Chapter Nine
Rory
At first, I didn’t know what to make of Damien’s hot and cold routine. But then I realized the booze and painkillers had completely taken down his guard. I was getting another look at the real Damien Raoult, and he was funny and sweet. I wondered why on earth he kept this side of himself hidden from the world.
Then I remembered that Damien’s ruthless business persona was part of what helped him survive in a competitive and dangerous industry like military contracting.
As the day turned into evening and a drink at the bar turned into dinner at a cozy table in the back, I found it harder and harder to resist Damien. He’d moved his chair around the table inch by inch, and at some point, he’d ended up almost in my lap. It took all of my strength not to lean in and kiss his full lips but I didn’t want to scare him off.
It was when Damien reached out and grabbed my crotch that I knew he’d had too much to drink. The drinking I could understand given everything he’d been through, but there was no way in hell I was going to take advantage of that.
The problem was figuring out what to do with him. I had to keep Damien safe, but I didn’t know where he lived or who to call. I considered taking him to a hotel but I didn’t believe his injuries were healed enough to leave him alone. I could’ve asked him who to call, but I worried that in his state he’d read it as rejection and storm off.
That’s when I decided I would watch over him until morning and then figure out how to get him home, where he could be safe and looked after.
“Why don’t we go back to my place?” I asked. Perhaps if he thought I was ready to have sex, he’d go back to my room and pass out before he realized that I would not touch him until he was sober. “I’m going to call a cab and then we’ll get out of here.”
I decided to go to a hotel anyway. There was one right by the base so I could be nearby in case Delta Squad got called up, but I didn’t want to risk sneaking Damien on base. That could get me in a lot of trouble. I cursed myself for not getting an off base apartment, but up until that night, there hadn’t been a reason.
While I checked us into the hotel, Damien sat in the lobby. I wasn’t sure if he knew where we were and I was pissed at myself for letting him get so drunk. I was supposed to be his Alpha, whether he’d accepted it yet or not, and that meant it was my job to take care of him. I swore I would never let him drink that much in my presence again. I’d just been having such a good time with him and I stopped paying attention. That wasn’t like me at all.
When we got up to our room, I’d no sooner locked the door and Damien was stripping off his clothes. The sight of his tight, muscular body was almost irresistible. If I hadn’t had years of experience denying myself quick, shallow pleasures, I would have probably given in to him. But I never would have been able to live with myself. His consent was important to me and I wanted him to want me when all of his faculties were intact.
By the time he was down to his underwear and had his hands roaming all over my chest and then cupping my ass, I felt like bringing him to the hotel room was a mistake on my part.
Overwhelmed by his Omega scent, I crushed my lips against his. Damien’s arms wrapped around my waist, and I encircled his upper back. His tongue darted between my lips and I was almost undone.
Finding a reserve of strength, I didn’t know I had, I pushed him back gently. “Let’s get you to bed,” I said and led him to the bed.
I pulled the covers back and Damien climbed in. He turned on his side to watch me, probably thinking I was about to strip. I just stood there for a moment, looking at him. The lamplight gave his skin a warm glow that only highlighted his long, lean muscles.
“I’m glad it was you who saved me,” he said, and his voice was even more slurred than before. I’d planned on sleeping on the pull-out sofa, but instead, I’d be standing guard over him all night to ensure he hadn’t crossed the line into alcohol poisoning. If there’d even been the slightest hint that he was in danger, I’d have taken him back to the base hospital whether he liked it or not. “I didn’t want to be hurt again.”
As soon as he’d said the words, Damien began to cry softly. I hated to see him in pain but at least he’d stopped thinking about sex. So I climbed into the bed with him, fully clothed, and held him close to me.
I didn’t know what he’d meant, but whatever it was, I knew I’d do my best to make it better when he was ready to tell me. He cried for a while longer and I stroked his hair. Eventually, his breathing slowed enough that I knew he’d fallen asleep.
For the next couple of hours, I sat there in the bed and watched him sleep. It wasn’t until I was sure he was out of the woods that I let my eyes close.
At some point, we were going to have a talk about mixing painkillers and booze. I just hoped his drinking was a symptom of emptiness in his life and not a true addiction. The emptiness we could fill. I wasn’t sure what I would do if the beautiful Omega lying next to me was an alcoholic.
I guessed that he’d need a good, strong Alpha even more.