Karter

KARTER

KNOTTING WASN'T SOMETHING I had ever considered with any of the omegas I'd been with in the past. I was aware that plenty of alphas knotted indiscriminately, and there really weren't any risks or issues. But I couldn't get past the mental block. The idea of being locked inside someone, completely vulnerable to them, the intimacy of the act, it was all too much for me.

When I felt myself start to swell inside Cameron, I didn't feel that aversion. I wasn't afraid of being vulnerable with him. We barely knew each other, but my instincts told me that he would never use me or hurt me. I wanted the intimacy with him. I'd never done it, but I knew how amazing it would feel. And I knew it would feel good for him, too.

The logical part of my brain knew I couldn't let it happen. It could dislodge the condom, or cause it to spill. It wasn't a high risk, but it would be supremely foolish to take even a small chance. Even if my instincts as an alpha were to breed. I couldn't do that to him. Not after what I'd found out today already.

I should have known I would knot for him. Everything about him was drawing me in, thrilling and haunting me. I'd barely been able to stop myself from chomping down into the glands on his neck to mark him. I'd had to lie about the couch being too small, just so I could flip him around and keep his top half far away from my teeth. I hoped he hadn't suspected just how tempted I'd been to bite him there. It definitely wasn't normal to want to do that to an omega I barely knew. But the feeling wasn't fleeting. It was lingering. I did want to mark him.

"Karter, what's wrong?" He sounded afraid. I'd frightened him. I had to stop doing that.

"Nothing," I assured him quickly, carefully holding him down by the small of his back as I pulled out of him. I had a feeling if he knew I'd nearly knotted, he would try to convince me to go through with it. And with his lovely, shy, pleading voice there would be no way I could deny him. "You don't need to worry about anything."

I shifted my gaze to the ceiling for a moment, hoping to compose myself and my desire, which felt insurmountable. But seeing his beautiful, lithe body, so perfectly positioned just for me, wouldn't help me on that front.

Despite my reassurance that there was nothing wrong, he wriggled out of position, twisting around to face me, his movements hampered by the panties still locked around his legs.

"Are you sure? You sounded… Weird," he finished. He was still panting and flushed from his third release. Not that I'd counted. I was confident I could have done better if he hadn't already taken heat blockers and provided we were in a real bed. I could already smell the candy-sweet scent of his heat beginning to fade.

Staring into his half-lidded, satisfied hazel eyes, I decided I wouldn't lie to him again. "I could feel myself beginning to knot, and I had to make sure that wouldn't happen. That's all."

His eyes widened, immediately snapping down to my lap. "W-wait! You should do it! I really want you to," he added, sounding so excited he was nearly breathless. As I'd thought, it would have been a fatal mistake to mention it before I'd pulled out.

Chuckling lightly, I pulled him to me, pressing our bodies together as I kissed his pouting lips. "I will knot you," I promised him. "As many times as you want, whenever you'd like. On one condition."

"What is it?"

"You have to start taking birth control."

His expression fell as he bit his lower lip. I hated when he looked sad.

"Um, I totally would, but…" He blushed, glancing away from me. "I can't really afford an appointment for the prescription. Plus the prescription itself. I just can't."

"You can go to my physician. He'll bill me directly." If that was all that was stopping him, it was a very easy fix.

"Ah, you want to pay for… my birth control? That's kind of weird, isn't it?"

"You wouldn't be on it if not for me. It would be unfair of me to expect you to pay for something that is solely for my benefit."

"I wouldn't say it's solely for your benefit," he argued, but most of the uneasiness from his expression had faded. "Are you really sure about this? I don't want to take your money or anything."

That was a first. I'd dated plenty of nice omegas with pleasant personalities. Even the nicest, most selfless ones were still eager to enjoy the benefits of being with someone with so much disposable income. There wasn't anything wrong with it, just something I couldn't avoid.

"I'm absolutely sure, sweet boy. Don't give it a second thought."

"Well… Okay," he relented. "If you really don't mind…"

After spending another few minutes convincing him, which mostly consisted of kissing, we stood and started to clean ourselves up.

