Holt Enterprises CEO set to return after press conference scare.
A fire at Le Vieux mansion in New Hampshire burns down over half the property. Police suspect arson.
Darius had just been released from the hospital, but that was not the source of his relief.
Owen sat next to him in the back seat of the car driving them back to Darius' apartment. He was making himself small, keeping his knees and elbows in so he did not even bump Darius. His head was tucked down almost at the level of his shoulders like he was afraid of a beating.
Darius carefully and very gently set his hand on Owen's shoulder.
To his relief, Owen did not flinch away from the physical contact.
"Owen, could you look at me, please?" He kept his voice soft and nonthreatening.
Owen glanced up, his dark eyes narrow with that guarded look it had taken Darius months to erase.
Darius chose not to focus on that. "Thank you. For coming back." He hesitated and then added, "Even though I don't deserve it."
Owen's eyes widened ever so slightly. "What do you mean?" he whispered. "You deserve anything you want."
Darius shook his head slowly. "Not you. I hurt you and lied to you. Logically, you shouldn't have come back. So why did you?"
Owen dropped his eyes to the car floor again. "Because I can't live knowing that you're in pain." The admission sounded pained but not forced, which Darius considered half of a win. "I felt you dying and I couldn't just let it happen."
Darius smiled and patted Owen's shoulder in a way he hoped was soothing. Noah had pulled him aside earlier and informed him that Owen was still in a very delicate state and needed Darius to soothe and care for him, even if the omega would never admit it. "Thank you," he repeated. "You saved my life. I'm never going to be able to repay you."
Owen's eyes darted up again, and they seemed strangely guilty as they searched Darius' face. Then he looked down again. "Maybe you will," he murmured, "just not in a way you expect."
Darius knew better than to push Owen right now, so he let it go, even though he was curious as to what Owen meant. "Maybe. But let's talk about us."
Owen flinched at that last word. "Us?" His whisper was hoarse, like his vocal chords had been left out in a desert.
"Yes," Darius affirmed gently. "Us. The three of us."
Owen flushed and kept staring at the floor. "What about us?'
"We need each other." Darius rubbed Owen's shoulder with soft, repetitive motions. "I know it's not fair to ask you to trust me again, but we can't do this whole ordeal again. I don't think either of us would be able to survive that."
After one horribly long moment, Owen nodded. He did not say anything the rest of the ride, and he tried to stop Darius from helping him, but he made it two steps before Darius had to carry him. He put his arms around Darius' neck to make it easier, but he kept his face turned away from Darius'.
Okay, so tonight was not a good night to try a kiss. Not like Darius had been planning on trying to get intimate again so quickly. He had hoped, though. He set Owen down on the bed and then knelt to take off his shoes. He set the shoes aside, lifted Owen's legs into the bed, and pulled up the covers. "Get some rest," he said quietly. "I know you probably don't want me near you, but I need to keep you stable, okay?"
Owen closed his eyes and rolled onto his left.
Darius shed his own shoes and got into the bed as well, cautiously positioning himself to fit around Owen's form. He set his forehead against the back of Owen's neck, certain that he would get a bad reaction if he put his lips there instead. Despite the anxiety of messing everything up again, he somehow managed to fall asleep without thinking too hard about it.
When he woke up, he started to panic, anxiety a normal part of his morning, but his eyes found Owen and his fear died a swift death.
Owen's face was furrowed slightly, probably from a nightmare, but he looked downright ethereal in the late morning light creeping in through the curtains. So perfect and beautiful that Darius fell in love with him all over again. He stirred, eyes clenched shut tight in defense against whatever menace plagued his dreams.
Darius silently wrapped Owen in his arms and whispered soft promises of safety into his silky hair. Hair that smelled of both Owen's scent—tuberose—and another omega's scent, the luring headiness of a flower Darius knew instantly: narcissus. Darius remembered Noah saying something about how Owen had been staying with an omega named Jeremy, and now his interest was piqued. Narcissus was a rare pheromone scent. It was usually an alpha's scent because it was so heady and intoxicating, so for an omega to have it was strange. Darius tried to shrug it off. Maybe this Jeremy guy was a dominant omega and that was all there was to it.
