An Omega for the Sheriff (Sugar Beach Book 3) Read online

  “Those must be some pretty heavy thoughts in there to cause such strong wrinkles up there.” Trygg smoothed out the furrows on my forehead before stepping closer to kiss that same spot his fingers had just eased. “Whatever it is, just spit it out, Rebel.”

  “I want you to stay, but I don’t know if I’m ready to commit to forever yet.”

  Trygg smiled before his lips crashed onto mine. I gasped, opening my lips as his tongue swept in. I met his explorations with some of my own, tasting the sweet, chocolate from dessert. I couldn’t help the moan that escaped as I drew my alpha closer to me. His erection bumped mine and I twisted and moved my hips, loving the friction each time our cocks made contact through our clothes.

  Trygg left my mouth to kiss a path to the crook of my neck where my omega scent was strongest. I threw my head back, banging it on the door as my need for my alpha exploded inside me. I was hot and ready for him. Need begged me to take him inside and tear off my clothes and present myself for his knot. I’d never felt this way before and I knew I’d never feel this way with anyone else.

  I was ready to turn around on my front porch and drop my pants for Trygg if only he’d quench the desire I had for him. I was burning up from the inside out and Trygg was the water I needed to put out the fire.

  “As much as I’d like to do that, you aren’t ready.” Trygg popped one more kiss on my forehead before stepping back. “When we make love, it’s going to be forever. I won’t be able to leave you if I stay.”

  “Sex, why can’t we have sex instead of making love then?” I was practically begging.

  “I’m sure we’ll have sex sometime. I want nothing more than to put you on your knees and fuck you senseless. That’s not happening tonight. The first time I’m inside your tight, hot hole I’ll be making love and staking my claim. You need to decide when you’re ready for that.”

  I might have whimpered a little at that statement. My hand reached out as if to pull him back into my embrace but he was already too far away.

  “Think about it long and hard, Rebel. The next time I kiss you, I won’t be leaving. You’re mine and I plan to keep you.”

  My knees might have gone a little weak at that declaration, and then he was gone. He climbed into his jeep and drove away into the night, leaving me the hardest I’d been in a long time, with no relief in sight. In that moment, I both hated and loved him.

  6

  TRYGG

  The hardest thing I ever had to do was walk away from Rebel. Unfortunately, that seemed like the one thing he always needed the most. Standing in my shower that night after my date, jacking off yet again, was not how I’d seen the night ending. Constantly leaving my omega was hard on my alpha tendencies. I wanted to stay and protect. Rebel needed me. I wished I could figure out how to make him see I needed him just as much.

  I didn’t know how much longer I’d be able to do the honorable thing and give my omega the time to come to terms with our relationship. Each time I walked away was harder than the last. Getting in my jeep, I only made it down to the end of the drive before pulling to a stop. The road had gotten blurry, and it wasn’t until I wiped my hand across my eyes that I even realized they were wet with tears.

  Why did leaving Rebel have to hurt so much? For almost five years, I had wanted him to claim me as his alpha. I’d tried giving him the space he said he needed. Where had that gotten me? I needed to come up with a plan that would push Rebel into my arms, and once he was there, I’d never let go.

  With an inkling of an idea, I drove home. I had vacation time I was going to lose if I didn’t use it up before the end of the year. Now seemed like a good time to use it so I picked up the phone to call my supervisor. After checking in with the department, I confirmed I could take the two weeks off. I’d already been scheduled off over Thanksgiving. Now I had the two weeks that followed off. My supervisor grumbled about scheduling at such short notice, but he understood the need an alpha had to get his omega, and I had played that card to the best of my ability. It was time I stepped up and put my alpha tendencies to work.

  With my vacation set, I needed to pack. Rebel didn’t know it, but he was getting a roommate. By the time my vacation was over, Rebel would be my omega, come hell or high water. I still had two days of work scheduled, but I didn’t care. Those two days would give me the time I needed to set my plan in motion. I had a lot to do in those two days before operation Get Rebel moved into high gear.

