I also make a note to tease Kit about it later, because why not?
My venture down the hallway is originally one of necessity, since I have to use the bathroom and the one up here is empty, but then it becomes one of curiosity as I come across a lit-up room.
The door is already ajar, so I push it fully open. There’s a red velvet couch in front of a very expensive looking coffee table, with papers spread about. Floor-to-ceilingbookshelves take up the walls with tomes of leather in every available spot. There are numbers on the sides, and as I tilt my head to get a better look, I realize they’re years in order, going all the way back to the ’50s. I walk up to the most recent one and pull it out, loving the way the new leather feels in my hands. The Greek letters of the house are written across the front, and I gasp. These must be the ledgers of the fraternity, all immaculately organized and taken care of.
Which means… I must have accidentally stumbled into Sam’s office. It becomes apparent then, as hints of his green apple scent are stale in the room, confirming that he spends a lot of time here.
My curiosity gets the better of me as I continue to read out the notes in the book, summaries of recent events thrown by the fraternity. The gala that was held for their philanthropy this past November takes up the most space, with the details describing the good parts of the events and the secret bad parts that caused stress. The more I read, the more I realize that these words were written by Sam, his scrawl neat and eloquent.Consistent. I begin to hear the words in his tone of voice, the poise twisting and curving along with the outline of his lips in my imagination.
“Only Alpha Xi members are allowed to read that.”
The same voice cuts through me with surprise as my body jolts, causing the book to fall out of my hands and ungracefully hit the floor.
I squeak out a sound and quickly say, “I’m sorry.”
I look over at my blond scent match, his eyes peering at me with dark promises. He makes his way closer, his movements not as polished as usual. There’s an absence of tension in his shoulders that’s so unlike him, but it looks good. Less stressed. He bends down to pick up the book and puts it back on the shelf.
“Were you looking for me?” he asks.
Something in that question makes my stomach flip. His scent starts to sprawl throughout the space once more, overriding the stale remnants and turning it into something effervescent.
I shake my head, telling the truth. “I stumbled in here by accident.”
He grins, the slight upturn in his lips so devious it surprises me. “Somehow, I believe you,” he says as he rests against the bookshelf. He lets his body drape over my space a bit, like a warm blanket covering me. “Are you having fun?”
I juggle the answer around and give him a teasing grin. “It’s an Alpha Xi party. What’s not to love?”
A chuckle escapes him. Comfortable silence settles between us as his gaze pours into mine. The green is lush, specks of gold hidden within the beautiful dark forest, like birds floating through the branches.
He’s so close, our faces not even an inch apart as he leans into my space. My omega whines up a storm in my chest, but I can’t seem to make a sound.
“I think about you,” he whispers, and it steals the breath right from my lungs. “I think about what you smell like. Would it complement mine?”
The gulp I swallow is quiet, thank god, but the anxiousness is still there. Sam’s scent washes over me, and it’s heightened with arousal.
Wait, arousal?!
My eyes widen at the realization, because he’s here withmeright now. Does he know it’sme?
The other day with Kit springs to mind, and I wonder if he told him about our time together. Something tells me that he didn’t, but the way Sam is looking at me now, like he wants to devour me, makes me not so sure. There’s a storm brewinginside of him, and I want more than anything to reach out and feel it. Spin around in it as he takes over everything.
Sam leans closer still, so close I can smell the vodka on his breath. It should repulse me, but it sends my body into an unprepared sweat. My head leans in to meet his, the hope and eagerness and anticipation growing in the space between us closing. His lips fall onto mine, and it’s the most glorious and powerful sensation I’ve ever felt as a current zaps through me at the first touch. We’re both wary, holding it gently before the storm inside him encapsulates me completely. He moves his lips over mine, a tiny sound escaping that hits me right between my legs. His hands come up to my face, holding me like I’m precious, while his mouth dominates mine in a perfectly choreographed dance. It’s everything I could have ever wanted. My omega sings in my chest. His scent sticks to me like it belongs there, leveling me with want and desire that I’ve never felt so strongly before in my entire life.
But then he pulls away, hectic, like he didn’t realize what he was doing until we were fused together. The panic on his face makes my heart drop, and I reach out to him with my hand, but he falls back, stepping right out of my orbit.
“I—” he starts, and he puts his fingers to his lips like he can’t wrap his head around what just happened. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?” I repeat with confusion.
He nods. “We shouldn’t have done that.”
The words slap me in the face.
“But, we did.Youdid,” I accuse him.
“I know,” he says quickly, avoiding my gaze as he tugs at his hair. “But… you’re my roommate. We live together. I shouldn’t have let that happen.”
“Your roommate,” I state again, feeling like a little kid who just got kicked in the sandbox. The rejection settles in mystomach like hard bread, my body suddenly heavy and exhausted from the merry-go-round it just experienced.
