At least not yet.
I mean, not that I have any intention of hitting on her, but it’ll be kind of hard to avoid unless the alphas give her the time off during my cycle.
Might not be the worst idea. I tend to get a little weird about my space during my heat, but that’s when it comes to fellow omegas. I don’t see why my instincts would go batty around a beta.
As much as it would be in her best interest to have the week off, someone will need to at least check on us to make sure we’re at least drinking water. Ella will be entering her cycle soon, too, since we’re synced up, so not like I can call her in for backup.
Now that all that’s out of the way, I drown my pancakes in syrup and tuck into them. I’m sure I resemble a chipmunk with the way I’m packing my cheeks, but I’m going to need the calories.
Even now as I’m eating, my dick has formed a tent in my pants, and I swear it’s pulsing to my heartbeat. The special boxers are the only thing keeping me from embarrassing myself.
Amy keeps stealing glances at me as she cleans up the kitchen. I even catch her nostrils flare.
“Do I stink to you?” I ask around a mouthful of food.
Her brows slam together again. “Not at all.”
“You keep staring,” I say, pointing at her with my syrupy fork.
“It’s not that you stink. Your perfume is thick. I’m not even an alpha and I find myself…pulled to you.” Then she throws both hands up, palms out. “I’m not interested that way. Don’t worry.I’m just saying, you smell beautiful. It’s like…” Her eyes dart to the side a second like she’s thinking. “It’s like your scent matches your face. Beautiful. A work of art.”
Now I’m blushing for a different reason. There’s something about someone who isn’t interested in getting in your pants saying something so sweet.
“Thank you,” I say, ducking my eyes and failing to hide my smile.
“Oh please. You’ve looked in a mirror before, right?”
“I’m not going to say I think I’m ugly. It’s just, the only people who usually say that kind of stuff to me just want to fu – um, they usually just want to get me in bed. You know? But it sounded sincere when you said it. So yeah. Thank you.”
She surprises me by rounding the table, wrapping her arms around my shoulders from behind and squeezing. “You’re very welcome.”
And just like that, I have a friend in this house.
CHAPTER 17
Alex
Amy’s texts roll in throughout the day:Hudson’s perfuming. Heat spikes increasing.
We tried to leave early, but it’s past seven by the time we escape the office.
But it’s not eleven. We’ve got our shit arranged – cases have been delegated, assistants have been briefed. We're officially free to take a week off for Hudson’s heat.
As if we needed the Maserati to get home faster, Mason puts the pedal to the floor anyway. Hudson hasn’t needed a new car yet; he’s barely left the house since moving in.
“I thought we had more time,” I mutter, half to myself.
“Preheat could still last a day or two,” Des says, but even he sounds uncertain.
I shift in the backseat, trying not to make my hard dick more obvious. Thankfully, they’re too wired to notice.
“Slow down,” Des warns as Mason weaves through traffic. “A ticket won’t help. Or a fiery ball of death.”
I huff. “It’s not an emergency. Amy’s with him. He’s okay.”
But saying it doesn’t stop the spike of worry that barrels through the bond.
It hits me hard: my first panic isn't about us dying – it’s that Hudson would suffer through his heat without us.
