Dancer in the waves, p.47
Dancer In The Waves, page 47
“Yeah, it’s her heat,” he confirmed quickly, coming up for air.
“Shit. What do we do now?” Matts asked, trying to keep a straight voice through his pleasure.
“We give her what she wants until she’s exhausted,” Gabriel replied.
Oh, that sounded nice. That sounded very nice, indeed.
Alice grinded Matts’s hips with abandon. They had been in charge until now, but no more. She cupped Gabriel between his legs and rubbed him. She was not going to leave this bed until her lust abated and she was feeling truly fulfilled.
Matts
Matts had never felt so exhausted and spent in his entire life. He tried to school his grin into a more casual smile, but it refused to leave his lips. He was far too happy.
Alice had ridden both him and Gabriel until exhaustion hit her hard, and she was now sleeping between them. Her face was nestled in Gabriel’s shoulder, her back to Matts. When she had first fallen asleep, he’d thought Gabriel was going to kick him out of the bed, but to his surprise, he didn’t. Then Alice had reached out in her sleep, grabbed Matts’s hand, and pulled him closer. She was now trapped between both men, feeling secure and content.
Feeling secure?
“She shouldn’t have had a heat again so soon,” Gabriel whispered. “She had one only two months ago.”
“Do we need to call Daniel?” Matts whispered back. He didn’t know much about omega heats, but he had heard about them from Zoey’s doctor. He couldn’t have imagined it would be such a wild ride.
“Better not. Not unless she’s not feeling right in the morning,” Gabriel replied.
That was fine with Matts. He wanted to stay like this for as long as possible. He let his hand roam Alice’s body, feeling every inch of her. She was cooling down now, and the silky feel of her skin was addictive. He cupped her ass. How many times had he dreamed of it? How many times had he imagined sinking his erection between these cheeks?
He took a deep breath, the smell of sex filling his lungs. He wanted to remember this. He needed to keep this moment with him. When the morning came, he would have to leave this bed, leave Alice’s magnetic smell, to possibly never return. Matts wondered once again if he could convince them to invite him into their bed in the future.
Maybe…
Gabriel had had as much fun as Matts did; he was sure of it. But he found it unlikely the man would ever admit it. And Alice? Now that the high of the adrenaline was crashing, he was beginning to feel unsure if she had given herself willingly to them or if it had been her heat pushing her. Or, worse still, if it had been the presence in her mind that forced her toward lust.
Fuck. Now he dreaded the morning.
“Try to sleep, Matts,” Gabriel muttered. “You’ll wake her up.”
“I don’t think anyone could wake her up right now,” Matts breathed back. He touched her temple lightly with his fingertips, trying to feel the other presence in her mind.
Nothing there. She was finally free. He had broken the connection entirely.
“Anything?” Gabriel asked quietly.
“Nothing,” Matts replied. “I think we got him. Really got him.”
“I can’t wait to see his face,” Gabriel sighed. “What happens now?”
“You keep inviting me into your bed, I hope.” Matts understood Gabriel’s question, but couldn’t resist teasing him.
“Fuck off.”
Matts grinned. It was easy to get under Gabriel’s skin. But he still needed to be careful, he reminded himself. This was the man who ruled over Alice’s heart, and he could easily crush any future hope of this happening again. He decided to be honest. “I will take him to a secure place. Is she really asleep?”
He didn’t want to explain what would happen next where an omega could hear him. He was sure that what was planned for the stray leader would go against her sensibilities.
“Yes, out like a light.”
“The Potentia ad Opus want to peek into his brain.” Matts grimaced. “I don’t expect him to survive their probing.”
“Shit,” Gabriel muttered. “I can’t say I feel sorry for him. But please don’t tell Alice.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
Matts snuggled closer to Alice, smelling her hair. She mumbled something, her hand reaching for Gabriel’s.
“She talks in her sleep?” Matts asked gently, curiosity overcoming his drowsiness.
“Yes, and sometimes she has nightmares too,” Gabriel replied, pushing a strand of hair away from her face.
“Let me go,” Alice muttered.
Matts’s heart skipped a beat. Could she be dreaming about what they did?
“Was it something we did?” Matts asked. “The heat?”
“I don’t know,” Gabriel whispered back. “I know the omega doctors discussed what causes the heat, but they were more focused on preventing it.”
“Could it have been the pills we gave her?”
“Maybe…”
Gabriel didn’t sound worried, but Matts’s anxiety was increasing. He hated the idea that he might have pushed her to do something she didn’t really want. But he would only know how she really felt about it when she woke up.
Until then, he couldn’t sleep, not really. All he could do was breathe her in and dread the morning.
27
Talking With the Masked Man
Alice
Alice reached out her hand, trying to find Gabriel, but only found soft sheets.
Eyes still heavy with sleep, she looked around the bedroom. She was alone. Why the fuck was she alone?
She reached for the bond and felt Gabriel nearby. Both alphas were patiently waiting for her to wake up. Well, fuck, if they let her wake up alone, then she was going to take her sweet time going to them. She got up and made her way to the bathroom, hissing at just how sore she was between her legs. In the shower, she kneaded her thighs and let the hot water soothe her muscles. But it was hard to feel relaxed. She had been so happy a few minutes ago, but now there was apprehension creeping in through the bond.
