Page 70 of Gold Rush
JUNE
“We’ll be back soon.”
Bennett kisses my forehead before he pulls away. I fight back a complaint as I look at him and Seth. Arin left for Paris this morning to finalize the deal he left on the table last week. I know they all have things to do,jobsto actually show up for, but everything feelswrongtoday.
Seth steps back into the foyer, rubbing his hands together. “Bags are in the car.” He moves closer to us and wraps his arms around Bennett and I. “We’re ready to go.”
I turn and a small, pathetic whine actually slips out as I tuck myself between the two of them.
Bennett sighs, stroking my hair. “I’msosorry, darling. Arin said Theo would keep an eye on you and the house — we’ll be back as soon as we can.”
The last twenty four hours have been accompanied by a weird, floaty feeling in my body that I can only assume is because of the upcoming heat. According to the ridiculous pamphlets Bennett had — it’s close, but close could mean imminent or take another four to five days for it to set in.
Basically, it made more sense for them to go ahead and take care of what they needed to, and be present for whateverhappens in the next few days. And even though this pack isn’tminein the bonded sense, my omega is screaming at the idea of both Arin and Bennett being gone,andSeth not being by my side.
It leaves me with only Theo — the same Theo who gave me enough stuff that it took Seth and I two hours to sort through it and carry it up to the nest. I still couldn’t bear the thought of sleeping alone in there, so I ended up between Bennett and Seth in their bed last night.
“I’ll be okay.” I suck in a breath, staring up at them. “I’m an adult.”
Seth kisses my cheek. “I’ll keep you updated the entire time. We’ll be back in twenty-four hours, max. I promise, baby.”
“And I left food.” Bennett gives me a sad look. “It’s all in the fridge, please eat it. You’ll need your energy and I want to make sure you’re getting something nutritious.”
I nod, licking my lips before I throw myself at them again, one last time, choking back tears. When I finally pull away, I wrap my arms around myself, hating how needy and clingy I feel as they walk down the steps to the car. I linger in the doorway, watching until they pull away.
Slamming the front door shut behind me, I lock it and press a hand against my burning eyes.
I already feel like I’m beingcleavedin half just by the simple act of saying goodbye to them. It was even worse with Arin this morning. I shed more than a couple tears when he held my face and vowed he’d be back before the ink dried.
Hanging my head, I inhale and pull away from the door. I haven’t seen Theo since yesterday. He’s been lurking somewhere in the house, hiding from me, and the thought makes my chest ache as I bite my tongue and head upstairs. I completely bypass the guest room and slink into Seth and Bennett’s room, lyingdown on the bed and turning my head to press it into Bennett’s pillow.
His scent is stuck to the fabric, and it envelops me as I lay there.
The orange circles my senses. I wish there was a way to bottle the smell of him. Or, better yet, glue him to my side like a little barnacle on my hip or something. I wouldn’t even care if Seth came with him. And I’d have a whole other hip free for Arin.
I might be slightly losing it.
I don’t know how long I linger, losing time as I drift in and out of feeling flushed and nauseous. My skin is tight and sticky with sweat when I finally stir, my stomach cramping. I curl up on the bed, wincing and pressing a hand to my stomach. I want them back. I want them all back right now — but I can’t have them.
Squeezing my eyes shut, tears well as I sit on the bed.Fuck this. Fuck being an omega.
I want someone to hold me and tell me it’s going to be okay.
Forcing myself to move, I crawl off the bed, moving to their closet and ripping open the drawers inside of it. I grab handfuls of shirts, the softest fabrics they own that are left. Bringing them up to my nose, I inhale, then turn, charging out of the room and back downstairs. I repeat the process in Arin’s room, leaving it an absolute wreck as I take my stolen items all the way up to the third floor. Shoving the door to the nest open, I storm into it, letting it swing mostly shut behind me as I stare at the mattress.
The room is missingsomuch.
There are still bags of unopened blankets and supplies, but as I drop the clothes onto the bed, I turn and rifle through the ones Theo left for me. My hands find two prizes — the soft, blue blanket that smells like rainwater and the worn sweatshirt he tucked in with it. There’s lingering smells in the room, but they’re faded, and nothing has the level of intensity I want to it.
I should have listened to the pamphlets. I should have made them all sleep in here with me instead of trying to fight it.
I flop down to the mattress, pulling the sweatshirt over my already tangled hair, and shoving my face into the blanket, my shoulders shaking as I succumb to the ache in my chest, letting the tears fall where they may.
I must fall asleep,because the next thing I know, a voice is rousing me from a hazy dream.Hands and kisses on my bare shoulders. A soft accent talking me through it. The smells of fudge, orange, and mint mixing — overpowered by pouring rain drenching me head to toe.
“June?”
Stirring, I glance around at the nest, disoriented by how dark it is, nothing cluing me into what time it could even be.
