gestured at the table. “The flowers are beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as you,” Dorian replied to the ground. “But I accept your forgiveness, thank you.”
“You’re welcome, and I’m sorry for my part in our fight. You have dealt with so much recently, and I shouldn’t have taken it as personally as I did.” Hyatt became keenly aware of their audience. He gently tugged Dorian across the apartment, into his bedroom and shut the door. “Neither of us was perfect today. We’ll never be perfect because all humans are flawed. I still want a life with you, Dorian.”
“And I want one with you. As much as I want to be the perfect alpha for you, I know I will fail from time to time. But I believe we’ll talk, work through it, and come out stronger on the other side.”
“So do I.” Hyatt pulled him down for a long, claiming kiss. “So do I, bondmate. Promise.”
Twenty-Three
Dorian had spent most of his day figuring out how to make it up to Hyatt, and the simplest thing seemed to be humility. Hyatt was right, in that Dorian should have admitted to the credit transfer when they agreed to mate. So many things had snowballed at once after that decision, though, and it had left Dorian off-balance. His entire life had imploded last week after his visit with Dustin, and for a long time money hadn’t seemed important.
But it wasn’t about the money. Not for Hyatt. It had been about the secret. The inadvertent lie. Dorian never wanted to lie to his future mate again.
So he’d ordered the flowers, knocked on the apartment door, informed Khory he was going to silently wait for Hyatt’s return, and that’s exactly what he’d done. No matter how much his knees ached from the position, or that his left ankle had gone to sleep, he knelt there and waited. And Hyatt came home.
His handsome, generous omega had been absolutely lickable in that fancy suit, and he’d forgiven Dorian.
Now they were wrapped up in each other on Hyatt’s bed, rutting their groins together, kissing like they needed each other to breathe. This was as physically intimate as they’d been since the phone-sex call during Dorian’s cycle, and as much as Dorian craved release, he didn’t want to take something Hyatt wasn’t ready to give.
Only Hyatt had definitely become the aggressor. He thrust his tongue into Dorian’s mouth, pinned Dorian to the bed and ground his hard dick against Dorian’s. Seeking something they hadn’t yet shared while touching. Something Dorian was more than ready to give to his omega. Dorian wrenched his mouth free and stared up at Hyatt, who had him flat on his back. “Whatever you want, my dear,” Dorian said.
Hyatt rubbed his nose against Dorian’s. “I love this so much but I’m scared.”
“Scared of what? You can tell me anything.”
“Scared of being vulnerable. Of not being able to make things stop.”
“Oh, Hyatt.” Dorian rolled them onto their sides, heads sharing a pillow, so there was less direct contact on his dick. It helped him concentrate on his omega’s words. “We don’t have to do more than rub a little, and then hold each other. I hear and understand why you feel vulnerable. I also give you my solemn vow that I will always hear you when you speak, even in the throes of passion. I love you too much to ever make you regret putting your trust in me.”
Hyatt’s tender smile made his heart flip with the truth of his words. He was in love with Hyatt, and he wanted the world to know it. “Even during heat?” Hyatt asked.
“Especially then. There are pheromone suppressors I can take that will help me keep my wits, so that I can properly take care of you during your surges. We don’t have to knot every time. If you tell me you only want one knot, the one that will seal us as mates, then that is all I’ll do.” He traced a finger down the delicate line of Hyatt’s cheekbone. “I’ll probably spend a lot of time jerking off in the bathroom, but I’ll do what you ask of me and nothing more. You have my word.”
“Thank you. I’m still not sure what I want, other than to be mates. I know my body will be loose and slick, and that it won’t hurt physically.”
“You’re worried it will hurt here.” Dorian brushed a kiss across Hyatt’s forehead.
“Yes. I hate what Edgar took from me.”
“Then reclaim it from him. You’ll always