Page 45 of Slow Heat
Vale glanced over at his handsome friend. Rosen wore his hair down in a long, flat wave across his shoulders, the brown turtleneck and creamed-coffee jacket fit him well, and he looked casual and relaxed in comparison to Vale’s own deep green suit and white shirt. At least Yosef was equally dressed up in a berry red suit, which alongside his white hair and trimmed beard, made him look like a lean, handsome version of the Old World’s fairytale of Santa Claus.
Vale peered up at Jason’s house—no, mansion—wondering where on earth the old Sabel family had found such large pieces of granite for the front and just how they’d transported it all here. The house looked cold on the outside, but Jason hadn’t seemed like a cold man, nor had his pater seemed cold over the phone when issuing the invitation.
“Urho is the muscle of the group,” Vale murmured. “I doubt I’ll need to employ him, but I don’t want them thinking I’m helpless.”
“What do you think they’re going to do? Kidnap you and force you to consummate the imprint?”
Vale snorted gently.
Rosen went on, “And they’d perpetrate this crime during Autumn Nights first feast?”
“No, but I don’t want to take any chances. Besides, Urho is part of my life. Miner, Jason’s pater, said to invite my closest friends. That’s the three of you.”
“Yes, but Urho is an alpha. The alpha you’ve written poems about. The alpha who’s helped you through heat how many times now?”
Vale shrugged, hoping his unsettled stomach didn’t lead him to vomit in the bushes. “If they want to contract with me, they’ll need to accept all of you. Isn’t that what Yosef told me just a few days past?”
“You’re scared.” Rosen slung a protective arm around Vale’s shoulders. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
Vale rolled his eyes and dumped Rosen’s embrace. “Jason’s on alpha quell. Everything should be fine.”
“Even with Urho here?” Rosen asked again, clearly thinking Vale had overstepped in bringing him.
“Especiallywith Urho here,” the man himself said, his voice deep and comfortable by Vale’s ear. Vale turned to see him straightening his simple gray suit and black tie. “Come along now, gentlemen. Let’s not dally.”
Vale led the way up the path, Urho directly behind, and Yosef and Rosen followed at the rear with their arms linked together. Always the couple in love. If they weren’t such dedicated friends, Vale’s envy of them might turn poisonous.
The house loomed despite being only three stories high, with the top floor appearing to be an attic. It was the granite front and the wide windows staring down at them like blank eyes that gave it such an imposing air. At least the windows at the bottom were lit up with warm lights, like honey pouring out onto the well-tended lawn.
The front door opened before they had a chance to ring the bell. Vale didn’t know what he’d been expecting—possibly a beta servant or even Miner himself—but for Jason to be the one in the doorway took him by surprise. He froze on the front steps, heart thumping against his ribs, and he groaned as he felt a small, hot slip of slick wet his asshole.
Could Jason smell it? Could Urho? Wolf-god, how humiliating that just the sight of the boy made him respond so helplessly. With luck, he wouldn’t embarrass himself further by making more. One little bit to acknowledge the presence of his alpha andÉrosgápeought to be enough. He begged his body to hold itself in check.
Jason swallowed hard, the prominent Adam’s apple in his throat bobbing. “Welcome,” he said, his voice gruff with effort. “Come in. My parents are waiting in the living room. We’re happy to have you here.”
Vale strode forward when Urho gently pushed him. “Thank you.” He moved to unwrap his scarf as he stepped into the warm, luminous foyer of the Sabel house. “We’re grateful for the invitation to visit informally before we sit down with attorneys.”
Jason looked dizzy as he stared at Vale’s throat and then dragged his eyes up to Vale’s face. “Of course. The Feast of Alpha’s Blessings is to thank wolf-god for all the wonderful things he’s bestowed on us.” He smiled shyly and took Vale’s coat and scarf. “Finding one’sÉrosgápeis usually considered a wonderful thing. Something to be grateful for.”
“It is.”
Vale’s stomach tumbled at the darling way Jason ducked his head to surreptitiously sniff Vale’s scarf before hanging it on the rack by the door. Then Jason hung Vale’s coat gracefully and with the same reverence a priest shows a saint’s relic. Vale’s lips twitched with a small smile. At least he wasn’t the only helpless one here tonight.
Vale introduced Urho, Rosen, and Yosef as Jason took more jackets and scarves, hanging them with less care but still neatly. He smiled warmly at everyone but Urho, whom he met with an expression that more closely resembled a show of bared teeth. Vale had to admit there was something charming about the effort, though. It was more than he might have done had Jason shown up on his doorstep with an ex-lover in tow, expecting him to grin and bear it.
He frowned. What was he thinking? Of course he’d handle it well. He barely knew this boy. He hoped for Jason’s sake he’d had a lover or two, or whatever omega he contracted with would be stuck teaching himeverything. And who the hell wanted to do that? Yet the idea that Jason had been with someone else pricked inside him.
If he opts for a surrogate, which he rightly should, then he’ll be with someone else forever. Make peace with it now.
“Have you helped everyone out of their coats, love?” Miner Hoff said from the doorway of what appeared to be a well-appointed living room. He stepped into the hallway wearing a plaid suit of autumnal colors and carrying a tumbler of amber liquid and ice. He was tall, almost as tall as Jason, and thin.
“Yes, I have,” Jason said, his eyes gobbling Vale up and his breath coming in sharply. Vale wondered what he saw—whatever it was, he seemed to like it. “And we were just on our way to join you in the living room now.”
Miner stepped forward and shook Vale’s hand warmly. He noticed Miner didn’t seem to follow the recent bonded omega fashion of wearing a circle pin on his collar. In his experience, eschewing the trappings of submission denoted a more independent mind. And just like that, and definitely against his will, a kernel of hope rooted into his heart.
“Vale, hello.” Miner smiled warmly. “I’m happy you came and even happier that your friends came along with you. We look forward to getting to know all of you.”
Maybe Jason’s parents weren’t going to push for a surrogate after all? It seemed an unlikely, even costly, choice, but how else could he explain the warmth in Miner’s eyes and his sincere reassurance?
