Page 9 of Forbidden Taste
Until my professor walks down the aisles between our desks, gesturing and pointing at students’ work. His brows are pinched, disappointment and a twinge of disgust buried in his expression. And then he passes by me, his fingers harshly tapping the corner. It leaves a small indent, barely there, but for some reason it feels like he’s desecrating my work and a growl rumbles out of me before I can stop it.
He freezes, eyes widening, but I don’t apologize. I know what I did was wrong but my instincts tell me that I was only protecting my stuff, that the professor was disrupting my work and therefore he was in the wrong. Eugene, sitting beside me, jumps in quickly. “Sorry, prof. He’s in pre-heat, so everything’s a bit discombobulated.”
The professor narrows his gaze at me and then moves on, but the room shifts—eyes flicking my way, whispers rustling between the students. When the lecture ends, I can’t pack up fast enough, still careful to preserve my blueprint as I slide it into my folder. Unfortunately, Eugene is on my heels, guiding me off to the side.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he hisses, his face scrunched in confusion. “You smell like an apple pie factory exploded. Is this your heat or something else?” His hazel eyes narrow, searching me.
I shrug, my bag heavy on my shoulder. “I guess I just didn’t sleep well this weekend,” I mutter, shoving my hands into my pockets. “I’m fine.”
He snorts, unconvinced. “You snapped at our teacher. Go to your dorm. Take a nap. Cuddle some pillows or whatever. I’ll make sure to get notes from your other classes.” I’m about to fight him on that but he just shakes his head. “Leo, I might be a bitch most of the time but I’m not stupid. I have no idea how you haven’t figured it out.”
“Figured what out?”
“That your version of being an Omega is different than everyone else. You always get surprised when you react to things.” I’m just staring at him at this point, completely confused. “Jesus Christ, seriously? Leo, you don’t have a nest—or so you’ve told me—you said your dad was the same way, didn’t build one until he got pregnant. But he still had a ‘nest’.” Eugene adds air quotes. “Andyournest is the things you hold dearest to your heart. Your safe place. The things that make you smile.”
My entire body freezes at the way Eugene explains it because it makes so much fucking sense. Curling up in the corner with a bunch of pillows has never been me. But protecting my work? It pains me when my professors write all over it, when they smudge the pencil marks, or indent the paper. I’m not just acting out. I’m mad because they are messing with my ‘nest’. And it’s one of the many reasons why after they touch it, I always get rid of it.
All the other students are building their portfolios with old work, pictures, awards and I only have a few that haven’t been touched and haven’t even seen the outside of my room.
Eugene sighs, his shoulders falling but the faint redness on his cheeks and the way his nostrils flare tell me my scent is a lot strongerthan usual. “I’m not the only one who can smell you,” he says, lowering his voice. “Everyone’s confused and turned on, trying to figure out how to react to you. You might forget, but you’re still a damn Omega. Go.”
I trudge down the hall, my backpack straps digging into my shoulders. The music wing stretches to my right, a soft hum of piano notes drifting out, but something keeps me from venturing to Riley’s practice room. Stepping away from him now is the best course of action because I’m not sure I could claw my way out of the emotions that would take over if Riley saw the real me and then rejected me.
Shame burns in my chest as I veer left, a soft hand brushing my arm. I freeze, heat flooding my face as I turn to see Riley standing there, his doe eyes wide, searching my face for something. He’s not dressed in his usual business casual clothing with soft caramels or blues. “Hey, Leo, can we talk?”
My heart drops into my stomach at the fact that he used my name. He said ‘sweetie’ so freely before, a melody that I had already taken for granted but maybe it’s just as well.
I grip my backpack straps tighter before nodding and following him down the music wing. His scent is almost muted and I can’t read his expression. All I know is that he’s worried but about what, I couldn’t tell. It isn’t until we step inside his room, the door falling shut behind me, that he turns around to speak. I brace myself against the wood, waiting for the inevitable ‘this can’t work’.
“I’ve been thinking all goddamn weekend that I did something,” he says, his voice trembling slightly, his words edged with a whine. “Did I push too far? Leo, why do I feel like you’re scared of me?” His eyes lock on mine, pleading, and I feel the weight of his emotions spillingout.
I shake my head, confused on how he could think that. “I’m not…” I start, my voice rough, cracking. “It’s just—I like this. I like how it is, but I…” I falter, my fingers twitching around my backpack straps. “You won’t be with me when you find out.”
Riley steps closer, his scent thickening, wrapping around me like a warm embrace. “Come on, sweetie,” he urges softly. “Give me more than that.” His brows knit, concern etching his face, and I feel cornered, trapped by his gaze, the truth clawing its way up.
My breath hitches and I feel like I’m about to panic—or cry. My scent fluctuates, spiked apples turning sweet and hard. Riley’s still searching for something and I feel laid bare in front of him before I drop my hands over my cock and blurt out a secret that only my doctor and I know. “I… have a knot. I’m an Omega with a knot, okay?” I brace for the recoil, the disgust, the immediate withdrawal.
But none of that happens. Instead, Riley fists his hand in my shirt, tugging me down into a fierce kiss, cutting off my spiral before it even starts. “What youareis mine,” he growls against my lips. “And a knot? Sweetie, this is like fucking Christmas. Jesus Christ, you know I like being stuffed, right?” He pulls back just enough to grin up at me, his eyes glinting with heat. “Too much, right. Just kiss me, Leo.”
“It’s really not a problem?” My hands are still hovering over my cock, unsure if this is a joke or Riley just doesn’t care.
“Why would I dislike you for a part of you that you can’t change?”
It’s what I’ve been waiting to hear—from anyone, from someone—and it’s like those very words give me confidence. I surge forward, my hands finding his face, cupping his cheeks as I kiss him back. Passion floods me, a tidal wave of want and relief, as I switchour positions, pressing him against the door. His lips part under mine and I deepen the kiss, my tongue sliding against his.
My knot throbs, a slow swell in my jeans, and I grind against him, the friction sparking heat up my spine as the kisses turn sloppy, a sudden hunger for more that I can’t tame.Riley isn’t ashamed of me.The gasp that falls from his lips has me pulling back, searching his face for discomfort.
“Leo,” he says, his voice husky, steadying me. “I’m not as fragile as I look, okay? And I can see that you want to take. Sotake.”
I hesitate only for a moment before I’ve pressed myself up against him again. Our scents start to mix—spiced apples tangling with roses and honey—drawing me into a haze where nothing exists but him. The only thing I want is to be inside him, to feel his heat around me, and my rational mind slips away, drowned by the primal pull of my desires.
My fingers fumble at the hem of his hoodie, tugging it up and off in one fluid motion revealing flushed skin. Riley reaches behind him, his hand finding the lock with a soft click, sealing us in. I can't stop kissing him, my lips trailing along his jaw, his neck, tasting the salt of his skin.
He arches into me, hands roaming as they help me out of my jacket, and then my shirt. The fabric peels away, cool air kissing my bare chest, and Riley lets out a little whine—a sound so needy it sends a shiver racing down my spine.
“Just stop me when it’s too much, sweetie,” Riley breathes.
eight
