Page 16 of The Cheerleader

“Then don’t,” I say, dropping to my knees in front of him.

I work quickly, popping the button of his jeans and lowering his zipper. His cock falls into my palm and saliva gathers in my mouth as slick gathers between my thighs. I tongue the crown of his cock before slipping his cock into my mouth. His hands spear into my hair, holding me in place as he shallowly fucks my face.

“Goddamn, Omega. Your mouth is amazing. I’m not going to last.”

A few seconds later he erupts in my mouth, and I drink down every last drop.

And in that moment, I know we’re past the point of no return.

Chapter Eleven

Abel

My legs give out and I end up on her living room floor, holding her, breathing her in. The kiss is still burning my lips, and her body is pressed against mine, sending shocks of heat through every nerve in my body.

But it’s not the kiss that has me losing my mind. It’s her. Everything about her. Her scent is all around me. Her warmth, her softness. The pull of the bond is relentless.

I never asked for this, and I never wanted it. But it’s mine now. She’s mine now. And I can’t undo it. I’m not even sure I want to.

Her words are still ringing in my head: “You’re mine, and I’m yours.”

I swallow hard, rolling her over so I can look at her.

“Abel...” Her voice is soft, questioning, and I can feel the weight of her gaze on me. She doesn’t understand. She doesn’t know who I really am.

I drag a hand through my hair. This is too much. It’s all too much.

“I’m not a good man,” I mutter under my breath, more to myself than to her.

“Meaning?” she asks, her voice almost a whisper, but there’s steel in it. She’s not backing down. She never does.

“I did terrible things,” I spit out, my hands trembling with frustration. “I hurt people.”

Her eyes narrow. “I don’t care what you did in the past. I don’t need perfect. I just need you.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, and for a moment, I don’t know what to say. I thought I could fight this. I thought I could push her away. I thought if I stayed cold enough, distant enough, I could keep her safe from me.

But it’s not that simple. It never was. She’s already made her way into my soul. She’s already there, a part of my life, a part of me in a way I can’t escape.

“I’m not good enough for you,” I repeat, my voice breaking. “I’m not the man you deserve. I’m just a fuckup, Juliet. A guy with too much baggage. I can’t give you what you need.”

“You don’t get to decide that for me,” she snaps, her voice growing more forceful.

“Maybe you don’t care,” I say, my voice low and harsh, “but I don’t get to have this. Not with you. Not with anyone.”

“Why not?” she asks. “Why can’t we figure this out? Why can’t we make this work?”

I want to shout at her, tell her she doesn’t know what she’s asking. I want to say there’s too much at stake here, my business, my past, her life, her father, everything I’ve built. And the fucking bond is pulling me to her like a magnet. It’s overwhelming. It’s destroying my ability to think.

But instead, I say, “Because I’m an asshole. And I can’t be the man you need.”

There. I’ve said it. I’ve admitted what I am. “I’m a shitty person and I always have been. Just because I stopped running a criminal empire doesn’t mean I’m not that person anymore.”

Juliet pulls me toward her, her eyes filled with something close to frustration, but also a deep, unwavering determination. She doesn’t understand what I’m trying to tell her, what I’m trying to protect her from. She sees me as a man who can be redeemed. But I know I’m too broken, too tainted by my past and the things I’ve done.

“You’re not an asshole,” she says softly, her voice steady despite the way my words must have cut her. “You’re just scared. And that’s okay. So am I. But I’m not asking you to be perfect. I’m asking you to be with me. We both have a past, what I want to work on is our future, together.”

I swallow hard, trying to hold back the emotions rising in my throat. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”

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