Page 25 of Omega's Pretend Mate
I blew out a breath. “You’re… kind of like a light switch. In public it’s like I’m the most important thing in the world to you, and as soon as we’re in private it’s as if we were discussing a case in the office. I know it’s all for show, but it’s hard to get used to.”
Christian stood, moved to the couch and took a seat next to me. He settled his hand on my knee, the warmth grounding me.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t… I didn’t know how much, or what kind of contact you wanted in private. I didn’t want to cross any boundaries.”
I shook my head. “I should have said something sooner.”
He moved his hand from my knee, and slid his arm across my shoulders instead before drawing me against his side.
I sighed softly at the contact.
“Gabe?”
“Hmm?”
“If you need more contact, feel free. I’ll tell you if it’s ever too much.”
I nodded against him.
“How much do you want from me?”
I took a deep breath, savoring his rich scent. How could I tell him that I wanted it all?
“Maybe not as much as in public” I finally replied. “But don’t tone it down much. I think it’ll be easier in the long run so that you’re not trying to figure out what I’m comfortable with when. I’ll let you know if you need to tone it down too.”
“Ok,” he said, leaning in and running his cheek across my hair.
We stayed like that for several minutes, him holding me as I tried to acclimate to his touch.
“Besides the level of affection,” he said. “How are you feeling about all of this?”
I wish it were real.
“What do you mean?” I asked instead.
“We’re going to have to move in together soon if we’re doing a whirlwind romance,” he explained. “That’s a pretty big step and hard to take back. We’ll also have to let Alan know that we’re dating soon. If we need to slow things down, or put a stop to this, now’s the time.”
“I don’t want to stop,” I replied.
I couldn’t stop. Not now. It was just as much about having this year with Christian as it was my house.
Chapter 8 - Christian
~May~
Ihefted a box under my arm and strode to where Gabe held open the door for me.
“We could have gotten movers,” he said, eyeballing my full car.
I laughed and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “It’s not all that much. I’ve got my clothes, books and a few other personal items. But there’s no reason to bring stuff that we don’t need.”
Gabe looked at my car again and sighed. “Let me open the garage, and get you added to the home system.”
I chuckled and looked around. “Take your time. The more neighbors who see, the better. Let them know you’re off the market.”
He smiled and stood on his toes to kiss my jaw. “Are you going all possessive alpha on me?”
I grinned. “Maybe.”
