Chapter 7: The Scent of Claim
The week had been a blur of stolen moments and shared mornings, of waking up tangled in Jaxson's arms and falling asleep to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Cole had never known happiness like this, had never imagined that his life could transform so completely in such a short span of time.
But now, standing in the elevator of Jaxson Tower, watching the numbers climb toward the executive floor, Cole felt a knot of anxiety tightening in his stomach.
The mark on his neck was hidden beneath his collar, a neat white shirt chosen specifically to conceal the bruise-dark claiming bite that Jaxson had left there. But the scent was another matter entirely.
Cole caught a whiff of himself in the reflective elevator walls and flushed. He smelled like Jaxson. Not just a hint, not just a lingering trace. He smelled like he'd been thoroughly, completely claimed. The alpha musk was woven into his own honey-sweet omega scent, an intoxicating blend that announced to anyone with a functioning nose exactly what had happened.
This is fine, Cole told himself. You're just going to work. Everything is normal.
The elevator doors slid open, and he stepped out into the open-plan office. The familiar hum of keyboards and murmured conversations washed over him, but something felt different. Heads turned. Eyes tracked him.
He could see it in the way his coworkers' nostrils flared, the subtle widening of their eyes as they caught his scent.
Oh god. Oh god, they know.
Cole kept his chin up, his shoulders back, projecting a confidence he didn't feel. He'd spent years perfecting this facade, learning to move through the alpha-dominated workspace like a ghost, unobtrusive, professional, invisible.
But today, he was anything but invisible.
"Cole!"
Kate's voice cut through the low murmur of the office. She was already hurrying toward him, her dark curls bouncing, a knowing grin spreading across her face.
"Kate," Cole said cautiously. "Morning."
"Morning?" Kate laughed, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward her desk. "That's all you have to say? Morning?"
Cole's heart hammered. "What do you mean?"
Kate leaned in, lowering her voice. "You smell like a bakery that got hit by a thunderstorm. Honey and something... dark. Something very, very alpha."
Cole's face burned. "I don't—I mean, I—"
"Don't even try it." Kate's grin widened. "I've known you for two years. You've never smelled like this. You've never smelled like anyone. But now?" She sniffed theatrically. "Now you smell like you've been thoroughly, deeply, completely—"
"Kate!"
She laughed, delighted. "I'm happy for you. Truly. You deserve someone who looks at you like you're the best thing that's ever happened to them."
Cole wanted to tell her. Wanted to confess that the someone in question was their terrifying, ice-cold CEO, the man who could make grown executives cry with a single raised eyebrow. But he couldn't. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
"Thanks," he managed. "It's new. I'm still—processing."
"Processing," Kate repeated, amused. "Sure. Well, when you're done processing, you should tell me everything. I want details."
"Kate."
"I'm serious! I've been living vicariously through you for years. The least you can do is give me something juicy."
Cole shook his head, but he couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips. "I'll think about it."
"See that you do." Kate patted his arm. "Now go. The big bad wolf is probably waiting for his morning coffee."
You have no idea, Cole thought as he walked toward the glass-walled office at the far end of the floor.
Jaxson was already at his desk, head bent over a tablet, his dark hair falling across his forehead. He looked up as Cole entered, and the cold mask he wore for the world softened, just slightly, just enough for Cole to see the warmth beneath.
"Good morning," Jaxson said, his voice low and even.
"Good morning, sir." Cole kept his tone professional. "I've got your schedule for the day. You have a team meeting at nine-thirty, a conference call with the Tokyo office at eleven, and a lunch meeting with the legal department at one."
Jaxson's eyes traveled over him, dark and hungry. Cole felt the familiar flutter in his chest, the way his body responded to that gaze.
God, I want to kiss him right now, Jaxson thought. I want to pull him onto my lap and bury my face in his neck. I want to breathe him in until I can't tell where he ends and I begin.
Cole swallowed hard. "Should I—should I get your coffee?"
