Page 52 of Gold Rush
“I would really like something that smells like each of you.”
Bennett smiles slowly, and it devastates me. “We can do that, can’t we, Seth?”
“Absolutely.” He answers quickly, moving with Bennett toward the door. Before he can leave, he spins and kisses me, stunning me as he whispers, “I’m going to steal Bennett’s best sweatshirts for you.”
I laugh as Bennett tries and fails to grab him. “No, you aren’t. You’re not going to clear out my entire closet.”
Seth darts around him and down the hall, shouting over his shoulder. “Says you!”
Bennett curses and runs after him.
Their laughter echoes up the stairs and a smile tugs at my lips as I linger in the hallway. I glance over my shoulder at the nest again, taking it in, letting myself get used to the idea of coming in here and not leaving for a week. I want it to feel safe, and it… does.
The thought shocks me as I hear rustling. Turning back around, I peek down the hallway and find Theo manhandling bags into his room at the opposite end of the house.
I watch, silent as my brain reconciles this side of him — the alpha who comforted me in the foyer, demanded I not answer my phone — with the other — the alpha who barked at me, who refused to welcome me into their house. Which one is the real Theo? Which one should I trust? I know what my heart says, but I also know it’s a fickle thing and too easily swayed by the sparks I feel every time I look at him.
You can be attracted to someone and know they’re still a bad idea.
The omega part of me, new and unfamiliar, is quiet for once. There’s no input from my hindbrain — and I can either take that to mean there’s nothing to see here, or that there’s no reason to fear him.
Or maybe we’ve all lost our goddamn minds.
Seth comes barreling back up the stairs, shouting with an armful of fabric. “Take it before he kills me! Grant me the safety of your nest, omega!” He falls into me as I stumble to hold onto thearmloadof sweatshirts and bundles of shirts. They all smell like they were doused in orange juice, and I burst into giggles as Seth grabs onto my hips, stabilizing us both as we fall backwards into the nest.
Bennett’s footsteps pound up the stairs as he shouts, “Seth, god damnit, getbackhere! You can’t leave me with only underwear!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
JUNE
I packed exactlyoneskirt for my tour, and I’m lucky it still fits.
I was fully expecting itnotto, but my options are limited for tonight’s dinner with Arin. It doesn’t feel right to wear the brown dress that Bennett bought for me, so instead, I wiggle myself into a tan suede skirt that’s a little tight on my bloated belly. I pair it with the cashmere sweater Seth got for me, and a plaid trench coat that Seth also slipped into the bag under the guise of London beingchilly.
The air outside clings to winter, and with it, I wonder where I’ll be by this time next year.
I push away the strange feeling as I make myself presentable, brushing my fingers through my hair and trying to make it lay correctly instead of frizzing at the ends. All my other clothes are clean again, smelling of laundry detergent and fresh rainwater.
Swiping a light wash of makeup over my cheeks, I forgo blush, the redness in them already more than I’d like. I glance at myself in the bathroom mirror, pausing for a moment as I stare, unsure if it’s a trick of the light or if I do truly look different.
My hips are fuller, the skirt pulling over my rounded stomach, and I tug at it, trying to adjust the sweater so it covers it a bit more. It took a lot of years to be contentwith my appearance, and the rapid changes have made me feel uncomfortable again in my own skin, my mother’s voice echoing in the back of my mind, reminding me not to order too much and to skip dessert.
But there’s another voice too, deeper, softer —Seth’svoice, whispering that I’m beautiful, paired with memories of him kissing the very stomach I’m trying to hide.
I give up, grunting at myself and turning away from the mirror as I slip on my boots, teetering on one foot, then the other to get them on. All I have to do is get through the dinner tonight with analphawho is the prime of thepackthat I’ve somehow found myself hopelessly intertwined with.
No worries.
I snatch my new coat, swinging it over my shoulders as I suck in a breath, trying to calm my pounding heart as I shove my phone into one of the pockets. Something crunches, and I pause, glancing down as I tug a crumpled piece of paper from the pocket.
Be yourself. If he upsets you at all, I’ll make Bennett fight him for prime. — Seth
My heart tugs painfully as I stare at the words, pressing my lips together as I hold the note to my chest. Closing my eyes tightly, I fight the burning in them before I tuck the note carefully back into my pocket. The townhouse is deceptively quiet as I descend the stairs.
I don’t know if Theo has even left his room since I saw his weird behavior earlier, and Seth and Bennett’s door is closed when I walk past it. I try to ignore the thoughts as my boots click on the stairs, reaching the foyer and hesitating as I stand in the center.
Footsteps echo in the hall behind the stairs and I whirl, freezing when I see Arin coming from the back. He adjusts the cuffs of his dress shirt as his eyes flicker up, taking me in from my toes all the way to my head, his eyes lingering on mine as he smiles.
