Chapter 10
Stepping into the business that boasts to be the best way to expel some anger, I smirk at the irony. I changed my clothing after dealing with Marcus Coons, Aisling’s old landlord. God, he was a real piece of shit, and I enjoyed taking everything from him.
Aiden arranged a clean up crew for me, and I’m now swaggering in with a pair of dark jeans and a long-sleeved blue sweater underneath my black coat. My favorite suit is going to need to be dry cleaned, but the company we use looks the other way at a bloodstain or two. I told Evan I escaped mostly unscathed, and that wasn’t a lie. I simply know that when you get your hands dirty, sometimes blood splatters.
I don’t want to meet Aisling with that bastard’s fluids on any part of me.
“Hi, Sir. Are you here for open session?” the woman at the desk asks with a smile. “It’s not busy today.”
“I am,” I say with a nod. Glancing at the laminated sheet on the desk as I walk up to it, I read that they only have private sessions during the week. Therefore, Aisling is in the open session room.
Logic is keeping me from bouncing on the balls of my feet and showing the excitement I feel. I want to know everything about this little omega. Why is she here? What kind of rage is she working off? Who else do I need to kill in her honor?
The woman charges me for admission, and then walks me to an area filled with protective glasses and a place to hang my outerwear.Text content © NôvelDrama.Org.
“Your hands may be too large for our gloves,” she laments as she looks at them.
I hold them out, shrugging. They’re tattooed with colorful flames. I can be professional, lethal, and cutthroat while still being myself. Anyone who thinks otherwise can get fucked. I wore black leather gloves earlier and pull them from the pocket of the coat hanging up.
“Can I wear these?” I ask her. I’m not really worried about cutting up my hands, but I don’t want her to get into trouble either. I’m sure there are some regulations she or her boss need to follow.
“Yes, thank you,” she says, her shoulders relaxing.
Smiling widely at her, I tug on the gloves and put on the protective glasses, ready to be done with pleasantries. I know for a fact that my shoes pass muster as well, because I changed into my comfortable combat boots earlier.
“No worries. All set then?”
The woman runs through rules about being aware of my surroundings while working out my anger, and opens the door to a huge room filled with every type of glass object you could possibly imagine finding at a thrift store.
China dishes, lamps, figurines, ugly busts of people, as well as tapestries and pillows that should have been trashed.
“You’ll find hammers, mallets, bats, sledgehammers, and more on this wall,” she says, showing me. “There are knives for tearing, ripping, and destroying hung up next to it. Please remember to put your weapons away when you’re done. There’s only two other people here today. I’ll ring the buzzer in a moment. Enjoy!”
The woman leaves with a bright smile while I chuckle under my breath. She’s definitely great at her job. Moving over to the wall, I lift a sledgehammer from its place.
“It looks tiny in your hands,” a blonde says with a snicker beside me as she lifts a smaller hammer, her eyes covered by the protective glasses. She’s stunning, wearing clothes I wouldn’t normally expect to see at a place like this.
Inhaling deeply, I swear lights explode behind my suddenly closed eyelids as my favorite scent fills my senses.
Holy fuck. I may just come in my pants. The scent of sugar cookies makes my mouth water, and I can practically taste the buttery, delicious treats. Fuck, they really are my absolute favorite.
Swallowing hard, I open my eyes, trying to keep my cool as I glance over the beautiful omega whose hair is tossed up in a messy bun, the gloves supplied by the rage room on her hands.
My pack’s girl means business right now. “If I tried to use anything else, I might break it,” I say apologetically, flexing my hand around the handle.
Aisling’s eyes grow wide as she squirms, standing next to me. I’m desperate to see if she’ll perfume for me, or will give me a hint of if she knows we’re scent matches, but there’s nothing.
This little omega really has all of her instincts locked down or turned off. What’s it like to live like that? I depend on all of my instincts to function for my job, to keep the people I love safe, and to feel like myself.
I can’t imagine how hard it would be to be cut off like this.
“I can see that,” she rasps, turning away to move to the other side of the room. Her hips make her dress swish around her calves, but I would swear she’s walking as fast as possible to get away from me.
Frowning, I smell myself, which is ridiculous if she’s using some kind of alpha pheromone blocker. She left so quickly, it’s an innate instinct to check for funky body odor. Nope, I smell fine.
Rolling my eyes as the buzzer goes off, I watch as a skinny kid swings a bat hard at a lamp, shattering it. The wide smile and whoop of excitement makes me chuckle, and want to join in.
Choosing my victim and pretending it’s Marcus Coons, I smash a television screen, enjoying Aisling’s gasp.
