Chapter 223: Chapter 223: Naive Temptation
Miles Sherman, however, saw no reason to hide it.
Everything had to revolve around Zoe Pierce’s well-being. Her body was already sensing the discomfort, so they needed to prepare in advance.
"It’s only for a day or two," Miles Sherman said.
Now that he was sure of Zoe’s feelings, he could handle waiting that long.
They had a lifetime ahead of them.
Nathan Lockwood was noncommittal. "This is going to be tough on you for the next few days."
It was common knowledge for any Alpha who had studied basic physiology: an Omega’s heat was an immense test of an Alpha’s endurance.
Miles Sherman had already made it clear he was giving up the chance to mark Zoe Pierce this time.
But the torment leading up to it wouldn’t be easy, either.
Clingy, coquettish, and begging for love.
These were the most common descriptions of an Omega in heat.
The Alphas who spent this time with an Omega in heat were always their mates. To be on the receiving end of such advances... it was impossible to resist.
Not a single one could resist and do nothing.
And wasn’t that the very role Miles Sherman now had to play? To bear it all and do nothing.
Zoe Pierce heard their entire conversation. After Nathan Lockwood left, she came out of her room. "Miles..."
Miles turned to the side, looking back at her. "Why aren’t you lying down?"
Zoe Pierce shook her head. "I’m not tired anymore. I can’t sleep."
The doctor’s visit had completely woken her up, so she decided to get up and come out.
Her fingers were still fidgeting nervously. Seeing this, Miles took her hand. "Nervous?"
Zoe Pierce thought for a moment, then nodded.
Honestly, it would be strange if she weren’t flustered.
After all, it was her first time consciously entering a so-called heat, and not with an inhibitor, but with a man...
Especially with her inhibitions already lowered, Zoe knew what she and Nathan Lockwood would end up doing.
She had desires.
And Nathan Lockwood felt the same way about her.
It was like dry tinder meeting a raging flame; the result was self-evident.
But this feeling of waiting for some biological cycle to arrive was still beyond Zoe’s comprehension. In the past, she had always been fully conscious and in control of her actions.
But this heat, based on her internet searches, didn’t seem like something she could control on her own.
Ceding control to an Alpha, and taking pleasure in it.
Especially the act of consciously ceding control—it was enough to make one’s adrenaline spike.
"Miles, I’m still a little scared." The unknown was the most frightening thing, and Zoe’s current state was a mix of longing, nervousness, and thrilling anticipation.
"Nathan won’t hurt you," Miles said in a low voice.
That much was true for everyone.
"What will I be like?" Zoe asked.
This wasn’t enough to comfort Zoe; Miles felt how hollow his words were.
They had all known how insensitive Zoe was to pheromones, so it was naturally difficult for her to face this without fear.
"Hold on," Miles said, activating the Intelligent Brain. He searched for a long, hour-long interview for Zoe.
It was an interview compilation.
It was a well-known documentary featuring interviews with Omegas after their heat cycles.
Miles and Zoe sat on the sofa. She was curled up in his arms, quietly watching the projection.
In it, some Omegas shared their nervousness about experiencing their first heat during puberty, while others talked about spending their first heat with a partner as an adult.
Both scenarios fit Zoe’s situation.
It was her first time consciously experiencing a heat, and she was also about to spend it with a partner.
Stroking Zoe’s hair, Miles asked in a low voice, "Sweetheart, are you afraid of Nathan?"
Zoe shook her head without a second thought.
Among the few of them, there was no one she was afraid of.
"Trust him. He’ll guide you." ’You’ll come to depend on him, too.’
Even now, Miles could feel Zoe being much clingier than before.
The whole time, she had her arms wrapped around his side, her head resting on his chest.
She was relying on him completely.
Zoe nuzzled against Miles’s chest. For some reason, she could already feel that being by his side was much more comfortable than being alone.
"Miles, I want to smell your pheromones." A deep-seated longing compelled Zoe to say this.
She wanted to smell the scent of his pheromones.
But Miles, unexpectedly, refused her. "Zoe, you can’t."
’If he really let her,’ Miles thought, ’they probably wouldn’t make it until Nathan arrived.’
He touched Zoe’s forehead. Her temperature still hadn’t gone down.
Over the course of the afternoon, her heat symptoms had intensified and were starting to become a torment.
Zoe wasn’t discouraged by his refusal. She just continued to hug Miles and watch the documentary.
Strangely, the longer she watched the documentary with Miles, the more her anxiety faded, replaced by a growing, secret desire.
She got up, walked to the bathroom, and wiped her face with cold water.
In the mirror, her skin looked no different than usual, save for a flush of pink on her cheeks that made her complexion look even better.
Miles followed her and stood nearby. He frowned when he saw what she was doing.
"I’m calling Nathan," he said.
Watching Zoe be this uncomfortable was even more of a torment for him.
But Zoe grabbed his hand. "Wait until tomorrow, okay, Miles?"
"I want to be with you today." They had agreed she would spend these few days with him, but she hadn’t seen him yesterday, and today, he’d discovered her fever not long after they’d met.
"Hold me." She opened her arms, and Miles pulled her into his embrace.
He peppered her forehead with kisses. "Aren’t you uncomfortable? Are you sure you don’t want me to call Nathan?"
He held her body, his arms tightening around her.
Resting securely against Miles, Zoe said, "But I don’t want you to leave. Stay with me a little longer."
’I can’t get enough of his embrace.’
’In fact, I want more.’
She tilted her head up, stood on her toes, and wrapped her arms around his neck again. "Miles, kiss me..."
’Her requests today were becoming difficult to grant.’
Her deep red lips were as tempting as cherries.
Miles braced one hand against the wall, leaned down, and kissed her.
’Sweet and delectable.’
’But he didn’t dare to deepen it.’
"Sweetheart, don’t tempt me."
Her sparkling eyes rippled like a spring day. Clutching his shirt, she murmured, "Mmm..."
But she gently pressed her cheek against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. "Miles, your heart is beating so fast..."
Then she lifted her face and asked, "Mine is beating really fast too. Do you want to listen?"
Miles cleared his dry throat. "Zoe..."
"Hmm?"
"Right now, be a good girl and go to your room and get some sleep, okay? You have a fever."
"If you get some sleep, your heart won’t beat so fast..."
’I can’t believe I can lie so calmly now,’ Miles thought.
It was just that every word from Zoe was a perfect provocation. If this went on any longer, he would lose control.
His self-control, his greatest pride, was worth nothing when it came to her.
