17. Erin

Chapter seventeen

Erin

I turn to Locke and stroke a hand down his naked chest. He’s allergic to shirts, which I am not complaining about.

“So, now we’re alone.”

“We’re alone,” Locke murmurs and shifts closer, sliding his arms around my waist. As I move, I attempt to step around him. I don’t get far. He matches me step for step. “Are you going to deny us both another night?”

I groan as he bites the shell of my ear. He uses one hand to sweep my hair over my shoulder and drags his teeth over the bare skin.

“I should. I know you’ve got secrets.”

Locke’s eyes show a hint of vulnerability, and all that hesitation evaporates. All my concerns, all my doubts. I pull free from him and step into the cabin. I turn, crooking my finger and walking backwards. Now that I’ve decided, I feel confident and peel my dress off, stepping onto the balcony.

Locke follows, as I knew he would, and grips my hair as I slide my bra off and hurl it back into the cabin.

“Turn,” he growls.

My omega is such a growly, needy, little thing, but I love it.

I turn slowly, staring up at him as he looks me over. His eyes turn dark and intense. It’s a powerful feeling, but all that flutters away when he drops his jeans, revealing a long, hard cock. I reach out and grip him.

I don’t think he was expecting me to do that because he lets out a startled hiss and thrusts into my fist.

“Do you want to go fast or slow?”

“Fast then slow,” Locke grumbles. For a moment, just a moment, I think I see a flash of panic on his face.

I pause and lean closer. “Locke, we don’t have to do this.”

“I want to. My choice. You are my choice, and I…trust you, Erin.”

I don’t know why this feels so huge, but when my lips touch his, he opens for me, and vanilla floods my senses.

My omega perfumes and melts into me, and I’m lost. So lost.

I press into him, stepping towards him as he backs up until he’s pressed up against the glass, his cock between us and my tongue in his mouth. I can't stop, he tastes incredible.

He is all my favourite flavours. The texture that drives me insane, the perfect temperature. Everything about his kiss is designed to bring me to my knees, and I go willingly.

Locke holds me up, though, refusing to let me go, pulling my body into his as I melt into him. I’ve never felt like this, both like I am boneless and so energised I barely know what to do with myself – except keep drowning in his kiss. I drag my mouth from his, sucking in air. His lips trails over my curves, leaving a scorching trail.

“Erin. My beautiful alpha,” Locke murmurs, and one hand slides down to my ass, squeezing the flesh and making me moan, while the other holds me to him.

“Locke,” I murmur and lick his shoulder. My teeth suddenly ache, my mouth waters, and I want nothing more than to sink my teeth into his shoulder.

To mark him. Claim him. Bond him.

Vanilla circles around us, and my omega lets out a whine. Slick squirts out of his cock and runs down over my hand. I jack him off, spreading the slick. It’s messy, it’s erotic, I love it.

This is what I’ve waited my whole life for.

He sucks in air and thrusts helplessly into my fist. “So perfect. So fucking beautiful. Erin, you feel so good.”

“Lay down,” I whisper.

I back away, and just putting that much space between us is hard. He slips into the cabin and lays down on the couch. I’m on him in a second, tailing kisses down his chest, sucking his nipples and flicking my tongue over them.

His cock pulses against my leg, his slick runs down my inner thigh. I can’t think properly. All I can do is smell vanilla. I slide down his body, tracing his beautiful golden abs with my tongue. I suck his cock into my mouth, sucking hard as vanilla-flavoured slick squirts into me, and he arches and cries out.

Locke’s whines, moans, and cries edge me on. I keep up a torrent of torture, licking and sucking until he grips my head, holding me in place and surges up into me.

Sweet addictive release spills into my mouth, and I swallow mouthful after mouthful. My stomach heats, my body feels languid, and yet, I’m on fire. I climb up him, dragging my face over his chest, rubbing, scent marking my claim. When I get into position, I grind myself down on him.

He moans, his head falling back.

With a slow twist of my hips, the tip of his cock slides into me. He tenses, breathing hard.

Panic. He’s scared. What the fuck-

It’s gone in a second. His fingers grip my hips and try to pull me down.

“Alpha, lock me!”

My eyes flare, and everything inside me roars to life. Mine. I’ve locked someone before, once. It was the best sex of my life, even if the person ended up freaking out and ruining the experience. I’ve never felt anything like it. However, screaming beta aside, I did not want to repeat the experience. This omega knows what’s coming. He won’t freak out. He can handle all of me.

