I give him a tight smile, wondering how much harder I’ve made everyone’s job by always assuming I know best. I’m not about to hand over the reins to anyone, but as I head inside the store, I can recognize that a little flexibility would probably go a long way, especially now I’m part of a pack.
I stop abruptly at the thought, staring blindly at the display in front of me. A couple of wilted bouquets sit in a bucket, their paper wrappings drooping as badly as the flowers they’re trying to protect. “Is this it?” I ask the sleepy clerk.
“What?” He yawns and picks at a pimple on his chin. “Yeah. Whatever’s there, man.”
I pick the least crumpled of the two and walk them up to the counter, trying to avoid the water dripping from their wrapping. The guy screws up his nose when he looks at the bouquet. “Yeah, they’re kind of shitty. You know, you’d get a better selection at the hospital gift store. Balloons, too.”
I grunt at the thought of turning up at the emergency department after ordering a team of paramedics to back off and leave me alone. “What about candy?”
“We’ve got a two-for-one on Snickers, but you might want to check the expiry date.” His eyes light up at a thought. “Our Slurpee machine comes with a candy cotton topping.”
Shit. Nothing says romance like a beverage syrup.
I empty the counter’s selection of chocolate bars, figuring I can check the expiry dates on the ride home, then look around in desperation. Unfortunately, there’s no big neon sign pointing at theGifts for a Scorned Scent Mateaisle, and I nod at a length of fluffy wool hanging next to the fishing tackle display. “What’s that?”
“Ah… A scarf?”
Despite sounding as confused as I feel, he reaches out and pulls it off the hook. “Yep. A scarf,” he confirms after checking the label. “Hey, it’s only $5.99, too.”
“Money’s not really the issue,” I mutter. “Is it soft?”
“Ah… kind of? The tag says synthetic wool.”
Double shit.
I snatch it out of his hands before he can test the fabric on his pimply chin. “Got any gift wrap?”
He hunts around under the counter, finally unearthing a crumpled bag withGet Well Or Get OverItwritten on the side. At my reluctant nod, he places the purchases inside and rings up the total. I hand him my credit card and he gives me a sleepy salute as I collect the bag and head back to the car. Lukas doesn’t have his gun out, which is probably a good thing, or I might grab it and shoot myself. “All okay, sir?”
“All good,” I mutter as I climb into the car, and he looks at me curiously. “But no more detours. Just get me home.”
We drive in silence, the burn in my gut flaring hotter with every mile. In reality, it’s less than a twenty-minute journey, but everything is putting me on edge, including the underwhelming gifts on the seat next to me. Maybe Lukas senses some of my turmoil, because as we pull through the gates and start up the drive, he glances over his shoulder at me. “Sir, every Friday afternoon I pick up some Godiva chocolates for my mate, Carrie.” As we reach the front door, he leans over and takes a beautifully wrapped box from the console. “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind missing out this one time.”
I study his face, then let out a relieved sigh. “Thank you, Lukas. This will definitely say ‘I’m sorry’ better than expired candy bars and an insulting gift bag.” I grab the flowers and scarf, leaving the rest behind, but pause before climbing out. “If you’ve got time tomorrow, I’d like to talk to you about stepping up from driver to bodyguard.”
He raises his brows at me. “Of course, sir, but I thought Kane…”
“He’ll always have my back, but he’s my mate, and I’ll need him at my side, too. Besides, if things work out, I’m hoping to move my pack in here. You won’t be the only security I hire, but I’d like you to be part of the team.”
“I’d be honored, sir.”
“Good. Then I’d like you to reach out to Kennedy Vale in the morning. See if she’s interested in joining us at double her current pay.”
“I’ll get on it first thing.”
That settled, I head into the house, but I barely make it over the threshold when the scent hits me.
Heat spike.
It’s not unusual for an omega to have a few short, intense bursts of heat at the end of their cycle, and it appears that Diana is experiencing oneright now. I almost levitate up the staircase, cursing the fact that the perfectly preserved governor’s mansion doesn't come with a state-of-the-art elevator.Fuck, throw in a time machine while you're at it, so I can go back to that suite at The Aviary and never leave.
Although, the fact that Diana's scent is coating the walls of my home almost makes up for it.
I can hear water running and the soft murmur of voices as I enter my suite. My large bed is empty, but the sheets are a mess, and I feel my cock swell painfully against my zipper as I breathe in the scent of sex and slick. Alpha pheromones are thick in the air, but I immediately recognize them as Kane’s, along with the fainter perfumes of both a male omega and a beta. Scraps of clothing are buried in the bedding, each drenched in more of that mesmerizing scent, and I realize that a few of my business shirts have made it into the mix. Satisfaction throbs through my veins, and I stride towards the bathroom right as a steam-flushed, towel-wrapped omega barrels through the door. She’smoving so fast, I have to grab her shoulders to stop her from bouncing off my chest. “Diana.”
Her pupils blow wide, her chest heaving under the towel as she stares up at me. “Alpha.”
She’s as captivating as I remember, with blue-gray eyes and caramel curls around a heart-shaped face. On any other day, her beauty would stop me in a street, but right now the honey sweetness of her heat roars over me. It tugs at some part of me I never knew existed, and I want to punch myself for ever thinking Lily was my match.