  I needed to notify my landlord next. The man had been after me for months to schedule a time when I would be gone for longer than a weekend. I was a long-term renter, and as such, the house I rented hadn’t been updated since I moved in. I barely used the kitchen, so I wasn’t worried about it when the landlord called about upgrading the appliances and renovating the kitchen. The few times I used the stove, it barely managed to get up to temperature, and when it did, it wasn’t the temperature the dial claimed it to be. I mostly used the microwave. The dishwasher had broken down three months ago. I sent the usual letter to inform the landlord, but other than that I hadn’t worried about using it. I was fine with washing the few dishes I had by hand.

  The landlord would probably complain about doing the work so close to Thanksgiving, but he was the one who claimed it had to be done before the end of the year. I guessed the county was after him to make sure all his properties were up to code and he’d been given a deadline. My house was due for another inspection soon and it would most likely fail for a number of the reasons I’d noted in one or more emails.

  As soon as I got home, I fired off an email to my landlord, letting him know I’d be gone for Thanksgiving and the two weeks following. If he wanted to do the renovations, that was the time. I didn’t bother telling him that if I had my way, I wouldn’t be back to renew my lease. I’d pay my rent and worry about the new lease later.

  The next thing I did was call Phil. He was the biggest stumbling block to my plan, and I needed him on board. He picked up the phone on the second ring.

  “Phil, it’s Trygg. I need a favor…”

  TWO DAYS LATER, the day before the big turkey day, I knocked on Rebel’s door. It was late in the day and I’d completed my last shift and turned in my cruiser. My jeep was packed, and I officially had nowhere to stay for the next two-and-a-half weeks. He might hem and haw, but Rebel wouldn’t turn me away.

  I was about to knock again when the door opened. Rebel stood there in one of his typical harem pants, this one with geometric patterns in black and white. Even through the screen door, his loose t-shirt couldn’t completely hide the muscles of his defined pecs or the bulge of his biceps. Even though Rebel was smaller than I was, the work he did around his nursery had built up muscles I was desperate to lick all over.

  Rebel opened the door, but didn’t step out. The screen door did nothing to hide my mate, giving me a good view of everything he had to offer. Blood flowed south, and it took me a minute before I understood what he was saying.

  “Trygg? What are you doing here?”

  “I need to be out of my house for a couple of weeks and the only place I want to stay is with you. Take pity on your mate and let me in.” I didn’t specify what I wanted in. Into his house would do for a start, but I wanted so much more. Into his life, into his heart, into his beautiful body. Baby steps. I’d take whatever he was willing to give me. The rest would come.

  7

  REBEL

  No man had a right to be as sexy as Trygg was, standing there at my door. It took everything I had not to pull him into my arms and drag him inside. I had a hard time finding my voice to even ask him what he was doing here. After the way he had left after our date, I wasn’t sure I’d see him again so soon.

  “Trygg? What are you doing here?” I hated the catch in my voice when I finally found it.

  “I need to be out of my house for a couple of weeks and the only place I want to stay is with you. Take pity on your mate and let me in.”

  “What about Jace? You’re good friends with him and he has that apartment above the diner. Isn’t it empty? Couldn’t you stay there?”

  “Well, normally, I’m sure Jace would be more than happy to let me stay there, but he’s got a tenant at the moment. One of his cousins or something came in from West Virginia and is staying there. It wouldn’t be right for me to barge in on a complete stranger when you’ve got all this space and we know each other, Rebel.” Trygg looked at me, warm affection all over his face. “Whether you want to accept it or not, you’re my omega. All I’m asking for is a couple of weeks. Give me the time for you to get to know me. If, at the end, you don’t want anything to do with me, I’ll walk away again. For now, anyway.”