“Locke-”

“Erin, I need your fucking lock. Give it to me!” Locke snarls up at me.

I sink down onto his cock. Over and over, I ride him, watching his face, checking for that fear I thought I saw. I stroke my hands over his chest and shoulders, dragging my purple nails over his skin until goosebumps break out.

He comes three times, until his slick has soaked the couch beneath us. My pride won’t allow me to care. He looks so fucking hot as I bring him undone. I make sure he enjoys it. I ensure he’s fully sated.

My omega. I’ll take care of him.

“Erin, please!” Locke screams hoarsely.

He growls suddenly, his eyes getting bright. Vanilla explodes, rich and potent, and he flips us. I land heavily on my back on the floor, but I don’t get a moment to think. He hammers into me, driving his cock in deeper. I moan and adjust my legs, only for him to pull out, grip my legs, and push them up over his shoulders and sink back into me. I can barely move.

He’s my omega, but he’s physically stronger than me. Our power balance is perfect.

“My alpha,” Locke growls darkly. His words are barely understandable.

He leans down and kisses me hard and while his fingers find my hard, aching nipple and squeeze until I cry out.

The pressure keeps growing, an unstoppable force. Locke looks unhinged as he slams into me over and over. His teeth are clenched and bared, his eyes slits of glowing light. Locke growls and leans down. My eyes widen as he bites my shoulder, the pain turning to a white fire inside me.

I scream, the sudden pain and the driving pleasure twist and push me over the edge. My lock engages, clamping on the omega’s cock, holding him deep inside me, clenching and milking him as he silently screams as his orgasm is drawn out over and over. My teeth find his upper arm, and I taste blood.

I can barely think, all I can do is suffer as orgasm after orgasm tears through us. The world is Locke, his taste, his scent, his body. I scream until my voice goes hoarse, distantly aware of his muffled sobs.

It feels like forever when he collapses on my chest. I carefully shift my legs but shudder when I clamp down on him again.

Wow. That was intense.

“Don’t cry, Erin,” he whispers.

“I’m not.” I protest, but I think maybe I am. Because I think there’s something inside that he just broke, and I think maybe I’m not going to be able to be the same as I was.

I think we just created a bond.

Locke smiles at me and kisses my cheeks. “Okay. You’re not. But that was the best experience of my life.”

I let my head thump on the floor, absently stroking his back. “That was the most incredible experience of my life.”

Locke leans in close and snuggles against me. Every movement sends ripples of pleasure through me, but I can’t stop the happy feeling as he nuzzles me.

And then the sound starts.

A soft, deep, vibrating sound. It takes me a moment to realise that he’s purring.

An omega purr is rarer than an alpha purr. We can only do it when we are truly content and at peace or it’s needed for our pack mate. It’s not something we can do at will. No one knows much about omega purrs, just that it’s so rare an omega can go an entire lifetime without showing one.

I hold him and wonder at this feeling. This is what it would be like to have an omega. This is what it would be like to have a miracle. The warmth inside my chest pushes at me, and I lift one hand to cover it protectively.

Oh, crap, he really did bond me, and judging from this feeling, I bonded him back. An actual, proper bond. But this was supposed to be temporary. The bond between pack mates is permanent, no one bonds anyone lightly. But a bond between scent matches? That’s stronger. That’s forever. It changes you. I can already feel him inside me, changing me. What am I going to do when he leaves?

It is horrifically distressing to think of not having Locke in my life.

I push those thoughts aside and focus on the feel of his skin, that rumble against my chest, the vanilla sex scent that is all around us. Even when my lock lets us free, I don’t move, and neither does he.

I see us lying in bed together, talking as the sun rises and sets. Making love. Talking shit.

The ache of longing is surprising. I never wanted this. It wasn’t in my plans.

Plans change. Isn’t that what my aunt always says?

I stroke his hair and shift my weight. “Hey, are you hungry?”

He rolls off me and slings an arm over his face. I roll towards him and sit up on my elbow, watching.

“What is going on right now?” I ask as his entire demeanor gets defensive and closed off.

“You’re going to make it fucking impossible to walk away,” Locke growls.

My heart leaps and crashes. “You have to go back, right?”

