Obsidian Heat

Chapter Twelve

Jonah seemed to know what Isme was thinking, then, and he turned so that they spooned each other in bed. Isme breathed in his scent, his nose pressed against the broad expanse of Jonah's back, and his cock hardened. Jonah sensed his arousal and he squirmed, then, and bared his neck, like a sweet, dutiful omega. Isme gulped, nerves fluttering in his chest. He wanted the omega back who'd bossed him into eating his protein for breakfast. Not this. "I'm ordering you to tell me what you'd like. What would make you feel good. Please, Jonah. Don't make me do it like this."

"Well, there's a loophole I hadn't thought of," said Jonah after a long moment of silence. Isme wanted to scream, but he clenched his jaw instead. Arms tightening around Jonah's torso, Isme shifted against him, murmuring assent. "I want you inside me, bare. I want to feel all of you this time." Jonah's voice was husky, and Isme's cock twitched in anticipation.

The comment startled Isme so much he withdrew his arms and scooted to the side of the bed. Jonah turned around to face him, his expression serious. Isme studied his face. "But..."

"You asked me what I wanted. That's what I want."

"I can't do that," whispered Isme. "I'll... you'll... you do understand the consequences, don't you? You were terrified of getting pregnant. You were weeping in the office of a Council agent. Don't ask me to do that to you."

"Well," said Jonah carefully, scooting to the opposite side of the mattress and clutching his arms around himself. "I guess we're at an impasse, aren't we?"

"Fuck," hissed Isme. He got up, then, paced, threaded his hands through his hair. "Oh, fuck. You evil genius. That's a loophole, too, isn't it?"

In response, Jonah only smiled with lazy certainty, and Isme's heart beat faster. "I don't know," he said. "That's just what I want. It felt good when you knotted me. My body's telling me to take you bare."

"I just need a minute." Isme's breathing was coming fast and heavy, then, and, still naked, he grabbed his pants slung over the chair in the corner and fled the bedroom for the bathroom. Jonah's voice called after him with increasing panic, but he ignored it and shut the door. He fiddled around in his pants pocket for his trusty Swiss army knife and held it in his hands, twisting it around his fingers. He thought about cutting. He could hardly breathe; it felt like a weight on his chest was suffocating him as a bead of sweat trickled down his left temple.

He expected Jonah to come knocking on the door any minute, but he didn't come. So he sat cross-legged on the floor for several minutes, trying to steady his heart, just staring at the red glint of the knife in his palm in the dim light of the bathroom. When Jonah didn't come for him, he threw the knife on the tile and rose to his feet, returning to the bedroom and the mattress where Jonah waited. He was curled up in a ball, whimpering.

"I would have come for you, but I can't," he said through ragged breaths. "It hurts too much. Why didn't you do it? You smelled like you were thinking about it. I shouldn't have asked. It was a stupid rebellion thing. I'm sorry."

Isme wiped his nose, ignoring his red-rimmed eyes. "Do you really want me bare?" he said softly. "Even though you could get pregnant?"

"Yes." Jonah hiccuped, then, and took a deep breath. "But it's just a stupid fantasy. You don't have to do it. I was just being... me."

"I like you when you take your agency back," said Isme, planting soft kisses along his neck and down his spine. He shivered at the contact of his alpha's lips.

"But omegas are supposed to be obedient," he sniffed. "Obedient breeders."

"I don't want you obedient," said Isme. His cock was straining against his better judgment, seeking Jonah's hole. Slick pooled around Jonah's legs, exciting Isme's pheromones further. He took steadying breaths.