Page 34 of Forbidden Taste
Hawk steps back toward the hallway, a wild grin playing on his lips. “Not if I mention I was the culprit.”
“They wouldn’t know what to do with that,” I say, following Hawk, leaning into his chest when his arms slide around my back. “God, Benjamin’s head is going to explode.”
“Don’t remind me that guy still exists,” Leo calls out behind us, his scent souring slightly under the blocker, a flicker of unease threading through. “It feels like he’ll be right around the corner. Why hasn’t he tried something yet?”
I shrug, tugging Hawk toward my nest, Leo on our heels. “I haven’t checked my phone. I’ll worry about that bullshit later. Maybe I’ll wait until Friday.” That unease doesn’t have to be dealtwith because in this space, it’s just the three of us. “Right now, cuddle me.”
Hawk chuckles as he drops into the nest. “Our Omega is so demanding.” His laughter dies off as he helps me out of the shirt I slipped on, Leo crawling in after us.
“Well, let’s not keep him waiting,” Leo murmurs, the bond humming happily as we slot ourselves together, me in the middle this time, Leo’s arm heavy over my waist, Hawk’s leg tangling with mine.
Two days from now, I’m going to share another one of Leo’s firsts and I’m so fucking excited… if that dinner with my parents doesn’t kill me first.
twenty-three
LEO
The last two days have been nothing short of extraordinarily perfect. I’m less panicky than I’ve been in weeks, my chest lighter, my breaths easier as I move through Riley’s apartment, savoring the small touches—Riley’s hand brushing my arm as he passes me coffee, Hawk’s fingers grazing my back when he slips by to grab something from the fridge.
It’s comfortable, a warmth I didn’t expect, and when Hawk comes back from his morning classes to spend lunch with us, it feels right. Friday rolls around, this time the three of us sharing lunch in Hawk’s room, one of the senior dorms, definitely a bachelor pad with its mismatched furniture and cluttered shelves, but secluded, tucked away from the bustle of campus. He shares it with a few others, but they’re out now, leaving his bedroom large enough for us to spread out, sprawled across the bed and floor, a perfectly domestic bubble.
The conversation is easy as my mind drifts back to the conversation from before, the one where Hawk asked me why I had chosen the major I did. And over the last two days, I’ve thought about it.Reallythought about it. And I think I found it. The conversation dies off and I look up to see both of them staring at me, wondering if there’s something wrong.
“I think I want to design houses. After talking with you both, I realize—I want to build that perfect space, a nest in every house, somewhere Omegas can feel safe. Because I never did.” My fathers’ workshop was wood and tools, not soft corners or scented blankets. I never wanted anything different until just recently but I want to give that to someone else when it becomes a need.
Riley’s grin widens, Hawk humming his approval. “That’s a great idea,” Hawk says, stacking our empty containers and heading to the sink in the corner—a tiny kitchenette that’s barely enough to be considered a sink.
Riley lets out a dramatic, leaning back on his hands. “Thank God you’re doing those. I suck at house chores.”
I raise a brow, wiping my hands on my jeans. “I thought you said you liked providing.”
“I do but not the cleanup.” Riley leans over to kiss me, the combination of soy sauce and honey coating my tongue. “I’ve just got to go grab my things and meet with a professor. Hopefully, I can avoid Benjamin for just a few more hours and then I’ll see you both this afternoon. We’re still on for that, right?”
“Maybe nothing will happen,” I mutter. “I don’t feel any different.” It’s a lie, sort of—I’m steady now, but there’s a growing restlessness beneath my skin. It was barely noticeable yesterday but every time Hawk stares a little too long, I have to take a few deepbreaths and think about literally anything else to keep from slicking in my boxers.
Hawk returns, the Alpha seemingly laughing at me. “Nothing feels different, huh?” He reaches forward, his fingers gently massaging my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. A loud, involuntary groan tears from my throat, my scent spiking. I growl at him, reaching down to adjust myself, my cock twitching against my jeans. “Baby, you don’t present like you’re in preheat but we can both smell you. And every time you lean in or one of us touches you, I see the way your jaw ticks as you try to keep from giving into your instincts.”
Riley bursts out laughing, heading for the door. “Have fun and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”
“You mean like use this room for something other than practicing?”
Laughter follows my question, Hawk filling in the silence as he offers a hand, elegant fingers asking for me to take them. I oblige, Hawk pulling me up from the floor and into his chest. “It’s all just a dance, a way to experience it. Have a dance with me?”
“Is that code for something?” I ask, half-teasing, half-wary.
“That’s a form of dance as well,” he muses, his voice dropping a few octaves, “a joining of two bodies singing the same song.” He guides me, his hands finding my waist, and I stiffen—my movements clumsy, awkward, my broad frame unsure against his lean grace. But then his touches soften, fingers trailing along my sides, thumbs brushing my hips and I lose myself in it, in him, the stiffness melting away as we glide across the floor.
There’s no music, just the sound of our breathing, the scuff of my socks on the hardwood, the rustle of his jeans, and I’m caught—lost in Hawk’s eyes, pulling me into a rhythm I didn’t know I couldfollow. I’m not sure how long we move like this, effortlessly, weightlessly, my body melting in his arms, giving way to that needy part of me I’ve stuffed away for so long.
A sharp whine falls from my lips, a rush of slick coating my boxers, soaking through the fabric. My knees buckle, my face flushing crimson as Hawk’s hands tighten, holding me upright. “Stay with me, babe,” he murmurs. “I got you.”
“I’m not sure I can do this.” Panic claws at my chest as I realize I have to wholly give in. Submit. Give Hawk something I’ve never given anyone else. My instincts want it but my mind is at war with everything else I keep telling myself.
Hawk guides me to his bed, sitting me on the edge. “It can be terrifying but it’s just me, just another form of dance. Do you want to go back to your room?” His tone’s gentle, giving me an out, and I shake my head, knowing that only emptiness waits me back in the junior dorms.
I haven’t been there all week and Riley’s nest, as warm as it is, feels wrong now. They warned me, didn’t they? That I wouldn’t want someone else’s nest, mate or not, not with my heat so close. “I can’t,” I add, quieter, my chest tight, the realization sinking in.
Another whine slips out and I grit my teeth, Hawk leaning down to kiss me softly, to pull me out of my head. He’s so fucking gentle, peeling me out of my shirt and then my pants, lips caressing my jaw and then my neck, his hands roaming up and down my sides until I’m shaking with need. “I’m going to make you feel good, okay? Just focus on me.”
