Page 6 of Take All of Me

Brogan sets my leg back down, crawling up my body as Dakota releases my lips. Brogan grins as he sucks those two fingers into his mouth, eyes locked on mine. “You taste just as damn beautiful as you did four years ago, love,” he purrs.

I’m still under whatever this haze is as I fist a hand in his shirt and drag him toward me so that I can taste myself on his lips. Brogan doesn’t hesitate as he captures my mouth, histongue slides against mine, salty and sweet with my own release. Dakota’s still behind me, cock pulsing against my ass, his breath ragged in my ear as he watches. Brogan grinds his hips against me, gently deepening the kiss when someone yells his name. He pulls back, his attention torn from us as his shoulders fall.

“Shit. I have to take care of that.” He places another kiss on my lips, leaving me with a brief smile. “I’d stay longer if I wasn’t helping run this bitch. Jesus, every one of them is a cock block.” He takes off, yelling the moment he steps back into the main part of the house. I can’t catch his words but he’s definitely irritated which warms some part of me.

The other part, though, is disappointed he left. Like,irrationallydisappointed. If I didn’t know better, I’m acting like a territorial Omega but I’m not an Omega. It’s one of many reasons Nox didn’t want me. I slowly push off of Dakota but he catches onto my minor distress, turning me around to search my expression. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“I’m not sure,” I mumble. “I just… I’m disappointed? But I don’t know why. I…” My voice falters and tears prick my eyes all of a sudden. I clench my fists, brows furrowing in frustration as I try to claw through the mess in my head. Nothing makes sense—just this hollow ache blooming where heat was a minute ago.

Dakota’s face shifts, worry creasing his forehead. “Did we go too far? Did you not want that? Did I read the moment wrong?” His words tumble out fast, laced with panic.

“No nothing like that!” I insist. “I just… something’s wrong in my head.” My hands tremble and I wrap my arms around myself trying to hold it together.

“Let me walk you back to your dorm. I know you well enough to know that the chaos here right now is a little too much. Let me at least see you back to your room, okay?”

I glance toward the party where Brogan vanished. “I don’t want Brogan to think that…”

Dakota cuts me off with a reassuring nod. “I’ll let him know but right now you look like you’re about to have a heart attack and I’d rather you be somewhere you feel comfortable.” He slides an arm around my waist guiding me out the back of the frat house and into the cool night air. My legs feel unsteady, tequila and emotions swirling, but he keeps me upright, steering me across the quad toward my dorm.

We stumble inside and he kicks off his shoes at the door, the thud echoing in the quiet. Before I can process it he crawls onto my bed, mattress creaking under his weight, and pulls me into his lap. I settle against him, legs draped over his, and blink up confused. “Kota what are you doing?”

He wraps his arms tighter around me, silence filtering between us for a few seconds before he answers. “Holding you.”

I tilt my head, studying him. “Why do I feel like you need this more than I do?” I tease, but it’s half-serious.

“I’m not sure. I could feel how distressed you are. You’re confused and I needed to fix it. Don’t ask why. Just let me hold you.” He pauses, then adds. “Now what happened? I thought you were enjoying...” His voice dips off as I shift in his lap, a grumble tearing from my throat. A soft sound rumbles from his chest—low and strange, not something he should be able to make. I narrow my gaze but don’t push it as he leans in running his nose along my forehead, scenting me like he used to.

“I didn’t like that he left okay?” I blurt, words spilling out before I can stop them. “I’ve been touch starved for a while. I really liked it and fuck I have no idea why I’m telling you this. It doesn’t matter. We’re not going to start anything. And yet I don’t…”

Dakota’s grip tightens a little more as if he lets go, I’m going to bolt. “It’s probably because you’re ours.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Scent matches, mates, all that jazz. No, hey, I know you’re not ready for that conversation and I wouldn’t have brought it up but that sudden disappointment is the only thing that explains it.” His tone softens like he’s trying not to spook me.

I wriggle out of his arms, confusion and terror spreading through me. Dakota sits up a little straighter and then he pouts—full-onpouts—lips jutting out, brows creasing a little. His scent boldens, sharper than I’ve ever smelled it before, even stronger than at the frat house earlier, my nostrils flaring as it hits me hard for the first time.

He slides off the bed, pulling me against him again. “That! That reaction right there? It’s how I know. However, I also know that Nox took something from you because I can smell you all the damn time. Knew the moment you walked into that party, your scent lingering on me after I kissed you the first time. But you haven’t reacted, not once. Not until just now.”

I’m still wildly confused. “I don’t understand,” I whisper, voice trembling. If that was the case, I should have reacted to Dakota and Brogan four years ago. They smelled nice to me, for sure, but they didn’t make my mouth water and I didn’t feel fuckingdisappointedwhen Brogan would leave after a threesome. Right now, though, some part of me wants to find Brogan and drag him into this room to finish what we started.

Dakota rakes a hand down his face as he releases me, heading for the door. “I fucked all this up. I wanted to ease you into it.” His shoulders slump in defeat but I rush over to catch him, knowing that I’ll freak out if he leaves too.

“Please explain it to me because I’m going crazy,” I plead. If he leaves now, I’ll crumble—I feel it in my bones—and it doesn’t make sense. Not one damn bit.

He turns back, brown eyes locking on mine. “We’re mates, Aya,” he confesses, voice breaking. “Fuck, I’ve wanted to say that for years but you can’t smell me can you?”

Tears well up hot and fast blurring my vision and I choke out, “What?”

He steps closer cupping my face. “I’ve loved you for so damn long but this afternoon I knew you were mine Aya.” His thumb brushes my cheek, wiping away a tear but that doesn’t explain Brogan.

“But Brogan…”

Dakota nods like he’s been waiting for that. “I don’t think you’reallmine,” he admits softly. “Brogan’s part of it too. I felt it tonight—how you lit up between us. It’s not just me.”

Dakota

I just dumped everything on Maya—mates, scent matches, years of loving her—and I’m not sure what she’s going to do with it. It’s too much too fast and I know her first instinct will be to run. But I hope she gets where I’m coming from. That she feels the truth in my words, even if it’s messy and jagged.

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