Davis glanced up, halfway through wiping off Kai’s hands. “I wouldn’t say that,” he said slowly. “I haven’t been able to provide everything for him. He’s never had an alpha dad his whole life.”
“Better to have one dad, than none at all.” Kai met his eyes. “I went without any until my dad married Spike’s mom.”
Davis’ face fell. “Oh, Kai.”
He set the wet wipes down, wrapping his arms around Kai’s shoulders. Kai breathed in honey and gardenia again, nosing the firm slope of Davis’ shoulder.
It felt good, being in Davis’ arms. Davis was small, but his embrace was strong, comforting.
“You don’t have to dad me, you know,” Kai said. “I’m fine.”
“But—” Davis looked him over with soft, regretful eyes. “I still wish you grew up with more support. My heart hurts every time you mention your family.”
It was sweet of him to. And maybe Kai had never had an outsider listen to him, someone who felt this much about his past.
Kai shrugged. “I have Spike. Good enough.”
Davis looked like he wanted to say more, but refrained. He released Kai and looked him over. “How does your ankle feel? Do you need ointment on your scrapes? I can wait if you’d like to rinse any cuts—”
“I’m fine,” Kai said. “This is nothing.”
Davis looked dubious, clutching tubes of medicine. “You protected my laptop instead of yourself. You shouldn’t have. We could look at your ankle and see if you need more—”
He wasn’t going to stop worrying, was he?
There were more important things than Kai’s scrapes to think about. Kai sighed, grabbing the front of Davis’ shirt.
Then he hauled Davis close, and kissed him.
18
Micah
Kai’s kiss was deep, fierce. His teeth grazed Micah’s lips, and his mouth was demanding.
“I’m not your son,” Kai growled against him. “Don’t treat me like one.”
Something hot slid down Micah’s spine. He yanked himself away, his heart pounding, his nerves alight and tingling. “O-okay,” Micah breathed, meeting those stormy gray eyes. “I’ll remember it.”
As soon as the kiss ended, Kai looked away, his ears turning pink. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to do that.”
Micah retreated behind the desk. He’d never kissed Kai, save for the first time they’d had sex. This... It had felt good. Sinful. I shouldn’t want to do it again. Kai didn’t kiss me because he likes me.
Spike’s kisses were toe-curling, all hunger and love and sunshine. Kai’s had been heat and force, as though he were a hurricane bound inside a human body.
Kai was like his brother, but in some ways, they were so very different.
“S-so, if you’re feeling fine, we should start with the consultation,” Micah said, tucking the first aid kit away. His mouth tingled. His heart thumped. Would Spike want to know about this kiss?
“We should,” Kai said, fumbling with his backpack like he didn’t know what to do with it.
That was endearing. Micah touched the scrap of lace in his pocket, remembering Spike’s eagerness, and Kai’s discomfort. Had Kai been... worried about giving the panties to Micah?
“Give me a moment to get settled in,” Micah said, really so Kai could compose himself.
“Sure,” Kai muttered. He couldn’t meet Micah’s eyes, all of a sudden. That was unusual for him. Surprisingly adorable.
Micah bit down his smile, logging into his computer.
And right there, above all his emails, was a new college-wide message from Bernard Hastings. Re: Congress’ Professorial Bill. This isn’t a law. It does not apply to College staff. Any employee found guilty will be asked to leave the college.
Micah’s stomach turned. I knew it was too good to be true.
Years ago, even before Micah had conceived York, he’d dated Bernard. Bernard had been terrible, scornful and abrasive, and Micah had left.
But Micah had gotten pregnant with York a couple years later. At that point, Bernard had been the president of Meadowfall College for some years. With York as a newborn, Micah had been fresh out of college, and desperate.
Enough to give Bernard a few blowjobs in exchange for a teaching assistant position, that would set him on track to becoming a professor. That was a secret, too, something he never wanted Spike or Kai to find out.
These days, he stayed under the radar, meeting expectations and avoiding Bernard’s scrutiny. He’d had enough of those shrewd eyes and sneering jibes. He avoided the department office whenever Bernard was around.
But getting involved with Spike and Kai was a whole new level of risk. And somehow, Kai shared some of Bernard’s traits—the shrewd gaze, the way he judged, and flew into a rage. But Kai’s father was an alpha, and so was Bernard. There was no way Kai could be Bernard’s son.
Besides, Bernard was married, and he had a son older than Kai and Spike. It was just that Micah couldn’t shake their similarity.
“What’s wrong?” Kai met Micah’s eyes.
Micah sighed. Should he tell Kai? “A staff email.”
“Mind if I look?” Kai grabbed his crutches.
Micah shrugged, so Kai hobbled around the desk. He leaned in close to Micah, his body radiating warmth, his skin smelling like earthy elm. Kai’s gaze darted over the email. Then he narrowed his eyes.
“What do you want us to do about that?” Kai asked. Micah assumed Kai meant himself and Spike.
“I don’t know.” Micah had been looking forward to tonight—Spike had promised ropes and torment.
Worse, he carried their baby. Micah touched his belly, sighing. “Do you happen to be related to Bernard Hastings? You look similar.”
Kai frowned. “Couldn’t tell you. My dad went through a ton of omegas.”
If Bernard could trade blowjobs for a position, what were the chances of him also sleeping with a number of other omegas?
It wasn’t a pleasant thought. Micah shoved it out of his mind. “Regardless of how this turns out, we do need to get your grades back up,” he said. “Let’s get back to work.”
Kai blew out a breath. “I guess. Wish I didn’t have to.”
“Didn’t you take this major because you love it?”
Kai laughed, and Micah was struck, again, by how handsome he looked. “Nah,” Kai said.
