Forbidden: Part One – Chapter 16

I tossed and turned in bed, my sheets tangling around me as I sighed in frustration. I hated going to bed early and often had trouble falling asleep, but knowing that my mate was on the other side of the hall, probably all curled up under the covers looking luscious, was torture. What if she was cold or uncomfortable or lonely? She would probably sleep much better if I was wrapped around her body, one arm curled right underneath her amazing breasts, my knee shoved up between her legs in the perfect position for her to grind her sweet pussy on my thigh.

I groaned, throwing my fisted hand over my face. I had already jacked off three times in the shower earlier and once in bed, but my dick was a fucking rock again.

Josie seemed to enjoy me touching her, but there had been a few times when her mask had slipped and I had seen flashes of fear and uncertainty. It killed me that she felt anything but confident and settled with us. I wasn’t upset that she wasn’t ready to have sex yet, but I couldn’t stand the idea of her being in pain during her heat and being helpless to fix it.

When she and Cam came downstairs earlier, it was obvious something had happened between them. Cam was drenched in her scent and had a proud, satisfied look in his eyes. A burst of jealousy had flared through me—I wanted to be the one who made that soft expression appear on her face. But it also made me hopeful that she was already getting more comfortable around us.

Josie was more settled at dinner, her scent bright and sweet. But she had still been quiet, picking at her food. I’d offered her something different to eat, but she refused and then went to bed early. Alone.

My heart pounded as I heard the soft padding of feet and the opening of a door. I leapt out of bed, straining my ears to listen. There were footsteps down the hall, followed by the slight creak of the stairs. It had to be Josie. Was she okay? Did she need something? I forced myself to take a calming breath, but I got a lungful of her scent through the door, making me grow even harder. I pulled on some sweatpants before slipping out of my door to follow her.

I heard the click of a light switch and saw the faint glow coming from the kitchen. I followed the faint glow of light, drawn towards her as if a beautiful, golden thread connected us both. Josie was leaning over the counter to reach the brownie container. Her tiny sleep shorts were riding up and her tank top showed off a sliver of her waist. She looked soft and adorable and utterly sexy.

I cleared my throat softly, not wanting to startle her. She let out a small shriek and spun around, throwing the brownie she had grabbed straight at me. It hit my face with impressive accuracy. I would have caught it before it hit me, but I was so surprised that I only snagged it after it bounced off my cheek.

“I’m really impressed with your aim, beautiful. Next time I’ll know to be ready and catch it in my mouth,” I said with a wink.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry I threw that at you. I didn’t hear you come down here. I shouldn’t have left my—umm—the guest room. I hope I didn’t wake you up. I’ll just go back to bed,” she squeaked out, her cheeks turning red as she started moving around me. Moving on instinct, I quickly stepped towards her, grasped her around the waist, and set her down on the kitchen island.

“Take a breath, precious,” I said, concerned with her quick, shallow breaths and the scent of her rising shame.

“I’m really sorry, Ben,” she whispered, tears gathering in her eyes.

“Beautiful, why are you crying?” I asked, panic tightening my chest as one of her tears spilled over and ran down her cheek. I stepped between her legs, pulling her close and running my hand through her hair. “It’s my fault for startling you. You did nothing wrong.”

“I shouldn’t have left the room.”

She trembled beneath my hands and I tightened my hold on her. My inner alpha urged me to purr for her, something I’d never wanted to do until this moment, but I wondered if it would freak her out, so I refrained.

“You can leave your room whenever you want,” I said with a bit of confusion.

“But I shouldn’t be walking around your house or touching your things.”

“Of course, you should, precious. You should do anything you want to do, anything that makes you happy.”

She shuddered in my arms, her tears turning into soft sobs. My chest tightened and a sick feeling grew in my stomach. I was failing her as an alpha. Cam or Theo would know what to do. I was the inadequate one who could never be serious enough, never good enough. I almost offered to go get one of them, but couldn’t stand the thought of leaving her for one second.

“I’m sorry I’m bad. I’m such an inconvenience,” Josie said through sobs.

What the fuck was she talking about? Who had told her she was bad?

I squeezed her tighter against me, one hand firmly cradling the back of her head and the other on her lower back. Her skin felt hot even through the fabric of her tank top.

Then it clicked.

Her heat was starting.

Growing up with sisters taught me that heats made omegas feel emotional and vulnerable. I wished we had gotten a chance to spend more time with her before her heat started. Then we would have at least had a better sense of what comforted her. Hoping it was the right thing to do, I leaned into my alpha instincts.

“That’s not true, gorgeous. You are such a good girl. Your alphas want you here. We are so thrilled to have you. You are perfect, so sweet and beautiful, such a good omega.” I kept murmuring praise until her tears slowed and she took some deep breaths.

“I’m sorry I’m keeping you up,” she said softly, running her nose back and forth along my collarbone as she breathed in deeply.

I wished I knew what I smelled like to her—omegas could pick up alphas’ scents just like I could pick up every note of her mouthwatering cupcake vanilla scent. I pressed my face into her hair. She needed to stop apologizing to me, but at least she wasn’t crying anymore.

“You’re not keeping me up, gorgeous. I stay up late most nights.”

“Why did you go to bed so early tonight?”

“Everyone else was going to bed,” I said, shrugging. “And the guys like to get up early so we can work out in the morning.”

She scrunched her nose. “I hate waking up early. And working out.”

I laughed. “Same. It’s what I’ve always done, but maybe I should reevaluate now, especially if that means I get to have you to myself in the mornings.”

“Morning cuddles sound nice,” she mumbled into my chest.

“You can have all the morning cuddles you want. Now, tell me what you need. I’m assuming a brownie unless you only use those in self-defense.”

