TALIA
The next morning, West got me out of bed at an ungodly hour, telling me to get dressed. Conrad held us up by bringing me a massive breakfast—much to West’s annoyance—but eventually we made it out of the house and into the back garden, just the two of us.
With Conrad hanging back an appropriate distance in case of emergencies, of course.
West’s hand covered my eyes as he urged me to keep moving forward. The ground beneath my feet was soft—grass, maybe. From the breeze brushing my cheeks, I knew we were still outside, which eliminated carpet as an option.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“You don’t get to know until we get there.”
“Well, are we almost there? I’m going to trip eventually.”
“And I’ll be there to catch you, little omega.”
I sighed. What could I say to that? I trusted him. I just wanted my surprise sooner than he was willing to give it to me.
Less than a minute later, he kissed the top of my head and moved his hand so I could see. “We’re here.”
‘Here’ was the shooting range at the far end of the estate. Targets lined the far side of a field, all various sizes and distances from the shooting line. A gunshot-riddled cement wall backed the targets.
Directly in front of me was a table laid out with a small pistol and ammo, a sheathed knife, and a blue velvet jewellery box.
I turned to West with one eyebrow raised. He cleared his throat awkwardly, shuffling from foot to foot.
“I know it’s not exactly a typical courting gift,” he said. “But I’m hoping you’ll like what I meant for it to symbolize. I can’t stop you from using yourself as bait for Benjamin. It’s your choice. What I can do is make sure you go in prepared, knowing that I trust you wholeheartedly to take care of yourself, even when it doesn’t seem like I do.”
He wouldn’t meet my eyes as he picked up the gun. “You’ve already learned to use one of these, but I was hoping you might let me give you a refresher?”
Taking one step forward so we were chest to chest, I wrapped my arms around him.
He was the most resistant to the plan, for good reason. It was risky. So many things could go wrong, and he was jaded.
Yet the man who probably never wanted me to touch a gun was gifting one to me. He was going to teach me to keep myself safe for when I inevitably put myself in danger alone.
I bet it took a lot out of him to give me this.
“It’s a perfect courting gift,” I murmured against his chest.
He put the gun back down before grabbing me in a tight hug. “Only the best for our perfect omega. This pistol is top of the line?—”
I went up onto my toes and shut him up with a kiss. State of the art or a relic from the past, the sentiment was the same. Hetrusted my choices and wanted to help me be safer when I made risky ones.
West deepened the kiss, his scent going smokier as his cock hardened against me. His hands rested on my hips, and I was about to jump up to wrap my legs around him when he broke away with a soft groan.
“This place isn’t private enough for what’s in your head right now, little omega.”
Breathing heavily, I glanced around. Sure enough, guards melted into the foliage around us. I’d been too focused on my table of gifts to notice them before, but it made sense. This was a far edge of the property. My fathers wouldn’t want us out here without an entourage.
There was also Conrad milling around with the guards, but I would have been happy to have him watch.
“Guess I’ll have to save my thank you for after the lesson,” I said with a sigh.
“You don’t need to thank me like that.”
I rolled my eyes. “I want to. It’s not every day you act so sweet.”
He tried to look grumpy about my statement, but the more time I spent around West, the more I thought that expression was just pouty.
