Page 24 of Forbidden Taste
But then it changes, his movements turning wild and animalistic, loving the way he lets go, his hands gripping my hips hard enough to bruise, possessive like I know he wanted to be last night with Hawk here. A yelp tears from my throat as he pulls out, flips me over onto my stomach, and surges back in, my fingers digging into the pillows, clawing at the fabric as he drags my ass higher, pounding into me with a rhythm that’s raw, unrestrained.
“More,” I mumble, my voice muffled against the nest, my breath hitching as need coils tight in my belly. “I need more.” My instincts sing as he leans over me, his chest pressing to my back, his lips grazing my earlobe, sucking gently before moving to my neck. His breath is hot against my shoulder, his teeth scraping the skin, and then—pain, sudden and sharp, followed by absolute euphoria as his knot swells, locking us together.
I gasp, my body shuddering as realization crashes through me—Leo bit me, his teeth sinking into my shoulder, bonding me in a rush of heat and connection that shouldn’t be possible, not between Omegas, but it’s undeniably there. I feel him—his chaotic emotions, panic and love and terror—flooding into me through the fresh mark.
He tries to pull away, his knot tugging at my entrance, and I wince, the pain sharp as he starts to panic, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps.
“Sweetie, breathe with me,” I say, my voice strained, reaching back to grab his hand. “Shit, Leo… I need you to…” But he’s gone, lost in a different headspace, his body trembling against mine, his spiced apple scent souring with fear. I yell, desperate, “Hawk!” and the Alpha rushes in, the bathroom door banging open as he drops to his knees beside the nest, his dark eyes wide with concern.
“I need your help. Fuck, he’s having a panic attack.” Hawk moves like it’s second nature, kneeling beside Leo, his vanilla musk cutting through the chaos as he whispers something in Leo’s ear—soft and steady, repeated like a mantra.
I can’t catch the words, but Leo relaxes, his shoulders slumping, and he pulls me back, shifting us so he’s sitting up, me still on his cock, settled in his lap, his knot anchoring us together. His arms wrap around me as I lean back against his chest, dragging his hands to rest over my stomach, threading my fingers through his.
“Hey,” Hawk purrs, as he kneels there, water still dripping from his hair. “What happened?” His eyes flick between us, searching for answers.
I take a shaky breath, feeling Leo’s confusion and terror pulsing through the bond. “I think Leo just bonded me,” I say, my voice quiet, my hand lifting to touch the fresh bite on my shoulder, theskin tender and wet. When I pull away, my fingers are laced in crimson telling me that I now have a mating bond. I should be furious but for some reason, I’m over the moon that I’m Leo’s. That everyone was saying we couldn’t be and yet, here we are and I’mhis.
Hawk’s eyes widen, leaning forward to inspect it, Leo offering a possessive growl, a sound that rumbles through me, sending shivers down my spine.
“Damn,” Hawk mutters, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “That’s a new one. Yeah.” He sits back on his heels, running a hand through his wet hair. “Riley, call me again if you need me, but I’ll be in the kitchen so we can figure it out, okay?”
On top of all of this, there’s this new mate issue we have to face because damn if I’m letting my desires slip through my fingers. But one problem at a time. Leo might not be trying to pull away from me but he’s definitely still freaking out. Hawk steps out of the nest and heads into the hallway, some part of me hating that he’s no longer beside us.
“Sweetie,” I sigh, turning my attention back to Leo, squeezing his hands on my belly, “we didn’t know that would happen. It’s okay.” He’s still mumbling “I’m sorry,” over and over, his voice small, shock locking him in place, and I feel all of it—his guilt, his fear—through the bond. I shift, careful not to pull on his knot, and turn my head, brushing my lips against his jaw, tasting the salt of his skin. “Leo,” I whisper, “you’re mine. This doesn’t change that.”
He seems to calm a little, even more so when his knot loosens, faster than it did the first time. But it gives me the opportunity to turn around on his lap before he can curl into himself, my thighs straddling his as I press my chest to his. His emotions crash into me through the bond—panic, guilt, a raw, jagged fear that’s not what I thought I’d feel when we mated, not the quiet joy I’d imagined. Hisface is wet, tears streaming down his freckled cheeks, gathering on his chin as he looks at me, his eyes wide and glassy. “I didn’t know. I just… something happened, and I couldn’t help it.”
I cup his face, my thumbs brushing over his tear-streaked skin. “I’m not mad, Leo. You’re my mate, and it would’ve happened sooner or later.” I’m not even mad that the choice was taken away—because I didn’t know it was something that could happen, didn’t know Omegas could mate Omegas, didn’t know Leo was different like this, his knot and his bite rewriting everything I thought I understood. My fingers slide into his orange curls, tugging gently as I wipe away his tears, my lips curving into a small, reassuring smile. “We’ll figure this out,” I murmur, leaning in to press my forehead to his. “But I don’t regret this for a minute. Do you have any idea how precious this is?”
