Page 100 of One for the Money
Thankfully, my Beta realizes what’s going on and pulls out of a whimpering Quinton, rushing toward me. “What do you need?”
“Arm,” I pant, scrambling to grab him. When he holdsout his arm for me, I sink my teeth into it. He yelps, and I know I’m going to owe him an apology as soon as this is over.
Eventually, Dexter finds his release, filling me up before he releases my neck with a soft sigh. He collapses on top of me, running his fingers lazily over my body. I finally feel safe enough to relax my jaw, wincing at the wound I’ve left on my Beta’s arm.
It’s going to bruise around the punctures, that’s for sure.
But Matteo doesn’t seem to mind as he brushes my hair off my forehead before placing a gentle kiss there and hurrying off to finish with Quinton. Dario slides close to me, curling into my side and weaving his fingers with mine.
I catch Jude’s eye, and he nods once. I think that is approval glinting in their dark depths.
As Dexter drifts off to sleep, his breathing slows, and his comforting weight has my body going limp and loose as I wait for his knot to deflate. With these four Alphas and my Beta surrounding me, I find myself wishing that I had run away and joined the circus a long time ago.
Chapter 38
To saythis is a surprise ending to the day is an understatement.
The rut clouded my brain, and at one point, I thought for sure I was going to choke Quinton out. But the moment Alex commanded us to stop, the feral part of me quieted.
That’s the true power of an Omega. Sure, there may be fewer of them than there are of us, but they can bring us to our knees easily with the right motivation. It’s why, despite most professions being dominated by Alphas and Betas, you tend to find an Omega sitting at the top, silently guiding things along. CEOs, CFOs, and directors of operations positions will quietly be given to an Omega to ensure that things run smoothly.
While I’m not blind to how packs operate, I never expected to have one, so imagine my surprise when I find myself desperately beating my cock in a room with my employees.
It’s a good fucking thing a circus doesn’t have a humanresources department, because I have a feeling this would have been a massive violation.
Dexter, despite all of his reservations, is lying cuddled up with Alex, his face empty of the tension and anger I’ve grown to associate with him. Dario is on her other side, whispering something in the Omega’s ear that I’m not privy to.
There’s another surprise of the evening. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t notice the attention Dario gave me during this whole ordeal. Maybe it was the rut, but I don’t think so. Not after him saying he wants to try things with me again.
Sex isn’t something I think about very much. It doesn’t motivate me, and most of the time I can take or leave it. I’ve long suspected I’m somewhere on the asexual spectrum, but my history with Dario and how I feel since Alex came around make me question that. Isn’t there a word for someone who rarely feels sexual attraction but has sought meaningless release in the past? There’s got to be.
Regardless, over the past few weeks, I’ve felt a desire like I never have before. And the weight of Dario’s gaze? Yeah, that was pretty welcome, too.
“Are you doing okay?” Alex says softly, and I look up to see her eyes on me. She’s absentmindedly stroking a sleeping Dexter’s hair.
I wonder how long we’ll have her like this, before her hind brain relinquishes control and she realizes how close she’s let herself become to us. Maybe I’m a pessimist, but I don’t think she’s going to stick around, and if Dexter is genuinely starting to let his guard down with her, it’s going to ruin him when she leaves.
“Fine,” I say through gritted teeth. I don’t want to tell her what’s really on my mind, and if I say anything else, it’ll come pouring out.
She doesn’t let that slide.
“What’s wrong?”
I scrub my hands down my face, wincing when I realize I haven’t washed them since I beat off. I get up and head to my kitchen to take care of that, not looking at her. I don’t answer her either, hoping she’ll move on and go back to petting the Alpha in her arms and not force me to have this conversation with her right now.
“Seriously, Jude, what’s wrong?” she asks again.
I spin around and rest my back against the sink, cringing when my shirt gets wet. “Just wondering when you’re going to leave us. Thinking about the messes I’m going to have to clean up, the hearts I’m going to have to stitch together.” Even if my tone is gentle, I know the words hurt.
She winces like she wishes to escape my blows, but it’s hard to run when you’re knotted. Maybe this is the time to have this conversation, since she can’t avoid it.
“That’s really not cool, Jude,” Dario says, eyes narrowed at me. “You’re starting to sound like Dexter, picking a fight.”
“If FOS and Alpha Rot aren’t enough to keep her around, her bond with Matteo won’t. And didn’t you see how hard she fought not to bond Dexter? She doesn’t want us, Dario. You don’t want us, do you, Alex?”
Matteo stirs from his position on the floor with Quinton and looks at me with narrowed eyes. “You’re in an awfully shitty mood for someone who just came on his hand.”
“Maybe that’s the problem,” Quinton slurs, propping his head up on his fist. “He didn’t get his dick wet. Now he’s all jealous.”
