Page 86 of Alpha Heat
Xan relaxed against him, and they breathed in the sex-scented silence of the room.
“I wish you wouldn’t. Leave, I mean,” Xan said finally. “But I don’t expect you to make promises you can’t keep.”
Urho nuzzled Xan’s nape and closed his eyes. They drifted off together without discussing it any further.
They woke several times in the night to repeat the “cherishing” of Xan’s body.
And when the sun came up, Urho was still buried deep in Xan’s ass, enjoying the convulsions of Xan’s latest orgasm around his cock and watching as his alpha-shaped omega’s face broke open with trust and pleasure.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The club wasbuilt atop a cliff near the ocean. Its towers brushed the sky, and it dug deep into the earth below, with levels down the cliff face. Designed of red brick and grey stone, it boasted an Old World revival feel, as well as stunning views of the sea and the mountains north of Virona.
Climbing out of the new car Jason’s father had had delivered to Xan and Caleb as a housewarming present, Xan admired Urho’s tweed, khaki herringbone suit, and the pinstriped, brown and white button-up shirt beneath the high buttoning vest. The tie held the only pop of color, a touch of orange in the pattern, and the whole ensemble enhanced Urho’s dark, russet brown skin, somehow making him look younger and more relaxed.
Or maybe he simply was more relaxed after the pleasurable week they’d had. Urho had bewitched Xan, body and soul. As far as he could tell, Urho felt the same. Always keeping within a certain distance of Xan and treating him with the respect he’d show an omega—and not just any omega, but one he was contracted to. As Caleb had commanded, they had “gotten to know one another.”
And not just in the naked way.
They’d talked, and walked, and explored the grounds together. Xan had listened to stories of Urho’s days at the university before he’d set up his new clinic and asked questions about Riki. It made Urho smile, and he found that he genuinely wanted to know more about the man Urho had loved and lost.
It hurt his heart to think of Urho’s pain when Riki and their child died, and he could tell that pain eased when Xan asked about him, and that speaking of his lostErosgapémade Urho happy. Xan wanted him to be happy. He wanted him to be so happy that he’d never leave.
The days had stretched into a beautiful, glossy, golden haze of hope—something Xan had never experienced before. Caleb seemed very pleased, treating Urho with such kindness that Xan felt almost delirious watching his omega interact with his lover.
The lines around Urho’s eyes were lighter, and the tension he usually held in his shoulders—a habit of years, likely—was almost entirely gone. A puff of pride lifted Xan’s chest. He’d done that.He’dleft Urho sated and satisfied.
Janus had been gone a week and Caleb had encouraged Xan and Urho to go out on the town. Jason had also strongly suggested it since Xan and Urho’s enthusiastic fucking was making poor Vale hornier than ever.
Urho reached out and adjusted Xan’s fedora, made from a new gray wool and chinchilla felt mix with a darker gray silk band. He’d bought it locally to suck up to the tailor, and Caleb had declared it was as well made as any in the city.
“You look handsome,” he said, brushing the shoulders of Xan’s favorite suit, a gray-and-black checked wool-cotton blend with small, embroidered red hearts throughout. He’d embellished it with a black tie featuring lush roses. A romantic suit for a romantic night.
Xan stood taller, gazing up at his lover, heart in his throat and buzzing with excitement. He couldn’t believe Urho was here with him in public, and they were together. No one else would know, of course, but it was enough that Xan did. Knowing the handsome, older man beside him was his and his alone made his possessive alpha instincts sing with joy.
“It’s a nice night,” Urho said, gazing up at the star-filled sky. “But the wind off the ocean is chilly.” He shivered slightly. They’d left their heavier coats behind in hopes that the warmer weather they’d enjoyed in the garden earlier in the day would hold.
“Let’s head inside,” Xan agreed, breathing in deeply and admiring the way Urho’s skin scent mixed so well with the sea air. An aphrodisiac for the heart. It made Xan feel as though he floated into the five-story Virona Gentlemen’s Club.
Admiring the interior décor and design, as well as the fashionable dress of all the other patrons, Xan held back a gasp. It was every bit as decadent as similar clubs in the city. “Janus comes here almost every night,” he said, gazing around at the boldly patterned walls and hunting trophies.
Other members of the club milled about—mainly unattached alphas, but there were a few, quiet omegas in the mix as well, usually wearing the circle pin showing their contracted status. No betas aside from employees were allowed in, and Xan had to admit the inequality of the caste system they lived with daily blinked in and out of his privileged consciousness.
A smiling beta servant removed their suit coats—leaving them in just their vests and shirtsleeves, as was the current fashion at clubs—and offered up tickets to retrieve them later.
They made their way into a gaming room, where many men played games of chance and skill, like pool or cards. Others stood in groups, talking, and drinking. Xan relaxed as he noticed several admiring eyes on him and others on Urho. They did make a fine pair, if he did say so himself.
“Can I get you drink?” Urho asked, nodding toward the bar along the back wall.
“Let’s go together.”
The bartender opened a tab for Xan as soon as proof of his new membership was displayed, and he poured generous drinks for them both. Xan hopped up on a barstool and took a long look around while sipping his drink. There were men of all ages here tonight. More wealth than he’d realized existed in Virona. He supposed this was what his father and Ray had been going on about. There were clients here and he should groom them.
“Janus has made a lot of connections at this club,” Xan murmured, wondering which of these men his cousin had already bagged for the company and taken the credit for himself.
“Has he?” Urho asked, gazing about the room. The stately, polite play and the almost old-fashioned air of the place suited him. “It doesn’t seem his speed.”
Xan gave a nod to an alpha he recognized as Jol Martinez, the owner of the contracting firm they were using for the new office building. He got a smile and a lifted drink in return.