Josie blushed the cutest fucking shade of red. “Umm, no, I don’t just use them for self-defense.”

“Good answer, precious. Let’s get a plate of brownies, then. What else do you need? Water? More food?”

“You don’t have to get me anything,” she said quickly as she tried to slide off the island. I gripped her hips tightly, keeping her glued to the marble counter.

“I know this is a lot,” I said softly, my lips brushing her ear as I pulled her close again. “But I would love to take care of you right now.”

Josie pulled back and looked at my face intently like she was trying to figure something out.

“Oh… okay,” she responded.

“Thank you, precious,” I said, smiling. “Now, you stay there while I gather up our supplies.”

I tried to sound stern, but I didn’t know how convincing I was. Cam and Theo were the commanding ones, but maybe I had something to offer my mate right now. I wanted to make her smile and feel at ease. I quickly gathered a platter with brownies, chips, popcorn, soda, and water. I turned back to Josie, who was still on the counter.

“Good girl for doing as you’re told,” I murmured, running my hands up her bare thighs. Josie huffed an exasperated sigh, but I could scent her arousal swirling around me. Our girl gets off on praise. I suppressed a smile, tucking that tidbit of information away, hoping it would come in handy soon.

“Let’s go to the den and eat our snacks,” I said, helping her jump down from the island.

I guided Josie to the massive sectional. As she curled up into the deep cushions, I grabbed a blanket and spread it over her. My alpha was giddy with the simple act of taking care of our omega. I settled beside her, sitting as close as I could without crowding her. I grabbed a brownie and held it out, disappointed when she poked her hand out from the blanket to grab it instead of eating it out of my hand.

Usually, I felt the need to fill any silence with chatter, but sitting with Josie calmed me. We both ate our midnight snacks, and I relaxed into the couch. While I loved meeting new people, I sometimes felt like I couldn’t be fully myself in social settings. I was more at ease with Josie after one day of knowing her than with some people I had known for years.

Josie’s eyes grew heavier as she put down her snacks and curled up tightly under the blanket. Her vanilla scent was heady, and a smile tugged at my lips as I realized it would saturate the couch for days. I shifted so I was facing her, feeling like I would die if I had to look away, and took in her flushed cheeks, rosy pink lips, and the way her hair framed her face. I had to resist palming my cock, which had grown harder than I had ever felt. I might be a creepy stalker watching her sleep, but at least I’m not going to sit here and jack off. It’s called boundaries.

I must have dozed off because I started awake some time later. Josie was shifting around, fluffing one of the couch pillows and rearranging her blanket, letting out a frustrated sigh. I glanced at my watch and saw it was three o’clock in the morning.

“Josie, precious, what’s wrong?” I murmured.

“I didn’t mean to wake you up,” she said with a whimper.

She looked so small and lost sitting next to me. I itched to pull her close to me, but I knew I needed to be careful.

“It’s okay. I would rather be awake so I can take care of you. Do you want to go back to bed and make a nest?” Her heat was settling in more strongly and I guessed she wouldn’t feel relaxed outside of a nest.

“No,” she said. “I’m not in heat. I don’t need a nest.”

I looked pointedly down at the pillow she was currently fluffing and re-fluffing.

“I’m not ready,” she whispered.

I caressed her face, my thumb catching a single tear at the corner of her eye. Feelings of inadequacy resurfaced, causing me to hesitate for a moment. I reminded myself that I had grown up in a house filled with omegas. I could do this. I could help her.

“I have four sisters and they’re all omegas,” I shared.

Josie’s eyes widened. “That’s a lot of omegas in one home.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, it was. I loved it.” A pang of sadness gripped me at being separated from them, especially my youngest sister Lilah, who I’d been closest with. I pushed it aside. “I know from talking with my sisters that first heats are intense. You’re in a new environment and don’t know us well yet. It’s a lot to handle.”

She nodded, resting her head on my shoulder. “I wish I wasn’t an omega.”

Her whispered confession broke my heart. My mate had never gotten to experience the joys of being an omega, had never been lavished with the care and affection she deserved.

“I guess we’ll just have to spoil you enough that you change your mind,” I said, gently brushing my fingers through her hair. “Now, what do you need to feel more settled?”

Josie tensed up again. “I don’t know,” she said. “I’m not ready to nest yet.”

“That’s okay. Do you want anything else to eat or drink? Do you want to stay here or go back to bed?”

Her stress increased with my questions and I cursed inwardly, remembering that omegas didn’t like to make decisions during their heat. She needed alpha dominance right now to make her feel secure.

“Never mind, precious. I’m going to take care of you so you don’t have to worry about it.”

She looked relieved, her green eyes wide with vulnerability as she gave me a nod.

“Come here,” I said before pulling her into my arms, not giving her a chance to overthink it. I held her firmly to my chest, forgoing a blanket when I felt how hot her skin was. She immediately pressed her nose to my neck, where my scent was the strongest, and inhaled. I hope she likes my scent because I want to fucking drown in hers.

I arranged her so she was lying on top of me, my arms encircling her waist. Slowly, the tension melted from her limbs. I hoped my dick wasn’t bothering her—it was fully hard, pressing against her perfect, soft stomach—but then I saw she’d already fallen asleep.

My cell vibrated and I cursed the timing, trying to pull it out of my pocket without disrupting my mate. I wasn’t surprised in the slightest to see who it was.

I knew it would be a matter of moments before Cam was down here, and I was sure Theo would join us before the morning. Josie was already pulling us towards her like a magnet. For a moment, I felt frustrated, wanting to have more alone time with her, but the feeling passed as I heard Cam’s footsteps on the stairs. I had dreamed of this for years—sharing an omega with my brothers—and I couldn’t have imagined anyone more perfect for us than Josie.