Zeller grinned, and Valentin finally took a breath.
They were a world away from whatever lay behind the door, and he could not stop himself from drinking in the omega’s beauty. The hint of gold in his curls. The adorable mole on his left cheek. The pale pink perfection of his mouth.
Fuck! This was dangerous.
Swallowing roughly, he blinked back his stare.
“You came,” Zeller whispered.
Valentin straightened his posture. “Of course,” he said in a measured tone. “But this is a terrible idea. If anyone saw… Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Better than fine, actually. It’s something good. Come here. I’ll show you.”
Valentin ventured further into the suite. One half of the space was an art studio, with supplies strewn across a worktable situated between two easels. Zeller’s artwork was full of bold strokes and colors. Three walls of bookshelves surrounded an enormous bed on the other side of the room. In the corner, a blanket rested on the armrest of a worn-in reading chair. Between the paintings, the book spines, the purple chair, and the floral bedding, there was more color in this one room than in the rest of the mansion combined.
Zeller’s nose twitched, and Valentin knew his smoky sage alpha scent was invading the air. It always did when they were together, although he usually controlled it better.
But being alone with Zeller like this was challenging. He was only human, not to mention a healthy nineteen-year-old alpha with normal impulses.
Did Zeller understand? Did he suspect Valentin’s desire for him as a man? He was so sheltered. What did he know about attraction? About sex? That was one subject they’d never discussed.
Without warning, a strange sort of dizziness overtook Valentin.
Was that—?
It was subtle. So subtle. But detectable.
What the fuck?
He strained to capture it.
A faint aroma of sugar maple perfumed the air.
Valentin’s nostrils flared.
Stars! That was Zeller. His scent. He smelled like sugar maple.
Valentin’s chin lifted.
Had the omega come into bloom? Zeller was eighteen, which would be early but not unheard of.Fuck, he smelled amazing!Did that mean he’d have his heat soon? Valentin struggled to suppress the low growl that formed in his throat at the thought.
The silence stretched again, the only sound their rhythmic breathing. The omega said nothing. He bit his lip and another burst of sugar maple saturated the air.
Did Zeller even realize the havoc he was causing? Valentin’s alpha vibrated inside him. He adjusted his sweatshirt over his jeans to disguise his erection. He’d gotten hard a few times around Zeller, but never like this. Never with the omega in front of him, his heady scent overwhelming Valentin’s senses.
Their gazes locked. Valentin needed to calm down. The last thing he wanted to do was lose control and put himself in a compromising position with the Parkensons’ son. Even with their scents mixing aggressively in the air, they still hadn’t said or done anything they couldn’t come back from.
With difficulty, he shook his head, releasing it from the grip of sugar maple.
Valentin had bloomed over a year ago. He’d even fucked a few betas in the last town he lived in. This felt nothing like that. This pull to Zeller was more intense, far beyond simple attraction or wanting to get off.
But they would be crazy to give in to their feelings. He had already resigned himself to suffering with his desire. As Antoni had made clear in the library a few months ago, he and Zeller were cut from different trees.
Valentin cleared his throat. “So…were you going to show me something?”
He stuffed his hands in his pockets and covertly adjusted himself again, refusing to dwell on how Zeller’s scent was the best thing he’d ever smelled.
The omega gave him an inscrutable look before padding over to the closet. He pointed. “There.”