Chapter 325: How Could We Be Losin’ If We Winning It

[FROLO]

Sergei’s breath hitched at the needy moan Katya let out. He wasn’t sure whether to focus on the hips connected and the way Katya tangled him, or if he was to focus on the hazed-out omega who was clearly not in his right mind.

"You’re not... Fuck," Sergei tried to reason, only to fail miserably as Katya struggled against his hold and finally freed himself.

Sergei had barely a moment to regain momentum before the free hands snaked around his neck, and the alpha instinctively held Katya’s ass to keep the omega steady on him.

"You’re playing with fire, little wolf," Sergei forced out, determined to be the reasonable one.

"We’re alone, Vladimir... No one is coming here tonight," Katya said, his voice sultry as he looked at Sergei, who was trying so hard it hurt to be the reasonable one in that moment.

"No one?" Sergei asked, raising a brow.

And when Katya nodded, locking his lips, Sergei let out a disbelieving yet amused chuckle.

"You knew I’d come, didn’t you?" Sergei asked, his hold on Katya tightening.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Katya said, hiding his face behind Sergei’s shoulder, but the alpha wasn’t done with him.

"Oh, yeah? Then I can leave, no?" Sergei dared as he gently put Katya on the ground, pulling his hands from his neck as if he needed Katya to spell it out for him.

"It’s late... You can’t go home now," Katya said, making Sergei chuckle as the light in the hallway went off.

"Can’t I, now?"

"Too many dangerous people out there. Animals will tear you apart," Katya said as he dragged Sergei by the hand back into the house as if he was not done with the alpha.

"Solnyshka..."

"Can’t I want my friend safe?" Katya asked. You’d think he was the most rational man right now.

"You do know who I am, little wolf... Right?"

"Yes... my friend," Katya said when they got to the living room, pausing like he had only wanted the light.

Katya knew the hallway lights were motion sensors, but he’d turned that shit off because he couldn’t have Sergei leave.

Not right now.

Not tonight.

After all, surely Frolo at one in the morning was dangerous even for the devil of Frolo, right?

"Solnyshka..."

"I don’t want to be alone tonight. Come, I’ll show you the bedroom. Bed’s big enough for both of us," Katya said, before he dragged Sergei again.

Sergei knew what he was doing.

What Katya was trying to do.

The little omega needed a distraction, and an alpha who rarely said no to him was the perfect one. He knew he should have stopped Katya, yet the way Katya moved while in his clothes had Sergei rethinking everything.

Companionship, he convinced himself, even when Katya turned off the lights in the hallways and every room they passed.

He’s just scared, Sergei added, like he was being the world’s most reasonable alpha right now.

He needs a friend, it’s a big house, Sergei thought to himself, as if he hadn’t seen the jealousy at the mention of Irina. Like he didn’t know Katya wanted to use him to forget.

And Sergei...

He wanted to say no.

To stop him.

But he also knew Katya’s mental state was rigged to believe what Alek had said to him. Of him.

It was messing with the omega’s head, and Sergei had seen it more than once in the five minutes he was being dragged through the huge Romanov manor like he had lost all direction and needed a guide.

"Here we are," Katya said, getting into the room first before Sergei followed.

And Romanov shut the door.

Sergei could swear he heard the lock turn.

"Are you planning on killing me in here, Solnyshka?" he teased, but Katya didn’t say a word.

He just casually pulled the socks from his legs, put the scarf aside, and took off the sweater.

And Sergei watched in silence, still standing at the door, still trying to think and rationalize.

Still trying to make things make sense, even though he knew the moment he’d let himself be dragged here, he had long lost the battle.

Katya Romanov was now in his shirt.

White. Used. Poorly buttoned.

Sergei could see the omega’s collarbone, the dip on his neck, the soft skin that—

"Okay. Sleep it is," he said, not trusting himself to stay sane if he finished that sentence.

Katya was a beautiful omega.