  Faced with such honesty, it was hard to say no. As much as I wanted to deny the bond we shared, I couldn’t. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be ready to face everything that happened, but even I had to admit nothing would be settled if I kept ignoring my alpha. If even half of what my father had told me about fated mates and their bonds were true, I was missing out on something really special. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to completely give up on the possibility of fated mates by turning my back on Trygg again.

  That thought flittered in my head for a good solid minute before my body got the message that I was going to let Trygg in, both literally and figuratively. After all these years of denying our connection, it was time to see what I was missing. I knew I wouldn’t be able to go through very many more heats like I had been. Eventually, I’d be too out of my head and let in an alpha I didn’t want while I had one standing here I did want.

  Maybe it was time to let Trygg discover why I wasn’t suited to be his omega. There were times when I thought I should have been born an alpha. Somehow, nature had gotten things wrong with me. Trygg wouldn’t want anything to do with me on
ce he knew everything there was to know about me. Maybe it was time for him to find out.

  “Come in.” I leaned into the screen door to open it as I spoke. “This is a bad idea, but you can stay.”

  Trygg picked up his bags and stepped through the door, his shoulder touching mine as he squeezed through the tight space. A tingle shot through me like static electricity but more. Heat flared up, and I knew I’d let Trygg sink balls deep into me before he left. After all the years of denying what we were to each other, I couldn’t summon up the desire to send Trygg away.

  When my parents died, I inherited everything. We had a successful plant nursery and landscaping business. The land where the house sat was separate from the business, yet close enough I could walk to the nursery if I was needed. The land behind the house was partially taken up by the field of Christmas trees we grew for those who wanted live trees. It was a good business. I liked having everything so close.

  The house was the typical two-story house found in the area. Made mostly of a concrete exterior with terra cotta roofing, it had five bedrooms with an attached garage. The open living space in the living room, dining room, and kitchen area had a vaulted ceiling while the rest of the house was split into two stories with one bedroom on the main floor and three bedrooms upstairs. The bedroom on the main floor had its own bathroom and had been Peter’s room. Peter had moved into the detached mother-in-law suite off to the side of the house the year before so the room was empty and would have been the perfect room for my mate.

  Why I decided to put Trygg in the bedroom right across from the master bedroom, I had no idea. At least, we wouldn’t have to share a bathroom since the master bedroom had its own en suite.

  I walked into the room ahead of Trygg. It was the largest of the upstairs bedrooms after the master bedroom, giving him plenty of space. It was also the only room upstairs with a bed large enough to accommodate the man’s height, the other rooms all having small twin beds. Yeah, sure. I’d go with the thought of it having a bigger bed then and skip the ones that said I gave him the room so he’d be closer.

  “The bathroom is next door. We start the day early. Phil and Todd usually come over here for breakfast. We take turns with the cooking, but Todd usually fixes breakfast. Can you cook?”

  “I’m a pretty decent cook. I don’t mind being put on the cooking roster while I’m here.” Trygg smiled and sat on the bed, giving it a bounce to test the mattress.

  Damn, my mate looked sexy sitting there. Leaving the room was probably the best thing to do for my sanity.

  “I have some paperwork I need to finish. Dinner is usually around six so you already missed it, but there are plenty of leftovers if you’re hungry. Feel free to help yourself.” I quickly left the room. I couldn’t even deny to myself I was running away, fast and wide.

  8

  TRYGG

  Rebel’s heat seared me as he cuddled close to me. I was hot and hard and wanted him so damn much I couldn’t stop myself from grabbing him and pulling him closer to me. I leaned in and tasted his lips with mine, hungry for his taste. My tongue sank into the heat of his mouth, the aroma of coffee wafting into my senses as I ate hungrily at his lips.

  My hard cock grew harder as sensations swept through me, filling me with desire. Rebel was mine, all mine, and he was in my arms where he was always meant to be. My hips lifted a little, trying to grind into my mate, the weight of him heavier than I expected. I was begging for his touch, needed his hands on me.

  My skin dripped in sweat and my legs felt heavy as I tried to get closer to the heat that was my mate. I was finally going to sink balls deep into his perfect little ass.

