I can’t escape it.
I whip around, angry. Angry about him making me feel this way. Angry about him not putting words to this. Why did I have to come to him?
His eyes catch mine, and something slams into place.
I hate him for it.
“Lo,” he says, his voice warming me from the inside out. “Talk to me.”
The pull of my Omega instincts tightens, a simmering pressure that builds under my skin, making every nerve hum with urgency.
I should walk away. I should tell him to shove it.
But instead, I stay right there. Staring up at him. Craning my neck as my gaze finds his swollen lower lip.
And I hate how much I don’t want to walk away.
His hand moves, almost hesitating, but then it brushes against mine, just the lightest touch. It crackles through me. And before I can stop myself, I take a step closer.
My body moves before my brain can catch up.
What is wrong with me?
I’m pretty sure I hear him curse under his breath, but it doesn’t matter. The burning desire between us is so thick now, it’s practically suffocating.
“You don’t get it,” I mutter, the words slipping out before I can catch them. “This isn’t just about you, Ford. This is…”
He opens his mouth, probably to say something about that kiss, the one that came out of nowhere and burned me from the inside out. But I don’t let him. I can’t. The scent of pine sap and rough leather fills the space between us, and it only makes the pull stronger.
My Omega’s need reacts before I can think, my pulse quickening as the scent wraps around me like a coil, tightening the tension in my chest.
“Lo,” Ford snaps.
Before I even think about it, I’m moving, slamming my lips into his.
It’s not a kiss, not really. Not one of those romantic, heartfelt kisses you see in movies. No, this one is desperate. Raw. Like every damn thing I’ve been holding back just explodes all at once.
His lips are warm against mine, but it’s not enough. I need more. The lonely Omega inside of me that just wants a place to call home requires it. Demands it. And goddamn it, I don’t want to fight it.
I’m so tired of fighting all the time. Everywhere I turn. Everywhere I go.
My body presses into his, demanding more, needing all of him, and the heat inside me flares again.
I’m about to lose control.
Ford’s hands come up, hesitating for a second, and then they’re on my waist, pulling me closer.
Until our bodies are flush against one another.
Again.
You’re going to make him a pariah. Is that what you want for your Alpha?
The thought takes me by such surprise that I gasp. I pull away for half a second, heaving for air. I’m dizzy. My skin is burning. Every part of me is screaming, but I can’t stop clingingto his shirt. I can’t stop flaring my nostrils. His Alpha scent is too intoxicating.
I want to drown in it. Bathe in it. I want it to seep into my veins until my scent is no longer mine, but his. It wraps around my senses, the strength of it suffocating, and it draws me closer until I can barely breathe without him.
“You have no idea,” I mutter thickly, my throat is full of something hot and impossible to swallow.