One that had been broken one too many times. One desperate to forget everything right now. And Sergei knew it was dangerous what he was doing. But he wasn’t expecting anything.

Katya wanted to sleep.

Someone to keep him company in the huge manor, and Sergei was giving him just that.

Besides, if Sergei left, he’d have been so worried about Katya and sneaked right back in. At least like this, he was sure his omega would be safe...

That was reasonable, right?

"You’re sleeping in THAT?" Katya asked, horrified as Sergei took off his tie and belt, then got into the bed.

They were just friends.

Just friends.

Fuck.

"Yeah, what’s wrong with it?" the alpha said, knowing damn well what was wrong with it all.

Hell, the entire positioning, and him being in a locked room with Katya Romanov without any ears around them, wasn’t exactly what common sense would let him lean into. This was bad. Very bad.

But surely Sergei had ironclad self-control.

Right?

He would be the voice of reason for both of them.

It wasn’t that hard.

"You’re sleeping in a three-piece suit?" Katya shrieked.

"Well, I don’t have any spare clothing," Sergei reasoned, knowing damn well this was a trap.

Shit, he was losing.

"It’s hot in here. And you want to get under the covers in a freaking suit. Unbelievable," Katya said, and Sergei stared at him, still desperate to be rational.

And then Katya took off his shirt.

"Well, you’ll be the one suffering, not me," Katya huffed before he threw Sergei’s shirt on the bedside table, leaving him in nothing but boxer briefs.

"Sol— little wolf," Sergei gritted when Katya lifted his hands to tie his hair in a bun so he could sleep easily. It was routine for him. Sergei knew it.

But he’d never done it while having only one piece of clothing on him.

What the fuck was this omega doing?

"Do you want the lights on or off, Vladimir?" Katya asked so casually, like he couldn’t see the tether of self-control fighting for its life in Sergei’s eyes.

"What?" Sergei asked, making Katya chuckle knowingly.

"Lights dim it is," Katya said as he sat on the edge of the bed, his back to Sergei. The omega then bent down as if he was trying to pick something from the floor. And Sergei was really, really trying to be realistic.

He had been invited for a sleepover. That was what this was.

Nothing more.

Nothing m—

"You smell good... Vladimir," Katya mumbled, turning to Sergei, who was lying flat on the bed like the alpha had finally mastered the art of being a statue when close to his beloved.

"So good," the omega purred, pulling the covers so he could get under, only to change his mind and lie above the covers like Sergei.

And Sergei...

’He’s not in his right mind, Sergei,’ he reminded himself when Katya scooted over, leaving almost no space between them.

’Focus,’ he willed himself when Katya stared at him with ruined pouty lips.

"Goodnight... alpha," Katya said, closing the distance between them, pulling Sergei’s arm from where it was folded on his chest, and resting his head on the alpha’s chest.

As if that wasn’t enough...

Katya rested his leg on Sergei’s cro—

"Don’t..." Sergei gritted, holding Katya’s leg midair, determined to keep his self-control ironclad.

He was a good person.

A good person with his friend.

His beloved, who was also his friend.

His crush, who smelled like citrus and slick.

But Sergei was a good citizen of Frolo.

Very good citizen.

"Am I disgusting... alpha?" Katya asked, and Sergei let out a growl.

He knew it was a trap. It had been from the moment he’d let himself be dragged.

"What?"

"He didn’t touch me..."

"Young Rom—"

"After the first night... he’d just... chase his high then go to bed."

Sergei stilled.

"Now three years later, I finally know why," Katya chuckled sadly.

"Kat—"

"I think he believed I was a whore from the coffee date," Katya laughed humorlessly.

"And now my alpha won’t even look at me," Katya added, amused, but nothing was amusing there.

"Solnyshka..."

"It’s late, goodn—"

"If you call the love of my life a whore again, we’re going to have problems, lyubim," Sergei growled possessively, suddenly pinning Katya’s back into the bed.

"Alpha..." Katya whined again.

And Sergei’s iron-clad control turned out to be...

... Paper-clad?