His Professor Omega Page 10

  He was just upset that I had to leave town, and I felt the same way. But it was important for me to make the trip there. It was the right thing for our family. The only way I could provide for us was by working full-time, and at StarX, I knew I’d have the flexibility to be home with Sylvia a lot more often than I would with any other company. And since I’d already missed so much of her life, every minute without her was wasted time.

  So that’s why I smiled politely for six hours straight, turning on the charm that was guaranteed to win over both the male and female directors I was interviewing with. I had full confidence I could convince the hell out of these people that I was the perfect guy for the job—not only because of my experience with the company but because of my commitment to growing their business.

  Jim, one of the directors I would be reporting to, invited me to dinner after the last meeting. And although I didn’t want to go, I didn’t have a valid excuse to say no, so I sent a quick text to Ash to let him know I’d be calling in after eight, and then suffered through a two-hour meal of Chinese fusion while continuing to put on my fake smile and eager attitude. My face felt like it would crack if I had to hold that damn smile for even a second longer.

  I didn’t get into my hotel room until 8:15. I was exhausted and desperate to hear Ash’s voice. As soon as the door shut behind me, I pulled out my laptop and called Ash via Skype. He answered immediately though he looked tired. And the glass of wine in his hand was a clear indicator that he’d had a rough day.

  He forced a smile as he looked at me. “Hey, Coop. I’ve been waiting for you.”

  “Sorry, babe.” I could see the concern on his face, and it instantly transferred to mine. “Is everything okay?”

  He smiled then let out a deep sigh. “I’m fine. I just miss you.”

  “Me too.” I reached out and ran my finger along Ash’s cheek on my computer screen. “You look tired. Or worried. How was your day?”

  Ash’s eyes turned away from me and he took another sip of wine. “My day was good. What about you? How did the interviews go?”

  “Great.” Typical Ash. Always changing the subject when he wanted to avoid something. But I let him this time, happily sharing the details of my day. I explained who I met with and the different roles I would play within the company. The position I was interviewing for was a little different than what I did as an intern, but my skills would transfer easily. “I think they’re going to make an offer. I have to meet with the CEO tomorrow, and I have an appointment with HR after lunch. If all goes well, I hope to have an offer in my hand as I’m driving home tomorrow afternoon.”

  “And they’re okay with you working remotely?” Ash couldn’t hide the hopeful expression on his face as he asked the most important question. He hadn’t flat-out said it, but I knew he didn’t want to move. And living apart from each other, even for a few days per week, just wasn’t an option that would work for us.

  “I think so,” I said while holding up my crossed fingers. “They’re moving to a more distributed business model, and are using remote offices to keep overhead costs down. They already have about 30% of the workforce offsite, so it shouldn’t be an issue for me to work at home and just travel in for occasional meetings.”

  “That’s great!” I could see some of the tension roll off Ash’s tense features with my confirmation. This was obviously something he was more worried about than he let on.

  “Don’t worry, babe. Even if this job doesn’t work out, there will be another one. I promise to take care of you and Sylvia for the rest of my life. I’ll always be there to make sure you’re safe and happy.”

  Ash sucked in a deep breath and nodded with a forced smile, but I could see he still had doubt inside those beautiful blue eyes. “I know you will,” he said quietly. “I just wish you were here to hold me right now.”

  “I do too.” I waggled my eyebrows and softened my tone. “But you could hold yourself and pretend like it’s me.” I used my most seductive voice, practically purring.

  “Is that so?” Finally, a genuine smile spread across his face. “And just what would you want me to do to myself well I’m pretending to be you?”

  I smiled and adjusted the laptop on the bed so I could pull off my shirt. “Oh, baby. I’m so glad you asked.”

  15

  Ash

  Please give Charlie Trump an extension on his paper and complete the progress report indicating that he has met the requirements set for him at this time.

  I read the line of the email over and over again. Surely the provost hadn’t just suggested I give him more time to do the paper and then say since his paper wasn’t due yet he was good to go. Except that he did. I knew walking into this job that there was a culture of alpha superiority. I had just mistakenly thought it was not part of the freaking administrative staff culture.

  I’d been walking on eggshells ever since Charlie didn’t make it to my office hours on Thursday. I’d expected him to waltz in with a paper in hand or to be stupid enough to make a scene when the entire wing was packed with people and my teaching assistant was present. Either he knew that we wouldn’t be alone or he figured out I wasn’t bluffing about giving him a bad report. Either which way, I had reasons to be concerned.

  It was near quitting time of the night Coop would be back in my arms. More like the early evening of the late night he’d be back, but that was good enough for me. He’d not been gone long, but my nerves were shot, probably because I was so stupid tired. It was like I couldn’t even begin to get enough sleep. I’d blame Sylvia’s teething, but she’d been doing a nice job of sleeping for the past week or so, so that wasn’t it.

  I checked my phone again. Killian was going to let me know if he was able to meet me for dinner. He’d said he wasn’t sure because Marcus needed him at home, but the hesitation in his voice told me it was more than that. He was avoiding me. To be fair, I didn’t tell him exactly why I wanted to meet with him, so for all he knew, it was to grovel about my relationship with his brother. Grovel about what? I still didn’t know, but Marcus seemed to think Killian was waiting for an apology. Based on his sass infused tone, Marcus thought it insane as well.

