Page 3 of Forbidden Taste
“I didn’t like it,” I admit, my gaze dropping to the floor. “Ben kisses me like he owns me. I’m not something to have.”
“No,” he muses, his voice softening. “You’re precious.”
My heart stumbles. Precious. Not a trophy. Not a prize. Heat creeps up my neck and I’m dizzy again, his scent wrapping around me like a blanket. I want to step closer. Want to feel his big hands on me. Want to hear him say it again. Fuck, I want him to purr it in my ear as he bends me over the—
I cut that thought short because he’s still blushing, still shy, and I don’t know where the line is. However, I’ve dreamed about this too many times to back down now. My voice trembles as I push forward. “Would you like to kiss me, Leo?”
His sea-green eyes go wide, shock flashing across his freckled face. Then his expression hardens as if he’s ashamed at revealing his own emotions. “Omegas can’t…” he starts and then shakes his head. “You’re Riley Hart, and I’m just…” He trails off, looking away.
“Pretend for a moment that that isn’t an issue. That we’re just regular Omegas standing in front of each other, and I’m askingyou to kiss me. Would you?” My heart pounds as I step closer, Leo focusing on me again. “Because I want to kiss you. I want to know if you taste like apple pie.”
Leo still looks nervous, his curls shifting as he tilts his head. “I just like watching you play. The way you get so lost in the sound.” His voice is soft, almost reverent, and it twists something deep in me. I didn’t expect that either, the angelic melody of his voice. Everyone that towers over me always has these dominant, thundering voices but not Leo.
I edge closer, pressing my luck. I don’t want to spook him but I don’t think I’ve wanted anything so much in my entire life. “I wish I could see myself the way you do. Kiss me, Leo.” I’m begging now, and I don’t care.
He swallows hard. “But your Alpha…” His eyes flick around the room, a shadow of doubt crossing his face.
I shake my head fast. “Not mine. I’ve been dreaming of this moment for way too long.” I look up at him, waiting. Waiting for him to take the lead. But he hesitates.Again.His hands flex at his sides, and his jaw tightens. Something’s off. He’s unsure but I don’t know why.
Did I overstep? My instincts crash, a wave of panic rising as I scramble to fix it. Tears prick my eyes, a sudden emotion sweeping over me as my mind spins, imagining a dozen things. Rejection. Disgust. I don’t know what’s in his head. Or mine.
Leo’s eyes widen, alarm flashing in them. “I fucked up, didn’t I?”
“No, I just…” I choke on the words. “Fuck, something’s wrong, and I can’t fix it, so I’m just… What did I do wrong? Do you not want to kiss me? Did I read this wrong?” My hands twist together, my heart beating just a little too fast. I feel exposed, like my instincts aregoing to rip me apart from the inside if I don’t fix whatever just happened.
“No… I just…” He stops, his blush deepening. “I’ve never done this before.”
I blink, confused. “You’ve never kissed another Omega?” Silence stretches between us. I stare at him—this beautiful man with his freckles and sea-green eyes—and wonder how he’s gone without a partner for so long. “Wait, Leo. You’ve never kissed someone before?” My voice softens, disbelief creeping in. “What about during a heat or after a date or…” More silence. My heart stumbles. “Leo, would this be your first kiss?”
Leo swallows, his face still flushed red, his eyes wildly searching my face. “I’ve thought about it a lot. But I just… nothing ever made any sense. It wasn’t the right person or the right time.” He drags a hand through his hair, letting out a heavy sigh, pain lingering in his expression. “Do you not want to kiss me anymore? Fuck, this is awkward. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come in here.” His words tumble out, fast and jagged, and I see it—the panic. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen him like this, the uncertainty—the first Omega-like symptom I’ve ever caught from him.
“I would very much like to kiss you.” I didn’t think I would have to tread lightly with this teddy bear of a man, a stark contrast to every other relationship I’ve had. But I kind of like the idea that I’ll be more than just athing, that I’m precious. Stepping into his chest, I drag his arms around my back and it’s like home, curled up by a fire, dessert in my hands. “God, it’s like being held by a teddy bear. I don’t ever want to leave,” I mutter into his chest, taking large whiffs of his scent.
