Page 28 of Take All of Me

He laughs again, the sound dropping off into a grimace, throwing his hands up in defeat. “Me neither but apparently it happens in the presence of the right smorgasbord of mates, so I’m over here growing a fucking knot and getting possessive andshit while Dakota’s into pillows.” He folds his arms behind his head, roughly dragging his fingers through his dark hair, like he’s trying to pull himself together, and I’m still a bit in shock.

“Wait, you have a knot?”

“Yeah,” he says, dropping his arms, his voice edged with frustration. “Thought my dick was gonna fucking fall off. Nope, just becoming an Alpha. Didn’t think I’d be hitting puberty at twenty-fucking-seven.” He shakes his head, a mix of disbelief and exhaustion, and I see it now—the strain in his shoulders, the way his eyes flicker, like he’s fighting a war inside.

I lean against a car hood, trying to ground myself, because this is… a lot. Dakota’s Omega shift was a curveball, but Roman as an Alpha? That’s a whole new playbook, and I’m worried about him, about Maya, about how this changes things. “But then what was that bullshit with Ethan?” I ask, narrowing my eyes, because the punch wasn’t just about her, not entirely. “Other than that comment.”

Roman lets out a low growl, his gaze snapping to the diner’s entrance, and I tense, sensing that primal edge Alphas are famous for. “He’s been taunting me all day with that bullshit, asking if he can get a piece of Maya. I thought he liked her as a coach. He was nice during the scrimmage, right?”

I nod, frowning, because yeah, Ethan was fine then. “What’s his deal? Talk to me.”

Roman hesitates, before trying to shrug it off. “I think my head’s all fucked up with the changes. Don’t worry about it.” But I’m not buying it, not with that growl and I’m done with half-answers.

“I’m worrying about it because you punched one of our teammates and it’s been brewing all day.” I slam him against the nearest car, my hands on his shoulders, hoping to knock some sense into him, because he’s spiraling. But he moves just as fast and then I’m the one with my back against a car door, his fingerspinching my chin, tilting my face up to meet his gaze. My breath catches, a nervous swallow stuck in my throat, because his citrus is everywhere, his eyes are locked on mine, an expression on his face that I’ve never seen before.

“He was saying shit aboutyou,” Roman growls.

“Ethan always says shit about me.” The guy always has something to say when he doesn’t like it. He wasn’t a fan when Roman and I became captains with Logan. Didn’t like it when Mason wouldn’t take his idea for practice several years ago. I just usually ignore him and move on. “What’s new?”

Roman’s grip tightens just a little bit, a snarl curling his lips but the anger isn’t directed at me. “He was saying shit like you were probably our little bitch, that you were sucking Holt’s cock to get your position.”

The rumbly edge to his words is starting to affect me, my body heating, a traitorous hint that I like this position a little more than I should. “So? I’ve proven myself just fine. What’s going on for real, Roman?” Because this isn’t about Ethan’s usual crap, not with the way Roman’s looking at me, his thumb still brushing my chin, a softness creeping into his touch.

“I liked it,” he says, voice barely above a whisper. “I really fucking liked the image of Holt’s cock down your throat and then I realized I wanted it to be mine.”

Before I can process, his lips crash into mine, citrus flooding my senses, his kiss all heat and need. I freeze, caught off guard, my hands hovering, unsure, because I’ve never looked at Roman like this, never thought of men that way, but his mouth is relentless, and I’m kissing back, instinct taking over, a spark igniting I didn’t know was there.

He abruptly pulls back, his nostrils flared, gaze dipping to my lips and then back to my eyes. “I’m going for a walk before I go back in there and smash Ethan’s face.” Then he’s gone, stalking down the sidewalk, leaving me standing there, fingers ghostingover my lips, stunned. His scent lingers, confusion swirling in my chest despite the way my body is responding to him, my cock twitching in my jeans at the idea of Roman’s cock stuffed down my throat.

The idea ofmorewasn’t really in my plans and I would have never thought of Roman as part of that vision but I don’t… hate it.

“Fuck,” I mutter to myself, pushing off the car and heading back inside. There’s a few stares when I slip back into my seat, Ethan’s noticeably empty which is probably a good thing because I can’t deal with his bullshit right now. Holt sends me a glance, one of his eyebrows raised. I lean over, knowing that the next few practices are going to be a little tense. “Gonna have to say something to the team before the game about being nice,” I murmur, my tone clipped, because Ethan’s bullshit can’t fester like this.

“What happened?”

“I’ll tell you everything later but Roman went for a walk.”

Holt’s frown deepens and he glances toward the empty spot where Ethan was. “Ethan said he was headed back to campus.”

Maya’s looking at us now, her vanilla scent curious, her brow creased, but I just shake my head, trying to let her know not to worry. It doesn’t completely work because by the time we’re packing up, Maya is at my side just before I reach my car. She places a soft hand on my arm, pulling my attention to her, those big brown eyes searching my face for answers. “Something’s wrong, isn’t it?”

“Drive back with me?” I ask, needing to talk to someone but not really sure who. It can’t be Dakota or Holt so I settle on Maya, knowing she won’t judge. She throws me a soft smile, Dakota bumbling up behind her and pulling her into a big hug.

“I’ll see you back at the dorms, you big oaf. It’s liketen minutes,” she teases and Holt has to all but drag Dakota away before the Omega carries Maya off with him.

We slide into my car but I don’t start it yet, my hands gripping the wheel as I look at her, wondering how to start this conversation. Beating around the bush and only giving her part of the story won’t do us any good so I just blurt it out. “Ethan’s been taunting Roman all day. Saying things about you, about the team, about me. I’m not sure what his problem is, but it set Roman off.”

Maya’s brow furrows, her lips parting slightly. “That would explain some things,” she says, then tilts her head, studying me too closely. “But something’s wrong withyou. What happened out there? Did Roman hurt you?” Before I can answer, she reaches over, pinching my chin roughly, turning my face to hers, and my entire face lights up, a blush creeping hot across my cheeks, because her touch reminds me of the exact position Roman put me in.

“What is going on?” she presses.

“Roman kissed me,” I blurt, the words tumbling out before I can stop them, and her eyes widen, her hand dropping as she sits back, processing. I watch her, searching for anger, hurt, anything, but then her scent shifts—vanilla turning hella sweet, and I realize that she’sturned onby it, her body betraying what her expression hides.

I snort, a laugh breaking free. “Apparently, Ethan was saying I’m Holt’s bitch and Roman liked the idea of his cock stuffed down my throat. Jesus, why am I telling you this?” My face burns, because this is—Maya,my Maya, and I’m spilling shit I haven’t even processed myself.

“Because telling Holt would be awkward?”

“Yeah, that’s part of it. Fuck, this wasn’t supposed to be all that complicated.” I run a hand down my face, the memory ofRoman’s lips swirling around in my head, taking up residence there.

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