Discreetly, I turn to catch her lift a stack of plates and drop them on the floor with a wide grin. She’s wearing sturdy boots, her hammer placed carefully on a table so it won’t fall off. Chuckling, I turn and beat the shit out of the television, though seeing Aisling is helping my mood.
Her ex-landlord was a pig, and I interrupted him in the middle of harassing a female tenant. Did Aisling or her mom have to deal with that?
Another crash makes me turn to see Aisling destroying a hanging pottery planter with her hammer. Glancing around, I find a full face shield hanging from a hook. Yeah, that should work for her.
I don’t want her gorgeous skin to be marred by a flying piece of glass. She can break all the shit she wants to, but I need her to be safe about it.
Grabbing it, I walk over to her, reminding myself not to be an obnoxious ass about my protective needs. Loud music begins to pour through the speakers, making me roll my eyes. Screamo music fits this place perfectly, but it’s not going to help me to speak to her. Although, maybe it’ll be easier to simply hand it to her with a smile.
Yep, thanks universe for keeping me safe from being an idiot today.
Getting her attention, I smile and mime that she should put it on, while pointing at the music apologetically. Shrugging, Aisling puts it on, and manages to look absolutely adorable. My jaw drops as she pulls a knife from under her skirt, flicking it open to dig it into the tapestry hung on the wall.
I bark out a laugh as I watch, my gaze pulled to the knife she’s using in interest.
Surprisingly, the handle is one I know well, because I gifted it to the asshole who used to own it. It’s hand painted with different shades of green, something I had commissioned for Aiden for his birthday a few years ago.
Why the fuck does she have it? I have a feeling there’s more to the story that he told us, because there was too much shame in his eyes when he spoke about her, for there not to be. My bullshit meter is screaming at me, and I know to listen to it. Nodding at her, I go back to destroying shit with her.
Soon, I’m holding things up for her to break, which gives me an excuse to hang out near her.
Tendrils of blonde curls fall out of her bun as she exerts herself, and her cheeks are flushed. I wish I could hear her laugh over the music, but it’s too damn loud. The room is quickly becoming a wasteland as we move through it destructively.
Anything the three of us can break, tear, or smash is a foregone conclusion by the end of our hour and half session.
Aisling’s breath is slightly labored by the time the buzzer goes off, and she and I put away the different tools we pulled from the wall. The music also mercifully turns off as well, though it was a great vibe to fuck shit up to.
I feel much more relaxed after this. The little omega’s protective gear is in the bin to be sanitized along with mine and the kid who was with us, and I can finally see her face without obstruction.
God, her green eyes are fucking sparkling with happiness. It makes me want to puff up with pride that I was a part of doing that, even though she has no idea who I am. We’re complete strangers passing like ships in the night.
“Have you ever done this before?” I ask her, walking with her slowly toward the door.
“Never,” she says with a laugh. “It was a birthday present from my dad. It was so much fun.”
Damn, Cian. I’m learning something about my boss today. I really thought he’d have this place filled four guards deep for Aisling, but she’s here alone.
“It was my first time too,” I admit. “I was walking by, and thought it would be fun to do. It’s almost as good of a high as when I work out.”
Aisiling’s gaze moves over my body, lingering on the ink on my arms and hands as she walks beside me. My gloves are in one of my hands, and I tap them against my thigh as I allow her to get her fill.
“See anything you like?” I purr. I don’t think I’ve ever made that sound in my life, yet I’m preening under her attention.
Her fingers reach out as if she’s being pulled toward me, and I stay still as she rubs her fingers over my ink.
“Your ink is really pretty,” Aisling whispers. “Is that okay to say?”
Her gaze flies up to meet mine, and I’m completely ensnared by her. I’ve been keeping Evan company while he fucks betas, but the truth is I’ve been bored of it for months. The only time I enjoy fucking them is when Evan and I share one and I can feel his dick rubbing against mine.
Last week we used a pussy like a flesh light together, a warm hole while our cocks rubbed against each other.
I don’t want any part of that, and I’m going to tell him as much. Though, since he’s been stalking her most of the day, I’d bet anything he’s on the same page.
“It is perfectly fine to say,” I murmur, watching at the way her bun threatens to come undone. God, I want to see the way her curls tumble down her back. I’m becoming very obsessed with this girl.
“What do you think is pretty about it?”
“The swirls of color, and the way it all moves over your skin,” she murmurs. Aisling moves to look at the black and white orchids I have done over my forearm, which look stark and austere against the vibrant flames on my hands.
