Page 15 of Forbidden Taste
We strip down to our boxers and I situate him in the middle of the nest, the pillows sinking under his weight. Out of habit, I dim the lights so it’s just the fairy drapery surrounding my nest and then I twist the nob on the little radio in the corner before I realize what I’ve done. Just another one of those automatic things that I’ve stopped thinking about because I just always did it.
There’s always noise around me. Music, laughter, chaos, movies. Never a moment of silence. Because when there is, I start thinking. Thinking about everything I’ve never gotten to experience, all the things I’ve wanted, the mold I’m supposed to fill…
Firm hands pull me into my nest and I twist to curl into Leo’s chest as he presses a kiss to my forehead. “You froze for a second, princess. What happened?”
My entire face heats at the name. If anyone had ever called me that, I would have been so angry. I’m more than my money and my status but it doesn’t feel like that’s why he called me that. And yet, I have to know why. “Leo?” My voice is timid, softer than I intend.
His purr starts up, a smile forming on his lips. “Because you’re sweet and you make music with emotion. For a while, you wereuntouchable, out of my reach. You’re beautiful and strong. You came and found me. So yeah,princess. I think it fits.”
Something has absolutely changed in the last several hours. Once again, I know it’s all of the biology we don’t completely understand, mates who find each other are more protective and in tune than just people who come together. But I never thought the change would be immediate. The way he holds me isn’t just a man following his desires. It’s a mate who’s trying to protect me from the world outside.
“Now, tell me what just happened.”
There’s no room for argument as I bury myself a little deeper into his chest. I’ve never explained that part of me because there was never anyone to listen. “I don’t really like silence a lot. Not when I’m alone, especially not in my nest. Mom and Dad left me alone a lot growing up, fitting me into a mold, making me who I am today. The music gave me something to disappear into.”
“Youmade you. I like the music, though. If you need it, then so do I,” Leo purrs against the top of my head. I finally relax, my breath evening out as his purr continues, a low, steady rumble that vibrates through me. It lulls me, soothing the jagged edges of the morning, and I press closer, my cheek against his chest. “A lot of weird things have started happening since I stepped into your practice room,” he continues. “My body’s changing. I want different things.”
I chuckle, tracing lazy circles on his stomach. “I thought you were going to fight Professor Jameson this morning,” I say, the memory of his snarl flashing back—fierce, protective, so unlike the shy Omega I’d first met.
“I was,” he admits, his arm tightening around me. “She was disrespecting you. But that’s what I mean. Yesterday, I was terrified of what would happen when everyone found out.”
“And now?” I ask, pulling away just enough to look up at his face.
“I’m pissed. I don’t know why it matters. All their comments still hurt, but it’s like I’m more worried about how this will affect you.” His hand slides up my back, resting between my shoulder blades, the other hand settling on my hip.
I nuzzle closer, my nose brushing his collarbone, my lids starting to slide shut from the pheromones wafting from him. “Just so you know,” I murmur, my voice laced with sleep, “I haven’t had anyone care about me like this either.” It’s true—Benjamin’s control, my mother’s expectations, they’ve never been about me, not really. Not even the few boyfriends in high school or undergrad cared enough. But Leo? He sees me, holds me, and it’s everything I didn’t know I needed.
“What about classes?” he asks, his voice a low rumble, practical even now.
“Fuck the classes,” I say, my lips curving into a small smile as I press them to his chest. “I have everything I want right here.” Maybe it’s reckless to want to hide away from the world a bit, for it to just be the two of us for a little while. We can afford a missed class or two, a day to recuperate before we have to face reality.
twelve
LEO
I wake up refreshed, having slept way better than I have in weeks. It takes me a moment to remember where I am, the soft light spilling into the room telling me that we’ve slept just a little too long. However, it’s Riley wrapped around my thigh, his face buried in my crotch that has me waking up completely. His breath fans over my boxers, his lips parting as a needy moan slips out and then his scent spikes, flooding the air and sinking into me. My cock twitches, stirring against the fabric, Riley sleepily moving forward to suck it into his mouth.
My breath hitches as I pump into that wet warmth before I yank back my control. Seconds later, Riley sits up, his brown eyes half-lidded and glazed with want. “I need you,” he murmurs and it’s like he doesn’t even know what he’s doing—instinct driving him as he strips off his boxers in one fluid motion.
The fabric slides down his thighs, revealing the flush of his skin, and he moves, turning to prop his ass in the air, facing me. He arches his back, a slow, conscious curve that lifts his hips higher, and I see it—his hole, glistening with slick staring back at me.
I grit my teeth together, confused, turned on, and wildly unprepared. “Angel…”
“Please,” he gasps, his voice breaking, “fuck, it hurts.” He buries his face in the pillows, his fingers digging into the plush, knuckles whitening as he trembles.
I lean forward, my hands hovering over his hips, my voice rough with concern. “Are you in heat?” I ask, my eyes locked on the way he’s shaking, the slick starting to gather between his thighs.
He shakes his head, a hiss escaping as he presses deeper into the nest. “No, but close. I just… I’m having a spike, sweetie, and I need you to fuck me—or call the rent-an-Alpha service. Number’s on the fridge.” His voice wavers, desperate. The thought of someone else stepping into this space, some faceless Alpha touching him, claiming him sets me off.
A possessive growl rumbles from my chest and I shed my boxers, tossing them aside. My cock springs free, already leaking, the tip glistening with precum as I position myself behind him.
His pheromones hit me like a wave, pulling me under and I lose myself to them, my hands gripping his hips as I line up. I thrust in roughly, no hesitation, sinking deep into his slick heat, and we both sigh in relief when I’m fully seated. There’s nothing pretty about this moment, my need to claim my Omega taking over my rational thought.
It’s like a switch goes off from wanting just to hold Riley to needing to mark him, fuck him,knot him. A snarl tears from my throat as I lean over his back, one hand wrapping around Riley’s inthe cushions, the other digging into his waist as I spear into him. His little whines of pleasure spur me on, slick making the slide easier every time, drawing me in deeper, my knot starting to swell in response.
“Fuck, Riley,” I rasp, “you’re so perfect—taking me like this.”
A loud and unrestrained moan falls from his lips, his back arching further as he rocks back to meet me. “Harder,” he pleads and I oblige, slamming into him with everything I’ve got. The nest shifts beneath us, the heat building, coiling tight in my core. He spills first, his release soaking the blankets, a shuddering cry muffled by the pillows, and it tips me over the edge.
