.” She shakes her head, causing the ends of her hair to tickle over my bare chest. “Not yet.”
My heart races. I genuinely hope she understands she’s not getting rid of me. With or without a baby, she’s stuck with us. It’s surprising that we managed to make it out of her heat without at least one of us sinking our teeth in. But I am thankful since that would be another unsanctioned bonding.
“I should probably go back to my room. I really don’t know what I’m supposed to do now.”
My gut drops. She’s skittish like she expected us to kick her out this morning.
“You should not leave,” I assure her. I need to check in with Oliver and see when our courting gifts will get here. We’ve done this entire thing ass backwards, but it’s now time to woo her. “We want you here with us. There may be times we’ll trade out shifts if someone has work to attend to, but it’s our responsibility to care for you following your heat. Is that a yes to showering together?”
“Okay.” She bites her plush lower lip looking so bashful that I have the desire to eat her alive.
I settle for sitting up in a crunch that makes my abs burn and kiss her softly. It’s a light brushing of our lips. I need to get us into the shower immediately or I’ll ruin the tenderness of the moment by flipping her over and fucking her through the mattress.
“Come on, let me pamper you for a bit.”
For being one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen, Melody is very shy. The tentative way she blinks up at me from under her lashes as I dry her is endearing.
Memories file through my mind. I rambled away about biting and breeding her over the course of the last few days. It takes a lot to embarrass me, but my face heats as I recall some of the shit that spewed out of my mouth.
I spin her around until her fingers hit the counter as she sucks in a sharp breath. I carefully towel off her back.
“Are you open to letting me help you get dressed?” I ask, brushing my lips down the column of her neck and over her shoulder. Our eyes catch in the mirror. Her heavy teardrop-shaped tits bounce lightly as her chest heaves.
I quirk an eyebrow giving her a playful grin. “I’m not only capable of removing your clothes. I’d actually get a lot of joy out of it if you let me care for you as every respectable alphashouldcare for their omega.”
“Yeah, you can. I mean, as long as I’m not holding you up.”
“Did you miss the part where Iwantto be here with you?” I ask, kissing her shoulder.
She shivers in response. “No, but I really don’t know the etiquette of these kinds of things.”
“Long term courting?” I ask, scraping my beard over her flesh. I drop the towel on the edge of the counter and wrap my arm around her middle. My dark tattoos look gritty in comparison to her flawless skin. “Do you have a job or responsibilities back in Texas?”
“I have a job, but I can do it from anywhere,” she whispers, running her hand over mine as she stares at me in the mirror.
“What type of work do you do?”
“I write stuff,” she says, finally breaking eye contact.
I must be a sick bastard because I love the way she squirms in discomfort.
“What do you write?”
“Romance and romantic erotica,” she murmurs with her eyes still firmly squeezed shut.
“Is that right?” I groan, sliding my hand down her stomach. “Do you write naughty girls, or good girls?” I barely keep myself from slipping my hand down to tease her clit.
She whimpers. “Both.”
“But you’re a good girl, aren’t you, gorgeous?” I lean close so I can nuzzle my cheek to hers.
The towel doesn’t hide my half-hard cock as it bounces around her ass. My hand flexes on her stomach, pulling her back into my bare chest. Her body is clearly very comfortable with mine, but I’ve got to put in the work now to get her to trust me.
“Yep,” she whispers as her eyes slide shut. She’s absolutely the perfect woman for me. She’s such a naughty little thing when she’s begging and lost to the fog, but damn, I think I prefer her now with her lips parted and those pink-tinged cheeks.
“You sure are,” I assure her. It’s very hard to ignore my baser urges to rut and claim, but I’ve managed to keep from biting her thus far. Which means I need to focus on caring for her. “Let’s get dressed. You haven’t eaten properly in days and I am starving. Let me feed you.”
“Okay,” she agrees, shuddering out a shaky breath.