by L. C. Davis
“Sawyer,” he growled. The sound of my name on his lips made me shiver, another orgasmic bloom of pleasure spreading through my body and relaxing my clenched muscles. His powerful body trembled as he came, and I could tell it was taking restraint to keep from sinking his teeth into my neck. I wouldn’t even have minded if I was being honest with myself. It was kind of an old-school thing to do during mating, but I’d never tried it with anyone, and I was admittedly curious.
I ran my fingers through his sweat-dampened hair and breathed in his musky scent as his come filled me. I didn’t think I could be stretched out anymore, but he proved me wrong as wave upon wave of his hot seed rushed into me. I took it all eagerly, moaning in satisfaction as he gave one last thrust, as if we could be locked together any more than we already were.
My body went limp beneath him as I came again without him even having touched my cock. “That was amazing,” I panted, too blissed out to care about the fact that I was just adding fuel to the fire.
His gaze smoldered as he looked down at me. “Good. Because we’re just getting started.”
His words made me shudder for all the wrong reasons. I couldn’t even bring myself to be irritated by his cockiness. Not when I knew firsthand he could back it up.
Chapter 3
Devon
I woke with a yawn, rolling over to find the left side of the bed empty. The sheets were cool, and the pile of Sawyer's clothes on the floor was gone.
I pulled on a robe and shuffled out of my bedroom, looking around for any sight of him. No note or anything, he was just gone.
Well, that was a change of pace. It was half insulted, half amused, but my phone was already ringing, so I knew it was time to get the day started.
Work was usually so busy it was all I could focus on, but I found myself distracted for once. I couldn't stop thinking about the omega and the night of passion we had shared.
Sawyer was unlike any omega I'd ever met, and it wasn't just a physical difference. He was sturdier in a lot of ways, and a little rough around the edges. I decided I liked it.
I wasn't sure how I was going to proceed. I did need the work done, but hiring him originally had definitely been a ploy to get into his pants. Once I had succeeded at that, I usually got bored and moved on, but there was something about him that I couldn't get out of my head.
Maybe it was the fact that, unlike the other omegas I had dated casually, he clearly wasn't interested in anything serious. He acted like he didn't need anything or anyone, and there was something remarkably attractive about that kind of confidence.
Ironically, it made me want to prove to him that he did need me, after all.
I was torn between calling to ask him out for a proper date and knowing that would just push him away. Something told me he was not into the idea of commitment. He would probably read way too much into a simple dinner invitation, and I didn't want to spook him this early.
Once I had finished up with my work down at the office, I returned to the house I was renovating. There was a motorcycle parked at the curb, a big black chopper that was clearly well loved. I wasn't sure why it surprised me that he drove one. At least, I hoped it was his.
When I walked back into the house and found him swinging a hedge hammer at the drywall in the dining room, I was way too relieved. But it still chafed against my alpha instincts to see an omega, even one as strong and independent as he was, doing that kind of manual labor. Especially on my behalf.
"It's coming along well," I said, examining the demolition work. "I thought you were doing the kitchen first."
"The kitchen is done," Sawyer said, wiping the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. He was a sight to behold, sweat glistening on his muscular torso, his carpenter jeans slung low enough to spark my imagination. And after last night, I had plenty of fuel.
"That soon?" I asked in disbelief.
He gave me a look. "You sound surprised."
"I was expecting it to take longer," I admitted. I stood in the doorway, finding myself at a loss for how to speak the words that had been on my mind all day.
This wasn't something I was used to, especially not around omegas. Even when I was a teenager, I hadn't ever been tongue-tied around guys I was interested in. Sawyer was novel in that regard and plenty of others.
"My guys are coming over later," Sawyer said, folding his arms as he studied the wall. "Should be finished with this room about midday tomorrow, then we can move on to the attic."
"Sounds good to me," I said. On the one hand, I was relieved that the renovation was ahead of schedule, but on the other, I would've taken any excuse to spend more time with him.
I knew I needed to find a way to bring up last night, but he seemed to be pretending like nothing had happened at all, which I definitely wasn't expecting. "Since you're here, maybe we should talk about last night," I ventured.
He gave me a wary look, taking a sip from his water bottle. Even the way a droplet rolled down his chin was enticing. "I'd really rather not."
I couldn't help but chuckle at his bluntness. I slipped my hands in my pockets, leaning against the doorframe. "Ouch. Was it that bad?"
He rolled his eyes. He knew as well as I did that we had both thoroughly enjoyed that night. The sounds he had made left no room to doubt it. "There's nothing to talk about. It happened, it was nice, that's it," he said with a shrug.
"I see," I said thoughtfully. "So, I take if I were to ask you for dinner, you’d turn me down."
His lips quirked into a smile. "That wouldn’t be very professional."
I snorted. "No, of course not."
Chapter 4
Sawyer
A month into the renovations and I’d managed to keep my word about that night being a one-time thing. Unfortunately, my mind hadn’t gotten the memo and insisted on replaying every blissful second while I slept.
