“No,” the professor said, his expression closing up. “This is already bad enough. Tonight...”
Micah Davis paled. He looked down at himself, his cock hanging out of his shorts, a last drop of come clinging to his tip.
“What’s wrong?” Spike asked, his pulse quickening.
“I’m not on BC,” Micah said quietly, pressing his palm over his belly. His hand shook. “I just... There hasn’t been a reason to. I can’t believe I forgot.”
Micah hadn’t had an alpha in forever, and... he’d just received two loads of come inside him. Spike forgot to breathe. This wasn’t something he’d planned. What if I become a dad? I’m not ready for it. I’m nineteen.
Next to him, Kai looked just as horrified.
“My fault,” Spike said. “If anything happens—”
“Nothing will,” Micah snapped, his body tensing. There was terror in his eyes, and then determination. “Please get out of my home.”
Spike’s stomach plummeted. “But I—”
“No buts,” Micah said, and he was every bit the professor in control at that moment. “Out.”
Spike could almost see Micah yanking his guard back up, tall iron walls that... hid someone very vulnerable behind.
Micah pointed at his bedroom door. Spike strode forward, and hauled Micah Davis against himself, pulling him into a tight hug.
The professor gasped and tensed. Spike pressed his lips to Micah’s forehead, stroking his palm down Micah’s back.
“I promise I’ll be responsible for anything that happens,” Spike whispered, his instincts rumbling in his chest. Mine. “I know I’m young and stupid and I’m not the alpha you deserve. But if you get pregnant, I’ll do everything I can to help.”
Micah sucked in a slow, trembling breath. For a moment, he relaxed against Spike’s chest. Like he needed somebody. He breathed, and Spike kissed his temple, just holding him.
Micah Davis felt right in his arms.
Then Micah withdrew into himself, pulling away. Spike let him go.
“Out,” Micah said, looking at his dresser. “Thanks for tonight. For what it’s worth... we won’t speak about this again. It’ll have no bearing on your schoolwork.”
“Yeah, that was never the point,” Kai said, circling his fingers around Spike’s arm. “Sorry. You know where to find us if you need help. We’ll get out of your hair for now.”
It felt wrong, leaving him. Spike had held Micah when he trembled, Spike had seen his expression completely open, hungry, scrunched up when he came.
Micah had been everything Spike had dreamed about, and then more. Spike didn’t want to let him go.
Kai tugged on his arm. He had a point.
Unwillingly, Spike followed Kai out of Micah’s bedroom, tucking his cock back into his pants.
The hallway smelled like musk and hints of elm and juniper. Further out in the living room, York was slumped back against the couch, tossing back a bottle of beer.
Spike tensed. Had York heard them fucking his dad?
“Hey,” Kai said, ever so calm. “Been home long?”
York blinked, his eyes half-focused. “Where’d you go? We still have... have that thing...”
“We’ll work on the project tomorrow,” Spike said, breathing out a sigh of relief. York hadn’t heard. That was all they needed. “Don’t get too drunk.”
York hiccupped. Spike grabbed a couple of unopened beers from York’s case, and slipped them into his backpack. Gods knew he and Kai needed a drink, after tonight. Kai rolled his eyes.
Then they were out of the apartment, and Spike still didn’t know what to make of what just happened.
Pros: he’d gotten to kiss Micah Davis. Hell, he’d been inside Micah, he’d marked Micah with his come, and Micah’s skin with his own scent. He’d called the professor by his name.
He’d seen Micah’s pleasure when he’d taken Kai’s cock—that had been so fucking hot—and when Micah had come... Spike would forever jerk off to that memory.
Cons: well. Everything else. Kai had left a bonding mark on Micah, and that hurt.
In the car, Spike angled the rearview mirror toward himself, pulling off his shirt.
“Hey—” Kai began, then shut up when he saw what Spike had seen in the mirror: tens of silvery bite scars all across Spike’s shoulder like a pale cloud, but not a single one on his scent gland.
The alphas on their basketball team had teased Spike about the scars. Spike had lied and said he was still waiting for the right person to come along.
They already had, though. It was just that neither Kai nor Micah would give him a bonding mark. Probably ever. He blew out the tightness in his chest.
“You still pissed about that?” Kai asked quietly, turning them down the lamplit roads.
Spike clenched his jaw. “It should’ve been my mark. Or...” Or you could’ve bitten me.
“What’s mine is also yours,” Kai said, looking sidelong at Spike.
“Yeah, and you’ll leave Meadowfall, and find some omega and I’ll never see you again.” Spike knew he shouldn’t get angry. The bite was done. He couldn’t remove it. But he was so tempted to say, It’s not like you’ll love me the way I want you to.
“You know I’m not bonding with anyone else,” Kai said.
Spike scoffed. “At some point, you’ll fall in love. ‘Cuz believe it or not, Kai, that’s the way you are. You care for people. You’re gonna care too much for someone sooner or later.”
Kai clenched his jaw. “I don’t care about anyone.”
“You care about me. And Mom and Dad.”
At a stoplight, Kai looked at Spike for a long moment, but he said nothing.
Sometimes, Spike wished he knew what went on in Kai’s head. They’d been stepbrothers for nine years, but he often only knew half of what Kai thought or felt.
“If you get together with Davis, you’re gonna stop hounding me about finding an omega, right?” Kai asked.
Spike scowled. He’d hounded Kai because he’d wanted Kai to take a closer look at people. Or really, so Kai would give up on omegas and take a closer look at Spike.
That had ended up backfiring—Kai had dated some omegas here and there. It had made Spike so fucking jealous.
“I wish you loved me,” Spike muttered. And then he wished he’d kept his mouth shut.
“I do
