Page 31 of Game Over

Tara whined, a thin needy noise that set every one of my nerve endings on fire with the need to fix whatever was ailing her.

“Babygirl?” I asked, letting my voice take on that firm, assertive quality I’d used at the Omega’s Lust. “What’s wrong?”

“Babygirl?” Jesse barked, hackles raising protectively. If he was an alpha, I think I would’ve found it in myself to cower. “Charlie, put my goddamn girlfriend down.”

“It’s too hot,” Tara whimpered, struggling in my hold as she moved to try and work her dress off. “Fuck, is there no AC?”

“Physically, we’re fine,” I said, my voice clipped as I brought Tara’s hands away from where she was battling her zipper. “But I think Tara’s gone into heat.”

Jesse’s blue eyes grew wide. “What? Oh fuck, I didn’t know you were that close,” he said to her, touching the back of his hand to her forehead with a little hiss. “Okay, we need to get her to Omega’s Lust?—”

“No!” she all but sobbed, wrapping her arms around my neck to cling to me, face pressed into my throat for a deep inhale at my scent gland.

We both looked at her then, though for me there wasn’t much turning my head as Tara continued to nose at my throat.

My hand ran over her hair instinctively, as my own pheromones became stronger. A rattling, unpracticed purr breaking from me like a faulty motor as I tried to calm her a little.

“No?” Jesse asked. “What do we do then? That’s your heat plan sweetie…” He shifted on his feet, eyeing the two of us in confusion.

I could tell he was uncomfortable, but there was nothing to be done. The reality was that Tara was in heat, and I’d be six feet under before I left her side.

Well, that and the unfortunate reality that this entire scene was playing out in a dingy barcade basement. We wouldn’t be able to stay here long, not with Tara being unbonded. Any alpha that happened to stumble into the bar could likely smell her by now. It would only be a matter of time before the situation turned from slightly humorous, if not a bit unfortunate, to downright dangerous.

“Let’s get her to the car, we can take her home.” I said, uncertainty coiling in my stomach as I inserted myself into the middle of things.

I knew it wasn’t my place, but the idea of leaving her in this state was physically painful. A growl waited in the back of my throat at the concept alone.

“I s-want… to…” Tara mumbled softly, the parts of her broken sentence loud enough to hear unintelligible.

Jesse dropped to his knees, the plastic rifle and headset clattering to the floor beside him as he gently ran his knuckles over the part of Tara’s cheekbone that was visible under of my neck. “What was that baby?” he asked, voice soft and coaxing. “Can you try again for me?”

My jaw clenched, fingers digging into Tara hard enough that I was sure to leave marks.

I think if anyone else tried to get close to her in this state, I would’ve snapped at them. But, this was Jesse, and I couldn’t do that with him, didn’t feel the urge to.

Even if the urge to growl at him was still there.

Tara took a few deep breaths, as if she was trying to clear her heat hormone soaked mind.

“I want Charlie to come,” she managed eventually, her voice barely above a whisper. “And I know he wants to.”

Not that she needed to, Tara ground down in my lap to illustrate her point. I was so fucking hard it was a wonder that the button didn’t pop off my jeans.

Jesse froze, their face totally blank as they looked between the omega in my lap and me. I couldn’t tell how they were feeling, but I had to assume it wasn’t positive, his uncertainty nearly palpable.

One thing was clear, he did not like how Tara was touching me.

Or how I was touching her.

“Why don’t we just take her to her house,” I suggested, trying to manage the tense situation as practically as possible. “She’ll need her nest, and we can figure out a plan there.”

Jesse’s Adam's apple bobbed with his hard swallow. “Yeah, okay.”

I stood with Tara cradled in my arms with some effort, I wasn’t joking when I’d said I was a bit clumsy. Sort of one of the downsides that came with being built like one of those dancing inflatable men in front of a car dealership with a knot. She clung to me, kisses pressing up the side of my neck as I took the stairs two at a time.

The alpha working the bar’s head whipped around to watch as I made for the front door, letting my long legs propel us quickly across the faded carpet.

“Mind your fuckin’ business,” Jesse hissed to him with a threatening point.

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