by Tammy Knight
“Don’t beat yourself up too bad. I am pretty hard to resist. Anyway. How about we grab the map and plan our latest scandal. Light up a couple of j’s, take it easy for the rest of the night. I swear, that game always puts you in such a mood,” the alpha teased, grabbing the map and tugging Craig back towards their usual spots on the floor. Craig seemed hesitant, and as much as Jamie wanted to control himself, he felt himself already growing irate at his friend’s doubt. As much as he wanted to be a decent guy, by his standards at least, he would never be a good guy. Hell, he could never even be a good friend. It should have been enough that Craig didn’t want to go through with the plan; it should have been enough to knock the entire thing off the table. However, he had to carry out the whole debacle. As foolish as he seemed and as much as he was pushing the omega, he had his reasons! They weren’t really good reasons, but they were reasons all the same.
He knew he was hard to deal with. He knew he couldn’t latch on to Craig forever and keep the omega from having his own, fruitful life. He knew he should be reasonable, but he just felt so angry. Jamie was well aware that he was being selfish. There was nothing in this whole thing for Craig, nothing that would put him ahead in life. It was all risk and no reward. The alpha almost hated himself for putting the omega in a position where he could wind up injured, or worse-- killed. He swore to himself that he wouldn’t let that happen, though. He just… God, he wanted Craig so badly. Not as a lover but as a friend, someone who would be at his side forever. This whole scandal would tie them in a way that no one else could ever hope to share. If Craig threatened to leave, the alpha male could always bring up the secret that only he knew. Sure, the omega could turn it back around on him and get them both arrested, but Jamie wasn’t too bothered by that idea. He didn’t have a life to live without his best friend. Craig was the only person who had tried to show him any devotion. He was the only person that he could ever feel a semblance of love for.
In the end, that was what it came to. Jamie was head over heels in love with the omega male, but he’d be damned if anyone would ever know that little tidbit. It was something he refused to acknowledge, even to himself. He wasn’t the type to settle down and have a single, normal relationship with one person. Jamie Briggs wasn’t the type to fall in love. It had happened without warning, and now he was left to pick up the pieces of his life and dignity. He didn’t even know how to love someone! He had never loved someone before; his life had been utter and complete trash. He had never had something to live for. Truth be told, the night he had been arrested for drunk driving, the act that would lead to his community service, which would lead to his meeting Craig… That night, he had planned to end it all. He couldn’t afford a proper rifle, and slicing his wrist just seemed a cowardly way to kill himself. He was just going to drive off the nearest bridge and forget about his pathetic excuse for a life. Then, his driver’s license was taken away, and his foster family at the time refused to allow him access to the car. It had put his plans on hold, but he told himself every night that as soon as he was able, he would kill himself.
All that changed the first day he met Craig. It wasn’t romantic by any means--they were picking up tin cans off the side of the city’s most littered up road, but he had been attracted to the omega immediately. A visceral feeling of lust swept over him as soon as he lay eyes on the other. That was all it had been. That was all it was ever supposed to be, but as usual, Jamie found a way to screw that up too. Years had passed since their meeting, and for some reason, Craig hadn’t abandoned him. Hell, he’d even spent a year living with the omega and his asshole father before finding an apartment of his own. It became their place of solace. It became the home that Jamie never had, and the home that Craig longed so deeply for.
He knew he was likely just an escape for the omega. A means of getting away from his dad for a few hours a day. Craig’s dad could be downright emotionally abusive at times, and while Jamie knew the actions he was orchestrating were no better, he couldn’t help feeling defensive. Perhaps not protective, but possessive. Then again, the line between the two was thin. Just like the line between brilliance and madness, another line they had so often tiptoed together. The one boundary that should have never been crossed was between love and lust. Jamie knew he wasn’t good enough for Craig by any means. He wasn’t good enough for anyone, frankly. Street walkers deserved more than the alpha could give through his means. He knew he wasn’t easy to get along with--it was that same thought that cycled and hammered through his brain at every turn.
