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No, it wasn’t fair to women to assign it a female term. One could even argue it would be misogynistic.
Asshole. His heart was a treacherous asshole. There. That was a better way of putting it.
His heart was a treacherous asshole because no matter how many times Delton had told himself to forget about Adar, to get over the stupid notion that they were mates, to stop obsessing about him, thinking about him, dreaming about him, jerking off to him, for fuck’s sake, he never seemed to manage it.
Even a glimpse of the man would send Delton back into an endless tailspin of ruminating, trying to figure out what was going on, how he could’ve been so stupid to fall for him that hard, why the fuck he couldn’t get over Adar, and—the biggest question of all—how it was possible that the man he was so convinced was his mate was head over heels in love with someone else.
Oh, Adar had never told him he was in love with Oliver. Delton had barely exchanged more than a few words with Adar in the time Delton had lived here, despite him trying to connect with the alpha. But Delton had thought they had time, that fate would work things out.
Until Oliver had shown up.
Delton didn’t hate the dragon. How could he hate the sweet, angelic omega who was still suffering from the trauma inflicted upon him? Delton could never blame him for anything, least of all for getting the affections of a man Oliver barely knew. Adar had fallen as hard for Oliver at first sight as Delton had fallen for the alpha, and if that wasn’t the cruelest irony, Delton didn’t know what was.
Which was why he was so pissed off at himself for being practically giddy when Adar had requested a meeting with him. As a psychologist. Not as a friend. Adar had approached Delton professionally, which meant Delton should at least try to maintain an emotional distance. So far, he was failing spectacularly at that.
He’d given himself a stern talking-to, ordered his heart to stop racing, his palms to stop sweating, and to act like the professional he was. All in vain. He hadn’t even been able to concentrate on anything, so he’d given up, slumping in his chair as he waited for Adar to show up. Like he said, his heart was a treacherous asshole. How could he stay so loyal to a man who was in love with someone else? It was wrong on every level.
A knock sounded on his door, and he sat up straight. Enough with the self-pity. He pulled his face into a professional mask and called out, “Come on in.”
Adar hesitantly stepped into the room, his massive frame filling the door. “Door open or closed?”
“I don’t have a preference either way, but if you want whatever you tell me to stay between us, you may want to close it. My roommates aren’t home, but one of them could walk in, so it’s always better to be safe than sorry.”
“Right.” Adar closed the door, then stood in the middle of the room, jamming his hands into his pockets.
“You can sit down if you want.” Delton gestured at the chair opposite him.
Adar eyed it critically. “Are you sure it’ll hold me? It looks a tad dainty.”
“I can’t be sure since my guess is you’re the biggest alpha to sit in it, but if it doesn’t, I’ll take full responsibility.”
“Okay.” He lowered himself carefully, and after a loud creak, the chair seemed to settle under his weight.
Delton waited, as always giving his client the opportunity to speak first. When Adar stayed silent, he took the initiative. “Can I get you something to drink? I have coffee, tea, water, various flavors of that disgusting seltzer…”
Adar snorted. “Disgusting is the right word. I don’t understand how people can drink that shit. It’s awful.”
“I couldn’t agree more. I can’t stand the stuff, but several of my clients love it, so I still feel obliged to offer it.”
“I’m not a client.” Adar frowned. “Am I?”
“I don’t know since you haven’t told me why you’re here, but for argument’s sake, let’s say you are. Regardless, the question stands.”
“Coffee. If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like a cup of coffee.”
“No trouble at all. I just made a fresh pot.”
Delton didn’t mention that the only reason he’d done so was that he was well aware of Adar’s coffee addiction. The man was known for drinking his poison undiluted, as he described it himself, so Delton had made the strongest coffee ever. The stuff was pitch black and would probably burn a hole in anyone’s stomach. He poured Adar a big cup, made himself a smaller one, and added a generous splash of creamer. His stomach wouldn’t survive otherwise.
“Thank you.” Adar took the cup and set it on the little table next to his chair.
“How have things been for you?” Delton had better start with a general question since he had no clue why Adar wanted to talk to him.
“Good. Nothing much going on other than the usual threats.”
“I’m glad to hear that, though I asked more about you personally than about your job.”
Adar frowned. “Oh. I don’t have much of a personal life, I guess.”