What the hell was wrong with me? I had never been one to lose his head over a good lay. It had taken months for me to open up to Trevor, and even then, it wasn’t the sex that had led to the bond we’d eventually formed. The bond that had almost broken me when it ended.
Being next to Devon everyday was testing my resolve like nothing ever had. Not even my ex-fiancé. So far, I was sure I’d managed to keep it under wraps. At least the guys had the sense not to talk smack within earshot.
I had to get my shit together before that changed.
It didn’t help that Devon seemed to find every excuse to work from home, like he didn’t mind the drilling and sawdust everywhere. He had won the guys over by ordering food for the whole crew every day, and while he’d kept his promise to keep things professional, it was in technical terms only. That didn’t stop him from gazing at me longingly from across the room, and it didn’t stop my traitorous cock from throbbing every time I thought about how good it had felt to have him inside me.
I never should have let him knot me. That was a mistake, even though I still couldn’t quite bring myself to see it as one. Maybe my omega nature had finally caught up with me, and some hormonal shift had occurred that had me losing my head over some alpha I barely knew.
That night, at least I had the house to myself while I finished up some loose ends in the attic. We’d taken care of the floorboards first, and it turned out, the mold problem wasn’t half as bad as I’d feared. I just knew better than to think that revelation was to blame for my good mood.
Hopefully, I could finish up before Devon came back. I told myself it was for the best and pushed aside the pathetic part of me that hoped he would come back first. Just to see him. I had managed to avoid being alone with him so far, and deep down, I wasn’t sure I trusted myself to resist if he came onto me again.
I was so deep in thought that when my phone buzzed, I nearly put the hammer I was holding through the attic window. I raked a hand through my hair and told myself to get it together as I looked down at the screen.
My mom’s number popped up, and I sighed. She had just figured out texting, so it wa
s probably another random string of emojis. She liked those. Chase and I had had to have a talk with her about the fact that some of her favorites had less than innocent meanings and no, she shouldn’t use the peach to express happiness.
Instead, it was just a simple question. Have you been on Facebook, sweetheart?
I frowned in confusion, opening up the app on my phone. I rarely ever logged in and only really had it to run the business page for my company and keep up with some distant relatives, but the moment I went to my feed, I was reminded of why I’d wanted to delete it months ago.
The picture of Trevor and his new omega, who was wearing a huge rock on his left hand and a grin that shined just as bright, made my blood run cold. Of course it was the first thing that popped up, since we had hundreds of mutuals even though I’d already unfriended him a long time ago.
All the hearts and reactions made my stomach churn. Months. It had been a few months since our breakup, and he’d already found my replacement?
In a burst of agitation, I flung the damn phone aside and it hit the new floorboards harder than I expected. The sound echoed through the attic, but it was the creaking of the floorboards by the stairs that drew my attention.
I wasn’t alone.
Devon was standing there, watching me with unmistakable concern on his face. “Let me guess. They raised your long-distance rate?”
I sighed, sinking back against the wall and raking a hand through my hair. “Sorry about the floor. I’ll fix it if it’s scuffed.”
“I’m not worried about the floor, though I’m sure your phone has seen better days,” he said, walking over to sit next to me. “You okay?”
It was a simple question, but it wasn’t one I was used to being asked. I was the one who made sure everyone else was okay, and that was the way I liked it. Around him, it was different. I felt vulnerable. I felt tempted to give more than a one-word answer that was definitely a lie.
“It’s not a big deal,” I said with a shrug, fighting off the urge that was even more dangerous than my lust for him. “Just some bullshit online.”
“Your ex?”
I must have been staring at him with as much shock as I felt because he gave me a sheepish smile and added, “Sorry. I was curious when we met, so I asked Sean if you were single and…”
“It’s fine,” I muttered. “No such thing as a secret in this town.”
“What did he do?” he asked with a protective edge in his voice that might have pissed me off under any other circumstances. Or coming from anyone else. Coming from him, it was just endearing, which was even more of a concern.
“He got engaged,” I said with a dry laugh. “We broke up four and a half months ago and he’s already fucking engaged.”
Devon grimaced. “That’s…fast.”
“Yeah. And I’m pathetic for being surprised.” I shook my head. “I don’t know why I thought it meant enough to him that he’d wait when he was willing to throw me away that easily.”
“He’s an idiot,” Devon said in a firm tone. “They’re not known for making sound decisions.”
I couldn’t help but smile, even though it felt strained. “You’re kind of sweet. For an alpha.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He hesitated, searching my face. For what, I didn’t know. “Is there anything I can do?”
I was about to tell him no, and that I planned to take off, when I thought better of it. Or maybe worse. All I knew was I felt like shit, and the last time I could remember not feeling like shit, it had been with him.
“Actually, yeah. There is.”
The curiosity in his eyes melted away when I leaned in to kiss him. He wasted no time returning the kiss, and his hands found my waist as I straddled his lap.
“Sawyer,” he said suddenly, looking up at me. “If you’re upset…”
“I’m fine,” I muttered. “I know what I’m doing. I’m not some twenty-year-old omega who doesn’t know how to handle his own emotions.”