Both men were worried, and she didn’t know why. Didn’t they get what they wanted? Did they catch the wrong man?
Alice put on some clean clothes and made her way to the kitchen, her hair still damp. They were both outside; she could feel it. She grabbed a coffee and stepped onto the patio, wincing at the strong sunlight. Matts’s drugs gave a hell of a hangover.
Matts was sitting at the table, smoking, an empty coffee cup in front of him. Gabriel was hanging out by the pool, cigarette in his hand, while he stared into the horizon.
“Where’s Boss?” asked Alice.
“Daniel has him. Took him for a walk,” Matts replied.
Gabriel didn’t turn to her.
Alice sat at the table and took a sip of her coffee, glancing back and forth between both men.
“Did we get him?” she asked. The way they were politely ignoring her was unnerving her.
Matts was the one to reply again. “Yes. And we think we got the right one.”
He was carefully watching her now, his intense stare muddled with worry. She saw Gabriel’s head turn to them, like he was also expecting something.
“What happened? Why are you guys so nervous?”
Matts didn’t smile like he usually did. She could feel the apprehension in both men, neither wanting to talk first.
“How are you feeling?” Gabriel asked from the pool.
“Sore.” She was honest. “And confused.”
Both men looked at each other before focusing back on their smoking.
“I need to make a call.” Gabriel put out his cigarette in an ashtray and made his way inside the house.
Alice rubbed her face, now getting angry, the emotions coming from him confusing her. He had promised nothing would change. That he wouldn’t stop loving her. What was happening?
“What is going on?” she demanded from Matts.
He picked up his empty cup and played with it in his hands.
“How are you feeling, Alice?”
“I already told you, sore and confused.”
“Are you angry with me?”
“What? No,” she replied, taken by surprise. “Why would I be angry with you?”
“Last night, when you…” He hesitated. “Did you only give in because of your heat?”
“Is that what this is about? The heat?” Alice’s cheeks blushed. “I didn’t expect it to happen, if that’s what you mean.”
“I understand.” A wave of guilt came from him. “But did we force you? We triggered your heat, and I’ve been thinking all night that perhaps that is why you gave in.”
“No.” Alice groaned. “I didn’t give in because of the heat. I made a conscious and adult decision about something I wanted.”
Relief filled Matts, and he took a deep pull of his cigarette. “Good,” he told her simply.
“Is this what was worrying you? That you had forced me?”
“Yes,” Matts confessed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
There was something else under his concern. Alice didn’t know why, but today she could read him more clearly. Maybe he couldn’t hide his emotions as well now that he had let her taste them. But there was something more important than Matts’s feelings right now. She downed her coffee and got up.
“Where did he run off to?” she asked herself as she tried to find her mate.
She found him in the office, just getting off a call.
“Alice?”
She closed the door behind her. “Are you worried that you forced me last night, like Matts was?”
“What? No.” He scoffed. “I know when there is something you don’t want to do.”
“Then what is up with you today?”
Gabriel turned to her but hesitated.
“Are you angry with me because I fucked Matts?” She gulped. “Did you change your mind about me after last night?”
“Fuck, no,” Gabriel rushed to her and held her tightly. “Never, Alice.”
“Then why are you angry with me?” she demanded.
“I’m not. I’m just afraid.” He tightened the hug.
“Afraid of what?”
“I want you to be honest with me. Do you want Matts? You are free to change your mind if it’s what you want.”
“What?” She pushed Gabriel away, dumbfounded by what he was saying. “What is it with all this male insecurity today?”
Gabriel’s fear slipped through the cracks of his self-control.
“Gabriel.” Alice cupped his cheeks and made him look her in the eyes. “You promised me nothing would change. You promised we could go back to normal if we followed Matts’s plan. I don’t want things to change.”
Realization hit Gabriel, and the fear was replaced by embarrassment. “Am I being an ass?”
“A very big one, mind you.” She drew him down into a kiss. “So stop sulking.”
He smiled and grabbed her by the waist. Now that both male tantrums were resolved, she had something to ask that was really going to put both their panties in a twist.
She took Gabriel’s hand and half dragged him outside to join Matts.
“I have something to ask,” she told both men.
Apprehension and curiosity seeped from them.
“I want to talk with the stray leader.”
“Oh fuck, no.” Gabriel scoffed.
“Not going to happen, darling.” Matts grunted at the same time.
Alice waited for both men to stop their protests before she continued. “I need to see him with my own eyes. I need that closure,” she insisted. “And I will be extremely disappointed if you guys can’t understand that.”
It was a low blow, playing with their emotions like that. But she needed to be sure. She needed to see for herself the man who’d killed Bruno.
Matts gave in first. “Fuck.” He looked at Gabriel, unsure.
Gabriel was furious, and she could feel his rant rising, so she dealt him another low blow, this time to his pride.
“Is your security in that prison so weak that I can’t talk to the man without being at risk?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Fuck, Alice. You can’t…” Gabriel waved his hands, his alpha pride powerless to contradict her. “Help me out here, Matts.”