He swallows hard, his throat bobbing, more tears spilling as he meets my gaze. “But this is permanent.”
I tilt my head, my hands framing his face again. “Did you ever think it wouldn’t be?” I sigh, my breath warm against his lips as I pull back just enough to look at him—really look at him—my mate, my Leo, his massive frame hunched with uncertainty. The memory from before my heat flicks in my head of the accusations from the Dean, from Jameson, that Leo had forced himself on me. This—his bite, this bond—won’t look good, not with those lies already circling. “Let’s go shower and figure this out, okay? Do you want to say goodbye to Hawk? I need to make sure he’s good before he leaves.” My fingers linger, tracing the curve of his collarbone, a strange flicker of loss trickling through the bond as if Hawk leaving bothers Leo just as it does me.
Leo frowns, his scent souring further before shaking his head. “No,” he mutters, his voice small, almost lost, and I feel it throughthe bond—jealousy, confusion, a tangle of emotions he’s not ready to face.
“Hey, it’s okay. Go get the hot water ready. I’ll be there in a minute.” I ease off Leo’s lap, my thighs trembling as I slide to the edge of the nest, Leo right behind me as I lead him toward the bathroom. He moves slowly, his head bowed, and I squeeze his fingers, brushing my lips against his knuckles before letting go. I slip on one of Leo’s shirts from the floor before padding into the kitchen, Hawk standing at the counter, placing a pizza box on the table, the faint smell of pepperoni cutting through the lingering traces of our scents.
“Guess someone ordered last night and forgot,” he muses, a faint smirk tugging at his lips as he glances at me,
I frown at the cardboard box, wondering who would have ordered that and what the poor delivery man probably heard on the other side of that door. It begs the question of who Leo accidentally called, my flustered Omega hanging up on someone and then hurriedly calling the center. I’ll probably see a bill on my account because I tend to just call, ask for the usual and then hang up.
Probably a bitch move. I’ll correct that later.
Heaving a small sigh, I drop onto one of the barstools at the kitchen island. Hawk steps a little closer, almost as if he wants to touch me but isn’t sure if he can. I didn’t really get to see him last night or earlier but the dim lights in my kitchen show just how gorgeous this Alpha is. He’s not gruff like Benjamin and doesn’t have that authoritative air that so many Alphas do. He’s gorgeous and lean and when he swallows nervously, the muscles in his neck tense in a way that makes me want to lean forward and lick them. I clear my throat, drowning that thought as I continue to ogle him, light bronze skin covering all the muscles that had been pressed upagainst me not even an hour ago, jet black hair hovering over his eyes, hiding soft brown eyes full of concern. And… I’m still staring.
“Do you want me to wait until Leo gets out of the shower to talk?” Hawk asks as he leans against the counter, his voice pulling me from my thoughts.
I shake my head, knowing that would only terrify Leo in the moment.. “Leo isn’t ready for that conversation. Not right now.” I add, knowing that it will be a conversation eventually. My shoulder throbs, the fresh bite tender, Leo’s panic thrumming through the bond. It’s calmer now but not by much.
Hawk nods, stepping closer, his hand lifting to touch his shoulder—mirroring the bite on mine. I sigh, reaching up to brush the raw skin beside the collar. I’m ecstatic for the claim, even if it happened by accident—Leo’s mark, his bond, a permanent thread tying us together—but it’s going to take a little bit for him to see that it’s okay. It feels like we’ve stumbled backward, the ease we’d built shattered by this unexpected shift, and my chest aches with how fragile he is right now.
“It’s not going to be easy,” Hawk starts. “You’re not in heat, Riley, but your pheromones are heightened and will continue to be while in the presence of another Omega. You both are going to have spikes—however that manifests.”
“I figured it’d be something like that, but I didn’t think it’d be that violent, and wait—fuck, Iknowyou.” My eyes snap up as recognition hits me like a jolt. “Shit, you’re… Hawk Thorne. The one in the dance major. Shit.” His name rolls off my tongue, familiar now, a campus legend I’ve heard in passing—lean, graceful, an Alpha who defies the mold.
He tilts his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Is that a bad thing?”
I shake my head, my fingers twisting in the hem of Leo’s shirt. “I just don’t usually know the Alphas I use. They aren’t on campus. I see them during a heat and then never again. It’s one of my requirements. I didn’t want someone to get attached and I didn’t really have the time for distractions.” My shoulders fall in defeat. “No, that’s not right. Everyone told me I didn’t have time for distractions so I purposefully found a way not to get attached.”
