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Devin closed the door in his face with a shaky exhale, uncertain if she trusted this arrangement. Nothing would stop him if he decided to burst in and do as he pleased with her. Despite the very agreeable evening, Devin had been made very aware of the danger the moment he drove the motorcycle back to the rough gravel parking lot. There’d been a modicum of safety while riding the bike, though he could have stopped at any point, and no one had been there to witness what happened. At the barbeque joint, there’d been far too many people for him to outright molest her without damaging his reputation, and he had one that surprised Devin.
People didn’t shy away from him, many of the other Alphas and no few Betas nodding their acknowledgement and respect as they passed the large table. The women were quiet but not out of fear of the man. It was out of respect for Devin and her place at that same table.
Shaking her head at her thoughts and the vast differences between Max and Kahler, Devin crept into the closet to change into another t-shirt that hung around her in a giant sail. She ran her fingers over the shoulder bared by the too large collar, tracing the outline of Rey’s claim as tears burst free with a quiet sob.
She missed him so damn much, and yet Max had made her easy and comfortable for hours. Made her forget her plan for a brief moment while offering friendly conversation and gentle teasing.
It was everything she could have wanted from an Alpha, and she hated that she liked it at all.
Crawling into the too large bed that remained cold and saturated with the wrong scent no matter how hard she tried to make it otherwise, Devin fell asleep crying into the pillow.
* * *
Devin came awake all in a rush, gasping for a throttled breath. Wild gaze flung around the room, her first thought was Max had come in to hurt her just as her dreams had threatened. She screamed when light suddenly flooded the bedroom as the same man turned on the lamp next to the sofa.
“Shh, honey. It’s okay,” Max said, his purr hoarse and rough as if he’d exhausted it. Still he came forward, pushing at the air before him to quiet her fears. “It’s only me.”
“No,” Devin shouted, fingers turned into claws as she struggled to free herself of the twisted sheets and blankets. Refusing to hear his soothing sounds as she scrambled to the other side of the bed. So intent on getting away, she missed him climbing up, hurrying towards her to drag Devin back down.
“It’s all right. You’re okay.” Max wrapped her in his arms, taking her back into the middle of the bed where he gave her no choice but to feel the press of his naked chest, the resonance emanating from him.
“Get off of me,” Devin shrieked, arm sailing through the air to connect with the side of his face as she reached to yank his head back from where he settled his chin upon her shoulder.
The purr didn’t falter despite her cries and struggles, his capable limbs entwining in hers to pin Devin beside him. She didn’t understand why he wasn’t on top of her yet if he came in here to hurt her, but as he just continued to purr, sense returned.
“You said you wouldn’t,” Devin stammered out around choked sobs.
“I did. You were crying hard enough I heard you in the other room, so I came to check on you. When you didn’t answer, I came in and found you fast asleep. You stopped when I purred for you.” Max gave a deep sigh, nuzzling Devin’s hair out of his way so he could catch her too wide eyes. “Honey, you need to face facts here. You need an Alpha. I was hoping spending time with me would help, but it didn’t.”
“I’m still keeping my promise,” he continued when Devin’s low whine threaded through the room on an acrid burst of fear. “I won’t touch you. I’ll sleep on the couch like I was if it makes you feel better about it.”
“No, no, no.” Devin didn’t want him anywhere near her, no matter that the tension was leaving her in jerky fits or that she took her first full breath since the horror began when he hugged her tighter.
She didn’t want to admit it felt so damned good to be held.
“I’m going to let you go now, and I’m going to go back over to the couch.” Announcing his every move as he enacted them, he stood and walked back to the couch to stretch his long limbs out.
It was laughable, how he dwarfed the large cushions. Feet stretched far over one edge, his head was cradled on the arm of the other. The wide cushions barely fit all of his bulk, one arm held at an awkward angle so it wouldn’t drag the floor.
“I can sleep on the couch,” Devin mumbled, hiccupping as her tears continued to flow in restless waves.
“Absolutely not.” Max turned a frown on her, adding a shake of his head for good measure.
“You don’t fit…” She waved a helpless hand at the ungainly position he’d been forced into.
“No Omega is going to sleep on a damn couch when I have anything to say about it, and definitely not a pregnant one. Now, you can invite me up there if you want, but my ass is staying right here otherwise.” Max closed his eyes, head falling back at that too sharp angle as he crossed his arms high on his chest. Letting out a gusty breath, he started to purr for her once more.
No wonder the sound had been so hoarse. The creeping fingers of dawn were reaching over the surrounding fields, etching the cool glass behind the curtains with its meager light. He’d been purring for hours while she slept away. It seemed the sudden quiet was what woke her as he finally fell into too deep a sleep to keep it up. Curling up under the blankets once more, Devin was glad he hadn’t turned off the light or made her ask him to purr for her.
Listening to the steady, reliable sound, she drifted into uneasy dreams of an enraged Rey tearing apart everything in his path to find her while she laughed and danced in the shadows.
* * *
“What the hell is that?”
“It’s a dress, honey.”
“That is not a dress,” Devin said with a snort, eyeing the short hem that would be a scant inch below her underwear, if she was lucky. “I’ll wear the jeans, thank you.”