“Wow,” she murmurs, her fingers trailing up my skin. I wonder how her small hands would feel wrapped around my cock. All I can think about is the way she’s absorbed in what she’s doing, the way her scent is all around me, and how much it makes me want to taste her.
“How far up does this tattoo go?”
She can only see two of the orchids that are on my skin, since my sweater is covering the rest.
“This tattoo goes up my arm, but I have a lot more all over my body,” I murmur. There’s a rumble to my voice and she blushes as she realizes that she’s touching an alpha so intimately.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispers, raising her hands as if they’re on fire.
I smile because her thoughts are telegraphed across her features, and she did nothing wrong.
“I can’t get enough of your touch, sugar,” I purr. She may not always be sweet, but her scent is driving me wild. I want to do incredibly depraved things to Aisling, and the dark parts of me want to know how much she’ll enjoy it.
Choking on my cock, begging me to come, taking my pack as hers while we cover her in our cum.
Fuck, I need her.
“It’s inappropriate…” Aisling trails off, her eyes wide as she looks up at me. Her hands are clasped together as if she still wants to touch me.
She may not know we’re scent matches, but she feels something. Hmm.
Stepping toward her, I allow my intrusive thoughts to win and pull the pin holding her hair up from it.
“Fuck, that’s exactly what I thought it would look like,” I growl, touching one of her curls. “You are stunning, and there is nothing inappropriate about touching me, except for the fact that I don’t know your name.”
I need a reason for us to exchange names, since I’m not supposed to know who she is. I don’t want to spook her.
“Oh,” she says, biting her lip. I want to tell her the only one biting it should be me, but grit my teeth so I won’t. “I’m Aisling.”
“I’m Domh,” I say. “My mother named me Domhnall, actually, but no one can pronounce it.”
Her lips move as if trying to say it without sound before breaking into a wide smile. “I can see how it could be a mouthful, Domh.”
The sound of my name on her lips is even better than I thought it would be, and my cock twitches in agreement. I’m so hard, the zipper in my jeans strains to keep me contained. I want to prove to her how much more than a mouthful I am, but bite down hard on my tongue. I can’t fuck this up. I won’t.
I will be a goddamn angel, even though I may allow my intrusive thoughts to win here and there. As I watch Aisling push her hair off her shoulders, she winks at me, and I can see she didn’t mind that I released it from her bun.
“Can I walk you to your car?” I ask, checking my watch to see that it’s almost eight o’clock. The time flew by while we were enjoying ourselves, and this back hallway is deserted now.
Aisling thinks about it as she grabs her coat from the wall mounted coat rack, and I follow suit. Fixing my sweater, I smirk as I feel her gaze on me. The little omega doesn’t like watching the ink disappear as I get dressed for the cold weather outside.
Something about that fills me with pride. It’s irrational, and one misstep could blow this all to hell.
Her scarf is incredibly soft as I pick it up, making me want to scent mark it like a damn cat. Looping it over her neck, I tuck it into her coat and make sure it’s buttoned closed.
“What about you?” she asks with a giggle as she pulls out her mittens.
God, I can’t get enough of her. The fact that they’re fingerless is even better. What would they look like tied up over her head with nothing else on while I fuck her? Cold hands affect the ability to have orgasms I read once, and I’m nothing if not accommodating.
“I want to make sure you’re good,” I growl, enjoying the way her pupils blow with desire. Fuck yes. I know she wants me, but I’m still keeping a tight rein on myself.
I will not fucking scare her.
Picking up my coat, I pull it on along with my gloves, and Aisling steps forward to help me button. Swallowing hard, I watch her focus on keeping me warm.
“Do you have any idea how fucking hot it is watching you take care of me?” I murmur, tugging on a curl with a gloved finger. I hate that I can’t feel its softness, and want to rip the gloves off immediately.
Aisling blushes as she buttons the coat closed, and I do the rest, since they’re above her head because of her height. While she’s taller than many omegas, I still tower over her.
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this before,” she mutters, looking confused. I don’t want her to over think it, so I link my fingers in hers.
“Well I appreciate it,” I tell her. “I’m typically the one who makes sure other people are taken care of.”
Technically, as a pack we take care of each other, but over the last year, Evan has been acting more wild than usual. Our pack hasn’t been balanced either, because our alpha is off. Knowing that Aiden hasn’t just been moody but has been keeping secrets makes things worse.
So, I’ve been quietly keeping the status quo going, which is making sure no one fucks around enough to get killed.
As made mafia men, that’s the best you can ask for sometimes.
“Are you?” Aisling asks, squeezing my fingers as we begin walking together.
