Page 46 of Alpha’s Conquest

He got this for me? A plant that would survive my black thumb. He even told me how to care for it so it wouldn’t die on me.

“I love plants,” I said as I touched the leaves. They felt warm under my fingertips. It was nothing like cold plastic.

“You liked my sunroom. I thought you might like something real.”

Mentioning the sunroom brought a brand new rush of warmth all over me. The sunroom, where we first gave into our passions, and found something we’d never had before. But it wasn’t just the sunroom I loved. I adored his house, with the beautiful windows and all the pretty plants everywhere. Maybe I built this nest thinking of it, the first place I truly felt at peace.

“Yeah, I… I love your home. Thank you, Adam.” I said his name again, this time knowing Marshall probably couldn’t hear us. I felt on equal footing with Adam that day, with his gift in my hands. He didn’t react the way he usually did when I broke the rules. He just smiled at me.

“Come on. Marshall’s almost done with dinner.” He held out his hand, and I set the plant on the patio before taking it. Our hands stayed clasped together for a few precious moments before we couldn’t touch each other again. “I like your little nest.” His eyes searched my face, his brow furrowing when he saw how red my cheeks were. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah. I’m just warm from sitting out here.”

“Hmm…” He opened the patio door for me, and closed it behind us once we were inside.

The kitchen smelled like meat and butter. Marshall quickly set a covered dish on the table before wiping his hands on his apron. He quickly took it off and tossed the apron over the back of his chair, his eyes dazed and focused at the same time.

Damn it. I knew that look.

“The hospital called. I was hoping we could eat before my shift started, but there’s a flu going around the staff and they need me to come in early.”

I plastered on a smile, one I had a lot of practice with. “It’s fine, Marsh. I’ve got dinner from here. Take some with you before you leave so you can eat it after surgery.” I helped him do just that, and he bent to kiss me on the cheek before grabbing his bag and running out the door.

“That was kind of you.”

I chewed my lip, tasting blood as I tossed a dirty spoon into the sink. “I’m as kind as I can be to him, all things considered.” The guilt I’d tried so hard to quell was surfacing all at once, but not even that could make me flinch when Adam slipped his hand around my waist. I leaned into his body, like a cat searching for pets. The heat grew inside me, an inferno fueled by his touch. “I’m going to hurt your son beyond repair, Adam.”

“I know.” His hot breath on my ear made me shiver. “I wish it was easier to walk away. But the thought of never seeing your face again… I’d rather die.”

I turned in his arms, peering up to see the truth in his green eyes, the longing and pain we shared. I couldn’t say no. I couldn’t walk away, no matter the cost. I thought I had a future with Marshall, that whatever I had with Adam was fleeting, a mere heat of the moment. Maybe it still was. But it didn’t matter anymore.

I’m lost. Lost in your arms. Lost in your love.

A wave of emotion swept over me, a fire burning deep inside. I gasped as he licked my neck, his tongue tasting the heat of my desire. My belly twitched when his lips found mine. He kissed me until I felt itchy all over. So itchy and hot, I could’ve clawed his skin off just to get him closer to me.

Cupping my neck, he pulled back and stared down at my hazy eyes. “You’re in heat.”

I grinned, and a giddy feeling washed over me as his pheromones drifted into my nose. “That explains how hot I feel.”

“And Marshall just went to work with you this close to the edge. What would you do if I wasn’t here?”

“How could he have known? My heat isn’t due for another week.”

He scoffed and brushed his hand over my hair, his touch making me moan. “I knew you were this close when you came running to me the other night, and just now when I saw you on the balcony. I smelled it. I sensed it. I know you, Casey. I know my omega.”

His omega.

That’s what I wanted, even if it was just for tonight. I wanted to be his completely.

His scent surrounded us, breaking the dam inside me from the touch of his lips. My pheromones broke free with a burst of insanity, spreading heat all over my body. While I was desperate with need, brimming with an overwhelming desire, I’d never felt so relaxed during my heat before. My body knew he would be here to take care of me.

My Alpha.

The truth was undeniable, a truth I had desperately tried to bury within myself. I belonged to Adam. I had since the day we met, long before he fucked me in the sunroom as rain beat against the glass roof over our heads. That night had changed me more than I ever thought possible.

Maybe it was just my heat, or maybe this was how I’d always felt. Either way, being in his arms as my heat overtook my body did something to me. He picked me up and carried me to the bedroom, my legs tucked firmly around his sturdy waist. Our clothes fell to the floor, one piece after the other, and his fingertips brushed across my heated skin as he crawled on top of me. Goosebumps burst over me wherever he touched.

“Adam,” I whined, shuddering when his fingers trailed below my navel. My cock felt like it was about to explode, and my ass leaked slick all over the sheets. I’d never been this turned on during a heat before. I felt like I would die if he didn’t fuck me. “P-please.”