Chapter 3

3

S hocked as I stare at Caleb Rockford, the grocery bag I hold slips from my fingers, and the sound of eggs breaking fills the tense silence.

"Nice collection you've got here." Caleb nods toward the photos plastered all over the office behind him. "What's the deal? Got a twin kink or something?"

My focus shifts from the muzzle of the weapon to the man, and I swallow hard, my thundering pulse threatening to undo me. "It's not a twin kink."

"Could have fooled me." His red eyebrows raise as he gestures to the walls again. "All these clippings seem pretty…obsessed. "

"Take another look." My gaze locks with his. "Only one man is in my collection."

Caleb scans the pictures and points to one taken at a gala opening from five years ago. "That's my brother, Damien."

"No." My heart pounds harder, making me lightheaded. "That's you pretending to be Damien. All the photos are of you."

His lips curve into a smirk, and the nose of his gun dips. "You sound very sure of yourself."

"Because I am." I take my research and my obsessions seriously.

"But your last article got it wrong." Caleb's tone turns accusing. "The one about the casino."

Is he mad about being misnamed, even though it was his intention?

"I notified my editor of the error, but it wasn't my call." My fingers twitch at my sides before I force them to still. "You get more clicks than Damien. Or so my publisher says."

This seems to please Caleb, who takes a step closer to me, his intense dark eyes studying my face.

One wrong move could be my last, so I hold my breath, not wanting this encounter to end too soon.

The smile slips from Caleb's lips, and the gun lifts once more. "Do you know why I'm here? "

I nod toward the weapon. "Based on the all-black outfit and firearm, I'd say you came to kill me."

My mind races, curiosity where fear should be. "So, what's Damien up to right now while pretending to be you? What will your alibi be for tonight? Another trip to the casino with the blond? Win a fortune or lose a fortune at the roulette table? Anything to be sensational and keep people looking in the wrong direction."

It's a theory I've toyed with since I first noticed the twins swapping places, with headlines landing the next day about fatal accidents for corrupt people in power.

One shoulder lifts. "Not that anyone would ever connect a billionaire playboy to my murder. I doubt you let yourself be caught on video coming into the building."

The security cameras at the back are all broken, anyway.

"You're smart." A smirk plays on his lips. "Cute, too."

A tremble goes through me.

He steps closer, his nostrils flaring as he inhales. "And you smell nice, which is surprising in this shitty apartment complex. "

I study the narrowing distance between us. "Soap and showers still work, even in squalor."

He chuckles, the sound even better in person than the fake laughs from his interviews.

His head cocks to the side, curiosity lighting his eyes. "You don't seem afraid."

"I've been expecting to die one way or another for a while now." I take in the blankets that cover the walls, hiding water damage and stained paint. "Which article got me put on the Rockford's elimination list, anyway? I'm not the only gossip columnist talking trash about your family."

"The story you wrote about the Sunrise Apartments being knocked down. The Rockfords are trying to improve the neighborhood, and you made a lot of accusations that shone us in a bad light." He bites his bottom lip as his gaze sweeps over me. "It's a pity."

The absurdity of the situation drags a laugh from me. It's the only serious piece I've written that Lily approved for print, and only because it had the Rockfords attached to it. Of course, the article centered on the site of my brother's disappearance would be the one to put me in Caleb's sights.

He smiles like he's in on the joke. "That amuses you? "

"I have dark humor," I say, bitterness sour on my tongue.

"So do I." Caleb's eyes never leave mine. "Are you going to beg for your life, Oliver?"

The sound of my name on his lips, said in a low, dangerous tone, sends a shiver of pleasure through me. "Would you like that?"

He leans in, the gun still pointed at me. "It's part of the fun."

A numbing sense of calm sweeps over me, and I step closer to him. "No, I'm not going to beg. There are better ways to spend my last words."

"Oh?" He stays still as I approach. "Like what?"

With the muzzle pressed to my chest, I stop in front of him. "I think you're cute, too."

Caleb laughs in delight, the sound shaking me to my core. "That's obvious from your fan wall dedicated to me."

"Fair enough." My heart pounds as I lean in to inhale his pheromones the same way he breathed me in. "And you smell nice, too."

"My body wash costs more than your monthly rent."

But it's not his expensive soap flooding my apartment with the most delicious scent ever to fill my lungs. "You're skilled to have gotten through all my locks with no one spotting you."

