I shrug. “The no filter thing. It's attention-seeking behavior.”
He flashes white teeth at me before taking a sip of the champagne in his glass. His pinky extended.
“Part of my charm.”
I roll my eyes and snort before remembering where I am. “Or defenses,” slips out.
I'm not here to psychoanalyze these people. It comes naturally. But I stuff that part of myself away. I walked away from my practice the moment I realized my own life was fake, and none of the stupid things I said to my clients was true. Some people just have crap lives, and there’s nothing they can do to change that.
Whispers and murmurs sound from the omegas gatheredin the windows. Standing, I cross the room to see who they are whispering about. Curiosity gets the better of me.
As I reach the window, I am just in time to see Rafe reach for a brunette's hands before dropping a kiss to her cheek. Unexplainably, it feels like someone kicked a hornets nest inside my stomach. It gets worse as he drapes his arm over her shoulder and leads her to the front door.
Whoa.Get control of yourself, Lilah. That alpha doesn’t belong to you.
The whispers become an annoying buzzing in my ears. I straighten, stepping away from the window frame as Miles' clear blue eyes land on me. The corner of his mouth raises in a possible smile, I'm not positive, because it could also be a grimace that he's holding back. And I don't stay within view to see if it transforms into one or the other.
Watchingthe omegas mingle with each other and surround the alphas is painful. Each one attempts to garner attention and one-on-one's. I hang back, not wanting to enter the fray. It doesn’t look this painful on TV. It looks exciting and full of energy.
Elliott breaks away from them and approaches me. I flex my toes inside my tight shoes, wishing I could become invisible.
My cheeks heat when he smiles at me. It sparkles in the depths of his eyes as his attention runs from my face down to my feet and back up leisurely. I squeeze my legs together, knowing I'd be perfuming if I wasn't on blockers.
“A tree, huh?” He chuckles, and it’s like cuddling into a cozy and warm blanket.
I grimace, crinkling my nose. “I made an impression, I see.”
He swipes a pink tongue over his lips, glancing back at the group behind him. “It wasn’t your words that made an impression.” He lowers his voice and steps closer, his broad shoulders blocking out everyone behind him. A tingle runs down my spine as my whole body reacts to him.Holy shit, this manisthe whole package.Pure unadulterated alpha. At least by first impressions. “But they didn’t hurt.”
I inhale, wanting just a sniff of his musk. What does he smell like? The feeling is like a need brewing deep in my belly. But there’s nothing, just the cologne he must have put on tonight, which isn’t terrible, but not what I want to catch a hint of.
“How do you know Rafe?”
His question catches me off guard, and I know it shouldn’t. I basically announced to the three of them I knew his pack mate. Even if he denied it.
Rolling my lips between my teeth, I glance over at the alpha in question. He’s smiling and flirting like it’s his job.And I don’t like it.Annoyance prickles at me with the easy way he’s able to draw the omegas in.
The memory of pressing myself along his body in the crush of people on that sweaty dance floor, his hands molding to my ass almost perfectly, swirls around inside of me. The barest detectible scent of my favorite candy bar had hit me at that moment. Butterfinger. Do they get stuck in your teeth when you eat them? Yes. But they taste like the flaky peanut butter goodness of heaven wrapped inside a thin layer of chocolate. Is that what Rafe would have tasted like if I got that far? Or was it pure imagination on my part?
Elliott clears his throat, gaining my attention again. He hums thoughtfully. “Maybe I don’t want to know. The idea of him having the honor of touching your smooth skin first doesn’t sit well with me.”
My heart slams into my ribcage as it tries to physicallyhand itself to him. My hormones go into overdrive as every single twitching muscle inside of me wants to climb him like a fucking tree without scenting his musk. I swallow, finding my mouth as dry as a desert. What’s wrong with my hormones, are they malfunctioning?
“We didn’t—” I shake my head to cut myself off as the camera nearest us makes it obvious it has listened to our entire conversation. “I mean—” Bandaid…rip it off. “I puked on him at a club.”
Elliott laughs, throwing his head back with amusement. His eyes twinkle with his merriment. But he isn’t laughing at me. I can feel it even before he says anything.
“That was you?”
I nod my head slowly, as my lips twist holding back a smile that wants to join his. My eyes crinkle at the sides as my cheeks raise up anyway. And I tuck my lip between my teeth in a failed attempt to stop it.
“Well, you made quite the impression on him too it seems.”
Curiosity has my gaze snapping to Rafe, who’s already staring at me. I jerk my eyes away from him as soon as I connect with his golden irises, as if the contact burns. Heat travels up the sides of my neck and over the tops of my ears before spreading over my face. Even looking away from him, I can feel the intensity of his eyes on me.
“If I tell you a secret, will you keep it?” Elliott asks, leaning close.
Part of me wants to close the distance between us and hear all his secrets. I curl my fingers into my palms and smile. At least I hope it comes off as a smile because it feels brittle and fake. Maybe this isn’t the best move for me—flirting with alphas is dangerous—I feel like a bucket of ice water is tossed over my head. Why am I indulging this feeling? And why is it so hard to stop myself?
