Slip away?I don’t know how he can stand there and say that with a straight face.
“If there was anyslipping,” I reply in a frosty tone, “it was you and Ellis, sneaking out of my bed the first chance you got.”
He frowns, stepping closer. “What are you talking about? We came straight back as soon as we could.You’rethe one who left.”
“Don’t.” I only realize I’ve pressed my hand against his chest when he flexes, and I snatch it back like it’s on fire. “I’m not talking about this now.”
I try to step around him, but he blocks the way, his frown deepening. “You make it sound like wewantedto leave.” He tilts his head, something dangerous blooming in his gaze. “What did Crest tell you, Lily?”
Just hearing the man’s name spoken in the same breath as mine sends a shudder through me. Shaking my head, I push past him and grab the cart. I barely see my surroundings as I hurry towards the checkout. Otley is right on my heels but doesn’t break our tense silence until we’re back out in the lot. I’m moving as fast as I can, and when the cart’s wheels catch on a divot in the asphalt, he lunges forward to steady the shade sails before they tumble out. “Slow down, Lily…”
I turn my back on him, hefting my other purchases into the truck as fast as I can. He sighs as he loads the shade sails, then returns the empty cart to the front of the store. For the second time in an hour, I’m tempted to drive off and leave him, but what would that achieve? He’d just turn up at my place and accusemeof slipping away like a coward.
I groan, grabbing my water bottle from the center console and chugging a drink as he climbs into the truck. His scent swirls around me, more potent as it mingles with his sweat, and I grip the steering wheel in white fingers. I know I need to lay down some rules – if only to preserve the shreds of my dignity – but Otley steals the words from my throat when he says, “I’m sorry if you thought we ran out on you, Lily, but we didn’t. Ellis had afamily emergency, and by the time we got back to the hotel, you were already gone.”
I turn and stare into his face. I’ve studied it over the years, peering at glossy pictures and looking for some sign of the man who shared my first heat.Aloofwould be a polite way to describe the Otley James in magazines, his gray eyes stern and every inch of his face exuding the arrogance of a wealthy, powerful alpha. The contrast to my hazy memories was so extreme, I sometimes wondered if he had a doppelganger out there, andthatwas the man who shared my nest.
I’m still blinking through my disjointed memories when he says, “The last thing we wanted to do was leave you, Lily.”
He looks sincere, but my cynical side reminds me that he’s had a decade to think up an excuse. “You told me you were getting breakfast. Was that the truth?”
“Yes.” Disquiet shadows his eyes. “But Ellis got a call about his mom, and we had to drive straight there. Her situation is…complicated, and by the time we could leave, you were already gone.”
I look away, mulling over his words as I stare blindly out the windshield. I don’t know anything about Ellis’ mom, since we never really got to the topic of families. Once my haze hit, there weren’t a lot of lucid moments, and those were spent either in the tub, or snacking on room service while we watched the sun go down.
Because I thought I had plenty more chances to get to know them.
“It was a long time ago,” I say finally, “and I don’t want to pick at old wounds.”
“That’s not why I’m here.” He turns in his seat, his arm brushing mine. “The last thing I want is to hurt you, Lily.”
“Whyareyou here, then?” I whirl on him, my scent bitter with distress. “Are you going to try for custody of Leo? BecauseI willfightyou, Otley. I don’t care how rich or famous your pack is. I will do whatever it takes to keep my son.”
Otley looks like I’ve struck him. “What? No! Why would you think that?”
“Because you get what you want.” I think of all those articles I read online, claiming he could make or break a career with a single phone call. “I know your reputation. You’re the dealmaker, right?”
Otley grunts. “Leo isn’t adeal.”
“Exactly, because he’smybusiness, not yours! Leo and I have been fine without your pack in our lives, and I don’t see any reason to change it.”
It’s not true, but I’m too panicked to swallow down the lie. Ellis deserves to know his son, and I’m certain that Leo would want to meet his father. But my angry words seem to have shocked Otley into silence, and I grab my seatbelt, pulling it hard. But it gets caught on the hook and I grit my teeth around a sob. I’m about to yank it again when Otley leans over and wraps his hand around mine. “It’s okay, Lily. Nothing bad is going to happen. I promise.”
He has no right to whisper those words to me – and I have even less reason to believe them – but all of the fight suddenly drains from my limbs. “I can’t lose him, Otley.”
“That will never happen.” His hand tightens on mine, his voice a comforting rumble against my ear. “You’re my scent match, Lily. The thought of hurting you makes my skin crawl.”
He gently eases the belt down across my body, but when I turn my head, my face is inches from his throat. Dark cherry musk invades my senses, and I groan. It’s like I’ve pressed my favorite flower to my nose and breathed its scent all the way to the bottom of my lungs.
“Otley…”
Is that helpless whisper really coming from my mouth?
I try to pull away, but the urge to get closer – to wrap myself in more than just his scent – is unbearable. My heart is hammering in my chest, my back slick with nervous sweat, but every red flag fades under a surge of arousal. Instead of backing away, I lean forward until my lips brush the raised skin of his scent gland.
I might as well have nudged him with a cattle pod. A groan rolls through him, one hand shooting out to grip my arm while the other cups my cheek. Storm gray eyes stare down into mine a moment before he brushes his thumb over my lips. “Lily. Do that again.”
I drop my gaze to his throat, to the column of tanned skin and taut muscle that calls to my most primal senses. It’s sheened with just the hint of sweat and in that moment, it’s the most alluring thing I’ve ever seen. As soon as I realize he’s untangled my seatbelt, there’s nothing stopping me from sliding over the center console and onto his lap.
