I jerk my hand away quickly, gripping the pen with all my strength as I turn my attention back to his paper.
“Actually…” My voice wavers while I try to compose myself. “This is something I’m able to help with.”
I scribble down a suggestion to add skullcap, adjust the quantities, then consider including lemon salve to make it creamier.
“Wow.” He sounds impressed. “You really know your stuff. How did you learn all this?”
“I’ve worked with my gram most of my life.” Again, that pang of homesickness resurfaces. “She runs a teashop where we sell many herbal remedies. She’s the absolute best at what she does.”
“So that’s why you came to SVU?” He inclines his head. “To continue your family business?”
“Maybe.” I realize we’re veering off-topic, but he seems genuinely interested. “I wanted to come here to learn more to help her and to eventually help omegas. Plus, part of me thought it was time to spread my wings a little. I come from a small town, and Gram is a little protective.”
Ren nods as I talk, hanging off my every word like he’s mentally filing away everything I’m telling him.
“I love helping Gram out, though,” I add hastily. “I’ll do whatever I can for her and the shop. It’s just me and her most of the time, brewing, collecting, shipping orders. I guess I want to prove to myself that I can do things on my own, you know? Gram helped me through everything. She took me in after my parents died, so I guess I want to make her proud and give something back to her to thank her for everything.” I stop myself from rambling on too much. “Sorry. I’m talking too much about myself. You wanted help with your essay, not to listen to my life story.”
Usually, I’m quiet and reserved, but Ren’s energy makes it easy to open up to him. I feel like I could sit and talk to him all day, spilling my secrets, looking into his dreamy eyes. And he’d listen like I was the most important person in the world.
“No.” He sets down his smoothie, replying quickly. “I want to know more about you. I mean…” I can’t help but notice the pulse leaping in his neck, one of his scent points. “You’re Sabs’s housemate, and I’m her brother’s packmate. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other.”
“What about you?” I change the subject. “Why did you pick health botany as an elective when you study literature?”
“I’ve always found plants and their uses fascinating, but I’m most at home around books. I’m not much of a people person.” He laughs wryly. “You can’t disappoint books. My parents, on the other hand, are a different story.”
At the mention of his parents, his shoulders dip, like he’s shrinking and withdrawing into himself. Although we’ve only met a few times, he’s proven himself to be kind, smart, and considerate. Not to mention gorgeous in a charming, nerdy way. I don’t see how anyone could view him as a disappointment.
“My dads always wanted me to be like them. Arealalpha, you know? Sports, hunting, but none of that really appealed to me,” he sighs. “I’m too soft.”
“I don’t think much of those macho, alpha-holes anyway,” I smile at him. “I think being into books is way more manly, and if your dads can’t see that, they’re idiots.”
Ren’s blue eyes widen.
My hand flies to cover my mouth. “S-sorry.” I don’t know what came over me. First, I over share. Next, I insult his family. “I shouldn’t have said that. I mean, I’m sure they’re great.”
“They’re not.” He chuckles. “It’s just … no omega has ever said that before.”
I stare down at my lap. “I guess I’m just not very good at the whole omega thing.”
“No,” he disagrees. “You’re very good at it.”
Have they turned off the air conditioning? Suddenly, it’s gotten very warm.
Ren turns his head, and his scent causes my breath to catch in my throat. Hoping it will help, I slurp down the last of my milkshake, Ren’s eyes lingering on my mouth. The way he’s looking at me makes butterflies flutter in my belly. Although he’s handsome in his charming, book-smart way, the look in his eyes tells me he’s hiding a wild side.
“Maybe we should look for a book on herbal tinctures?” I suggest, more for my benefit than anything else. “It’ll help with your essay.”
A walk will help me chill out, right? Keeping our conversation on school work is easy. Safe.
“Good idea.” He jumps to his feet. “All the books on herbs are on the next floor.”
We don’t speak as I follow him to the right stacks. All the while, I’m hyperaware of my body. I purposefully walk a step behind Ren to avoid our arms accidentally touching.
He leads me down a tall row of shelves. “This way.”
The library is busier in this section, but Ren’s scent is all I can focus on. With all of the books towering over us, his dreamy, inky, lavender scent mixes with the bound pages creating an intoxicating blend. My palms itch as I watch his long finger stroke down the book spines. I shiver in longing, desire stirring within me as I imagine how the sweep of his finger would feel dancing over the curve of my back, and–
I freeze, needing to grip the shelf for support.
