Something I would have begged for, if I thought I had even a tiny chance of getting it from Kiara.
Leighton pulled back, her fingers brushing against the mark from her omega.
“You look like you’re less on the verge of a breakdown now, so I’m going to go do some more research on what the fuck my mother is hiding.”
“And figure out how you feel about Kiara loving you?” I couldn’t help the final tease.
She sighed. “I already know how I feel about that.”
She left me in the kitchen to mull over my emotions, and I sank into my thoughts. It was refreshing to be given freedom to think for myself—even if I may not deserve it.
THIRTY-ONE
AMBROSE
It had just become impossible to detangle Leighton and Kiara’s lives from our own.
Mercury would be freaking out, researching ways to make sure Dash didn’t fall apart when the bond between him and Kiara faded.
It was no use. They were connected.Wewere connected.
And I was fucking ecstatic.
“How do you know there’s a pool here?” Kiara asked when we got into the elevator.
She’d just bathed me in her slick, her scent all over me, and she was still mildly irritated that I knew more about her mate than she did. I hid my smile.
“I’ve seen the plans.”
“So you’ve never… been there? With Leighton?”
I shook my head. “Before you, I’d never been invited to her condo before. I owe you a thank you, little omega. You gave me the in I’d been waiting for.”
I ignored her little growl, stepping out of the elevator and swiping a keycard to let us onto the rooftop deck. At first we’d been sneaking past security to get in and out of the building, but before we’d left when Leighton got arrested, I’d found and snagged her spare set of keys. It was better to ask forgiveness than permission, and she had to have realized by now.
We weren’t the only ones up here, with it being a sunny Saturday in August. Half the building was basking on the deck, but there were plenty of lounge chairs for everyone. With the fees Leighton paid to live here, I would hope it wouldn’t be a problem.
I led Kiara over to a private corner, far from the pool and the couple of splashing kids playing in it. She settled on the lounge and I pulled over a simple chair, preferring to keep myself upright to watch the people around us.
Even this close to home, it was doubtful she was fully safe.
Having an omega in danger stoked the fire of my alpha nature like nothing ever had before. I would protect her. It was my duty.
“Why had you never been invited to her condo before? I thought she liked you.”
I should have known she wouldn’t let my comment go. I may still have the taste of her on my tongue, but that didn’t mean she didn’t view me as a romantic threat. Ravishing Leighton while she’d been alone in the living room may not have been the best plan—not that I would undo it. The female alpha had been mine first, and I wouldn’t let an omega stampede over me in her efforts to make a claim.
“Leighton prefers to keep her distance from people.”
She’d broken every rule she’d ever set with me when she bonded and fucked Kiara. To say I wasn’t jealous would be a lie.
Kiara winced, pulling her knees up to her chest. I reached over and adjusted the drape of her skirt, not wanting the rest of the people up here to see anything beneath.
“She must hate me, then.”
I barked a laugh. The sound was so sharp and sudden it drew the attention of a few other pool goers. They were quick to look away when they caught sight of my scarred features, but the sting of rejection was so frequent I was numb to it.
“It’s the opposite,” I said.