My body thrums with heat, my cock stiffening in my pants in response. I didn’t think the attraction would be this immediate and yet, I’m pretty fucking sure Leo is mine.
Leo lets out a little groan, the man still looking a bit lost and once again I realize that I’m going to have to push. A giggle slips out as I untangle myself from him and pull him toward the piano before flipping the bench from earlier back over. Climbing onto it puts me an inch or so taller than him, which is absolutely perfect. Because now, I can take.
My hands frame his face, fingers brushing against the soft stubble of his beard before drawing him into a kiss. It’s not glorious. It’s messy, awkward, lips fumbling at first. But it’s everywhere. He tastes exactly like I dreamed—apple pie, spice, fall, home—and it floods my senses. Leo’s timid, his mouth hesitant against mine. Then his arms slide around my back, pulling me in.
His hands soon drift lower, grabbing my ass, his confidence strengthening as I’m suddenly flush with his chest. I wrap my legs around his waist, clinging to him. A groan escapes me, vibrating into the kiss. This is it—what I’ve been missing all those years. The attraction. The passion. The desire and need. It’s alive, burning between us, my instincts telling me to continue until he’s inside of me, claiming me, telling me that I’m his.
My hands move into his hair, tangling in those orange-red curls. He shifts, his cock thickening against my ass as I grind against his stomach. Heat pools in my lower belly, slick lining my underwear, my body buzzing with want. I’ve never felt this—never with Benjamin, never with anyone.
Leo lets out a wholly guttural sound, almost like a call to my instincts, a demand to submit. There’s that dominance. He just needed the right kind of push. His confidence grows as one handmoves beneath my shirt, gripping the bare skin at my waist, tearing a gasp from my lips.
And then someone clears their throat, Leo nearly dropping me, embarrassment flooding his features. The moment is gone, that spiced apple scent soured with shame as he steps back, confused and a little terrified. His hands hover in the air, like he doesn’t know where to put them but there’s no time to enjoy that flushed look on his face or that fact that my ass is clenching around nothing, yearning for whatever Leo has in his pants.
Jumping off the bench gives me a perfect view as I straighten my clothing. The bulge between his thighs is obscene, straining against his jeans, my mouth watering. I have no idea how he’s carrying that around but it takes everything in me not to drop to my knees and rip his pants open to let that beautiful cock rest on my—
Someone clears their throat again and I turn to look at the intruder, groaning when Professor Jameson takes a step further inside. She’s the one music theory professor here who thinks she owns a piece of my success and, therefore, also owns my time. Her Alpha presence fills the room, her form-fitting suit hugging her curves and screaming power. I sigh, bowing my head slightly, instinct kicking in.
Leo slowly turns around to face her as well, his head bowed, his hands situated in front of his cock. It just barely works, which makes me all the more excited to go further next time. Professor Jameson lets out a little growl of disappointment as her gaze locks on Leo. “You are a distraction, Mr. Woods.”
“He’s not a distraction,” I snap, my tone sharper than I mean it to be. The only reason I get away with my attitude as an Omega is because of the money my parents pour into this academy. I don’tuse it often but here it seems fitting. If anyone was in the wrong, it was me.
Professor Jameson lets out an evil laugh. “You were not practicing and I have never seen anyone else make you stand on the goddamn piano bench. It’s disgraceful.” She waves a hand. “Excuse us, Mr. Woods.” Leo’s sea-green eyes dart between us before he darts out of the room and grabs his bag from the floor, as graceful as a six-foot-one Omega can be. His spiced apple scent lingers, taunting me as he disappears.
Disappointment is swapped for frustration as I glare back at my professor. “My fingers will bleed if I do any more practicing,” I say, crossing my arms. “And sending Ben in here to keep me company isn’t helping.” Having someone watch me from the shadows is not nearly as intriguing as everyone thinks it is. Well, if it were Leo, maybe. But I’d much rather him in the lounge, listening along, watching me the way he always does.
