Nothing except for the fact that this man is a dangerous line I shouldn’t even think of crossing…
But my body is already sinking against his, my nose burrowing back against his throat. It’s the perfect mix of sweet cherries and smoky leaves, and I breathe it deep as his hand lands on my hip. It’s a light touch, but I can feel the tension in his thighs as I lick the skin over his scent gland. I’ve drunk enough wine with Kaysie to know what it feels like to lose your inhibitions, but this is temptation on a whole other level. The combination of his delicious scent and heated skin is enough to make me run my nose all the way back up and over his pillow-soft lips.
He shudders under me at the questing touch, his grip tightening as our mouths slide together. I might nudge his lips apart, but he’s the one to draw me in, our tongues tangling together until he pushes forward, deepening the kiss. His large palm angles my face, giving him access to every inch of mymouth. As he nips hungrily at my tender flesh, I give a needy moan.
“You’re so delicious, Omega,” he growls, licking the sting from my lips. “I’ve dreamed of your taste on my tongue, your slick smeared across my skin…”
The taste part I understand, but it takes his hand sliding across the crotch of my jeans to have me jolting out of my haze. Because my panties are already damp with slick, my scent rising between us in a heady bloom. It’s not my heat, but it feels almost as potent. My body is trying to lure him in, to snare the hard cock I can feel pressing against my ass, and that’s enough to make me scramble back into my seat.
“Oh. My. God.” I can’t catch my breath, and my chest is so tight it hurts. “I just... I don’t know… I can’t-.”
“Lily. Sweetheart. It’s okay.”
I shake my head at his low, soothing voice. How can he sound so calm when my heart feels like it’s about to explode? “That was a mistake! I don’t know what the hell happened.” He opens his mouth like he’s going to give me a play-by-play, and I scoot further away from him. “Don’t! This isn’t a thing, Otley.”
“I agree. It’s a hell of a lot more than athing.”
“No!” I rub my hands over my burning cheeks. “This is just hormones going haywire.” I force myself to face him, so he knows exactly how serious I am. “The only thing I need to know is if you’re going to try for custody.”
His hooded gaze cools, his mouth tightening. “Of course not. I want to help you, Lily, not break your heart.”
Pretty words, but I need assurances I can bank on. “Promise me, Otley.”
He straightens his shoulders, somehow back to the aloof alpha despite his mussed hair and kiss-swollen lips. “I will give you an iron clad guarantee as soon as my lawyer can produce the paperwork. But I want you to try and trust me in the meantime. Ihave no interest in messing up your life, and even less in making you hate me.”
Every word rings with sincerity, and I press my hands to my heated face as I slump back in my seat. The truck windows are equally steamy, and I shake my head in disbelief. “I can't believe we just necked in the parking lot of True Value.”
I glance at Otley and a tiny smirk dances at the corner of his mouth. “Worth every penny.”
God, why do I want to kiss that quirky smile?
Because he’s your scent match and tastes like rich, velvety cherry pie.
I have to force a scowl to stop myself from licking my lips. “This isn't a joke, Otley. We can't complicate things even more than they already are.”
“Because of the guy whose scent is all over this headrest?” I look at him in surprise, but he shrugs. “It’s hard to miss. How serious is it between you?”
“I’ve known Logan since we were teenagers.” I grip the wheel tighter, the implications of what I’ve just done making my cheeks burn for a different reason. “We’re planning to get bonded at the end of the summer.”
Something flashes through Otley’s eyes, but all he says is, “Lucky man.”
I make a noncommittal sound, because I’m not sure Logan would be saying the same thing if he saw the state of my windows. I dated a couple of other guys while he was deployed, but I still feel shitty about how easily I fell into Otley’s lap.How can I be his mate if I can’t control myself around other alphas?
“You didn’t do anything wrong.” Otley says like he can read my mind, or maybe it’s just the sour edge to my scent. “We were made this way, Lily. The lure of the scent match is nearly impossible to resist.”
“You don’t say,” I snark, but I still sound guilty, and I squirm as I start the truck. I need to get home so I can clear my head – and take a shower – although the thought of washing Otley off my skin makes my chest ache. “Let’s just drop it, okay?”
“I'll leave it for now, but I’m not going away.” Otley arches a silky brow in my direction. “And if you think I’m persistent, wait until Ellis gets here.”
CHAPTER SEVEN – OTLEY
“Otley! I’ve got Ellis on the phone!”
I can hear Tristan’s feet flying up the staircase and have a moment to worry that he’s in socks and not holding the handrail before he bursts into my office, his cell phone held aloft.
Heat fills my chest as I take in his beautiful face, still flushed from the fucking I gave him the moment I got home from Lily’s farm. After leaving True Value, she’d declared my work day done and dropped me back to my rental car, the shutters firmly down over her luminous blue eyes. I’d argued that she needed help unloading her truck, but she’d nodded in the direction of a pair of field hands and then continued up the gravel drive without a backward glance. I’d been so pent-up and frustrated, I leaped on Tristan as he came out of the gym after a yoga session. Thank God he was already feeling warm and pliable from his workout, because the positions I bent him into were nothing short of brutal.
I wave him over towards me, and he winces slightly as he perches on my lap. I drop an apologetic kiss on his bondingscar as Ellis’ greeting echoes in my ear, his voice strained with frustration. The film location is so remote he can only contact us by text or satellite phone, and he’s clearly desperate to see our mate’s face.