“Jamie…?” Craig said tentatively, drawing Jamie from his thoughts. The omega’s breath hitched, and much to his humiliation, he realized he’d allowed himself to shed a self-pitying tear. What’s wrong? Talk to me,” the omega pressed, trying to pull Jamie into his arms. As much as the alpha wanted to resist, God knows he should have resisted, he allowed himself to be drawn closer. Craig traced his fingers along Jamie’s scalp, a soothing motion that always seemed to ground the alpha in ways that even he couldn’t understand.
“I guess it’s just…I guess it’s just because this whole thing means so much to me. I know you think I’m stupid, and you’re probably right. There’s nothing for you to gain by setting fire to a random building,” Jamie muttered derisively, rubbing his damp eyes angrily. Craig was quiet for a long moment, shifting after a moment to rest his chin on Jamie’s shoulder. It was an awkward sight, the much shorter wolf trying to coddle the alpha male. Jamie should have been embarrassed, shouldn’t have even allowed it. Just the same, it felt so good to be held. Not just held, but held by the man he loved. The man he would always love. The omega he would die before losing. “Can we just talk about the plan? You don’t even have to come along; I just need….a sounding board. Yeah, yeah. Someone to bounce ideas off of,” he said in a hurried voice. Craig hummed, pressing a kiss to the bare skin of Jamie’s shoulder. The alpha shivered, unused to the affection in spite of both craving and fearing it.
“There’s just something I don’t understand about all of this, Jamie. I’m not going to let you go off and do this alone, but… I don’t understand why this means so much to you,” Craig said gently. Before Jamie could even think, he blurted the truth.
“I want to trap you,” he confessed, though his tone implied it may have been said in jest. All the same, Craig’s eyes widened considerably, and Jamie was sure he had screwed up.
CHAPTER FOUR
Thoughts racing faster than he could possibly calculate, Craig only looked at Jamie for a moment. His mouth hung agape slightly, and the words repeatedly washed over him as if he had been tossed into the freezing ocean. It was a shock, and his body visibly jerked as he took a step back from Jamie. The alpha looked apologetic, sputtering out some half-hearted platitudes while Craig continued to scrutinize him. The apologies weren’t really necessary, but Craig would make sure that the alpha was well aware of that later. For the moment, he simply let the words sink in. He should have been troubled by Jamie’s confession if he were honest with himself. The fact that Jamie would go this far to make sure he never wandered, never strayed…it was almost too ridiculous to fathom. Equally ridiculous was the fact that the alpha actually thought it was necessary. A small part of Craig’s mind, a deeper and darker part he scarcely chose to acknowledge, shivered with glee. The thought of being properly owned by an alpha male was a tempting one, of that much he was certain. He’d had alphas want to claim him before, big burly men who wanted to form him into a proper mate. There had even been soft, gentle alphas who just wanted to grow old together, but none compared to Jamie.
“Jamie,” Craig said gently, trying to stop the alpha’s frantic flow of apologies. It seemed fruitless for the time being, and Jamie only wrung his hands and continued fretting. The fact that he was so worried, actually concerned about something in his life, was touching in a way. Jamie wasn’t often open with his feelings, and in spite of how callous and cruel his confession may have been to anyone else, Craig knew a lot of trust had been placed in h
is hands. He refused to carry Jamie’s fondness as a burden, however. He would fully embrace it, just as he stepped forward and fully embraced the alpha in a literal sense. Jamie squirmed, continuing to stutter and mumble.
“I didn’t mean that. Well, I mean, I did. Mean it, I mean. I meant what I said, but I know it just sounds like more craziness from your mentally unwell friend. It’s just… If you’ll let me explain… please don’t leave,” the alpha rambled before trailing off into a soft whimper. Craig tucked his head beneath Jamie’s chin, tightening his grip on the alpha male’s torso. Jamie continued to whimper softly, seemingly unaware of the fact that he was whining. The omega breathed a sigh against the column of the alpha’s throat, and Jamie immediately fell silent. Craig internally celebrated his small victory, drawing away to look the alpha in the eye. “You’re awful touchy- feely considering what I just told you,” the alpha muttered, rubbing his eyes in what he probably hoped was a subtle manner. Craig smirked, releasing Jamie once he seemed to have settled down a bit.
