5. Jeremiah

JEREMIAH

I should've invited him in.

An alpha like Felik had certain expectations when they went on a date, and clearly, I didn't meet those expectations. I knew that because it had been three days, and I hadn't heard a thing from him. No call, no text, nothing.

Part of me wanted to reach out to him and tell him a joke or ask a question about one of my classes just to start up a conversation. But that felt too desperate, and even I knew desperation wasn't an attractive quality in an omega.

I was tempted to reach out to Joey and Connor to see if they had any advice for me, but they would tell my brothers, and I'd never hear the end of it. Connor would likely suggest I send him a dick pic. My alpha brothers would either tease me about having a crush, get pissy and protective about an alpha getting close to me, or they'd remember I was single and push even harder for me to marry into one of their chosen families.

It was better all the way around if I stayed under the radar and didn't remind them I was still unmated.

After a late meeting with my study group, I was walking out of the library when I bumped into Felik. Or rather, he bumped into me, knocking into me with such force I would have been on my knees if he hadn't been so quick to catch me.

"Fuck, Jeremiah. I'm so sorry." He righted me on my feet and held on to my shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I brushed the dust off my knees from where the denim briefly touched the ground before he lifted me back upright. "No worries." I tugged away from him and started walking, desperate to put some space between us so I didn't do something embarrassing like beg for a second chance with him.

"Jeremiah, wait up." Felik jogged up beside me, and I felt his hand land on my lower back. Was he trying to torture me?

"Oh, hey. What's up?" I regretted the question as soon as it came out of my mouth. That definitely sounded like I was trying too hard to be casual.

"Are you sure you're okay? You seem a little…upset." Felik leaned forward as we walked, trying to get a better look at my face, but I kept it firmly facing forward.

"No, I'm fine. Just heading home."

"Oh, well, I'm glad I ran into you." He kept pace with me, obviously not able to take a hint. "I wish it wasn't so literal, but I've been wanting to see if you'd like to go out again."

I stopped and looked at him, squinting my eyes and trying to make sense of him. "That's what you said three days ago, and I haven't heard a word back. You don't need to ask me out just because you bumped into me. I'm fine. Really."

"No, Jeremiah. It's not that at all." He placed both hands on my shoulders again and stared into my eyes.

The sincerity in his gaze was genuine, and I couldn't help letting down some of my internal shields.

"I mean it. I had a great time the other night. I've wanted to text you every day since but…"

"But what?" If he actually liked me, there was no reason he wouldn't want to see me again. It's not like I was asking for a ring. And he had no way of knowing that my alpha brothers would object to our dating. The problem had to be me.

His lips pursed for a moment, and then he sighed. "I told you this is new for me too, and I didn't want to make the wrong move. So…I didn't make any move. And that isn't working out for me either, so what do you think? Are you willing to try again?"

I looked at him for a long moment, making him wait and wonder before I finally smiled. "Yeah, I guess."

"Oh, I almost forgot." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a little pouch. "I saw this and thought of you."

Shocked by the gesture, I opened my palm and accepted the little bag. "What is it?"

Felik nodded toward his gift. "Just a little something. Open it."

My hands were shaking, and I stopped breathing as I shook out the leather cord with a silver bar attached to it. When I looked closely, I saw the engraving read Creativity Takes Courage. "Matisse?"

"You said he's your favorite artist." Felik shrugged like it was no big deal.

But it was. It really was.

I swallowed the emotion that filled my throat and made a quick decision that was as surprising to me as it seemed to be to Felik. "How do you feel about comfort food? I have a roast in the crockpot in my apartment, and I'm planning to throw some rolls in the oven. Are you hungry?"

His grin was as genuine as his eyes when he smiled back. "Definitely. And I can't remember the last time I had any sort of home-cooked meal, so yeah, that would be perfect."

"Okay, then." God, help me. "Let's go."