"Please." Jaxson's lips twitched. "You know how I like it."
Cole knew. He'd known for months, had memorized the precise ratio of espresso to steamed milk, the exact temperature that made Jaxson's eyes close in quiet satisfaction. But now, the simple ritual felt charged with new meaning.
He turned to fetch the coffee, but Jaxson's voice stopped him.
"Cole."
"Yes?"
"Your collar." Jaxson's gaze was fixed on his neck. "It's crooked."
Cole reached up instinctively, but Jaxson was already standing, crossing the distance between them. His fingers brushed Cole's collar, adjusting it with deliberate care, and Cole felt the warmth of his touch through the fabric.
"There," Jaxson murmured. "Perfect."
I want to tear it off, Jaxson thought, the words sharp and primal. I want to see my mark on your skin. I want everyone to know.
"Thank you," Cole managed, his voice barely above a whisper.
Jaxson's hand lingered for a moment, then dropped. "The team meeting is in fifteen minutes. I need you there to take notes."
"Of course."
Cole escaped to the small kitchenette, bracing his hands against the counter and taking a deep breath. This is fine. I can do this. I just have to get through the day without completely falling apart.
The meeting room was glass-walled, open to the rest of the floor. Cole had always found the transparency of the executive meeting rooms deeply ironic—so much was visible, yet so much remained hidden.
He took his seat at the far end of the table, notepad ready, pen poised. Jaxson sat at the head, flanked by the senior leadership team. The conversation was standard fare—quarterly projections, product launches, staffing concerns—but Cole found it hard to focus.
Every few minutes, Jaxson's gaze would slide toward him, brief and intense, and Cole would feel a jolt of electricity.
Focus, Jaxson's thoughts interrupted. You're thinking about him again. You can't—
Cole's head snapped up. Jaxson was looking at his tablet, his face impassive, but his thoughts were a tangled mess.
...need him. Need to feel him under my hands. Need to hear him gasp. This is ridiculous. I'm the CEO, not a teenager in the grip of his first heat. But I can't stop. I can't think about anything else.
The meeting droned on. Cole stared at his notepad, his handwriting growing shakier with each passing minute.
Five more minutes, Jaxson thought. Five minutes and I'll excuse myself. I'll find him. I'll—
Cole shifted in his seat, crossing his legs. The movement drew Jaxson's attention, and his thoughts sharpened.
...bend him over this table. Push that skirt up. God, I want to hear him moan. I want everyone to see. I want them to know he's mine. Mine. Mine. Mine.
Cole's face was on fire. He dropped his pen, fumbling to pick it up, and when he straightened, he found Kate watching him from the other side of the glass, a knowing smirk on her face.
This is a nightmare, Cole thought. This is a beautiful, horrible nightmare.
Jaxson cleared his throat. "Let's take a quick break. Ten minutes. We'll reconvene to discuss the Q3 budget."
There was a general shuffling as everyone stood. Cole remained frozen in his seat, willing his racing heart to calm.
He felt a hand on his shoulder.
"You okay?" Kate asked, concern flickering in her eyes. "You look a little flushed."
"I'm fine," Cole said, too quickly. "Just—need some water."
Kate's gaze dropped to his neck, to the faint edge of bruising visible above his collar. Her eyes widened slightly, then she smiled.
"Go. I'll cover for you."
Cole fled to the restroom. The cool, sterile air was a shock against his overheated skin, and he gripped the edge of the sink, staring at his reflection in the mirror.
His cheeks were flushed, his eyes bright, his hair slightly disheveled. He looked like a man who'd been thoroughly, wholly claimed.
The door opened behind him.
Cole's heart lurched. But it wasn't a coworker. It was Jaxson, stepping inside with a calm, unhurried confidence that made Cole's breath catch.
"Jaxson—what are you doing?"
Jaxson locked the door. The click of the latch was impossibly loud in the silence.
