I straighten up from the workbench, my teeth clenched.
“I’m going out for lunch,” I say abruptly, cutting the conversation off before it can continue.
My tone is sharp and causes Toby to keep staring at me weirdly, but I can’t care right now.
Without waiting for a response, I turn on my heel and march out of the workshop, the door slamming shut behind me. The breeze feels colder, harsher, the smell of snow on the horizon, and my mind’s running a mile a minute. I don’t even think about where I’m going; I just need to move.
I head toward Tansy’s bakery, the scent of bread and sugar already wafting into my nose as I get closer. I could use something warm and simple.
As soon as I push the door open, the familiar chime of the bell rings out, and I immediately spot her.
Lo.
She’s sitting at the counter, laughing at something Tansy just said. I freeze, my stomach flipping. Her scent smacks me in the face, sinking straight into my bones. My pulse kicks up, my skin tingling in response, and for a second, I forget how to breathe.
My entire body is awake, hyperaware of her, and all I can think about is the way her presence fills the room, pulling me toward her without a single word. I should be angry, I should be cold, but all I can feel is this deep, instinctual pull, and ithurtsto fight it.
I suck in a sharp breath, trying to keep my body from locking up in place. There’s no going back now. She’s here, and I have to face what happened.
Tansy spots me first, and I can see the amusement flicker in her eyes. “Well, look what the cat dragged in. How’s it going, Ford?”
I force a smile, though it’s probably more of a grimace.
“Hey, Tansy,” I mutter, my eyes flicking toward Lo. “All good, thanks.”
She turns, and her gaze meets mine. My chest tightens as I try to swallow back the words that are threatening to spill out. But I don’t know how to keep it cool.
“Ford,” Lo half-whispers with a nod of her head, her attempt at politely acknowledging me. I don’t want her to politely acknowledge me, though. I want her to run, jump, spread her legs, and stake herself right onto my knot where she belongs.
I watch her eyes flicker with memory. The same thoughts hit me, too. The way we couldn’t keep our hands off each other. The heat of her skin and the way her breath hitched when I touched her.
The way her pussy clamped around me when my knot swelled inside of her.
I manage to nod my head. “Good to see you.”
I shove my hands into my pockets, trying to act casual, even though nothing about this feels casual.
“What’s good today?” I ask as I turn my attention back to Tansy, trying to focus on something, anything other than the fact that Lo’s so painfully within my reach again.
Tansy raises an eyebrow at me, clearly noticing the tension.
“Well, we’ve got fresh apple cinnamon rolls,” she says, tossing a cheeky glance at Lo. “Best thing you’ll have all day, if you ask me.”
I nod absently, glancing down at the counter, anything to avoid staring at Lo too long. But my mind keeps spiraling. Toby. Lo. Beck. Hayes. The fire. This whole damn town. And thefact that I don’t know how to be around her anymore without wanting to tear the world apart to make her mine.
To keep her safe.
Ican’tlet Toby ask her out.
I can’t even stand the thought of it.
Lo’s voice cuts through the haze. “You’re looking a little tense, Ford. Everything okay?”
She sounds concerned. Too concerned. Her peachy scent is tinged with burnt brown sugar. It’s like her Omega side is reacting to the vulnerability she doesn’t want to show. And I don’t want her to worry about me. Not when I’m the Alpha, the one who’s supposed to be looking out forher.
“I’m fine. Just busy with work, you know?”
Tansy glances back and forth between us, waiting for something. I can feel her eyes on me, sharp and knowing. She doesn’t say anything, but I know she’s got it all figured out. She always does.