"Ah, well, I came in through the balcony." Caleb's head dips toward the curtain-covered sliding door. "You should put a bar in the track. It's too easy to jimmy open."

"Didn't think it was necessary on the twelfth floor." Warmth stirs inside me, enjoying this conversation even with the gun digging into my chest. "An error in my security measures. No time to fix it, though, I suppose."

"No, I don't suppose there is." Something like regret flickers across his face. "You could offer to retract the article."

"Not my decision, and it would cause more damage to the Rockford name." I shake my head. "The next story out would question why the Rockford family is doing a coverup."

"True." He shifts the weapon to press over my heart. "Any last requests, then?"

When I try to think of one, I come up blank. "What do people usually ask for?"

He shrugs. "A message to their loved one."

"Don't have any of those."

"Plants you want me to water?" he suggests .

"Black thumb." Cautiously, I raise my hands. "Done my fair share of killing, too, in that regard."

His eyes flick toward the blankets and drapes. "There is a significant lack of natural light in here."

I study his face, so familiar from all the nights I've spent staring at his pictures. "If I have a last request, you'll honor it?"

He dips his chin. "If it's within my ability."

His pheromones curl around me, mingling with mine that already fill the apartment. "Then I have one."

His pupils expand. "Do tell."

Excitement quickens my pulse. "Have sex with me."

I know I'm not his type on any level, but there's nothing to lose.

Surprise flashes across Caleb's handsome face, then a wicked grin curves his lips. "Are you serious?"

"Do we need to revisit my wall of obsession?" Heat curls in my hips. "If I'm going to die, and you'll honor my last request…"

"You really don't have any fear of death, do you?" Caleb searches my face, and whatever he sees there brings his gun down. "Okay, but you'll have to get me hard first."

Before he changes his mind, I drop to my knees, but the barrel under my chin brings me upright again.

"You haven't earned the right to touch me yet." He takes a step back, then gestures to me. "Strip."

The dim light of my apartment shines too brightly as I fumble with the buttons on my shirt.

"Have you lost your nerve already?" Disappointment underscores the question.

"Not at all." My hands shake, though, betraying my nerves.

Despite being the one who proposed sex, I never expected him to agree, or for there to be such little lead-up.

The embarrassment of exposing myself to someone like Caleb sends a thrill of shame down my spine, and liquid desire leaks from my entrance. Knowing how much I don't compare to the beautiful Omegas who grace his arm in public only turns me on more.

My clothes fall to the floor, revealing my lean body, lacking any muscle definition or curves.

"Turn around," Caleb orders, studying my naked form before he focuses on my leaking erection and the slick coating my thighs. "At this rate, I won't even need to touch you to make you come. "

My head jerks up. "That wasn't my last request. You said you'd have sex with me."

"Only if you get me going." He gestures toward the couch. "Go sit down."

I obey, feeling more exposed than ever when I perch on the edge of the cushions.

Caleb sits on the coffee table in front of me and shoves his gun into a hidden holster under his arm before he pulls out his phone, pointing it in my direction.

Confused, I look from the green light on the device to him. "What are you doing?"

A sly smile plays on his lips. "Recording your efforts to turn me on."

My dick jumps at the thought, and Caleb's grin broadens. "You like the idea of me having this video, don't you?"

Unable to hide my excitement, I nod.

But then his tone shifts, becoming more serious. "How would you feel about me posting it online for others to see?"

An anxious knot twists in my stomach, and my hands drop to cover my lap.

Caleb's eyes gleam as he catches a whiff of vulnerability. "So, there is something you're afraid of."

"Please don't," I whisper, my erection waning .

"Why not?" His focus remains fixed on me, as if puzzling out a difficult problem. "You'll be dead, and you have no loved ones, right?"

But Dylan could still be out there, and despite all my fantasies, I don't want him to see my last moments in a low-quality snuff film.

"Maybe you don't have to die, Oliver." Caleb leans toward me with a predatory grin. "This is enough blackmail to force you into quitting your job instead."

Panic rises in my chest. "Wait, we made a deal!"

"If you're a good boy, I'll still fuck you," he promises, the words sending shivers down my spine. "You still want that, right?"

Unable to resist the temptation, I nod.

"Then put your feet next to my thighs, move lower on the couch, and stop hiding." He points the phone at my waist. "Show off for me."

The sharp edge of the table digs into my bare soles when I settle my legs on either side of Caleb and scoot down until my ass hangs half off the cushion.