“It’s because I know you, Jamie. I know that I should probably be pissed or scared or something, and if anyone else in the world said something like that to me, I’d knock their teeth in,” the omega began, grinning while Jamie grimaced slightly. “I know what you mean, though. I know the things you want to say, but can’t. And I get it. But for what it’s worth…,” he paused again, resting his hand on Jamie’s cheek. The alpha male stared at him through wide eyes, and Craig cursed himself for how deeply he fell for those damn eyes every time. They were the perfect shade of blue, and he could get in their oceanic depths for hours if he allowed himself.
“Stop staring, and just spit it out,” the alpha male said awkwardly, fidgeting a bit. Craig blinked, not realizing how intensely he had been gazing at his friend. He chuckled, tracing his hand down the side of Jamie’s jaw. The alpha tensed visibly, and the overwhelming scent of Jamie’s arousal struck the omega to the core once more. He knew he was treading in dangerous waters, but something about Jamie brought out the worst in him. Maybe they just brought the worst out in each other…somehow, Craig found he would be okay with that.
“For what it’s worth, I can’t imagine my future without you, regardless. The whole trapping notion is a bit contrived, considering how much you mean to me. If there’s a gilded cage involved, I’ve locked myself inside it,” the omega murmured, the words coming out much more flowery and poetic than he’d intended. Jamie didn’t seem bothered by the odd proclamation, in any case. As a matter of fact, he seemed to be eating it up. His cheeks were flushed with what Craig could only identify as delight, his eyes dancing as if he’d just been told he had won the lottery.
“You mean that?” Jamie implored, resting his hand atop that of the omega, which had fallen to his shoulder. Craig smiled, giving the alpha a gentle shove. The two locked eyes, and for a moment, Craig swore his heart would simply cease beating. He’d never observed such an expression from his long-time friend, the look of not just desire, but pure adoration as well. It made him shift uncomfortably, and once again he was becoming all too aware of how tight his pants were getting. The alcohol made his head swim a bit, but he was sure he was of sound mind. There was just something different about Jamie that night. Something that seemed all too enticing and impossible to deny.
“Of course, I mean it,” he said huskily, brushing Jamie’s dark hair behind his ear. The alpha shivered, his eyes narrowing as the musk of his arousal grew tenfold. Craig wanted nothing more than to pin the alpha to the ground and thoroughly kiss him. He wanted to hold him, caress him from his ears to the very tips of his toes. He longed to make Jamie come in a gush, howling out the omega’s name as he shot his load. He could see much of that similar desire in Jamie’s eyes, and it was all he could do to keep himself from smashing their lips together.
“Well, I suppose that only leaves one thing I want you to do for me,” the alpha rumbled, his usual baritone a deep and intimidating growl. Craig’s hips jerked forward involuntarily at the sound, and Jamie smirked knowingly. His hand gripped the curve of Craig’s hip, and the omega could do nothing to stop it. Wouldn’t do anything to stop it, even if he could. Their hips were pressed close together, and the omega whined in a manner that was typical of an omega. There was something different about Jamie that night. That much was for sure. Just the same, Craig was sure there was something different about him as well. He couldn’t put his finger on it, and didn’t feel awfully inclined to wrack his brain trying to solve the puzzle that was his unbidden desire. The alpha’s hand traced around ghosting his fingers against Craig’s lower back before firmly gripping his ass through his jeans. The omega choked out another cry, his eyes glazing over slightly.
He had been with alphas before. He had gone so much further than the slight touching they were doing in that moment. Never before had it felt so good, so absolutely mind-blowing and soul-shattering. Nothing in his life had ever felt so wonderful. He wrapped his arms loosely around the alpha’s neck, smiling a bit nervously in spite of himself. His hormones were surging like crazy, and he couldn’t think of a single reason not to take things further. He could think of dozens of reasons to continue forward, on the other hand.
