Chapter Seven

West

I didn’t sleep a wink. Tossing and turning and punching my pillow didn’t count as rest.

The memory of Alex’s hands on me kept alive a fever that wouldn’t die. Where his fingers had dug into my skin, the muscles pulsed in recall of the pressure of his careful yet possessive touch. My cock had never been harder in my life. Not when I was younger. Not when I was with Emile. Never.

When I came in his mouth, I saw stars. Stars and planets aligned.

Then he cared for me afterward. Held me in his arms. Whispered sweet things in my ear and kissed me—I needed those things so much, but at the same time, they were hard to accept.

Maybe I’d hardened myself against them since I was starved of affection and convinced I didn’t deserve them.

Except those things weren’t what kept me up all night. The guilt and shame did. Caged in my home and surrounded by everything that was my late mate, the guilt choked me. Stole my breath away.

What happened with Alex the night before felt like cheating. I stood in front of the scalding water in the shower for far too long, debating whether or not to shower. The cheating-on-Emile part of me wanted to wash away Alex’s scent. The pre-cum on my cock, stirred by him. The skin he touched.

But the other part, the one that ended up winning over, wanted all of those things. My wolf wanted my skin branded with the scent of the alpha. He cared for me. Held me close and let me cry. Looked into my eyes as he told me everything was going to be okay. My back muscles relaxed when Alex kneaded them, turned me into goo under his knowledgeable movements.

Closing my eyes, I could still feel his breath skid over my neck as he whispered in my ear.

Gods, what kind of omega was I? A cheater. A betrayer. The worst kind of shifter—one of the ones who turned their backs on what Fate granted me.

My cock bounced in my boxers as I got out of bed. That part of me felt no remorse at all.

And surprisingly, neither did my wolf. My animal had howled at the attention paid to me by the alpha. It all confused me. Emile was my mate. My fated, or so I thought. Yeah, Emile was my fated mate.

Then, why in the hell did Alex make me feel more alive in those twenty minutes than I had been in years?

I trampled over that voice that told me not to wash his scent from my skin and got into the shower, taking my time to wash everything away. Too bad the water couldn’t take care of my lingering shame.

When I went downstairs to make coffee, I saw I had a missed text and a missed call.

From Alex.

He was probably calling to tell me he regretted our encounter.

I held my cup and stared at the phone for a while, letting my nerves take over. Emile’s rejections in the bedroom didn’t bother me after a while, but Alex’s would be disastrous.

What would he even want with an omega like me? I couldn’t handle my finances—my business—and if last night proved anything, it was that I didn’t even have the strength to keep my problems and my emotions in check.

I shook my head. Selling everything and moving to another country was sounding sweeter and sweeter.

My wolf snarled inside me. He didn’t want to be away from the alpha who took our breath away the night before.

“Hello?” he answered on the first ring, not giving me a chance to hang up or even get my bearings.

“Alex? It’s West.”

His response was a growl, low and deep, sending shivers the length of my body. “You didn’t answer my calls.”

“I keep my phone downstairs, plugged in.”

I heard the sound of him sitting down somewhere. “What if there was an emergency, omega? You should have your phone close.”

“It’s fine. There’s a landline upstairs. Is this why you called?”

Alex cleared his throat. “I called the landline. I think it’s out of order. And no, that’s not why I called at all.”

I picked up the home phone and tested it. Sure enough, the damned thing was off. No dial tone. Had I paid the bill? “Damn it. I can’t get things together.”

Alex paused. “West, I called to check on you. About last night.”

I let out a shaky breath and wrapped my arms around my chest, wishing they were his. “If you apologize, I’m not going to be able to handle it.”

“No way in hell I’m apologizing for last night. The way you and I connected was so passionate, like a fantasy come to life. But after you ran out, I was worried I’d gone too far too soon.”

“I’m sorry. No one has touched me like that in a long time. Not even…” I couldn’t finish the statement. There was a fine line between telling the truth about Emile and bad-mouthing the man who once had been my alpha. I also recognized my flaws in the relationship, including putting up with substandard treatment and attention. “I was confused.”

“Are you still?” His voice dipped low.

“No.”

“Good. I was also calling to ask you about your business and finances. You mentioned some concerns, and I was hoping maybe we could discuss it all over dinner.” When I didn’t immediately respond, he continued, “I am really good at those things, West. Some would say genius. It’s me. I’m some.”

Laughter bubbled from my mouth. “Let it not be said that I ever turned down the help of a genius. Hey, how did you even know my number?”

“From your membership application. I am a part owner here. Remember?”

How could I forget? “I do. How about dinner tomorrow night? Here at my house?”

Alex rumbled from deep inside. The rumblings of any alpha wolf were sexy, but his called to my animal. “Are you sure? Your house?”

I nodded, looking around the place. I’d need to straighten up some—a lot. “I’m sure. Six o’clock?”

“I’ll see you then, omega. Until then, please reply to my texts so I don’t worry.” He hung up before I could respond.

Alex’s worry about me warmed me to the core.