My heart pulsed and my eyes filled, too. “Aww, Tak. You’re acting like you’ve won the state lottery. You haven’t known me in a lot of years. I’m nobody’s prize. Just a lonely man who’s finally realized he might stand a chance at his own dream.” I kissed his cheek then sighed. “I’m not the football hero anymore.”
“I never cared about the sports, except it was fun to watch you enjoy them.” He rested his head on my shoulder and I tucked him closer, inhaling his scent. He smelled the same as he always had. Soap and water, that weird bay rum aftershave he’d picked up from his grandfather that somehow was now very sexy, and just Tak. He was home to me. How had I taken so long to figure that out?
“I have bad habits. I eat over the sink most of the time, have been told I snore a little. Drink cheap beer, never dress up anymore for any reason, and”—I hesitated, knowing I had to continue —“and my job is far less glamorous than you probably think.”
He straightened. “First of all, unless you love over-the-sink dining, in which case I won’t try to change you—we will eat at the table or, if there’s something we want to watch, on the couch in front of the TV.” He waggled a brow. “I’m not a professional at this, because of the virgin thing, but I understand that some couples have been known to cart their meals to bed.”
I nodded, wishing I wasn’t so familiar with what other people did in bed.
“Second, drink what you like. I mostly like coffee and iced tea, but a man’s beverage is a personal choice. If you don’t object to my occasional Dark and Stormy Moscow Mule, I won’t object to your cheap beer.”
“I don’t know what that is, but party on!”
He grinned, his eyes merry now. “Third, I sleep like a rock. Snore like a buzz saw all night if it makes you happy.”
I shifted, uncomfortable with the image. “I didn’t say I snore like a—”
He waved away my comment. “I’m saying it doesn’t matter. And as to dressing up? This is a small town. I dress a little nicer than most because my out-of-town customers think an antique shop owner should have a certain gravitas, and I have to admit that a vest with a pocket watch or other vintage garments hold a certain charm for me, so if you don’t mind that, wear torn jeans and an ancient T-shirt if it pleases you.”
The image he painted of me was far less than flattering. “Well, I’m not that bad, I hope. But my job holds zero need for gravitas and most of my social life lately has involved playing pool with guys several years younger than me at a bar featuring old country classic music.” I winced. “I think I’m the old man there. The hangers-out from when I started have all gotten married and stopped coming by.”
“I’m not big on hanging out at bars.”
“Me, either, anymore. But with all the travel, it was somewhere I could go and talk to people without interfering with anyone’s home life when I am in town for a few days.”
“Sure.” Tak stood and started up the stairs. “I’ll go get changed.” He paused on the landing. “So...what kind of law do you practice that involves so much travel and ‘unglamorous’ clothing, if you don’t mind my asking? I thought all lawyers had to dress up in suits every day.”
Mind? It was on the tip of my tongue to lie, to try to save face, but how long before he figured out I wasn’t a lawyer like I’d always planned on.
“Get your trunks. I heard someone at the gas station talking about a pond not far from here?”
“Yeah, O’Keefe’s Dunking Hole. Everyone goes there, but I know of another one even closer that’s almost always deserted. It’s even nicer.”
“If it’s so great, why isn’t it crowded?”
“It’s on my property. I’m on the edge of town here and this used to be a farmhouse before the other nearby houses were built. I own a bunch of acres into the woods.”
“Wow. Let’s go there then. Maybe we don’t need trunks.”
His eyes flared with heat, and he swayed. We had to get past this. Maybe when he learned his hero from high school was a truck driver, he’d stop being so dizzy. “I’ll get a couple of towels.”
Fifteen minutes later, he’d hung the Gone Fishing sign on the shop door and we were headed out the back. “Do you really?” I asked.
“Really what?” He swung a soft-sided cooler by the strap, the reason we’d taken so long to get going. It held ham and Swiss cheese sandwiches on mini-baguettes, a bag of pita chips, a container of hummus he’d told me he’d made himself, and some beautiful rosy apples. Also bottled water.
“Really go fishing?” It sounded so un-antique-shop-owner-like.
“Sure. We used to go all the time.”
“Do you close during business hours to do it?” After all, he had a sign.
“Nah, but I think it’s better than Closed to go to the bathroom, which up until now is the only reason I’ve ever used it. Major hooky playing here!”
We stepped off the wide deck, furnished with comfortable chaise lounges and a glass dining table, onto a grassy space edged with flowerbeds, the entire space surrounded by a five-foot hedge. “This is quite a yard.”
“Thanks. It was pretty much extra storage for some of the larger items, farm finds mostly, when I bought the place, but I built a shed at the side of the house for that stuff. After all, it was deteriorating just sitting outside.”
“And then you hired a landscaper.” It had to have cost a mint to create this Eden with its colorful flowers, herbs lining the path we now walked, and a small fountain in one corner, splashing merrily away and helping, along with the hedge, to suppress the highway sounds.
He snorted. “No. I couldn’t afford that on a small shop’s profits. If my folks hadn’t helped me get started, I’d be deep in debt.”
“Then how…?”
