Page 47 of Bitter Heat
“Well?” Kerry persisted. “I’m what?”
“Pretty,” Janus said gruffly. “Very pretty. Monhundy wasn’t a good man, but he didn’t lie about that. Youarebeautiful.”
Kerry bit into his lip, his lashes dropping to touch his cheekbones again. Janus wanted to pull Kerry’s lip free, kiss it and suck it into his own mouth, and…stop.
“I wish I didn’t like hearing that so much,” Kerry whispered. “But I do. Especially from you.”
Janus’s heart thudded, and he felt as if he’d been sniffing Caleb’s printing chemicals—lightheaded, a bit dizzy, and in a dream. A nightmare? A dream? A green and blue bubble of intimacy that he didn’t want to break.
Kerry put his hand down on his stomach beneath the water. Janus’s eyes followed it, noting Kerry’s floating cock and balls again, so delicious, but then he dragged his gaze back up to Kerry’s long fingers splayed at the largest part of his stomach. “I like that you think I’m pretty. But you won’t think it for long. I’ll be as big as a pig with a litter in its belly soon enough.”
“I don’t think you bringing life into this world could possibly make you any less pretty,” Janus whispered, trying to keep from reaching out to cover Kerry’s hand with his own. “If anything, you’ll be more beautiful.” The urge to protect Kerry and the child, to make Kerry smile, to make him laugh, and groan and orgasm like Kerry was his very own, burned right up his spine. Janus tried not to moan as his cock suddenly filled and grew completely hard, helmet exposed as the foreskin drew back. “Sorry,” he whispered.
“Why?” Kerry’s eyes dropped, and he spotted the problem. Janus went hot all over, inside and out, and he wanted to apologize again, but no words came. “Oh,” Kerry gasped. “That’s…you’re…oh.”
In the face of Kerry’s mild distress, Janus found the will to form words, grunting out, “I’m sorry. I assure you I’m in control and have no intention to act on the…” He blinked, trying to think of the word, but his mind had gone blank, and his cock was hardening even more under Kerry’s persistent gaze. “It’s rude. Forgive me.”
Kerry bit into his bottom lip, and, to Janus’s amazement, beneath his swollen belly, his cock grew hard, too. “Oh, wow. It’s been a long time.”
Janus moaned softly as Kerry closed his eyes and shuddered, a motion made by many omegas as slick released from their glands. “It’s the pregnancy pheromones,” Kerry whispered. “Affects alphas.”
“Yes,” Janus agreed, though he felt in his bones that it was something more than that.
“I’m an omega alone, and you’ll want to…help me.”
Janus whimpered, holding back from touching and helping. Holding back from owning and fucking.
“And the hormones, in me, they, ohhh,” Kerry groaned darkly. “Affect pregnant omegas. Make us want.”
Janus nodded. Yes, but like this? He wasn’t sure anymore. It seemed unbelievable that he, a medical student and nurse, wouldn’t fully understand the implications of a pregnant omega alone. Of course, he knew that pregnant omegas were easily aroused, often considered slutty by many standards and that a healthy omega had a quite strong sexual drive throughout a pregnancy. He’d witnessed it, seen it for himself. He recalled Xan’s friend, Vale, getting rammed regularly by his alpha, Jason, for the whole time he was staying at the Virona house before he gave birth. They’d been quite loud and indiscreet, screwing all over the gardens and less-public rooms.
But they’d beenÉrosgápe. And this kind of draw…
Was it natural? Just because there was no alpha to buffer them, to care for Kerry’s needs? It felt like so much more than that. It felt like a tide held back by a flimsy dam, and it was about to break.
He restrained himself, though, mindful of Kerry’s trauma and history, and not wanting to presume or terrorize him more.
But Kerry broke first, diving toward Janus. He cupped his hand behind Janus’s head and dragged him in for a kiss. His tongue was eager and bold, moving against Janus’s stroke for stroke, and his lips and teeth were ferocious, sucking on Janus’s lips, nipping at his jaw, and crying out softly into Janus’s ear when Janus finally gave in to his need, too. He jerked Kerry into his lap, stirring up mud in the clear shallows.
Kerry clung to him, heart pounding like a terrified bird. Janus felt it against his chest as Kerry buried his face against Janus’s neck and panted, rigid with terror and need all at once.
Janus hushed him, rubbing wet, soothing hands up and down Kerry’s overheated back, and groaning as Kerry shifted to press his cock flush against Janus’s own, circling his hips and rubbing them together. The friction and water made Janus’s need to hold back as frustrating as it was necessary.
“Don’t,” Kerry whispered. “Please, don’t.”
“Calm down now,” Janus said, though it took everything he had. He released his grip on Kerry’s back, letting his arms drift out to his side. “I’m not going to hurt you. You don’t have to do this, Kerry. You can let go. I won’t come after you.”
Kerry moaned, and shook his head, gripping onto Janus tighter. “It’s been so long,” Kerry grunted. “You’re so nice to me. No alpha’s ever been so nice to me. Not really. Not like this.” He pushed against Janus again, his breath hitching and his heart beating madly, making his whole body shake with each heartbeat.
Janus didn’t want this to be a thank you. He wanted it to be so much more than that. But reasonably, he knew he shouldn’t have this at all. Not with Kerry half-sobbing like Janus might do something terrible to him and holding on like Janus might let him go.
“Please,” Kerry moaned. “Please.”
“Kerry, if you keep moving, I’m going come,” Janus said, his breath emerging in sharp huffs and his dick aching with each hunching circle of Kerry’s hips. The musk and berries scent overwhelmed him, and he wanted to drown himself in it. He wanted to be out of the water, somewhere he could get fingers into Kerry’s ass to press that delicious odor out of his omega glands and then rub it all over them both.
Fuck.He had to get Kerry to stop, or it wasn’t going to end with anything but an orgasm for them both. And very soon at that. “Kerry, if you don’t want this, please stop.”
Kerry shook his head, refusing to let go, and licked the shell of Janus’s ear. His voice shaking, he whispered, “Just do this, Janus. Get it over with.Please. For wolf-god’s sake.Please help me.”