"Look at your sloppy hole, so desperate for me." Caleb licks his lips. "Now, let me see how you touch yourself while staring at those pictures of me."

Pulse hammering, I wrap my hand around my semi-soft dick, the pre-cum from earlier adding an easy glide.

Beneath Caleb's intense stare, with the camera rolling, I harden once more, both aroused and ashamed. I can't believe I'm doing this, performing for the man of my fantasies.

He shifts one knee, knocking my leg wider. "You don't only use the front, do you?"

Breath quickening, I slip one hand past my balls to my slick hole and push my fingers inside, wet noises filling the otherwise silent apartment. Pleasure curls my toes, every desperate pant dragging in Caleb's pheromones. They make my body burn to be spread open, to have this Alpha breed me.

As I add another finger, a bulge grows behind Caleb's zipper, tightening his pants. My ass clenches, and I roll my hips, my hands working faster. His cock looks larger than the toy I ordered online.

When my attention shifts toward the entryway table, Caleb follows my line of sight. "What are you looking at?"

Before I can answer, he stands and steps over my leg to grab the package.

He bounces it in his hand as he returns, resuming his place between my spread thighs. "What do we have here? "

He opens the box and pulls out the pink dildo inside, complete with a suction cup base. It's bigger than my previous one, but I dreamed too small when I ordered it with Caleb Rockford in mind.

A wicked smile crosses his face, and he tosses it onto the couch next to me. "Stretch yourself out with that."

My fingers make a wet suctioning squelch as I pull them out and reach for the toy. The weight is heavier than I expected, and the nerves return as I bring it to my entrance. I planned to use this for my Heat, when my body is naturally looser to prepare for an Alpha.

"Are you chickening out now, Oliver?" Caleb leans back to capture a full view of me in his lens. "Or are you going to show me how much you want my cock by stretching out your tight little hole?"

A whiny little sound escapes, and I push the dildo against the slick ring of muscles, moaning as it stretches me open. The burn, sharper than anything I've experienced before, gives me pause, though, and I hesitate with only the tip inside.

"No backing out, now." Caleb's foot presses on the base and pushes it in until the fake, pink balls sit flush with my ass.

The sudden rush of being stretched so wide sends pleasure coursing through me, and I orgasm, shaking with the intensity.

"Keep going," Caleb commands, his attention never leaving me as he continues recording. "Let me see you hard again."

My hand shakes as I grip the suction cup and pull the dildo out, the heavy drag over the sensitive ring of muscle at my entrance sends shivers through me. A hungry whine escapes, my body still spasming around the thick pink shaft as I push it back inside.

"Where were you planning to stick it?" Caleb licks his lips as he watches me masturbate. "On the shower wall, so you could pretend to be taken from behind? Or on a chair, so you could ride it?"

Dazed with pleasure, my focus drifts toward the covered patio door.

Caleb peers over his shoulder, then turns back to me with a wicked grin. "Oh, you naughty boy. You wanted to fuck yourself against a window where anyone higher up can see?"

I pant as the flared head rubs over the sensitive bundle of nerves deep inside, and my dick jumps in response, already thickening again as Caleb demanded.

He leans in, angling the camera for an above shot of the pink shaft disappearing into my body before reappearing again. "Are you sure you don't want me to put this online? Imagine how many more strangers could see you that way."

"Please, don't post the video," I plead, tilting my hips so he can have a better view.

"Do you want to only perform for me?" Caleb asks, his voice low and seductive. "Do you want to show me how you wanted to fuck yourself against the slider?"

"I want you to fuck me against it." My focus drops to the bulge in the front of his pants. "You said I had to get you hard. Mission accomplished."

"That was the deal." He rubs himself through his black material. "Go put your hands flat on the glass door."

My body protests when I yank the dildo out in my eagerness.

As I move to set it aside, though, Caleb stops me. "Take it with you. I want to watch you suck on it as I fuck you."

Desire blazes through me so intensely that I almost come again, but I fist my dick tight to hold it back. If Caleb wants me hard, I'm not willing to wait longer to get ready again.

My legs shake as I stand and walk across the apartment, pushing open the curtain .

The darkness outside creates a reflection of the room, and I watch Caleb approach me from behind. "Stick it at a height where you can choke on it while I'm inside you."

At the sound of his clothes rustling, anticipation fills me.

As I lean forward to follow his instruction, a flash catches my eye before a red dot appears on my chest. "What the…"

"Look out!" Caleb jerks me to the side as the slider explodes inward, showering us with shards of glass.