"We need a shower," he pointed out, wrinkling his nose in disgust as he finally slipped the underwear down his legs and off his body. They were no longer pristine, streaked with his cum and sticky with slick. "We…" He trailed off, his eyes widening with a realization. "Oh my god! Your driver! He's still sitting out there!"

"He's used to waiting for me. That's his job," I explained. "But if you go start the shower, I'll send him a message."

When Cameron rushed off to comply with my request, I sent a brief explanation that I'd be staying for an undetermined amount of time and that he was welcome to leave and return upon request. I knew he wouldn't go far, he was used to the routine.

In the shower, we kept finding excuses to touch and rub against each other until we were both hard. I didn't dare bury myself in him again, no matter how badly I wanted to, but the soapy lather made it easy to slip around on each other, eventually bringing us both to nearly simultaneous climaxes.

Afterwards, I put my suit back on and he changed into what I'd seen him in nearly every time I'd been in his presence. Jeans and a t-shirt. While it was clear fashion was not an interest of his, I found myself charmed by his casual attire. His shirt today displayed a fat, cartoon bumblebee with the request that people just bee nice. To him, I would. Everyone else was on their own.

The charged energy from when I'd entered the apartment was gone. Now that his heat had waned, and the tension between us was sated, everything felt peaceful and serene. I watched as he bundled up the blanket we'd dirtied, taking it to a tiny alcove near the kitchen that I assumed held a washer and dryer. I put the cushions I'd tossed to the floor back and sat, waiting for him to return.

When he did, he eyed me kind of shyly. The fact that he could still feel shy after what we'd barely finished doing astounded me. He was the most adorable person who'd ever inhabited the earth.

"Are you leaving soon?" He questioned.

"I'll leave when you want me to."

He glanced at the time before responding. "Well… I still have some time before Ty gets home from school. We could still try to make it to your work for me to finish the review stuff."

I felt my mouth twitch as I tried not to grin. "I made all of that up. There is no review program. So there's no issue if you don't return to finish."

"Karter!" He goggled at me and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why would you do that?"

"You weren't going to let me get to know you. I had to do something. Don't worry, you'll still be receiving a deposit into the bank account you provided, for your time."

"Uh, but I didn't do anything to get paid for."

"Sure you did," I argued. "We don't want our salon team to get rusty. It's good practice for them."

Sighing, he pressed two fingers to his temples, giving me an exasperated look. "There's nothing I can say to change your mind, right?"

"No."

"You're a really weird guy, you know that?" He told me. But he didn't seem angry that I'd lied. Good. Maybe he was getting used to my infamous stubbornness already. That would make things easier.

"Maybe I am," I agreed. "Does that bother you?"

He shook his head, finally taking a seat next to me. He cuddled up to my side, and I put my arm around his shoulder, holding him to me. He was probably exhausted after such an intense heat and then everything after.

"I guess you probably want me to elaborate on that whole having a six-year-old kid at 22, huh?"

As I'd thought, his voice sounded soft and sleepy. I shifted a little, encouraging him to rest his weight fully on me, which he did.

"I'm pretty sure I can ascertain as to how that occurred, Cameron. There's no need to elaborate right now."

He laughed a little, nuzzling more deeply into me. "Okay."

We were quiet after that, just resting and absorbing each other, until it was close to time for Ty's bus to bring him home from school. I could tell Cameron regretted of having to tell me to leave, but I understood. He'd struggled telling me about Ty, but explaining to your child that you were seeing someone new was much more complicated.

The way he kissed me before I left, a long, deep, slow kiss that threatened to halt my brain function made it clear he wanted to see me again. As soon as was humanly possible for both of us. The feeling was completely mutual.

Nearly a week passed without him having a day off. It was difficult not seeing him in person, but we sent messages back and forth all day, which helped.

When I found out one of our executives needed to cancel on attending an out-of-town brand event and I was the only one who could take their place, I knew I'd want to see Cameron before I left, even if it was only for five minutes between him getting off work and getting home to greet Ty.

What time does your shift end tomorrow? I asked him in a text. Before he could answer, there was a knock on my office door.

Lucas entered, and my mood immediately plummeted.

"What do you want?" I asked.

He pulled up a chair to my desk and plopped down in it.

"You know, people are gossiping about you," he told me. His voice was condescending and annoying as always.