“What do you want me to do, James?” Craig gasped out as the alpha pressed their hips flush together. Jamie’s deep blue eyes met his own, and he hissed in pleasure as that hand on his rear began to slowly creep towards the front of this jeans. Jamie gripped his zipper, fiddling with it for a moment as if it were the most casual conversation in the world. The omega felt like he was being torn apart from the inside out, and all Jamie could do was fidget with his zipper? He parted his lips to gasp out some sort of plea, but after a moment of apparent amusement, Jamie tugged down his zipper. He nudged Craig away a bit just so he could get a good grip on the omega’s shirt hem and pull the entire thing off over his head. “James… Jamie, please. Tell me what you want me to do,” Craig pleaded as his shirt was tossed aside, his sculpted abs exposed for the alpha to take in. It wasn’t the first time they had been shirtless in front of each other, and it likely wouldn’t be the last, but something about being so bare in front of the alpha in such a state of arousal nearly made Craig lose his mind.
“Easy, C. Take it easy. You wanna know what I want?” Jamie grinned, yanking his own shirt off before focusing his attention on the omega again. His palm ghosted against the crotch of Craig’s jeans before pressing much more firmly against him. The omega male threw his head back in a near-strangled howl, each and every one of his nerve endings feeling as if they had been set alight. “Shh. Don’t wanna wake the neighbors,” the alpha chuckled, moving to slide the omega’s jeans off. When Craig stood clad in nothing but his boxer briefs, Jamie tilted his head appraisingly before gripping the omega by the hand. Craig’s body erupted in goosebumps as he was pulled through the apartment to the bedroom he’d only seen on the rare occasion that they were catching a nap during the day. Sleeping together hadn’t seemed too intimate then; granted it had been just that-- sleeping.
“I’m dying here, Jamie,” Craig whimpered as he was nudged towards the bed. The alpha male smirked, slowly unbuttoning and unzipping his own, much more ragged jeans. Craig had always thought he looked sexy in the ripped denim, but he could never have said as such. Not before. Now…? “God, you look so delicious,” the omega moaned, pressing a palm to his own groin to try and suppress his stiffening desire.
“Thanks. I look much nicer with my clothes off. You’re so damn pretty you could make a paper bag look good,” Jamie said with a chuckle, and Craig could only blush like a giddy little schoolgirl. Of course, Jamie thought he was good looking, otherwise they wouldn’t be fooling around like they were in that very moment. It was flattering to know that the alpha thought so highly of his appearance, and his breath hitched as Jamie slid his own jeans down, kicking them aside without a care in the world. Craig drew his lip between his teeth, surging forward to loop his fingers in the waistband of the alpha’s briefs. He was huge, that much was e
vident just from the size of his bulge and just how much he was stretching the material of his underwear. It was a wonder it didn’t simply tear through. Craig wasn’t going to wait and see if that happened however, and he looked up at Jamie with what he could only hope was a sultry expression. Jamie’s manhood twitched hard enough for the omega to feel it against his palm.
“You told me you wanted something from me…what is it, Jamie?” Craig murmured, kissing along the downy hairs that traced the alpha’s lower stomach. Jamie hummed in pleasure before gripping the omega by the jaw, forcing his eyes upwards so their eyes could meet. There was obvious hunger in the alpha’s gaze, though Craig was sure that just as much was reflected in his own desperate stare. Jamie leaned in, closing the distance between their faces until they were but a breath apart. Craig gripped himself almost painfully as the throbbing in his manhood intensified. He wasn’t going to give in so easily, not before giving Jamie any and everything he desired. The alpha hesitated for only a moment longer before closing the distance between them and pressing their lips together. For all the touching and fondling they’d been doing, it was the first time the two had actually kissed. Jamie was surprisingly tender, sucking the omega’s lower lip into his mouth before releasing him with a slight pop. Craig could only wonder how that mouth would feel in other places, but before he could voice that lewd thought, he pressed forward for another desperate kiss.