Owen's head tilted up, his dark eyes opening. He was still for a moment, like he was processing Darius' presence, then he pushed back.
Darius let him go, fully aware that restraining him would be akin to nonconsensual intimacy and he already had that on his record. "Good morning," he said quietly, trying to keep his voice gentle and even.
Owen sat on the edge of the bed, one hand grasping the headboard. His eyes were slits so narrow Darius could barely see the pupils.
"I'm sorry." The words ripped out of Darius' mouth. He was not even sure what he was apologizing for.
Owen's shoulders slumped like Darius' apology had snapped him in half. After a horrible moment of silence, he looked away. "Me too."
"You shouldn't be apologizing to me," Darius protested. "I–" His words cut off as Owen scrambled back across the bed to slap a hand over his mouth. He felt his own eyes go wide as he and Owen looked into each other's eyes, their noses almost touching.
Owen shook his head. "You have no idea why I'm apologizing, do you?"
Darius frowned and carefully removed Owen's hand from his mouth. "You were apologizing for leaving me, weren't you? I deserved that."
Owen sat down on his ankles, a position that Darius had never found comfortable. "You deserved to nearly die?"
Darius set Owen's hand down on the covers, gently peeling his hand off of Owen's wrist. He was unsure if holding Owen like that crossed boundaries, even though Owen had not yanked away from him. "I hurt you." That was the nice version. Screw the nice version. "I assaulted you, raped you even though you told me no, and then I lied to you. If I had done that to a beta, I'd have already had my ass sued off. I might even be in jail." Cautiously, he traced his fingers lightly over the back of Owen's hand. "It's not fair that you just had to take it. I'm trying to change things so no one ever has to take that sort of thing again."
A small smile pulled at Owen's dry lips. "I've heard. You've scared a lot of toxic alphas with your political maneuvering."
Okay, smiles were good, right? It beat slaps and spit for sure.
Owen's eyes drifted down to where Darius caressed his hand.
Darius quickly stopped and pulled his hand back. "Sorry."
Owen looked up at him through his long eyelashes. "It was comforting. Aren't you supposed to be comforting me right now?"
Darius clenched his teeth together to keep his jaw from unhinging. He carefully put his hand back on top of Owen's, almost as scared as he would be if Owen wielded a chainsaw. "So this is okay?" he asked, dragging his fingers from Owen's wrist down to his nails.
Owen watched the motion, his blank eyes exposing that he was not quite all there. Then he blinked rapidly, snapping himself out of whatever thoughts had taken his mind captive. "Yeah," he replied softly. Then he raised his eyes to Darius' face so fast that Darius almost recoiled. "You didn't deserve to die, Darius. I shouldn't have run off like that. I endangered both of us."
Darius' hand automatically contracted around Owen's fingers. "No. You can't blame yourself for my fuck-ups. You were right to get away from me. No one should stay with a lying rapist."
Owen slapped his hand over Darius' mouth again. "Don't call yourself that."
Darius twisted his head away. "It's what I am."
Owen grabbed his chin and forced his head back. "I think you've done enough penance for that. You almost died!" There was a mix of sadness and concern in his eyes, and it should not have thrilled Darius like it did. Owen cared about him. A lot, apparently. "Do you want to do more? Then why don't you tell me everything from start to finish?"
Darius swallowed hard. "You'll hate me."
Owen scoffed. "I already got that out of my system. Besides, it gives both of us an excuse to stay close and in bed for a while longer." He was already laying down. He made a motion for Darius to do the same.
Darius obeyed, settling down with his face inches from Owen's. His heart stuttered when Owen grabbed his arms and yanked them around his body into the most awkward hug of Darius' twenty six years. "Where do you want me to start?" he asked, hating how breathless he sounded.
Owen was so unflustered that it drove Darius to near-insanity. How was he so calm? "The club, I guess. Where else would you start?"
Darius sucked in a deep breath. "I don't want to start there. That feels too brutal for such a nice morning."
Owen rolled his eyes. "Start where you want to. I was just answering the question you asked me."
"Sorry." Darius patted Owen's back in a way that no longer felt natural. "Is it okay if I prelude the club with a brief explanation?"
Owen shrugged. "As long as you get around to everything, I don't have a problem with it."