"I don't care. Do you have something business-related to discuss with me?"

"This is business related," he informed me. "People are saying you dragged some twinky little lollipop in here for a spa day. Is that true?"

Giving him a withering look, I tried to scrape up any patience I had left for his presence. "Your point?"

"Is that your idea of a date or something? It's weird that a guy like you has absolutely no game."

"It wasn't a date," I countered. "And your opinion of my dating prowess is worthless to me. Like your opinion on everything else." Regardless, it didn't matter if he was right or not. Cameron liked me for me, not what I could give him. For once.

"Anyway." He waved my answer away. "I actually came because I wanted to apologize. It's been awkward as hell between us, and it's lame to have tension with someone you work with."

"We don't work together."

"Sure, we do," he argued. "We're both going to the convention this weekend, aren't we?"

"You're going to that?" I could barely suppress a groan.

"Yep! I'm going as a brand ambassador. They're using me for social media content."

"How wonderful for you."

"So anyway, I'm tired of things being weird between us. I get you're not into me. Apparently, I'm not your type." It was an understatement, but one I didn't care to confirm or elaborate on. "So let's just start over, clean slate."

"Fine." The slate could be cleared, but I still didn't like or trust him. He was a sneaky, manipulative person. He'd always been willing to go to any lengths to get what he wanted, ever since we were kids in school.

"So go out for a drink with me after work. As friends," he added quickly.

It was the last thing I wanted to do, but if there was even a small chance of his sincerity, I wanted to encourage it. If it would cause fewer encounters with him in the future, it would be worth it.

"Who else is going?" I questioned. He gave an innocent shrug of his shoulders in response.

"I didn't really ask anyone else, so just us, I guess?"

I wanted to roll my eyes to the ceiling, but it was just as well. Without other people to add their conversation, it would be over quicker.

"Fine." He gave me the name of the place, which I jotted down into my phone. I noticed that Cameron had responded to my text as I did, so I rushed Lucas out.

That evening, at the sophisticated little bar Lucas had directed me to, I sat across from him, completely unsure what to say. It was awkward and I didn't want to be there. He did not share my feelings for our current situation.

He yapped on and on about people we worked with, what he thought would happen at the brand event, his interests, and whatever else seemed to cross his mind. I gave the replies I thought he wanted to hear, within reason, but my mind was somewhere else completely.

My phone lit up with a message from Cameron. He was excited because Ty had been picked for the lead role in a play at his school, a simplified version of Peter Pan. It wouldn't be for a few months, but apparently Ty was over the moon. I wondered if he would invite me to Ty's school to watch the play with him.

"What is that goofy grin about?" Lucas wondered, scoffing at me. "And who are you texting?" He rudely snatched my phone out of my hand before I could react. "Cameron, huh?" He read the contact name at the top of the messages, wiggling his eyebrows. "Looks like you're kind of smitten. Wait," he realized, mouth dropping open as I yanked my phone back from him. "Cameron's the name of that kid you brought into the salon the other day, right?"

"He's not a kid," I snapped. "And why does it matter?"

"It doesn't," he said quickly, smiling widely at me. His smile reminded me of a piranha. "I was just surprised, that's all. Hey, is that a new watch?" He grabbed my wrist, turning it over to look at the face of the watch. I waited one second, then two, and he still hadn't let my wrist go.

"No. I wear this watch all the time," I said, pulling my hand away. I felt like I needed to disinfect my hands to rid myself of his touch. "Have I stayed long enough to garner your good will yet? Because I'm ready to go."

"Yeah, that's fine!" Surprisingly, he was willing to allow my escape. "Let's walk out together."

"But you just ordered a drink," I pointed out. Was he a moron?

"It doesn't matter," he said, pulling out a bill and leaving it on the table. "I'm ready to go if you are."

"You understand that when I say I'm going home, I mean I'm going home by myself, and you are free to go wherever you would like, provided that place is not my home."

"Yep! Whatever you say."

So we left. I got into my car, and he got into his. I drove home, and he didn't accompany me. I felt gross and annoyed, but hopefully it meant he wouldn't bug me as much anymore.

By the time I reread Cam's message about Ty's play and started responding to it, I'd already forgotten all about Lucas and his irritating antics.