  The only message I had was a weather alert saying that precipitation was predicted at 25%...because that needed an alert.

  Before packing up, I shot the provost a quick reply, letting him know that I would record Charlie’s progress as-is, and if he wanted to change it, it was within his authority. There was no way I was going to let Charlie weasel his way out of doing his paper because he Eddie Haskell’d his way through the administrative staff. Not when he was so very much made of awful.

  “Provost said you’d sign this,” Charlie announced as he walked in my office as if the door wasn’t there and slammed a piece of paper on my desk.

  I pressed record on the digital recorder that was sitting on top of the bag I’d been packing. I wasn’t even sure it would pick up anything from its location, but seeing it there as he stormed in felt like a sign.

  “The door was closed for a reason. Office hours were yesterday.” I didn’t know why I was even bothering. He didn’t even feign interest in my words. He only cared about getting his paper signed. “But I will make an exception and fill this out for you before I go.”

  I reached for my phone and called the print office to let them know I’d be there in five minutes and to please wait for me. I didn’t technically need the exams they had printed for me earlier in the day until next week, but I needed Charlie to know I was expected to be somewhere...and someone else to be waiting for me.

  Then I filled out the form honestly before handing it back and standing up, my bag slung over my shoulder.

  “The provost said you would take care of this,” he bit out.

  “The provost was mistaken.” Or a piece of shit—I’d still not completely determined which. I hoped he just completely misjudged Charlie and not that he was in favor of the unofficial hierarchy in the university. “What he should’ve said was that you
can take care of this by doing the required paper.”

  He stood there staring for a solid fifteen seconds, and I momentarily feared he was about to snap. “You are going to regret this. Hear me clearly, old man. You will not have your job by the end of the week.” And with that, he stomped out of my room just as my phone went off.

  Caught an earlier flight than planned. Be home before bed. Love you.

  I love you too. We both do.

  At least Coop was going to be home. I needed to tell him about Charlie. His recent threat, the one I might’ve managed to get on tape, showed how truly unhinged he was. I had wanted to talk to Killian first, get his perspective before freaking out Coop, but it looked like that time had passed.

  I picked up Sylvia from daycare and got home with enough time to make lasagna. It was frozen from when I made it last time, but homemade nonetheless. Depending on whose bedtime Coop got home in time for, his dinner would either be ready and waiting or would only need a minute in the microwave to be reheated.

  As I rocked my little girl to sleep, my brain filled with all the scenarios that could come out of the threat from Charlie. I played out what would happen if I brought it to the attention of the provost. I guessed it would go nowhere other than to make the provost pissed at me and give Charlie his way.

  I listened to his threat on the recorder and it was pretty much a jumbled mess of static, but even if it weren’t, I doubted it was specific enough to mean anything. And taken out of context was more damning for the provost than Charlie. No, there needed to be a better way to go and that better way was not giving him an A for doing nothing other than being a bully. Even if that solved the problem for me, which it wouldn’t, it would fail to make him an adult worth employing, which was the goal of most students: to get a good job.

  Once Sylvia was sleeping soundly, I got up and nestled her into her crib only moments before Coop got home. We still hadn’t moved, so the crib was currently in a sectioned off area of the living room/dining room. One of the first things we planned to do was get a new place, we just hadn’t managed to do so yet.

  “Honey, I’m home,” Coop whispered through the partially opened door thanks to my habit of chaining us in.

  I ran to the door, slid the chain loose, and flung myself at Coop. He took a step back to avoid falling, never letting his arms around me loosen.

  “I missed you,” I mumbled into his shoulder as I allowed myself to be enveloped by his scent.

  “Not as much as I missed you.” He reached down, grabbing my ass before giving it a tug, letting me know he wanted me to wrap my legs around him so he could feel the full weight of my body in his arms. It must be an alpha thing because every time I complied, he gave that primal growl of arousal. Good alpha.

  He stepped forward, shutting the door behind him with his foot.

  “She’s asleep.” I nibbled his neck between words as he took me directly to the bedroom which was exactly where I needed to be. The world could wait for an hour or two. My need for my alpha, to be as close to him as humanly possible, could not.

  “I have to let you down, love.” He laughed at my whimper of discontent before placing me on the bed and grabbing the bottom of my shirt. He eased it from my body, relishing every inch that was revealed. It was hard to believe that I’d once been concerned he’d look away at my “no longer perfect” form when his eyes glazed over with lust the way they had in that moment.

  I reached forward, fumbling with his pants, needing him to be free from those jeans and inside me already. Instead of reminding me to be patient and taking control, like he often did, Coop pulled his shirt over his head to help me out. The second I pushed his pants down, he made quick work of mine before owning my lips with his, both of us instantly naked and wanting on the bed.

  “I missed you so much,” he panted as he peppered my face with kisses before crawling down my body, his lips never leaving me, tasting every inch of me as he made his way down to my very ready cock. “You think I’m coming for you, don’t you?” He spoke to said erect cock before swiping it with his tongue. “Not today. Today I have other places to be.”