Darius nodded, his throat suddenly too tight to swallow. "After I finished college here, my dad sent me to Europe to get my master's. I, um, may have fooled around over there instead of focusing entirely on my school work."
Owen shrugged again. Nothing seemed to bother him this morning. "So? You were single. Single people fool around all the time."
"Yeah, well, I had just found out I was an alpha my junior year of college and keeping it secret had nearly wrecked me. Over in Europe, I could be who I was without fear. And that's how I figured out I was gay."
Owen snorted, like he found Darius' story amusing rather than offensive. Was he not possessive of Darius at all? He raised an eyebrow at Darius' expression. "What? Am I supposed to say congratulations or something?"
Darius could not keep the smile off of his face. "You're adorable."
Out of nowhere, Owen got all shy, lowering his eyes and even flushing. "Just get on with it," he muttered, obviously hiding a smile of his own.
"As you wish." Darius timidly pressed his nose to Owen's forehead, wondering how far Owen would let him go. "I messed around with this omega in Germany, but that was shortly before I came home, so I went back to hiding who I was almost immediately. I thought it would all disappoint my dad, maybe make him disown me or something. So everything was super underwraps except with my best friend Noah. He knew everything, since I vent to him all the time."
"That's the Noah I know, right?" Owen asked.
Darius nodded. "Yup, the chaos gremlin who somehow weaseled his way into my life somewhere in high school."
Owen chuckled. "That's cute."
Darius tipped Owen's chin up with a gentle finger. "At least look at me if you're going to insult me."
Owen smirked like that idea turned him on and waited in charged silence for Darius to continue with the story.
Darius cleared his throat and ever so slightly shifted his hips away from Owen. If kissing was off the table, sex one hundred percent was as well. "Anyway, Noah was the one who convinced me to go to that club. Apparently, they're known for matching up their patrons with an appropriate partner, so when I encountered you, I thought you were the person they had sent for me."
Owen's eyes snapped down into those horrible narrow slits again. "You thought I was a whore."
Darius felt fire lick up to his skin from his hot blood. "Yeah," he admitted. "I should have known better, seeing how you were dressed, but I wasn't thinking clearly. And, well…" He coughed awkwardly. "You know what happened after that."
Owen made a carry-on motion with his hand.
So Darius did. "When my dad hired you, I didn't recognize you. I thought I was falling in love with someone I had never met before. I only started to suspect who you were when the paternity test results came back. I thought someone might have tampered with them, so I called in an investigator to find out who the omega from the club was."
Owen's eyes widened as he seemed to realize something. "That's who you met that night," he breathed out. "Your colleague."
Darius nodded. All of a sudden, the conversation he had had with Marlowe rushed back. Not just the part where he had been relieved by the connection between the club omega and Owen. The part with the police report. Fear caught him by the throat.
What if Marlowe was right and Owen was here to take Darius' company down? What if Owen had come back, not to save Darius, but to finish the job he had started? What if Owen had walked out just to play with his emotions and returned when he was sure Darius would give him anything to stay?
Darius forced the thought aside. He would have to wait and see, though the way Marlowe had been talking had made it sound like he could not afford to wait. And Darius did not want to see his company crumble under his feet. But he also did not want to believe Owen would betray him like that. He would have to call Marlowe and see what else the man had unearthed on what might be Owen's past.
Owen frowned slightly. "Stop it," he said abruptly. "You're thinking too much."
Darius tried for a smile that he hoped looked genuine. "Yeah," he agreed. "Is there anything else you want to know?"
Owen pursed his lips and tipped his head slightly. "Yeah," he replied. "I'd like to know when you're going to get past your savior-martyr complex and kiss me."
Darius' throat dried up immediately. "Um, what?"
Owen cackled, a literal witch laugh. "Oh my god," he gasped out between laughs. "You should see your face!"
Darius scowled. "Are you messing with me?"
Owen reined it back to a grin. "Does it look like I'm messing with you?"
Darius nodded fervently. "It really does."
Owen snorted and wove a hand into Darius' hair. "Kiss me, stupid."
Darius did, forcing himself to hold back even though Owen opened up his lips for him. He pulled back hesitantly. "I'm not totally on board with my new nickname being stupid."