He nods without removing his arm. “There’s no choice.”

“So, what if we just say this rendezvous isn’t the end, and we’ll see each other again?” I say cautiously.

He slowly removes his arm, his eyes full of pain and what looks like a little bit of hope. The heavy feeling inside my chest lightens. Wait, does Locke know we’re bonded?

“You’d be okay with that?”

Fuck no! I don’t know what I want, but what I do know is watching him walk away is not one of those things. “Yeah, of course.”

Locke rolls to his feet and walks to the fridge, coming back with two bottles of water. He pulls me up and leads me into the bedroom, where we crawl into bed together.

I pull out my secret stash of snacks and watch as he eats a line of chocolate.

“What are we going to do about the alphas?” I ask Locke.

“They are complicated. You’re doing a good job getting them to come together.” Locke teases. I lean over him and lick up his chest. I can’t resist, he tastes better than the chocolate.

I scoff and then laugh. “It’s like trying to get vipers to get along. They are so attracted to each other, but it’s like they don’t even realise it.”

I lean back on the pillow. “Finn’s holding back. Even his scent is controlled.”

“Leave Finn to me,” Locke says with a wink. “I’ve got a bead on how to break him into all his pretty little pieces.”

“Then leave the other two to me. I know just where to push.”

I drink half the bottle of water and then lay down, pulling the blanket up to my chin. I’m bonded. Wow, I don’t know what to do with this. Don’t freak him out would be a good start. Does he know or not?

“What do you do, Locke?”

“I work. Musician, I told you that. Did you think I sat around looking pretty?” Locke teases.

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it. You’ve got far too much energy.”

He wiggles down and rolls on his side so we’re almost nose to nose.

“But you are pretty,” I whisper. His cheeks pinken, but his eyes dilate, getting dark and intense.

He leans forward and kisses me. It’s a kiss that turns into another kiss, and then another one. Over and over, neither of us caring. When he pulls back, he sighs. “I work really hard. Too much. Sometimes.”

“You don’t want to tell me what you do?” I can’t help the brief pang of hurt.

He hesitates. “I don’t want you to think differently of me, and everyone does,” he whispers in a pained hush. “Eventually, I stop being me in their eyes and become a thing.”

I hesitate, I want to promise I won’t, but it’s true that some information does change your opinions of people. “I guess that makes sense, but I see you, Locke. Are you good at what you do?” I ask.

“I am so good at what I do. I’m the best.” His ego shouldn’t be so cute, but his confidence is sexy.

I kiss him this time. “I don’t care if you’re the best. All I care about is this person in bed with me now.”

Locke’s hands slide up over my hip. “Are you going to go back to working too hard, Erin? Are you going to exhaust yourself and forget about us?”

I hesitate. Am I going back?

I don’t think so.

When did I decide that?

When I found out I had an omega. When he bonded me and I bonded him right back.

“No, I don’t know what I’ll do, but I don’t think I’ll go back to the life I’ve left behind.”

We go silent for a long moment, but it’s not uncomfortable.

“What would you do if you could do anything you wanted?”

Locke scowls and sits up. “You can’t ask that!”

I sit up. “Why?”

“Because I don’t have the luxury of being able to dream about what I want!”

I stare at him, listening and hearing the distinction in his words. “Locke!”

“No!” He almost shouts. “I’m not answering any more questions. No hypothetical what ifs, no real ones, none. The truth is, I’m here, this is me, you can have all of this for right now.” Locke stands up and paces the gap beside the bed. “I can give you this. Is that enough?”

I stare at him and nod slowly. “It’s enough.”

“I can’t stay with you. I won’t stay with you. That is the only promise I can give you and them. An end date. A timeline.”

I nod again slowly. Pain ripping through me and through the bond. Locke presses a hand to his chest, but he still hasn’t figured it out. Locke’s life is a secret that is going to end our time together, and he’s more trapped and miserable than anyone I’ve ever met.

I can’t fight when I don’t know who the enemy is. But I can plan. I can plot. Because if I’m giving up my life…I’m damn well keeping my omega.

“Come back to bed, Omega. Let me show you how much I appreciate what you can give.”

Locke’s eyes flash as he comes back to the bed, and when he crawls onto the mattress, I attack, pinning him to the bed and making sure he remembers exactly who I am and what I, too, can give.