“I guess I have a green thumb. While you were playing pool, I was shoveling manure.” The path ended right at the hedge, and he stopped. “C’mon. Let’s get to the pond.” Grabbing my hand, he towed me behind him through the greenery, and we emerged on the other side to find a whole other kind of beauty.
Chapter Seven
Tak
While hiked to my pond, I listened to Chris talk about how great the place looked. I’d brought a picnic lunch in hopes that we would build up a hunger, but at the same time, the thought made me want to lose my breakfast.
I had to get over this constant fear of him—and me—of this being real.
“It’s just up there.” I pointed up ahead, and he took the cooler from me.
“Here, let me get this. What kind of alpha am I letting you hold that so long? I’m out of practice.”
I smirked. “You can practice on me all you like.”
He said nothing but began to whistle while we strolled on.
Soon we came upon my pond, a large one, about half the size of a football field. I’d built a pier onto one side and attached a ladder for ease of getting out.
“I think this qualifies as the biggest pond in the history of ponds. You’ve almost got a lake here, Tak.”
“I know. I was hoping that one day…” I trailed off, not wanting to pop the happy bubble I suddenly found myself in.
“One day what?” Chris had put the bag down and was now in front of me, his sweet breath fanning over my face while his hands held mine.
I began to speak but choked as my mouth had gone dry. I swallowed against the anxiousness. “I had hoped that one day my children would swim here.”
Chris took a step closer and wrapped one arm around my waist while we looked out over the expanse of water.
“One day your children might swim here, Tak.” I looked back at him, and he stared into my eyes, the blue of his irises lighter and brighter under the rays of the sun.
“What?” I asked, feeling his hand that had once been on my waist, trail lower and toward the front of my body. I sucked in a breath, not ready for what was to come next.
“You look a little fainty again. I thought I might help you get out of these so we can cool off in the water.”
&nb
sp; I forced myself back to reality. “It’s not even that hot outside.”
He smiled and huffed out a laugh. “I wasn’t really talking about the outside temperature, Tak.”
“Oh...oh!” Now both of his hands were at the top of my pants and then, as he looked down, he began to unfasten the top button.
“Tak, is this okay?”
A nervous laugh erupted from my mouth. “What exactly am I consenting to?”
He raised his eyes and looked deep into mine. “Just taking your pants off so we can swim. Unless you want more. I’d give you more, Tak. Right here. I’d give everything to you.”
My mind swirled. I knew what he meant, but the words seemed to contain so much more than sexual promises.
If I didn’t know better, I’d swear that my quarterback crush was promising me the world.
A surge of bravery hit me out of nowhere, and I nodded. “Take them off. I think I need to cool off after all.”
My heart almost beat out of my chest and with every pump, my dick pulsed right along getting harder as his hands unbuttoned my pants and drew the zipper down. I kicked off my shoes one by one, not wanting the nuisance of taking them off later or the distraction of my pants not going over them.
As Chris slipped my pants down lower, past my boxers and down to my knees, I gasped as his warm lips touched my thighs, kissing each one as he worked my pants over my feet and finally off of my legs, tossing them aside to only he knew where.
I actually didn’t give a crap where he tossed them.
“What about these? Are we going full Monty?”
I looked down to see him grinning. “Yeah, might as well. I will if you do.”
He chuckled. “I want to feel your skin on mine, omega. I want nothing between us.”
“Me, too.” The words almost got lodged in my throat.
He pulled my boxers down, and his breath wafted over my dick and sac, making me groan and involuntarily call out his name in expected passion.
“Oh, Tak. I can’t wait to hear you call out my name while you come. I’m gonna make it worth the wait.”
I knew he would. My trepidation about the scenario was still real, but somehow I knew this would work out. Chris would be mine.
He stood and while looking into my eyes, took off his clothes. I pulled off my shirt while he did.
“Come on.” He took my hand and started in at a sprinting pace. We ran to the edge and then cannon-balled into the water. I didn’t come up right away. Instead, I swam underneath the cool, murky water, wanting him to wonder where I was.
With a few more strokes, I drifted under the pier and popped my head out of the water, wanting to watch him from afar.
Except when I came up, he was already there.
Damned cloudy water.
“Hey.”
He smiled, but only with one side of his mouth. “Hey to you. Trying to lose me?”
“Maybe for a second. Just to catch my breath.”
Chris pulled me closer; his hot, slick skin rubbed against my own. I linked my feet behind his waist, my heels resting on his pert bare ass.
I pushed several clumps of wet hair from his face and assessed him properly. Dark crescents hung below those brilliant irises, and tiny lines giving away his age spread from the edges of his almond-shaped eyes.
“I’ve aged. It happens.” He shrugged.
“We all have.”
“But you have aged backwards. You…”
I held a breath again. “Me what?”
He nipped at my chin. “You look so good. You worked hard, it seems. I’m sorry I missed so much of our...of your life.”
He was right the first time. We had missed a lifetime. But there was still time.
“We have a lot to make up for.”
“I promise to make each day count.”
I could get mooshy here. I could say that we would both make each day count. But instead, I splashed him. “Good. You’ve only got about...forty hours left.”
