Page 73 of Feeling the Heat: Part Two
“Alright. Anything else you need to get before we head out?” My eyes land on the trash bag near the front door, and I head over to grab it to take on our way out.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that. I was going to take it out earlier, but then I, uh…”
“You don’t have to explain to me why you didn’t take your trash out. I promise I’m not judging.”
She shakes her head. “I know. I didn’t think that. It’s just that I was halfway down the hallway to the trash chute and I thought I saw something, so I turned around.”
“What did you see?” A sense of unease washes over me.
“It was nothing. A trick of the eye. This woman at work mentioned that an ex-coworker of mine was lying about dating me, and he harassed me back when I worked at Pulse. I thought for a second I saw him at the end of the hallway.” She lets out a weak chuckle. “I think I’m paranoid after what happened.”
“Not paranoid. It’s okay to be cautious. You had a traumatic experience,” I reassure her, cupping her cheek.
“I know, but I don’t want to be jumpy for the rest of my life thinking that there are threats everywhere,” she sighs.
My heart breaks that she has to worry. I want to tell her that she doesn’t need to be scared because we’ll keep her safe, but that’s not something I can guarantee.
I hate it. Camille will be on her own sometimes, and we can’t lock her away from the world, so her safety isn’t always in our hands.
“It’ll get better with time,” I say, attempting feebly to reassure us both. “But right now, it makes perfect sense for you tohave your guard up. And whenever you need someone to take your trash out with you, or be with you when you’re scared, I’m here.”
“Thank you,” she says softly, and doesn’t protest again when I grab the bag of trash and take her hand in my free hand as we head out of her place.
We head to the townhouse, Camille’s anxiety decreasing significantly once we get out of her place and to the safety of my car. Her stomach growls loud enough that it echoes inside the small space, and she confesses she didn’t eat enough today, so we make a quick detour to grab burgers and milkshakes from her favorite to-go place.
I’d wanted to order in something a little nicer for her, but when she moans as she shoved a handful of piping-hot fries into her mouth and grins at me like I gave her the world, I realize that it doesn’t matter how impressive the food is, as long as it makes her happy.
I had similar worries when I first started dating River. I was so eager to impress and show him that I valued his company that I kept taking him to overpriced restaurants that neither of us ended up enjoying. With Camille, it’s even worse, because my alpha is telling me I need to prove to my omega that I can provide for her. Hopefully, that part of me will shut up once we finally find the time to go on one of those fancy dinner dates and realize again how overrated they tend to be.
By the time we get to the townhouse, Camille’s color is much better, and she’s talking animatedly about the puppies she met at work and how she almost adopted one even though that’d be a terrible idea.
I bite my tongue before I do something dumb, like point out that her increased interest in nurturing a small creature is tied to her omega hormones spiking as she gets closer to apotential heat. And I definitely don’t point that out when we get inside and she almost starts crying when I tell her that Dolly is with Jackson so she won’t be able to snuggle with her as a balm for her puppy fever.
Instead, I set the food down on the coffee table and draw her against me, letting my alpha pheromones and body give her the cuddles she’s craving.
“Mmm, can we stay like this all night?” she murmurs against my chest, her body loose and supple in my arms as she purrs quietly.
“Absolutely.” I press a kiss to the crown of her head and rub my hands up and down her back. Her nearness and her scent are a potent blend that both soothe me and make my alpha crave more. My cock hardens, but I try my best to ignore it, wanting Camille to know I’m content to just hold her.
“Probably should eat some more though,” she sighs eventually, pulling back with a dreamy, relaxed smile on her face.
“Probably.” I squeeze her hip before letting her go reluctantly.
We sit together on the couch, her thigh pressed close to mine as we eat our burgers, chatting about our days and plans for the rest of the week. She polishes her food off with a speed that emphasizes how hungry she was, which makes me a little unhappy as an alpha and a doctor, but the last thing I want to do is lecture her. Camille is an adult, and as much as we like to pretend I’m her daddy, she’s capable of taking care of herself. I’ll have to settle for subtly encouraging her to eat more throughout the day. Maybe I’ll start getting lunch delivered to her office…
“We should put the milkshakes in the freezer for now,” Camille says, dragging me from my thoughts of how to provide for her without being annoying.
I tilt my head at her. “Are you full?”
She shakes her head with a slight, almost disappointed, frown. “Not yet.”
My brow furrows. “Then why don’t you want your milkshake now?”
Camille sighs. “Because I want something else.”
I sit up straighter, my alpha standing at attention to get her whatever she needs. “We have lots of other food here, or we can order something else.” I go to get up, but Camille grips my thigh.
I blink at her in confusion until her hand slides in further to rest atop my half-hard cock. “Oh!”