We barely got inside my apartment before we were all over each other. The barely-there kiss from the other night was a mere tease compared to the way Felik conquered my mouth, claiming it as if he were actually claiming me, and I loved every second of it.

Despite my lack of experience, my instincts kicked in, and my hands suddenly had a mind of their own. They cupped his firm pecs, rounded his shoulders, and gripped his biceps as if they were handles. Then they made their way south, slipping underneath the waistband of his jeans as slick began to pool in mine.

"Alpha." I had never called a man by his designation before, not even my father, so I didn't know why I kept falling back on it with Felik, but it felt like the right name for him. Only him. "Please."

"I've got you, love." Felik lifted me up, bracing me against his strong body as we passed by the delicious aromas wafting from the kitchen and went straight through my open bedroom door.

I pressed my center against his abs, rubbing over him as I kissed him wildly, a mash of teeth and tongues and lips. "Show me how."

"Fuck, omega." He lowered me onto the bed and quickly relieved me of my shoes and pants before stepping back and getting undressed too.

Yanking my shirt over my head, I was vaguely aware of the fact that it was the first time I'd been fully naked in front of another man in my adulthood. At boarding school, I never had reason to share a shower or locker room with another student. And I certainly had never been with a lover before. "Is this okay?"

Felik dropped to his knees and pulled me to the edge, inhaling the thick scent of my slick as he dragged his nose along my thigh. When his face was pressed against my balls, his tongue flicked over my sensitive skin, and I almost jumped right off the mattress. "You are fucking perfect."

I stroked my cock a few times before his mouth replaced my hand. I didn't have the stamina to hold back so I came in his mouth, immediately ruining what was supposed to be the best night of my life. "I'm so sorry." Tears filled my eyes as shame enveloped me. "I can't believe I did that."

"Shh, it's okay." Felik licked and nipped his way up my body, kissing me deeply with an entirely new flavor on his tongue once he found my mouth. "I'm flattered that you're enjoying it so much." He kissed along my jaw and then closed his teeth on my earlobe. "But we're just getting started, omega. We have all night to enjoy each other."

Thank fuck.

I was still hard, and he was too, so I let Felik take the lead, watching intently as he stood up and rolled a condom over his impressive length before kneeling between my spread thighs. "I'll get you loosened up with my fingers, and when you're ready for my cock—if you're ready for my cock—I'm gonna fuck you, Jeremiah. Are you good with that?"

My head was moving so fast I almost made myself dizzy. "Yes, alpha. Breed me. Give me your knot."

His head fell forward as if those words pained him, and he leaned down to kiss the corner of my mouth. "Not this time, love. Not yet. I need to be inside you, but I can't breed you. Not until…" He closed his eyes and sighed. "I want to, so badly, but let's just take things slow."

I felt my lips form a frown. Despite how logical his words were, I didn't like the idea of having the latex between us. But then his fingers were teasing my hole, and I quickly forgot why I was so sad and focused on how he was making me so happy. "Yes, like that."

Felik kissed my mouth slowly, sensually, as his fingers opened me up for him.

When the first finger slipped in, I almost didn't feel it. But the second one had a bite, and by the time I was riding three, I felt them all. But I wanted to feel more. "I'm ready, Felik. I'm ready for your cock."

He was a little shaky as he got on all fours and repositioned my hips so I was perfectly aligned to receive him. "Tell me if I hurt you."

"You won't." I lifted even higher, creating a clear path into me. "But I promise."

With slow movements that almost drove me insane, Felik held his sheathed cock to my opening and gently pushed in.

I wanted him to go faster, needed him to go faster, but having already lost control of myself once, I felt it was important to show some self-restraint and let him control his entry.

As he pushed into my virgin channel and began to thrust in a gentle rhythm, I absorbed every pulse of energy that transferred through him and almost came again. The sting was there, but it was balanced by a completeness that I had no idea could exist from sex.

Why had I waited so long to try it?

Apparently, I was waiting for the right alpha.