Lo, on the other hand, seems to shrug off my mood. “Yeah, I’m sure. There’s always a lot of carpentry work in town, right?”
I struggle not to react to that. But then, as if everything in me breaks all at once, I look at her, and the words fall out before I can stop them.
“Lo…” I start, the tension in my chest building again. Her scent, so sweet and familiar, is swirling around me, pulling at something deep inside. It’s all I can smell now.
All my mind wants to focus on is the heat of her body and the memory of the way she felt against me that night. She deserved more than a hard fuck against a dirty brick wall.
My pulse hammers so loud I can feel it in my ears, and my Alpha surges up my throat, clawing at the edges of my control, desperate to claim. I have to do this. I have to ask her.
I have to do right by my pack.
I slide my hands into my pockets. “I… I was thinking. Maybe we could grab dinner sometime.”
I don’t even know why I’m saying it. Well, I do, but my thoughts are jumbled, and the emotions inside of me are linked together so tightly that it feels like my chest is about to cave in. Maybe it’s the pressure of Toby’s words still in my head. Maybe it’s the way I’ve always been jealous that Beck could always have her, and I was stuck with crumbs from the shadows.
Maybe it’s nothing more than my selfish wants and whims convincing me that I’m tired of being alone. Or maybe it’s everything building up to this point, this moment between the two of us, where I have to finally do something about how I feel or risk losing her for good.
But I know she belongs with me. And if she belongs with me, then there’s a chance she belongs withus.
My pack.
The second the words leave my mouth, I’m not sure what I’m expecting. Shock? Laughter? A flat-out rejection? But what I get instead is Lo blinking at me, eyes wide and surprised. And for the briefest moment, I think she might just say no.
But then, everything shifts.
And she smiles.
“Dinner, huh?” she says softly, a small laugh escaping her lips. “With me?”
I feel the heat rise in my chest. She’s teasing me. I want to laugh. I want to run.
But she doesn’t stop there.
“Okay,” she says, surprising me completely. “Sure, yeah. I think I’d like that.”
I freeze. My heart stops for a beat, then starts again, faster than I can keep up. I don’t know what just happened, but she just said yes. She agreed.
I don’t say anything at first; I just nod. I don’t trust myself to speak.
I don’t trust myself not to ruin this moment.
“Alright,” I finally manage, trying to sound like I have my shit together. “How about I pick you up Friday, at seven?”
She nods, and I swear, that smile could knock the sun out of the sky. “Perfect.”
CHAPTER 17
Lo
Ireally can’t believe I said yes.
Like, seriously. What was I thinking? I mean, I didn’t eventhink; it was just a knee-jerk reaction. That’s all. One minute I’m sitting there, minding my own business, hanging out with Tansy, and the next thing I know I’m agreeing to go on a date with Ford Maddox.
My Omega instincts couldnotsay no.
A date.
With Ford.
