Something hard.
It clicked in my head.Thatwas why Farley was avoiding me, wasn't it?
That sweet scent filled the air again, stronger than before. Potent.
A shiver ran down my spine as another realization dawned on me. That was heat scent. Which meant Farley was—
My face hot with shame, I scrambled to get off him. "Shit, sorry!"
Gods, I was dumb. Why couldn't I just look where I was going instead of making a big mess of things all the time? Now I'd gone and made Farley uncomfortable.
"Quinn."
Farley's voice, hoarse and thick, stopped me in my tracks. And if that wasn't enough, he grabbed my wrist, too. He'd frozen me in place.
My mouth and throat felt dry. I licked my lips, staring at Farley. Just Farley. His eyes burned with lust, powerful and hot, pinning me in place.
Arousal that started as a tingle was now worming throughout my whole body. Farley's heat scent was a drug filling my nose. It warped my brain, filling it with a sex-crazed fog, making it impossible to think about anything else.
My body was screaming at me to go closer to him. I pulled in the opposite direction but Farley held me steadfast. He growled, tightening his grip on my wrist. The place where our skin touched felt hot and electric.
"Farley," I said, my voice coming out husky. "You're in heat."
"Yeah?" he said. "So what?"
My face grew hotter. This damn bird was really going to make me say it.
I huffed. "Don't know if you remember our conversation with Mistral, but I'm analpha, remember? Your heat scent is—" I didn't even know how to finish that sentence without being vulgar. The closest thing I could think of was, '—making me want to screw your brains out.'
But it wasn't just the intense desire for sex. I wanted him forever. Not just his body, but his heart. His soul. I wanted us to be together.
Icravedit.
Beneath Farley's sensual expression was a flicker of seriousness. "Quinn," he said. "Did you mean it when you said we were fated mates?"
My heart clenched. I put my hand on his. "I meant it. When I met you, I knew you were different, Farley."
Farley let out a chuckle. "Funny. I thought the same thing about you."
I smiled. "I dunno... Maybe it sounds like crap to you, but my world's been different with you in it. Better."
"No. It doesn't sound like crap."
Farley ran a hand through his damp hair. His muscles were taut and his skin glistened with sweat. He looked like he was doing his best to hold himself together but he was unravelling, thread by thread. Hell, I wasn't much better. My head was so fried from lust, I was rapidly losing braincells by the second.
"Shit..." Farley was breathless. He sat down on a ledge. If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was going to pass out from heat exertion. Theotherkind of heat. But I knew Farley was struggling with his hormones. The only thing that would make his heat go away was time, or pregnancy.
But I wasn't going to impregnate him just because his body demanded it. As undeniably sexy as he was, I wasn't that much of a slavering dog.
Still, Farley was suffering right now. I had to make it better.
"Tell me what you want and I'll do it," I said. "Anything."
Farley glared up at me with blazing eyes. "Quinn. I want tofuck. Right now."
13
Farley
