Page 89 of Omega's Flight
"Do you not want to stay and wait with me?" Though if Raleigh decided to go home, Cas would lose this time with him. He braced himself, a little shocked at how much he wanted Raleigh to stay here, on this porch with him. But not at the expense of Raleigh's still wounded heart. "I'll walk you home, if you like."
"It's right next door," Raleigh reminded him, but his voice was rich with laughter. "I don't think I'll get lost."
"A good alpha always makes sure his omega gets home safely."
Oops.
Raleigh pulled away from him, just enough that he could turn to face Cas, there in the sunshine. "Your omega?" But he was still laughing.
"Blew my cover, didn't I?" Well, Raleigh didn't seem too upset by it. "Yeah, if you're interested. But I'd understand if you wanted to live on your own for a while." He held his breath and waited.
Raleigh frowned in a thoughtful way and shook his head. "No, I'm interested. But..." He raised himself up on his tiptoes and pressed his mouth to Cas's for a moment. Cas felt every nerve in his body come alive, and a flush of whatever it was that made him alpha brought a growl to his lips but—thankfully —no farther. His body tensed and it took all his good wishes and all the manners he'd ever been taught not to respond by shoving Raleigh against the front of the house and laying his claim on the omega.
It was unnerving. He'd never had someone raise these kinds of emotions in him.
But Raleigh ended the kiss, long before Cas would have done so voluntarily, and sighed, leaning his head against Cas's chest. "Damn."
The mating bond. "Nothing?" That hurt.
"Not much. But it feels good when you hold me." His arms snaked around Cas's waist and he pressed them together. "Can I ask you a question?" His tone was hesitant, not something Cas wanted to hear in his omega's voice.
"Always." Better make that clear right away.
A snort of laughter greeted his declaration, but then Raleigh lifted his head. "Would you come home with me?"
Cas stilled, uncertain what Raleigh was asking. "I thought you didn't—" He broke the sentence off, wary of saying something he shouldn't.
Raleigh's arms fell away and the omega backed away, appalled confusion on his face. "Oh, no, I suppose you're right. It was silly of me to ask. I mean, you're an alpha, and—"
It took only one long step to close the gap between them, and less than a second to pull the omega up against his chest again. Raleigh squeaked, a noise Cas had never heard a shifter make. It made him grin and he leaned in to steal a kiss—their second one. This time, Raleigh kissed him back, though there was no heat in it, just an omega's honest effort to give back to his alpha. And Cas was going to be his alpha, if he had to bury Degan in a mountain of paperwork to make it happen.
When their lips finally parted, Raleigh let himself mold to Cas's chest. "I wish that could have been more." The fingers of one hand stroked over the cloth of his sweater, a comfortable feeling. Like something mates would do. "You know, if you wanted..." Raleigh lifted his head again, his expression the most earnest Cas had ever scene. "I mean, for you. I don't think... I mean, if you want to go to bed..." He was blushing furiously.
Is he actually offering to sleep with me, while still tied to Degan? "And what would you get out of it?" Cas stroked Raleigh's cheek with the back of his fingers and tried not to think about what kind of life the man in front of him had to have led, to even consider that an option.
"I want you to be happy. I want you..." His voice trailed away again and his jaw worked, as if he were chewing on words he couldn't spit out.
"I think," Cas said carefully, watching for the tell-tale signs that he was screwing up. "I would rather wait until we've got you free. Until we can both enjoy it. But," he added with glee and more than a little trepidation. "I'd happily sleep in the same bed as you." His own alpha morals wouldn't let him accept Raleigh's offer of pleasure without recompense, but as long as his balls didn't explode with frustration, the thought of sleeping surrounded in Raleigh's scent made him want to howl for joy and hunt some once-living gift to bring back to his soon-to-be-claimed omega. He wondered if Bax would kill him for this, then decided that at nearly six inches taller than his packbrother, he could probably outrun him.
Raleigh's eyes widened, then narrowed, and he pushed away from Cas to stand by the stairs, arms crossed over his chest. "Cas, I know I'm just an omega, but please take this seriously."
Cas laughed at his grumpy omega. "I am." And when Raleigh didn't relent, he added, "I do take you seriously. Do I really look like the kind of alpha that can only think with the little head?" He wagged his finger at Raleigh with mock severity, forcing a reluctant smile to break out on the omega's face. "That's slander, I'll have you know."
"If you haven't sued Pip yet, I don't expect you'll sue me," Raleigh said saucily. He laughed and came back to Cas, but his movements lacked the assurance they'd had at the beginning of their conversation. "I'm sorry. I feel selfish. I'm lonely and you smell good and I want to wake up with you." He shook his head and leaned against Cas's shoulder. "I suppose it's a dumb idea anyway. We couldn't let the pups know, which would mean kicking you out before sunrise whenever you stayed over."
Cas pulled him close and kissed his forehead. "We'll deal with that when it comes. In the meantime, isn't it lucky that two of my brothers are mated with families? Lots of potential for sleepovers there." They laughed softly together and then the sound of a truck's engine rose over the trees that hid most of the wall from view. “What are the pups up to today?“
“We haven’t decided yet. Probably just playing. We might go up for Storytime later on.” Then, shyly, Raleigh asked, “Would you like to join us?”
“I’d love to." He had work he should be doing, but none of it felt as important as this omega right now.
“That makes me happy,” Raleigh said slowly. "But if you change your mind about the other—" He put his hand on Cas's chest, the fingers digging slightly into the muscle. "You'll let me know? I am willing."
Willing, but not wanting, and Cas must have had a fragile ego because he couldn't stand the thought of lovemaking without that need on both sides. "And when you're wanting, then I'm yours however you want me." He gently pushed the omega away, in the direction of the house next door, and watched with hungry eyes as Raleigh collected the mugs and took them inside. A last lingering look passed between them as Raleigh disappeared and then the truck pulled up, with what looked like a brand new mattress hanging over one side, and Holland got out.
"They're in. I sent them to see Adelaide, get the baby checked out. Help me with the mattress. Quin’s going to murder me for giving away our new one, but that thing in there is disgusting.”
"You didn't have any problems getting them through the gate?” Cas went to the back of the truck while Holland climbed up into the bed.
