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I nodded instead of speaking.
“If you end up liking him, I’ll need to meet him. We can discuss a pack situation if you want to. I can’t fully go away since we’re bonded, but we can negotiate making room for someone else.”
There was a definite possibility I was going to be freaking out about this all week. How did he manage to be perfect even about this? I shouldn’t feel guilty or weird about it. He was right that lots of omegas packed up, but plenty didn’t. I couldn’t help but chew my lip as I contemplated that I might be a one-alpha kind of girl.
It was stuck in my head while we ate, while I set up my nest, while I showered, and when I burrowed under the mountain of freshly acquired bedding.
A soft knock on the open door had me poking my head up through the pillows. “Yeah?”
“I just wanted to see if you wanted any company before I went to sleep.”
I had barely been able to look him in the eye the rest of the night. The nest was as perfect as I could make it, but it was missing that sweet bit of warmth that came from a partner.
I flipped the blankets open in a silent invitation.
He crossed the space quietly, his skin lit up like luminous gold in the lamplight. I might not be able to look him in the eye, but I apparently had no problem with soaking in every muscled plane of his body. He was too fucking pretty.
Sidney climbed in and I nestled immediately against his chest, that ancient omega part of my brain triggering my purr at the thought of getting his sweet citrus and clove scent all over my nest. It reminded me a bit of the icy winters from when I was little and living up north before my dad passed. In the stretch between Christmas and New Year’s, my parents would indulge in mulled wine, simmering slices of orange and fragrant spices that filled the air with that delicious perfection. I never got to taste it, which was probably for the best since I didn’t like wine at the best of times, but the scent was a core memory of when things had been sweeter and simpler.
Sidney’s hand on my hair and the purr rumbling from his chest plunged me into sleep, and when I woke the next day, I was as cozy and comfortable as I had ever been in my entire life. My nest at the apartment was going to feel so sad by comparison. The alarm on my phone screamed at me, ordering me to vacate my happy place and make my way to the paycheck factory.
Maybe he put a bit of extra care into breakfast, whipping up something befitting a Sunday brunch and not a Monday morning rush, and maybe he sweetened my coffee with homemade creamer instead of plain sugar, but also maybe I was just reading into it too much. Part of me wasn’t sure how he could be even sweeter, but maybe he was trying to do just that little bit extra to woo me into choosing him.
“You don’t have to put in this much effort, not that I don’t appreciate it.”
“I did a bunch of meal prep while you were at brunch so I could spoil you this week. It only takes a few extra minutes with the work done in advance.”
My stomach flipped happily. He had put in that work before he even knew someone else was interested in me. Brunch Alpha was going to have his work cut out for him. How the hell was he supposed to compete with perfection?
I took a sip of my coffee. “This tastes like I got it straight out of the coffee shop.”
“That’s the goal.” Sidney smiled at me as he swept down to kiss my forehead. “Finish your bacon so you’re not late for work.”
“You’re making me wanna play hooky so I can show you the full extent of my appreciation.”
His low chuckle had goosebumps rising down my arms. “And I would take you up on that offer if I didn’t have a class to teach.”
“Your responsible nature is being a cockblock,” I said with a pout.
“I promise you can do all manner of filthy things to me at the end of the workday. Do me a favor and think of some fun things for us to do while you’re busy missing me.”
Heat flushed through my body. That was certainly one way to get me to think about him all day.
One of the students shot their hand in the air. “What happens if we accidentally bond a client?”
“That’s a great way to get your license revoked and have charges pressed against you.”
“Oh, shit, really?”
“Of course, really. Omegas in your care are trusting you, and if you can’t keep control of the situation, that’s not going to fly from a legal or ethical standpoint. If it happens once, you’ll never be trusted to be a heat helper again, and depending on how magnanimous your omega is in that situation, you could face some hefty prison time. Omega safety is not taken lightly.”
A few of the faces around the room paled. I glanced over at Allie where she was perched in the front row, watching me with rapt attention until it was time for the Q&A.
“Not to scare any of you, but I feel like my situation might be valuable information for you. I accidentally bonded a previous client. She hadn’t been a client of mine for several years, but something that isn’t generally covered in any educational system because of its rarity is the concept of ideal mates. In some ways it’s quite dangerous for the people involved because you don’t have any control and you don’t know when a spontaneous heat could be triggered in the omega. You absolutely have to be diligent about your safety equipment. Never forget your cuffs and collar when you’re with an omega, especially a client. Those should all be on as soon as you get to their place or they get to yours.”
“Why are you teaching this class if you bonded a client?”
“Because he was killer at his job when he did it,” Allie announced, the class swiveling their heads to look at her and she gave a sheepish wave under their scrutiny. “Hi, I’m the client he bonded.”