“Well, if we are with her, I’m sure it would be safe.” Matts argued, earning himself a glare from Gabriel.
“I want to talk with him alone,” Alice added.
A new wave of protests erupted from them. She waited patiently for them to tire of arguing.
“I’m sure you have a million cameras wherever he is, and you can spy on what we talk about all you want,” Alice offered. “But I want to talk with him alone.” She turned to Gabriel and let her emotions flow through the bond. “Please.”
Gabriel grunted loudly, and Matts lit another cigarette. They didn’t reply, but she knew she’d won.
Gabriel used his thumbprint to open another heavy metal door. Alice didn’t remember so many doors the last time she was here.
Matts had his hand on the small of her back, in what seemed to be an attempt to soothe her. There was a giddiness coming from him now that she was actually going to talk to the stray leader, his practical side probably envisioning what impressions an omega could gather from the man. Gabriel also had that practical mindset; she could feel it through the bond. But, most of all, both men were nervous.
“We will be watching and hearing the whole thing,” Gabriel repeated for the tenth time. “If he does anything suspicious, we will come in. If he hits the glass, you will leave the room immediately. If he does anything improper, I will come in and punch him half to death.”
Alice stopped in her tracks. “Anything improper?” That was a new one.
“The man was connected to us last night while we—” Gabriel stopped himself before completing the sentence. “Men can be beasts—alphas, worst of all.”
“I probably know that better than you,” Alice muttered.
They finally reached what looked like a bank’s vault door. It appeared impenetrable.
“What else do you keep in here? King Kong?” Alice asked.
“My Warhammer collection.” Gabriel joked. He grabbed her left shoulder and pointed to a smaller door. “We will be right there. Very close to you.”
“And the guard will be right outside. Anything happens, he will go in immediately,” Matts said on her right.
“Don’t touch the glass,” Gabriel reminded her.
“If you feel anything in your head, walk out immediately,” said Matts.
“Remember, we are watching,” said Gabriel.
“We can hear everything, so make him talk.”
“If you feel uncomfortable, just leave.”
“If he makes you angry, don’t take the bait.”
For heaven’s sake, it was like watching a tennis match. Alice raised both hands, begging them to stop. “It’s all right. I will be all right.”
They didn’t feel reassured, but both men nodded.
Gabriel opened the door with a code and his fingerprint, and went in while she waited. She could hear muted voices, and the guard came out and greeted her. She walked into the room, Gabriel closing the door behind her.
The alpha was sitting on a mattress on the floor, wearing nothing but grey sweatpants and a white T-shirt. He didn’t even have socks on. His knees were up and his face was hidden in his arms; only his light-blond hair was visible. He lifted his head casually, probably expecting a new guard. His blue eyes went wide when he spotted her.
“Alice.” He got up immediately and walked to the glass. A whirlwind of emotions filled the room. Surprise, joy, regret, arousal, all mixed together in a complex cocktail that confused her senses.
She recognized him. “Rafael.”
“What are you doing here?” he asked. He leaned heavily on the glass, like he couldn’t stand being away from her.
“I needed to see you for myself,” she told him honestly. “I wanted to ask why you killed my husband.” She took a deep breath. “Why did you kill Bruno?”
He grimaced and hesitated. Something wasn’t right. His feelings weren’t right.
“I’m sorry for causing you pain,” he apologized. “It was necessary to get rid of him, so we could get to you.”
His answer felt both honest and deceitful. Still, it hurt. Alice always knew she was the reason why her husband died, but hearing it like this hurt.
“When we were in college, you didn’t even talk to me. Why the obsession now?”
“Because you’re an omega. Why else?” he replied. “We needed you. We still need you.”
That felt true, but a little bit too true. “Then why try to get on my list before I was converted?”
He hesitated for a second, a feeling of being caught in a lie flaring and disappearing like a spark. “Because I knew even then, you would be special.” he said, shrugging.
That felt like half a truth.
He was too guarded, too closed for Alice to clearly tell what was true and what was a lie. She watched as his eyes traveled along her body, and his right hand moved slowly up and down the glass to accompany them.
Alice took a slow step closer to the glass, and Rafael’s arousal increased. Was his mind still on last night’s events? She could feel Gabriel’s disapproval through the bond, but she ignored it.
“Where is Sophie?” she asked him gently, deliberately sweetening her voice.
“Safe,” he answered huskily, not meeting her eyes.
“Safe where?” Alice took another step toward him, the bond flaring with warning.
“With Felix.”
“Is he the leader of the strays?” she asked.
“No,” Rafael scoffed. His eyes snapped to hers, and he regretted his words. “I’m the leader of the strays,” he hissed.
It felt forced.
“No, you are not,” Alice realized. The way he moved, the way he talked, it was not the same feeling she’d gotten in that van. Even his desire felt different. This was not him.
He squinted at her, and a feeling of urgency hit her.
“I am the stray leader, Alice. I’m the one who got on your list. I’m the one who tried to take you from your mate. I’m the one who played around inside your head.”
