Page 18 of Vallaverse: Noir
I nod gratefully. Thank you …?”
“Pierce. What sorts of things do you like, Beckett? What textures should I be looking for? What scents?”
“Smooth things,” Becket says. “Nothing furry.”
“I'll be back soon.” Pierce steps around me to leave, but stops just behind me. He turns and steps into me, so that I can feel his chest brushing against my back and bends his head to draw in my scent. “Name?”
“Dana. Here. Take the key.”
“Dana,” he repeats huskily, then takes the key and leaves.
I take a breath of the lingering earthy scent and let my mind reel with it for just a few seconds before I pull Beckett to his feet. “Let's get you to the bed. When did you last eat?”
“Earlier.” His forehead is beaded with sweat and I can feel the heat rolling off of him as I follow behind him to the bed. “I'm sorry if this is awkward.”
“I don't care about awkward. I just want to help you. You may have to tell me what you need. I don't want to do anything you don't like.” What I don't say is that I'm a nervous wreck because it's been a little longer than a while since I last slept with someone, let alone an Omega.
He starts tugging at his clothes with trembling hands and I gently pull them away so I can take over. First his suit jacket, then I begin on the shirt, button after button. He starts working on his belt buckle and pants as I push his shirt from his shoulders. Time, as well as my heart, stops the second I see the faint marks marring his shoulders. My breathing stops when I pull his undershirt off.
“Who did this?” I growl. I can't stop the sound and he flinches at the harshness of it. I don't like that and it only serves to sharpen my outrage and anger.
“I was having spikes.”
“Give me names.” I stare at each one, gritting my teeth. It's more than a few marks from rough sex. If I had seen him when these were fresh, I probably would have gone into an immediate rage. On his shoulders. His neck. His ribs. Everywhere but his neck. I'm almost afraid of what I'll see when his pants are off.
“They don't matter,” he sighs. “I called the heat service through the center. I don't know them. It was just a spike.”
All this from one spike? Then I register the word he said. “They? How many?”
“Two,” he says. “I just wanted to see what it was like.”
It isn't his fault, I remind myself. He's an Omega. Omegas go into heat. They have spikes. They need help. That's why heat services exist. This happened before he and I knew the other one existed. But it is obvious that the experience wasn't a pleasant one for him. Still, I need to know. “Males?”
“Yes.”
“Is that your usual preference?” I hope it isn't. I really do.
He shakes his head. “I'm happy with the right Alpha. That's all that matters.”
I'll take it. His face tightens and his stomach clenches. The time for talking is running out. “Are there more marks?” I glance down at his pants.
He pinches his eyes closed. “Some. Please don't let – ”
“I wouldn't let anything stand in the way of taking care of you,” I tell him firmly. “But we will revisit this. I do want names when this is over. How many days do you usually go for?” I don't have anything pressing me other than the Westover case, but I would like a general idea of how long I'll be unavailable.
“My last heat went for three days. Do you have an implant?”
“No. There hasn't been a need for one.”
“What about pregnancy?” he asks.
“The Valla will have to get over it.”
The scent of heat and slick is suddenly overwhelming. “You don't care?”
“No.” Right now, I don't. I gave up thoughts about having babies years ago, but I wanted them. It doesn't matter that I've only known Beckett's name for a few short minutes. He's my Omega. Mine. If he wants kids, we'll have kids. And the Valla will, in fact, have to get over it.
Beckett laughs and grabs the back of my neck again. He jerks me into him again and I put my hands on his chest to steady myself. “It's different with the scent match,” he growls. “Better and worse. Everything is stronger, but it's easier to deal with.” Then he grips my jaw and turns my mouth up for a brutal, aggressive kiss. He all but smashes his mouth over mine and thrusts his tongue inside, groaning.
