Chapter 120: Are you jealous, Kain?

Usually, a stupid social media page wouldn’t have bothered me in the slightest. I was the captain; I was used to the noise, the media obligations, and the fans who cheered from the stands. It was just a part of the job.

​But Reid was my boyfriend now.

​Seeing those hundreds of comments, the hyperactive praise, and the blatant, unfiltered thirst from people who wanted to get his attention made a sharp, sudden knot tie itself in the middle of my chest.

My throat felt incredibly dry. A possessive, heavy spike of orchid pheromones threatened to bleed out right into the kitchen, and I had to clamp down on my dynamic with everything I had to keep the guys from noticing.

​"Yeah, well, the algorithm changes every week," I muttered flatly, tossing the phone back toward Peter with a casualness I absolutely did not feel. "Just make sure his head doesn’t get too big to fit into his helmet by Wednesday."

​"No danger of that, Cap," Reid’s voice cut through from the living room.

​I looked up to find him standing by the edge of the sofa, having just finished his check-up with Jax. His grey eyes were fixed entirely on me, cool and completely unbothered by the chatter about his sudden internet fame.

He hadn’t even looked at Peter’s phone. His gaze traced the tight line of my shoulders, a faint, knowing glint appearing in his eyes as if he could sense the sudden, defensive shift in my posture.

​"Alright, let’s go, boys," Jax called out, snapping his medical kit shut and gesturing toward the front door. "Give the Captain some peace before tomorrow’s practice. McCoy, keep off that ankle until tomorrow morning."

​The guys finally shuffled out, throwing a few last-minute jokes over their shoulders about the "crazy waffles" before the front door clicked shut, plunging the penthouse back into a sudden, ringing silence.

​The moment they were gone, the tight, possessive weight in my chest didn’t ease. If anything, it felt heavier now that I didn’t have to hide it behind a captain’s mask. I turned back to the kitchen counter, aggressively unboxing a waffle just to keep my hands busy.

​"You’re going to tear that thing to pieces if you keep squeezing it like that," a rough voice murmured right behind my ear.

​Before I could even spin around, Reid’s massive frame crowded into my space from behind, his chest pressing flat against my back as his large arms slid firmly around my waist.

The grounding, heavy scent of frozen pine immediately rushed over me, completely blanking out my frantic thoughts. He rested his chin right on my shoulder, his lips brushing against the edge of the skin-colored adhesive patch on my neck.

​"Are you jealous, Kain?" he whispered, a lazy, incredibly satisfied smirk evident in his tone.

"No," I immediately snapped, the denial tearing out of my throat before he could even finish the sentence.

​But it was too fast. Way too fast, and entirely too defensive.

​The syllable practically vibrated with a sharp, rigid tension that gave me away instantly.

I felt the low, deep rumble of a chuckle build in Reid’s chest against my back, his large arms tightening around my waist, pulling me securely against his solid frame.

The lazy smirk on his face was practically audible when he spoke again, his lips brushing the sensitive skin right below my ear.

​"Yeah? Could’ve fooled me, Cap," he murmured, his voice dropping into that rough, teasing register that always made my pulse do something chaotic. "Your pheromones just spiked so hard it smelled like a greenhouse in here the second Peter pulled out his phone."

​I gritted my teeth, my face burning as I stubbornly stared down at the half-unwrapped waffle in my hands. "I’m the captain. I just don’t need a bunch of hyperactive distractions throwing off my left winger’s focus before Friday’s game."

​"Right. That’s exactly what it is," Reid whispered, entirely unconvinced. He turned his head slightly, nuzzling into the crook of my neck, his hot breath fanning over the adhesive patch covering his mark. "But just so you know... Those girls and Omegas at the table on Wednesday? They can look all they want. I’m only signing autographs for them because the front office makes me."

​He slid one hand up from my waist, his large palm resting flat against my chest, right over my frantic, racing heartbeat.

​"The only person who gets to keep me," he said softly, his tone shifting into something fierce and completely unyielding, "is the one currently wearing my mark."

"Stop being so weird," I whispered, keeping my eyes locked straight ahead on the kitchen counter, desperately trying not to look back at him.

It was a completely useless effort, considering my ears were already burning a brilliant, telltale red under my hair.

​Reid didn’t let me hide. His hand slid effortlessly up from my chest to my chin, his long fingers anchoring under my jaw. With a firm, gentle pressure, he tilted my head back, forcing me to look up as he leaned over my shoulder and captured my lips from above in a slow, possessive kiss.

​When he finally parted our lips, he only lifted his face by an inch, his grey eyes locked onto mine, that infuriatingly handsome smirk still playing on his mouth.

​"Don’t worry, Cap," he murmured, his voice thick with a lazy, absolute certainty. "No one can make me look away from you. You’re the prettiest Omega of them all."

​A sharp, embarrassed heat instantly flooded my entire face, and I yanked my chin out of his grip, spinning around in his arms so I could glare at him properly.

​"I’m not Snow White. Cut it out," I snapped, bringing my hands up to push hard against his broad chest.

​But it was like trying to move a brick wall. Reid didn’t budge an inch; instead, his hands just dropped back down to my waist, pinning me flush against him as he let out a low, genuinely amused chuckle that crinkled the corners of his eyes.

"Whatever you say, Cap," he teased, leaning down to press one more quick, lingering kiss to the tip of my nose. "But you’re right. After all, Snow White didn’t have a left winger this completely obsessed with him."