“Mmhmm,” I say. “My pack has all types of personalities, but we’re family in every way that counts. We grew up together.”
“As in the same neighborhood?” Aisling asks as we wave goodbye to the woman at the front desk.
“Thanks for coming in,” she calls out as she starts to close up.
“Yeah,” I say, trying not to let my face show how surprised I am by the question. Her life must have been very nomadic, and my heart seizes in concern. “Our parents still live in the same neighborhood we grew up in. They live just outside of Minneapolis.”
“I grew up here,” she offers as I open the front door, shivering as the frigid air hits us. It’s snowing hard, and I wince as I watch it.
Fuck, she’s going to need to drive home in this.
“God, it’s really coming down,” I grunt as we walk. The snow falls on her hair, sticking to it as we go. “Are you going to be okay to drive in this?”
“Yeah,” she says with a shrug. “I’ve driven in worse, though I’d deny it if repeated.”
I’m sure her father would turn multiple shades of red at that statement. Aisling Sullivan is a brat. A delightful and fairly fearless one, but fuck me, my blood pressure’s rising at the thought of her driving home in this. It’s not blizzard weather, yet it’s enough for me to feel uncomfortable.
“Look, are you hungry?” I ask. “I want to check the weather to see if it’s going to continue like this or if it’ll break soon. It would make me feel better.”
I appeal to her sweet heart, because I’m very close to throwing her over my shoulder and taking her to my home instead. Her head tilts back, sighing as she looks up at the sky.
“Yes,” she says, glancing over at me. “I haven’t had the best track record recently when it comes to having dinner with alphas, so if you become a judgemental asshole—”
“You may absolutely stab me with your gorgeous switchblade, Aisling, if I do,” I tell her. As if as a reminder of how fucked up I truely am, my cock throbs with the idea of being cut by her.
God, that sounds like sexy foreplay to me.
“However, while I’m a lot of things, I have no room to be judgmental. How do you feel about Thai food? There’s a place up the street that’s phenomenal. Can I please drive?”
I have a small addiction to control. It’s why I have to fix things, because then I can control the situation, and how it continues.
“Yes,” Aisling says, sighing as if I’m asking for a lot.
Chuckling, I imagine what she’ll look like bent over my knee moaning as I spanked her. Fuck, I need to keep my shit together. Being in a car together will be torture, but I don’t want her to drive.
“My SUV is over there, Aisling,” I tell her, pointing to it. “They have heated blankets at this place, too. It’s like an omega’s perfect restaurant.”
“Take many omegas there?” she asks, a flash of jealousy in her eyes that makes me purr for her.
“No, baby, no one else,” I growl. “I need you to be warm and happy before I send you home.”
Arriving at the vehicle, I open the passenger door and help her in. I hit the power start button as soon as I could to get it warmed up for her and she sighs as she sinks into the seat.
Closing the door, I feel lightheaded at the way things are going.
Pulling out my phone, I try to figure out what I’ll tell the guys as I walk around the SUV.
Fuck it.
Me:
I’m taking our omega to eat dinner. It’s snowing and I’d prefer she not drive in this. How does the boss just let her disappear for the day?
I know she’s her own person, and I don’t want to live in her asshole, but Evan has been stalking her all day. I wonder if she noticed an extra pair of eyes on her?
Aiden:
Mr. Sullivan doesn’t want to lose Aisling by being overbearing. He doesn’t talk much about her to me, but I hear shit from time to time.
Caelin:
Lucky bastard. Be a gentleman and don’t scare her. I’m stalking Hollis tomorrow.
Just a normal day for us, folks.
Smirking, I get into the vehicle, noticing that Aisling is texting someone. Is she going to give her dad my name? There aren’t many men named Domh, and I don’t know how he’d feel about me taking her out to dinner or being anywhere near her after what Aiden did.
Speaking of, I hope he finally tells us why she has the knife I gave him. I’m sure it happened in the moment, and that it made some sort of fucked up sense at the time.
My phone buzzes as I get comfortable, and I wince as I see Cian’s name.
The Boss:
Domh, are you with my daughter?
This is how I die. I can see at least eighteen ways he could kill me, which is saying something.
Me:
Yes, Sir. I bumped into her in the city. I didn’t initially know who she was. I don’t want her driving in this snow, so I suggested grabbing a bite until it passes. I’m about to check the weather forecast to see if it’s supposed to get worse or not. Is that a problem?
The Boss:
I don’t think I’ve ever seen you text so quickly. I’d rather you were with her than some other shit head. I was hoping she’d get home before the snow started.
Blowing out a breath, I nod.