  Holy shit. Before I could process what he was even saying in his sexy, teasing torment, his tongue swiped my weeping hole, lavishing it with attention until I was calling out his name, begging for him to knot me.

  He crawled back up a smirk on his face. “I’ve been dying to do that for two days.” He settled his body above mine, my hips flexing to meet him. He didn’t make me wait long, sliding into me and filling me completely. He was home. My alpha was home. All else faded away until it was just he and I and our joining.

  Leisurely, he moved in and out of me, kissing me soundly as he did. This wasn’t just about lust, it was about our love for each other. Each kiss, nibble, and suck told me all I needed to know. I was his. Completely. Mated or not, married or not, we were each others’.

  My release barreled into me quicker than I wanted, and my come spurt onto my chest as he filled me with his, knotting me before collapsing on top of me.

  “I love you.” It was all I got out before I drifted to sleep in his arms. Right where I belonged.

  16

  Coop

  Waking up to Sylvia’s soft crying was the best way to wake up. She cooed and whined but wasn’t truly unhappy. Why would she be? She had two doting fathers who loved her unconditionally and would give her the moon if she’d asked for it. She just needed some snuggle time, which I happily gave her. Because I needed it just as badly.

  Being away from my family for even a few days was too long. I didn’t think being away from Ash and Sylvia would be as hard as it was. But I underestimated my dependence on them already. I was completely and totally infatuated with both my daughter and my lover and I had a hard time relaxing or even fully breathing when I was a plane ride away from them. But that wouldn’t be a problem very often. I came home with a generous job offer in hand and a contract that allowed me to work at home full-time with the option of using video conferencing for the annual meetings if Ash wasn’t able to travel with me. It was the perfect scenario. Everything was perfect.

  I took my time getting Sylvia dressed while Ash hopped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. I had a pot of coffee brewing and was trying to calm Sylvia with a pacifier when I heard the first heaving sound coming from the bathroom.

  Sylvia wasn’t very happy about being forced to wait for her breakfast, but I could tell Ash was having a rough morning.

  “You okay, babe?” I called through the bathroom door, desperately wanting to go in after him but not wanting to invade his privacy if he wanted it.

  “I’m fine. I’ll be out in a min—” His words were cut off by another violent retching sound.

  Privacy it is.

  “Let me know if you need anything.” I backed out toward the kitchen, gently bouncing Sylvia on my shoulder while I pulled out a carton of eggs to make breakfast. I didn’t eat much the night before because I was so anxious to get home and I was starving. I dropped a few slices of bread in the toaster then attempted to crack eggs with one hand. I’d seen it done on a few cooking shows but it’s not as easy as they make it look. I had to toss four eggs full of broken shells before I gave up and went to check on Ash again.

  He was curled up in bed with the pillow over his head. When he heard us enter, he lifted the corner to look at me. “I’m sick. I’m not sure if you should get any closer. I don’t want either of you to catch whatever the hell I’ve got.”

  As if she understood what he was saying, Sylvia let out a loud wail. “Uh, that’s not really gonna work for someone.”

  Ash tossed the pillow to the side then reached out for her. “Fine, but if she gets sick too, that’s on you.”

  I handed over our daughter then crawled into the other side of the bed, resting my palm over Ash’s forehead as Sylvia finally settled down. “You don’t feel warm.”

  He closed his eyes then leaned against my shoulder. “I must have eaten something bad...or maybe it’s ju
st stress.”

  “Stress?” I lifted up on one hand so I could look into Ash’s face. “About what?”

  Ash’s eyes grew wide and he opened his mouth but nothing came out. I hadn’t seen him that upset since he stormed into my apartment to tell me off that night I met Sylvia.

  “What, babe? Talk to me.” I brushed a few strands of hair from his temple, pleading with my eyes for him to open up to me. I wanted the kind of relationship where he could talk to me about anything. “I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s on your mind.”

  He let out a deep sigh and looked like he was about to open up to me. But then he gasped and slapped a hand over his mouth. “Take her,” he mumbled before shoving Sylvia into my arms as he slid off the bed and ran to the bathroom again.

  My poor omega really was sick. The retching sounds started the second Ash’s knees hit the tile on the bathroom floor. This time, nothing came out of his empty stomach but painful noise. It was heartbreaking to hear Ash dry heaving. His pained grunts made me feel completely helpless. “Ash, maybe we should go to the doctor.” I put the baby in her crib then wet a towel to wipe down Ash’s sweaty forehead. “This could be serious.”

  He leaned back against the bathroom wall then took a few deep breaths. “I’m feeling a little better. I think whatever needed to come out is out.”

  “I hope so.” I helped him up and back into bed. “But you’re gonna rest today. If you’re up for pumping, I’ll take Sylvia to my mom’s so you can sleep.”

  He contemplated my offer for all of one second before grabbing my arm and pulling me on top of him. “No way in hell are you leaving me again. I’m feeling better already. Give me a few minutes for my stomach to fully settle and then we’re spending the entire weekend together in this bed.”