After eight cycles of feverish forced heat and rut, the violent storm in the master suite finally calmed to a steady rhythm.
Seo-jun’s gasps hitched and steadied as the neural stabilizer and Tae-hyuk’s presence finally calmed his frayed pheromones.
The overwhelming scent of camellias dulled to a deep, rich aroma of frost and cedar.
Tae-hyuk did not fall asleep immediately.
He carefully, gently, peeled the unconscious youth from the damp sheets and carried him into the adjoining bathroom.
He cleaned the sweat- and blood-slick skin with a warm cloth, minding the bruises on the boy’s throat.
He dabbed soothing balm on the love bites before dressing Seo-jun in a fresh silk shirt and laying him back on the bed.
He was just about to crawl back under the covers when his satellite phone rang.
He picked it up on the first ring.
“Vice Chairman?” came Secretary Kim’s surprised voice.
It was an impossibly early hour.
“I want you to look into Dr.
Yoon Seung-woo’s background,” Tae-hyuk said, his voice as cold and unyielding as ever.
“I want everything you can dig on his personal accounts, research facilities, and communications with Helix Biotech in the last decade.
I want it all on my desk by noon.” “Understood, sir.” Tae-hyuk ended the call and climbed back into bed, gathering Seo-jun close.
He pulled the smaller man against his chest until the youth’s steady breathing told him he’d fallen asleep.
Morning came too soon.
Seo-jun’s lashes fluttered open as a thin ribbon of light slipped through the sheer curtains.
His head throbbed, but the unbearable, molten heat in his gut was gone.
He felt light, almost feverish.
He blinked away the sleep, expecting to see the water-stained ceiling of his tiny apartment.
Instead, he found himself staring at an impossibly high vaulted ceiling, dark wood paneling, and a massive crystal chandelier.
What in the world…
He sat up, but a lead weight on his waist stopped him.
Seo-jun’s heart hammered in his throat as he looked down and froze.
An impossibly broad man slept soundly at his side, one heavy arm curled possessively over his stomach.
Seo-jun pulled the duvet away just enough to see his own collarbones and throat, which were covered in dark purple hickeys and love bites.
The man’s arm was marked with angry, red claw marks that were the exact same length as Seo-jun’s own fingernails.
Seo-jun’s eyes nearly fell out of his skull as flashes of fevered rutting and unrestrained passion coursed through his mind.
Who the hell is this?!
Did this psycho kidnap me?!
I’m calling the police, you crazy bastard!
I’m filing a police report right now!
He wriggled furiously in the man’s grip, trying to get out from under his arm without waking him.
The motion woke the sleeping giant, however.
Tae-hyuk’s dark lashes fluttered open, revealing golden eyes that immediately locked onto Seo-jun’s.
Instead of removing his arm, he pulled Seo-jun’s small, bare hips against his chest.
His lips skimmed along the shell of Seo-jun’s ear as he murmured, “We barely stopped two hours ago…” The words, rough and gravelly, sent Seo-jun’s pulse skyrocketing.
Not only did his survival instincts kick in, but something deeper, darker, and infinitely more terrifying surged to life within him.
Absolute-fucking-NO.
Fuelled by sheer adrenaline and indignation, Seo-jun planted his heel firmly on Tae-hyuk’s shin and pushed against his shoulder with all his might.
THUD!
The broad-shouldered Vice Chairman of Kang Group landed flat on his backside on the wooden floor with a resounding thud.
Seo-jun scrambled to the far edge of the mattress as fast as his legs could carry him, wrapping the black silk duvet around him like a Victorian maiden.
His face was not only red, but an unbelievable shade of fire-engine red.
“You absolute piece of shit!
You sick, unhinged, kidnapping, perverted bastard!” he screamed, his voice cracking as he pointed an accusatory finger at the man’s broad chest.
“What the actual fuck did you do to me?!
Who the hell are you, you insane lunatic?!” On the floor, Tae-hyuk lay on his back for a good three seconds, stunned by the sheer audacity of the small Omega.Slowly, he sat up, pushing himself up on his elbows.
His dark fringe of hair fell forward as he stared at the bed in utter bewilderment.
There sat Han Seo-jun, hair sticking up in all directions like he’d been electrocuted, sheet tucked under his chin, face as red as an heirloom tomato, shouting at him.
“Listen to me, Seo-jun,” he said, trying to sit up straighter.
“I am Kang Tae-hyuk, Vice Chairman of Kang Group.
I did not kidnap you.
You were drugged by Helix Biotech and I saved your life–” “I don’t give a damn if you’re the Emperor of South Korea!” Seo-jun screamed, jabbing a finger at his chest.
“You locked me in a room!
Look at my neck!
Look at my skin!
You took advantage of a sick person, you psychotic corporate sociopath!
I am going to tear you apart!
I’m calling the cops!” Tae-hyuk opened his mouth to explain the science behind forced heats when the sight of the tiny Omega having a meltdown stopped him cold.
His broad shoulders shook as he fought not to laugh out loud.
Hold it in, Tae-hyuk, he reminded himself, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood.
Do not laugh.
If you laugh right now, he will try to cut you with the nightstand lamp.
Tae-hyuk pressed two fingers over his mouth, trying not to let the pouty expression on his lips slip.
He had the most difficult time maintaining a straight face as he stared at the fuming young man on the bed.Seo-jun caught the slight twitch in his jaw immediately.
“Are you…..are you shaking?!” he shrieked, his eyes practically popping out of his skull.
“Are you holding back a laugh right now?!” Pfft.
It was too much.
A sudden, uncontrollable snort escaped Tae-hyuk’s lips as he leaned his head back against the bed frame and burst into hearty laughter.
The sound rolled out of him in deep, rich tones that vibrated the very walls of the master suite.
“KANG TAE-HYUK!” Seo-jun screamed at the top of his lungs.
Seething with such an ungodly amount of rage that he could barely contain himself, Seo-jun grabbed the nearest goose feather pillow and whacked it against the broad man’s chest.
“I’M SUING YOU!
I’M SUING KANG GROUP FOR WORKPLACE HAZARDS, KIDNAPPING, AND SEVERE SPINAL DAMAGE!”