Page 104 of Eight Count Heat

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The elevator ride to the third floor feels endless, my mind replaying the sight of her falling apart between Tyler and Beckett's hands. The way her eyes rolled back, the soft sounds she made despite trying to stay quiet, the flush that spread across her chest as she came undone in front of all of us.

She's ours now. Maybe she always was, from that first day when she stepped onto our dock and commanded eight Alphas like she was born to it. But tonight made it official in a way that has nothing to do with university policies or team dynamics.

I knock softly on our door. "Reese? It's Bo."

"Come in," her voice calls, muffled through the wood.

I find her curled on the bed in a hotel bathrobe, knees drawn up to her chest. She looks small, vulnerable in a way she never allows on the water. The confident coxswain who commands our boat has been replaced by a young woman carrying too much weight on her shoulders.

"How are you holding up?" I ask, settling into the chair by the window.

"Honestly? I'm scared." She looks up at me with those blue-green eyes that miss nothing. "Kinsley has evidence now. Photos, maybe video. She could destroy everything."

"She won't." My voice carries the certainty I've built over years of protecting people I care about. "We won't let her."

"Why?" The question comes out raw, desperate. "Why are you all willing to risk so much for me? Your careers, your reputations, everything you've worked for?"

I lean forward, elbows on my knees, choosing my words carefully. "Because we like you, Reese. Hell, I think we've all wanted you in one way or another since that first day you showed up and put Gray in his place." I smile at the memory. "I know I have."

Her breath catches. "Bo..."

"I'm not talking about just the physical stuff, though God knows that's part of it." I stand, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. "You make us better. As a team, as individuals. You see potential in us we didn't know we had."

"That's just good coaching."

"No, darlin'. That's you caring about each of us enough to push us past our limits." I reach out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You think we'd risk everything for just any coxswain?"

She leans into my touch, eyes closing for a moment. "I don't deserve this. Any of it."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because I've been lying to you from day one. About what I am, about why I'm here. Because I'm the reason you're all in danger now."

The pain in her voice breaks something inside me. I shift closer, gathering her into my arms despite the awkwardness of the position. She comes willingly, face pressing against my chest as her hands fist in my shirt.

"Listen to me," I say against her hair. "You didn't choose to be born an Omega any more than I chose to be an Alpha. And you sure as hell didn't choose to have your heat cycle sabotaged by jealous bitches with nothing better to do."

A shaky laugh escapes her. "Such language, Strickland."

"My mama would wash my mouth out with soap if she heard me talk like that in front of a lady." I pull back to look at her. "Good thing she's not here to see what I'm planning to do to you tonight."

Heat flares in her eyes, pupils dilating as my scent shifts with arousal. "Bo..."

"Tell me what you need, Reese."

"You," she whispers. "I need you."

I reach out slowly, giving her time to pull away if she wants. But she doesn't. Instead, she leans into my touch as I cup her face, thumb stroking across her cheekbone.

"You sure about this?" I ask, searching her eyes. "Not just because of the heat, but because you want me?"

"I'm sure." Her hand covers mine, holding it against her skin. "I've wanted this. Wanted you. I just didn't think..."

"Didn't think what?"

"That someone like you would want someone like me."

The vulnerability in her voice breaks my heart. I shift closer on the bed, close enough that I can feel the warmth radiating from her skin.