Page 47 of Omega's Reluctant Mate
We’d both stayed clothed, but that hadn’t stopped him from migrating and cuddling up next to me in his sleep. Which was how I found myself gazing at his face in the pale light.
How had I thought for even a minute that I could leave him behind in Harris Cove? He was my best friend, and had been such a grounding force in my life over the past few weeks.
I took a deep breath, inhaling his scent, and was immediately hit with a sense of home. It was odd, he smelled nothing like the house in Chicago, or any of my family, but there was a comfort that was uniquely him.
Corey’s eyes fluttered open and he smiled sleepily at me. “Are we there already?”
“Not yet,” I murmured. “Another couple hours. Go back to sleep.”
Then, without thinking, I leaned in and kissed his forehead.
He sighed happily and curled against me before falling back asleep.
He was beautiful, and my life was better for having him in it, whether we ended up as mates or not.
∞∞∞
I watched as a sedan with Corey in the back turned out of the airport, heading to Kensington Gardens.
Hopefully I’d be able to conclude the business at Morningshire Industries quickly, and I’d have the chance to give him a proper London visit before he had to be back at work. He’d informed me that he’d been able to get all his dog-walking shifts covered through the weekend, but another walker already had a trip booked starting the following Monday, and absorbing the duties of two people out of town was going to strain the arrangement he had with other walkers.
As soon as my sedan got on the road—headed in a different direction—I pulled out my phone.
“‘Allo, Henri?” I asked as a familiar voice picked up the phone.
“Oui,” he replied, voice curling around his French accent. “Good morning Monsieur Starling. Am I to understand that your flight has arrived?”
“That’s correct. I’m headed to the client site now, but another car is on the way to the flat with a man named Corey Eaves. He’s…”
I paused. Henri was old-school and might not understand that I hadn’t immediately claimed my mate.
“... an important friend,” I finished. “He’ll probably want to sleep for a few hours. But after that, treat him as part of the family and make any arrangements for his needs.”
“Shall I watch his budget?” Henri asked, knowing the implications of asking him to treat Corey as part of the family.
I licked my lips, a bit uncomfortable at the annoyance curling through me. It was a wise precaution, but I knew in my gut that Corey wouldn’t abuse his access.
“No need,” I replied.
“Oui, monsieur. We shall await his arrival.”
“Thank you Henri. I’ll see you tonight. Tell the chef that my preference today is for something light, maybe a chicken dish.”
“Oui.”
I hung up the phone and watched the London cityscape through the windows.
This was the life that I'd always known, so how did it feel so different now after meeting Corey?
Chapter 21 - Corey
Igasped as I woke, trying to reorient myself from the dream I’d been having. In it, Nate had been making slow and sensual love to me over and over, knotting me repeatedly until I was limp from the number of orgasms he’d coaxed out of me.
I scrubbed a hand down my face and rubbed my beard. As if losing the dream wasn’t bad enough, my cock was so hard it ached.
Maybe it had been a mistake to seal myself inside a long metal cylinder with him and his scent for more than ten hours. Or maybe I should have slept in the cabin instead of the bed. Proximity and all.
Rather than focus on my libido, I decided to look around the room I was in. Jet lag had hit me hard in the car, and by the time we’d reached the flat I’d been all but ready to pass out.