“Why do you look like you’re about to shit yourself?” Aisling asks.
Welp, I’m busted. She won’t know Aiden and I are pack unless Cian tells her, and I doubt he will.
“Your father just texted me and I thought I was going to die,” I tell her, brow raised as I glance over at her. “I’m his lawyer. I had no idea you were his daughter until he messaged me.”
“Oh. Oh!” Aisling squeals, making me bark out a laugh as she glances at her phone. “Shit. I guess Domh isn’t a very common name, huh? I’ve been actively dating for the last few months, and no one has died, so you should be fine. I mean, not that this is a date or anything.”
Her cheeks are lit up on fire as I chuckle under my breath. “Aisling, you’re a breath of fresh air,” I tell her. “Personally, I want this to be a date, but it can be whatever you want it to be.”
Tapping on my screen, I check the weather and see it’s going to be coming down for the next two hours.
“It does look like we’re going to be closing down this restaurant tonight,” I state, putting my phone in the cupholder. “The snow is going to be coming down for a while.”
“Yeah, that’s what Dad was telling me just now,” she says with a sigh. “The weather shifted and I didn’t get the alert while I was running errands.”
Putting the vehicle into reverse, I carefully pull out of the parking spot, making sure we both have our seatbelts on.
“It’s easy to lose track of time,” I say with a shrug. I’m not going to make her feel bad about it. The weather has a mind of its own, and according to Evan she’s had a full day. “What did you do today?”
“What didn’t I do,” she says with a laugh. “I ran around town for my organization, Omega’s Haven, personal errands, and then I spent a few hours at the outreach center taking phone calls and processing new intake paperwork for new residents. I was almost late for the rage room open session, but the house mom kicked me out when my alarm went off.”
“You deserve good food then,” I say with a nod. “Did you eat today?”
“Umm, I had coffee and a pastry,” she mumbles.
“In the afternoon?” I ask, already knowing the answer because Evan gave me the blow by blow in our group chat.
“Nope,” she says. “I really wasn’t that hungry before.”
Her stomach growls, making her cover her face as I smirk. Thank God I’m driving to the restaurant to feed this busy omega.
“Mmhmm,” I say. “I see you are now. As crazy as your day was, you deserve a good meal.”
She glances at me as she drops her hands onto her lap, looking surprised. I leave her to think as I drive, while she squirms for a moment. I’m sure if I was Aiden, he would have given her shit for it.
He has a hard time expressing his feelings, which means he makes really bad choices with his words.
We’ve all been together for so long, we don’t let him get away with it. It’s led to full on brawls, but we always figure our shit out. Aisling doesn’t know or understand him the way we do, and it’s not going to fly for long. It’s clear other people haven’t been very careful with her feelings when she finally says her next words.
“Why are you being so nice to me? I forget to eat half the time because I’m so immersed in my day, and the other half it’s on the run, so I’ll be able to make the next appointment. I’ve been called immature for my passion,” she mutters.
I need a list of people to kill, because Aisling looks so unsure of herself. The girl in the rage room was larger than life, while the one before me seems scared to upset me.
“These guys you’ve been dating,” I drawl. “I am going to take a stab at saying that none of them have been right for you. Would I be right?”
“Yes,” she says, blowing a raspberry with her lips. “I’ve been called a whore, flighty, too young, and I’ve been trying to forget the rest.”
“You just worked your ass off today to make the world a better place, I very much doubt any of that has any truth,” I say. “I would like to meet those packs in a dark alley, though. Please and thank you.”
Aisling snickers, but I’m serious. The idea that a pack she went on a date with wanted to sell her makes me want to burn the world down.
“So why are you dating jerks?” I ask, wanting to hear it from her lips.
“It’s not on purpose,” she mutters. “I’m testing a dating service for Omega’s Haven. At least, that’s how it started. Now, I kind of have to figure out this whole dating thing.”
“Is your father pressuring you to find a pack?” I ask.
I’ve worked for Cian for years, he paid for all of my schooling after all, but I don’t know what his interactions with Aisling are. He’s a hardass, and I hope that he’s not like that with her.
“Dad? Oh my God no,” she says with a laugh. “According to him, I have a place in his house and life forever. It doesn’t matter what I do, he loves me. It’s a little more complicated than that, though.”
I don’t know how to push without being a dick, so I let it go. Pulling into a parking spot up front, I turn off the SUV and hustle Aisling inside. I keep the conversation light, feed her, and bask in her presence and scent.
I don’t care how it has to happen, but I want to be the pack she chooses, which means Caelin needs to work his magic.