Page 24 of A Hal for my Heart

“Really? You hear that, Briar?” Hal smiled widely. He spoke way too loudly, as if I were in another room and not a few meters away.

“Yes,” I whispered, my eyes glued to Hal’s lips. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to know how his lips felt, how they tasted, when I wasn’t in heat. I’d been so out of it most of the time, but as I sat here on the kitchen island, it came back to me in glimpses. How Hal had felt inside me, and how we’d moved so effortlessly like we were one being. The almost reverent care he’d treated me with. It had awakened something inside me, a hunger almost, a famished little creature that just wanted more.

Soon Hal was beside me again. “Here we go.” Placing the bowls on the table, he lifted me from the kitchen island and sat down on a chair with me in his lap. Stefano shook his head again and chuckled under his breath.

“I can sit in my own chair,” I piped up, because how was Hal supposed to eat with me on his lap?

“Now what are you talking about, silly omega?” Hal cooed, adjusting me in his lap. “Don’t you feel more comfortable here?”

“Yes,” I admitted, blushing. I did love sitting in his lap. His body was so big and warm, like my own personal furnace.

Hal tipped my chin with his hand, and his velvety-brown eyes locked onto mine. “Then that’s where you belong, Briar.”

“Okay,” I croaked. I’d never belonged anywhere, but I did feel at home in his arms.

“Good. Now let’s eat.”

I reached for my spoon, but Hal snatched it right before my eyes. Dipping it into the soup, he then held it in front of my lips. “Here you go.”

“I…” I gaped at the spoon and the large hand holding it. Was Hal going to feed me? “I can eat myself.”

Hal shook his head, laughing all low in his throat. “Now, there you go again, being all cute and silly. Who just went through a strenuous heat?”

“Me?”

Hal nodded solemnly. “And who has been eating nothing but grapes for over a week?”

I blushed under his scrutinizing stare. “Also me.”

“Exactly. Now open up.”

Giving in, I opened my mouth, then closed it around the spoon. My eyes fluttered closed as I tasted the creamy soup, contentment filling my body.

“Good?” Hal asked. I nodded, then licked my lips. “More?”

“Yes, please.”

His gaze softened as he fed me more soup. When I was halfway through the bowl, loud chatter invaded the room, and soon Nial and another servant entered. As soon as Nial saw me, cuddled up in Hal’s lap, his eyes narrowed with resentment, and I suddenly felt cold to the bones.

“Well, isn’t this cozy?” Nial smiled. “I heard you were unwell, Briar?” he cooed, but I heard the fakeness in his voice. “All better now?”

“Briar was in heat,” Hal grunted, locking his arms around me protectively. Then, directed at me, his voice changed, spilling over with tenderness. “Are you cold, sweetness?”

The smile froze on Nial’s lips, then something flashed in his eyes. “I’ll be in heat again soon. Perhaps…” He came closer, standing right next to Hal. If he touched my alpha, I swore to all the gods that I was going to claw his damn eyes out. “Perhaps you wouldn’t mind offering your services again, Alpha Hal,” Nial purred.

Services?! Services?! Fuck his eyes, I wanted to rip his entire head off. How dare he? Like Hal was just a breeder, some unimportant alpha, and not everything.

Hal sighed, then tugged me closer against him. “I would mind, actually, and I’m sure Briar would, too, wouldn’t you, sweetness?”

I choked up, unable to speak, so I just nodded.

“But—”

“Now, if you don’t have anything better to do, then perhaps you could move my wardrobe and toiletries into Briar’s room? I shall be staying with my omega from now on. He needs me.”

My omega? Did my jaw just hit the floor because it sure felt like it did?

I nearly tumbled to the floor while a pathetic sound flew from Nial’s mouth. My omega. A snort sounded from Stefano.