Owen smirked. "Do you want to argue that point after everything you did?"
"No, but—"
Owen pressed an almost chaste kiss to Darius' upper lip. "That's what I thought."
Darius did not pull back, but he did not press in either. "Owen," he said warningly, which actually made Owen stop and look at him. "We're not a couple. We broke up. If you want to get back together, you can't just kiss me. You need to say it."
Owen's hand trailed down Darius' arm. "You want me to say it?" he asked softly. "Okay. I want to get back together." He cocked his head. "Is that good enough for you?"
Darius felt his throat seize, and he had to swallow hard to get sound to come out of his mouth. "Do you mean it? After everything I did, do you mean that?"
Owen pulled Darius' hand to rest on his stomach. "You know what I said a couple months ago about not wanting to know who the dad was and how I didn't want him in my child's life at all?"
Darius winced. "Yes, I remember that." The memory hurt his soul every time it came to mind.
Owen leaned in, pressing his nose up against Darius'. "I said that, and you love me anyways. I almost left you to die, and you love me anyways. And you know what? I want you in this child's life. I want him or her to grow up with two parents who love each other and adore their child more than anything in the entire world."
Darius could feel tears building in his eyes. "Stop it. You're going to make me cry."
Owen smiled in that soft way that melted Darius' heart. "Don't cry, stupid."
Darius scowled even though a tear had already snuck onto his cheek. "That is not going to be your nickname for me."
Owen pouted and pulled Darius into an even closer hug. "Can I call you pabo, then?"
Darius glared down into his eyes. "I know Korean. You can't call me stupid in any language."
Owen sighed and fell silent as his fingers lightly traced Darius' bare arm and back. Just when Darius thought the conversation had ended, Owen spoke up again. "What about PT?"
Darius raised his eyebrows. "Why PT?"
Owen's smirk was diabolical. "Because I always end up hurting when I'm with you, and I need it afterwards."
Darius bit back a laugh at Owen's gutter thoughts and tried to maintain his scowl. "That's not very nice."
Owen's expression went innocent immediately. "I didn't mean emotionally."
"I know," Darius replied, perhaps a bit too sharply. "You can't exactly go around explaining that to everyone who hears you call me that."
Owen blinked his wide eyes. "Why not?"
"Because it's not polite! Besides," Darius added in a slightly quieter voice, "I don't like the idea of you talking about our sex life out in public."
Owen shrugged. "I'm already pregnant with your baby. What do they think we do? Make out for the press?"
Darius felt his face burn. "No."
Owen pouted again. "Fine. I'll call you Darry. Happy?"
That was somehow worse. "If you call me that in front of my brother, he'll never shut up about it."
Owen's face lit up. "Do I get to meet your family now?"
Darius could not keep the smile off of his face. "You've already met my dad."
"You know what I mean. I want to meet your mom and brother. And it'd be nice to talk with your dad when he isn't mad at me for abandoning you." Owen lifted his chin and bit at Darius' lower lip.
"You're turning me on," Darius warned.
Owen shrugged, but his eyes were sparkling. "So Darry is also a no?"
Darius snorted. "A hard no." Then some part of him softened. "How about Dare? Is that okay?"
Owen frowned, seemingly turning the nickname over in his head, and then he nodded. "I think that's cute."
"Cute?"
Owen nodded again. "Yeah, cute." He wrapped his arms around Darius' neck and lowered his voice to a seductive tone. "It's cute just like you, Dare."
Darius cupped Owen's face in his hands. "Are you sure you want this?" He wanted— no, he needed— Owen to verbally confirm and consent. He would not be the person who did the same evil twice.
Owen kissed him quickly. "What? Are you scared?"
"Yes," Darius admitted. "Just say yes or no so it's clear."
The remnants of Owen's walls melted completely. "Yes," he whispered, his warm breath landing on Darius' lips. "I've missed the way you comfort me."
A full body shiver scrambled around under Darius' skin. "You think this will be comforting?"
"Why not?" Owen somehow pulled him even closer. "You're like an addiction my body never let me forget. It was an ache the entire time I was gone." He tipped his head so his lips touched Darius when he spoke again. "Can you soothe that ache, Dare?"
And Darius was gone.