  I felt his kiss, wet and sloppy as he ran his tongue across my cheek. It was rougher than I expected it to be, longer than humanly possible. The sensation confused me. As his tongue swiped at my mouth, I was overcome by the horrible morning breath permeating the air and I tried to turn my head, unable to believe kissing my mate had turned into this nightmare of bad breath and rough tongues.

  The heavy weight on top of me shifted, and I was bombarded with pain as I desperately tried to move away from something that felt like a pointy elbow driving straight into my balls. I couldn’t move, my moment with Rebel turning into an ordeal I desperately wanted to escape.

  The elbow shifted, and I gasped in relief as I opened my eyes, trying to make sense of what was happening. As soon as I sat up, I was assaulted by licks in the face and doggy breath too foul to deal with first thing in the morning.

  Three humongous dogs the size of a small car were squishing me into the bed. I tried throwing back the covers but one of the dogs lay heavily on my legs, making it difficult to move. The two at my side thought I was playing a game and rambunctious licking and jumping squished me even further into the bed. Suddenly, they were tackling each other, and I was on the bottom of a squirming doggy pile until I lay gasping for breath and laughing. I couldn’t help myself. Even as they played with each other, they remembered to lick my ear or try to root under the covers, tickling my side until I forgot to be mad and succumbed to the laughter boiling up in me.

  “What the hell!”

  At Rebel’s yell, we all froze. Me and the dogs.

  “Bacon! Scout! Kayla! Off! Now!”

  Instantly, the three large animals jumped off the bed to sit, looking expectantly at Rebel like he was the best human in the world and all they wanted to do was please him. Their whole attitudes were completely different from the playful puppies of seconds ago. Now, they waited for Rebel’s command, tails wagging slightly in anticipation.

  I looked to Rebel to see him shake his head, trying to fight a smile as he tried to look stern. How he managed to keep a straight face and sound so firm, I didn’t know. I was still trying to reign in my laughter.

  “Downstairs. Breakfast. Now.” Just like that, the three bounded out the door, presumably to head downstairs where food was most likely waiting for them. “I’m really sorry, Trygg. I should have told you about them last night. If the door isn’t completely shut, they tend to just barrel in. They’re very friendly. Too friendly at times.”

  “It’s okay. I actually like dogs. I’ve never seen dogs quite that large before.”

  “Yeah. That kind of took us by surprise, too. They were rescues. We didn’t know what they were until we took them to the vet. He thinks they are part Great Dane and part German Shepherd. He called them a Great Shepherd. They’re still puppies and growing larger every day.”

  “You’re kidding!” I couldn’t imagine those three getting even bigger.

  “I wish I was. You would not believe the amount of food they go through.” Rebel turned to leave before stopping and looking back at me. “Thanks for not getting mad. They just wanted to greet you. They still have a lot to learn about proper behavior.”

  “It’s okay. Really.” I moved to throw back the covers before remembering I wasn’t wearing anything. I didn’t think Rebel was ready for me to flash my junk in his face so I stayed put. “I’ll be down in a few minutes for breakfast.”

  “Oh, sure. Take your time.” He hesitated, as if he wanted to say something, but he must have changed his mind because Rebel shook his head slightly and left, closing the door behind him.

  It didn’t occur to me until after I was dressed and walking downstairs that, though brief, the conversation I’d had with Rebel was the first one we’d had where we had both been comfortable enough with each other to not put up walls.

  It gave me hope for the future.

  9

  TRYGG

  I hit the store after breakfast, thankful the store was open the morning of the big turkey day. When I heard Rebel’s plan to have a cookout with burgers and hot dogs instead of a turkey dinner at breakfast, I decided to surprise him and his friends. I rooted through the display of fresh turkeys, not surprised to find the pickings on the slim side. I finally found a bird big enough in the back of the refrigerator case under several smaller birds and plopped it into the cart.