His eyes grew wide. “I forgot about that. What’s my report card so far?”
I rocked my hips against his, feeling our equally engorged cocks rub against each other. “Looks like you’re doing just fine.”
Chapter Eight
Chris
Everything had happened so fast, yet it had taken years to get to this point. Years wasted while thinking Tak was just a friend, even though he’d been in my mind every day. And not listening to my better self wondering why if he was “just a friend” I didn’t give him a call, see how he was doing.
Sure, pride played into it. Not wanting those who voted me most likely to succeed to know how low I’d fallen, that instead of finishing college and starting on my way to the Supreme Court, I’d had to drop out and go to work to pay for the debts incurred when my parents died in that accident. Their deaths had also dried up my tuition funds. Sure, I’d been good at sports, but being the superstar at our little school did not in any way equal a full-ride scholarship to a university. My folks worked their butts off to put me there, going into debts for that as well, without telling me.
Before we went any further, I needed Tak to know what he was getting into, or, rather, who was getting into him. I gave him one more deep, warm kiss, just in case he changed his mind about me when he learned who I was. Placing a hand on each of his cheeks, I looked deep into his eyes. “I need to tell you something.”
He licked his lips. “You’ve changed your mind?”
I rocked my hips against his, our cocks butting again. “Does this feel like a changed mind?”
He tried to back away, blinking furiously. “What? You’re seeing someone else, so this is a one off and a pity fuck?”
Holy hells.
“I practically begged you to marry me back at your place. And I’ve spent the last hour seducing you. So, no on another relationship or a pity fuck. If it was, or if you were a one off, I wouldn’t care if you knew what I do for a living.”
He hesitated, a foot or so of water separating us. “Is it illegal?”
“No.”
“Are you a priest or anyone else who has taken a vow of celibacy?”
I choked. “I don’t think so.”
Then he was back on me, his legs wrapped around my waist, cock bobbing against my belly.
My cock, on the other hand, was poised right below where I wanted it to end—see what I did there?—to end up. “Then what are you waiting for.”
As his lips closed on mine, the thought of a condom flashed through my mind. I had tested clean, but bareback opened the possibility of pregnancy. Of course, that was no problem for mates. Still I felt honor bound to offer. And to ask. “Condom?”
“I’m clean. And I don’t want to wait.”
And didn’t that guy, the Tak who’d always been reserved and never even let me know he’d wanted more from me than friendship, didn’t he rise and bring his ass down over my cock, driving the head right past the ring of muscles there. For a second, I paused, not wanting to hurt him, but even in the pond water, he was slick and ready for me. Resting his hands on my shoulders, he wriggled until I was buried deep inside him, in that dark, tight, slippery place I’d fantasized about since I couldn’t remember when. I exhaled his name like a prayer.
There, under the dock, in a country pond, I made love to a man for the first time. I gripped his hips, taking over the rhythm, pushing all thoughts of what I did for a living far back into the depths of my brain. All that mattered right now was the muscular ass milking my cock, the fingers digging into my shoulders, the legs flexing around my waist, and the lips parting under mine as I put everything I had into a kiss that carried us into the heights.
Sliding my palms back to cup his buttocks, I lifted and lowered him, faster and faster, my knees wobbling under the water’s surface. Tak’s eyelids fluttered closed, and he parted his lips to admit my tongue as I explored the inside of him with my tongue and my cock—at different ends, of course. After just a few moments, he moaned, and I grabbed his dick and ru
bbed up and down, feeling his hot cum spurt over my fingers as mine jetted into his ass. And...I knotted. Not something that happened with every omega, or at least for me with any before now. My cock swelled and held us connected while we hung in the cool water.
I’d had my share of omegas, but never bareback before, which at least partially explained the lack of knotting. But then, I’d never wanted permanence with anyone else. After a time, I withdrew from the tight, hot glove and felt the cool water speed my cock’s relaxation. I wanted him to know everything about me, so I whispered, “I am a truck driver.”
But it didn’t matter. I released my hold on him and he floated, face in the water. He’d fainted again. This time, in a dangerous location.
With a sigh, I scooped him up into my arms and started for the bank. If he couldn’t stay conscious, how was I going to tell him how far I’d fallen? I hoped it wouldn’t matter, but he certainly deserved to know what I had to offer a mate.
I wished more than I ever had that I’d been able to stay in school. I probably could have taken out loans and ignored my parents’ debts. I wasn’t legally liable for them, but honor was another thing altogether. An alpha never took the easy way out, at least not if he wanted to be worth the name.
Unfortunately, that route made me less financially able to care for a mate. Sure, I made a living with the truck and even with the payment and all the other expenses—insurance alone cost as much as the mortgage on a small house—I had managed to put some money away. And I’d never think of Tak as looking for financial gain, but he deserved the best.
And I wasn’t 100 percent sure I met that criterion. Laying him on a patch of soft grass, I dropped next to him and propped myself on an elbow. He sure didn’t look unconscious, with easy, slow breaths and a small smile on his lips.
“Tak.” I tapped his cheek. “Wake up.” He stirred and gave a little groan. “There you go.”
Marrying His Omega Page 3
