Page 39 of Glitterati Omega

The alpha smiled, and Rupert’s toes curled. “Perhaps.”

“Would youlikeme to misbehave?”

Winston shook his head, laughing. “Only if youwantto.”

The thing was, Rupert rather wanted to be naughty, especially if Winston was going to look at him like that. He wanted to do everything in his power to please the alpha. He felt, for the first time in a while, desirable, and he wanted to keep it that way.

They forgot about the food until long after it had been delivered; it had been sitting on the stoop for quite some time, because it was ice cold by the time one of them thought to retrieve it. They made love on the table while the food was reheating in the oven, and Rupert left scratches all down Winston’s back that time, before the cramps set in again. They washed up, then had dinner—not quite as good reheated, Rupert was sure—then spent a quiet evening curled up in bed, Winston’s hand over Rupert’s low belly, a better kind of heating pad, and Rupert relished every second of it, wondering where in the hell such an alpha had been before. Thomas had never taken him gently or stopped when he said no; Thomas had never spent the night with him when he was wracked with cramps, and he certainly didn’t give out massages freely. Rupert wondered, briefly, what he’d done to deserve Thomas. And then he wondered what he’d done to deserve someone who made up for it.

He woke up from a nightmare—the one where Thomas held him down and pressed into him, despite his weak protests, and then he just had to be silent and bear it, while Thomas grunted and sweated above him, until it was over.

He laid there panting, trying to remind himself he was about as far away from Thomas as he possibly could be, that the pain searing through him had nothing to do with an alpha having his way with him.

In the morning, Winston gave him a funny look. He looked like he wanted to say something, but then he swiftly changed his mind. “I suspect you need to go home,” he said instead, turning his back and fishing a crisp, linen shirt out of the closet.

“I do?”

“Yes.” He glanced up from where he’d laid his jacket on the bed. “I’m late for work as it is.”

“Oh.” Rupert felt like he’d been struck. “You’re going to work?”

The lawyer straightened his tie. “That was the general plan, yes.” He tugged on his jacket.

“That doesn’t mean I need to go home,” Rupert said, twisting around in the sheets. “I could wait here for you. Keep the bed warm.”

The alpha shook his head. Rupert sat up as he headed out of the room. “I could cook dinner!”

“You told me you don’t know how to cook.”

“I could pretend. Order something in and serve it. It would look exactly like something out of the twentieth century, total domestic bliss.”

“I think,” the lawyer said as he bustled back into the room to grab his cufflinks, “you’ll be much more comfortable at home. What would you do here by yourself all day? I suspect you’ll be bored.”

“I can think of things to occupy myself with,” Rupert retorted. “I’m presuming you have an internet connection available.”

Winston sighed and patted Rupert’s hand. “It’s not right, to leave an omega in heat alone somewhere he’s unfamiliar.”

“So stay home!” Rupert squawked as Winston retreated again.

“I have a closing today, so I can’t take the day off.”

“You could work remotely,” Rupert sniffed.

“And risk being distracted by you?” Winston picked up his briefcase from the foot of the bed. “Besides, you’ll also need to convince this Charli person.”

Rupert stared at him for a moment. “She didn’t,” he managed to hiss when he finally found his tongue.

“I’m afraid she did. They’ve been parked out front for, oh, twenty minutes or so.”

Rupert grumbled but finally acquiesced and rolled out of bed, intending to give Charli a piece of his mind. He could look after himself! He dressed in a hurry, then headed for the front door.

He paused in the hallway, grabbing Winston by the arm as the lawyer rolled his case into the front room. He tilted his head, trying to look into those soulful eyes. “Don’t bother with that; I’ll be right back.”

Winston shook his head. “I agree with her. You’ll be more comfortable in your own home. She mentioned—ah—medication?”

Rupert could have cursed. “Yes. But I could just have her bring it!”

Winston put his hands on Rupert’s arms, holding his fast. “I would like to know that you are somewhere safe and comfortable.”