“I know that,” he sighed. “I just don’t want you to do something you’ll regret. You’ve been pretty adamant about that being a one-time thing.”
He had a point, and it was admittedly impressive that he cared enough to make sure. Most alphas wouldn’t. Trevor sure as hell wouldn’t have. Devon was different than I’d given him credit for, which just made the way I was starting to feel about him more dangerous.
Tonight, I didn’t care. I wanted him anyway, and I was willing to deal with the consequences later.
“I just want to think about something else,” I admitted, resting my hands on his shoulders. “It sucks. It does, and I know what I said, but I just… I want you. I want this if you do.”
Something lit in his gaze as the final embers of his restraint burned away. “Of course I do,” he said in a husky voice, his hands exploring my body the way they had that night, pushing up my T-shirt. He was already working on my belt.
Satisfaction bloomed in my chest as I raised up to help him get my jeans off the rest of the way before starting on his. His cock was already half-stiff as I freed it, and a few strokes brought it to full mast. His eyes were already glazed with lust, and as much as I wanted him inside me, I was enjoying this, too. Knowing how responsive he was to even the smallest touch.
I kept stroking him until he was breathless, and I mulled over the heft of his thick cock in my palm. No wonder taking him had been such an effort. The memory of his knot swelled up inside me was too enticing, and just as I could tell he was about to beg me to hold back, I rose up and positioned his cock at my entrance.
The breath left his lips in a rush and heat flamed in his gaze as I lowered myself onto him, his crown straining against the tight ring of muscle until it finally gave. I bit down on my bottom lip and kept my hands on his shoulders, bracing myself to take even more of his gargantuan shaft.
I could tell he wasn’t used to being on bottom, even if he was still the one penetrating me, but the look on his face made it clear he was enjoying it. It turned me on even more, and though I wasn’t in heat, I was already lubricated enough. It was the only way I could take him, even with gravity on my side.
A little too much, because I sank down suddenly, and he filled me to the knot. I gasped in surprise as my body adapted and Devon looked up at me in concern.
“You okay?” he asked breathlessly, placing a hand on the small of my back for support.
Even that simple, innocent touch made the heat in my core flare, and the urge to ride him to completion became stronger than the need to slow down due to the pain. I just nodded, rocking my hips slowly until the sting was outweighed by the bliss of him pressed against my spot.
Why did I respond to the man this way? I’d always enjoyed sex, but it wasn’t just sex with him. It was something else that scared the hell out of me and kept me coming back for more. My breathing grew ragged as I drew closer to the edge. When he wrapped his hand around my cock, it took only a few strokes before I came. At the same moment, his knot slipped inside me, turning the pleasure blinding.
His lips crushed against mine as his hands settled on my hips and pushed me down. His tongue swept into my mouth as his come filled me and I moaned into the kiss, taking it all. My hips were still bucking as the last aftershocks of orgasm ran through us both, and by the time we finally broke the kiss, my head was spinning.
“Guess we’re stuck like this for a while,” he breathed, something unreadable in his gaze as he stared at me.
I swallowed hard, trying not to think about the fact that I felt connected to him more than just physically. “Yeah,” I murmured. “Guess we are.”
The worst part was, I didn’t mind.
Chapter 5
Devon
I was falling in love.
I didn't know when it had happened, really. Somewhere between “hi, nice to meet you” and the sixth time he'd fallen into my bed.
Sawyer, on the other hand, had given no inclination that he'd changed his mind about keeping things purely bu
siness casual, and there was no reason to think he would. Still, that didn't stop my heart from wanting what it wanted. I always got what I wanted, but I was starting to entertain the possibility that this man might be my one exception.
I couldn't allow that, though. He had not only sparked my curiosity but something deeper as well, and I wasn't going to give up without a fight.
In the two months that had elapsed since our second "one-night stand," there had been plenty more. I would've been content to see how fast we could get to a hundred, but the truth was, as amazing as those moments alone with him were, I wanted more. I didn't just want him in my bed, I wanted him in my life.
I went back and forth as to whether telling him that would push him away, or whether we had gotten comfortable enough that he might be more open to receiving the truth.
One night, as we lay together, I found myself stroking the familiar planes of his back, breathing in his wholesome scent. I had gotten so used to having him here. In fact, I was so accustomed to it that it was starting to scare me.
He'd usually left by now. Unlike me, he never made up an excuse, either. I'd asked him if he would stay over once, and he had just given me a look that said I was out of my mind and told me to have a good evening.
Now, though, there was something different in his energy that gave me hope maybe this night wouldn’t be like the rest.
At one point, the idea of a lover who wanted to leave right after sex with no strings attached would've seemed too good to be true. At first, I thought maybe he was just playing hard to get, but I'd come to realize that fiercely independent streak I found so appealing was possibly the one thing that was going to make my secret desires impossible to achieve.
And I was not a man who was accustomed to feeling much of anything. Certainly not love.
