Chapter 81: Why the hell didn’t we do this sooner?

This... was what I was avoiding.

​The collision of his lips against mine was a violent, bruising shock that knocked the remaining breath clean out of my lungs. I landed heavily against his chest, my hands automatically coming up to brace against his broad shoulders to push myself away.

​But I couldn’t. My fingers gripped the fabric of his shirt, and instead of pushing, my strength completely evaporated. The sheer warmth of his mouth acting on pure Alpha instinct swept over me like a wave, and within seconds, I was losing myself to the kiss.

​It felt like being utterly, hopelessly drunk. The logic of a team captain, the panic about the spilled water, the rigid boundaries I had spent years building—all of it dissolved into a hazy, spinning blur.

My eyelids fluttered shut, completely heavy, as my head tilted sideways to accommodate the deep, ravenous pressure of his mouth. He tasted of dry, lingering heat, but beneath that was the intoxicating essence of him that my inner Omega had apparently been starving for.

​A soft, breathless whimper caught in my throat, and my body went completely pliant against his chest, entirely conquered by the rhythm of his lips and the heavy, possessive way his fingers held the back of my hair.

I was drowning in it, my mind spinning so fast I forgot where I was, forgot the danger, and just let him drink from my mouth until my lungs were tight.

​No... stop.

​A sharp jolt of panic finally pierced through the intoxicating fog as I remembered Dr. Victoria’s strict warning. No physical exertion.

If he kept this up, if he tried to shift his lower body or roll me under him in this state, he was going to permanently tear his ankle apart.

​Gathering the remnants of my willpower, I fiercely clenched my fists into his t-shirt and delivered a sharp, forceful shove against his shoulder, tearing my mouth away from his with a sharp, wet gasp.

​"McCoy, stop!" I panted, my voice raspy and entirely breathless as I hovered inches above his face. My lips were burning, wet and swollen from the impact.

​Reid’s eyes slowly blinked open, the smoky grey depths completely dark, heavy, and blown out with a volatile mix of confusion and raw, primal satisfaction.

His fingers slowly slid down from my hair, his thumb trailing mindlessly from my nape, along the line of my jaw and to my lips as his chest heaving heavily beneath me.

​He slowly swiped his tongue over his lower lip, tasting the moisture left behind, and a low, gravelly chuckle vibrated deep in his chest.

​"Fuck, Cap..." he gasped, his voice dropping into a deep, dazed register as a lazy, thoroughly pleased smirk broke across his face. "That felt so fucking great. Why the hell didn’t we do this sooner?"

​He was crazy. So crazy, but I was equally just as crazy.

​"You’re doing too much, McCoy," I said, bringing my arm up to cover my lips and hide the temptation from him. "Kissing should be between people who care for each other. Fuck buddies don’t do that."

​"I highly doubt that," he said, and I furrowed my brows.

​"What?"

​"I highly doubt that you don’t ca—" He cut himself off, his eyes searching for a second, darting aside and then back to me to continue but with a fresh sentence. "I highly doubt that fuck buddies don’t kiss. Not when it feels so good. It felt like I was melting, Cap."

​I dwindled, recycling the word he was just about to say but then I stopped myself. I knew what he was about to say, but I pretended I hadn’t heard it, just as he had brushed it off like he never said it. Care. He was going to say care.

​"You’re just delirious from the fever, McCoy," I said, finally pulling myself away from him. "That’s all."

​"Then what about you, Cap?" he asked, and I paused. Before I could fully move away, I felt his heavy hand slide down, gripping my ass firmly through my pants. I didn’t even have the energy to get mad. "You don’t have a fever, do you? But then why did it seem like you wanted to equally melt into me, drinking from my lips like a thirsty wolf."

​I gripped the fallen glass on the floor hard, my knuckles turning white, but it didn’t crack.

​"You’re imagining it," I said smoothly, forcing my voice to remain completely steady.

​"Oh yeah?" His smirk turned even darker as he increased the pressure of his hand on my ass, and I closed my eyes for a second, trying to keep my temper under wraps. "Then why don’t we try again once I no longer have this fever. I want to see how you melt into me, I want to confirm that you love my lips as much as you love my cock."

​I was about to finally snap when Reid’s phone rang from the counter, its loud, demanding buzz instantly breaking the suffocating tension in the room.

​I let out a long, heavy breath to calm my racing heart and stood up on my wobbly legs. Without looking back at him, I walked over to the kitchen to get something to dry the wet rug with.

​This guy was truly a menace. But, as annoying and arrogant as his words were, there were no lies in them. The chilling truth settled deep in my gut as I grabbed a towel—I’ve become just as big of a pervert as he is.

While I was in the kitchen, I could hear Reid’s voice echoing from the living room, rough and thoroughly annoyed. He was clearly sulking, and judging by the defensive tone of his answers, it didn’t take a genius to figure out it was his mother on the line.

​"I told you, it was an accident," Reid grumbled, his broad shoulders shifting uncomfortably against the leather cushions. "It’s not even that bad. I’m fine... No, I don’t need you to fly down here and make me uncomfortable."

​His mother had already heard from Dr. Victoria by now and though she may not show it, she is still worried for her son. This would give her reasons to remind him why hockey was not good for him and he should be in a suit.

Reid must’ve heard that a thousand times and more so now that he was injured during practice.

He didn’t want to hear another word of her reminding him how much of a dangerous game he was playing with his career and his contract-heavy leg. Before she could even finish her lecture, he tossed the phone face-flat onto the sofa beside him, letting out a long, heavy sigh of pure frustration as he ran a hand through his messy blond hair.