"I've been thinking about you all morning," he said, his voice low and rough. "Every minute of that meeting, I was thinking about you. Watching you. Wanting you."
Cole's mouth went dry. "We can't—this is the office. Anyone could—"
"No one will," Jaxson said. "I locked the door."
He crossed the room in three strides, his hands finding Cole's hips, pressing him back against the sink. The cold marble dug into Cole's spine, but he barely registered it. All he could feel was Jaxson's heat, Jaxson's presence, Jaxson's overwhelming, consuming want.
Mine, Jaxson's thoughts roared. Mine. Mine. Mine. I need to take him. I need to claim him all over again.
"Jaxson," Cole breathed. "People will notice. They'll smell us—"
"Let them." Jaxson's hands slid down, gripping Cole's thighs. "Let them smell me on you. Let them know you're taken."
Jaxson turned Cole around, pressing him face-first against the marble counter. The position was sudden, vulnerable, and Cole gasped.
"Spread your legs," Jaxson murmured, his voice dark with command.
Cole complied, his hands gripping the edge of the counter as Jaxson pulled his trousers down just enough to expose him. The cool air hit his skin, and he shivered.
"Look at you," Jaxson breathed. "So perfect. So ready for me."
He entered him in one smooth motion, and Cole bit down on his own hand to stifle the cry that threatened to escape. The stretch was exquisite, the fullness almost unbearable, and Jaxson's low growl of satisfaction sent a thrill straight through him.
"So tight," Jaxson murmured against his ear. "So perfect. I could live inside you."
Jaxson's thrusts were slow and deep, as if he had all the time in the world. The hand that clamped over Cole's mouth was warm and possessive, stifling the sounds he couldn't keep contained.
"Quiet," Jaxson whispered. "You don't want anyone to hear, do you?"
But his thoughts told a different story, a twisted, thrilling counterpoint to his words.
I want them to hear. I want them all to hear. I want the entire floor to know who you belong to.
Cole's eyes fluttered closed, his body arching back into Jaxson's rhythm. The pleasure was building, coiling in his belly, and he could feel Jaxson's thoughts spiraling with it.
Mine. Mine. Mine. I'm going to fill him up. I'm going to breed him. I'm going to mark him so deeply that no one will ever doubt who he belongs to.
The words sent a surge of heat through Cole, and he shattered, his body convulsing around Jaxson as silent screams were swallowed by that possessive hand.
Jaxson followed moments later, buried deep inside him, his breath ragged against Cole's neck. For a long moment, neither of them moved.
Then Jaxson withdrew, gently, carefully, and turned Cole to face him. His thumb traced Cole's jaw, tilting his head up for a kiss.
"You're mine," Jaxson whispered against his lips. "Now and always. And I'm not letting you go, Cole. Not ever."
Cole leaned into him, his legs trembling. "I don't want you to."
They straightened themselves in silence. Jaxson adjusted Cole's collar, smoothing the fabric over the fresh mark he'd left on Cole's neck.
"There," he said softly. "Perfect."
Cole checked his reflection in the mirror. His cheeks were flushed, his lips swollen, and unmistakably, undeniably, he smelled like Jaxson.
"This is going to be a problem," he murmured.
Jaxson smiled, a rare, genuine smile that made Cole's heart flutter. "Then we'll deal with it. Together."
They left the restroom separately, as they had entered. But the scent of their coupling lingered in the air, impossible to ignore, a declaration made in the heart of the workplace.
As Cole walked back to his desk, he caught Kate's eye. She raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile playing on her lips.
"Better now?" she asked innocently.
Cole's face went red. "Much better," he managed. "Thank you."
He sat down, opened his laptop, and tried to focus on the spreadsheet in front of him. But his mind was elsewhere, caught in the echo of Jaxson's thoughts, the phantom sensation of his touch.
The scent of their coupling was in the air, and Cole knew, with a quiet, blooming certainty, that soon, everyone would know.
He wasn't sure if that terrified him or thrilled him.
Maybe both.