CHAPTER 33
Lilah
His words.They are everything I need. Everything I want. And unconfined hope blooms and grows out of control as I stare at him.
I want to throw myself into his arms. Shout out,Yes! Let’s face the consequences together.But I can’t. This isOmega in Paradise. One of the biggest shows on TV, and even if it’s not what I thought it was coming into it. It gives hope to so many omegas out there. I would be a pariah if I were to help cancel this show.
“Miles—I think we should take it one day at a time. One ceremony at a time.” The words feel sour on my tongue, and his face falls, hitting me square in the chest.
“One day at a time?” he asks, his voice distant and closed off. He shakes his head, breaking eye contact. “Yeah…of course.”
My fingers tighten on his thigh, and I’m not even sure when I placed my hand there. “Miles, look at me.” He slowly lifts his vivid blue eyes to mine, and they hit me square in the chest. His day-old scruff darkens his cheeks, and his perfect lips part on an exhale. It’s the sadness in the depths of hiseyes that holds onto me and squeezes my heart. “I said that wrong. I can’t cancel the show that helped me through my lowest point and helped me heal enough to open myself up to the possibility of love again. And if we take it one day at a time, we will all know for sure this is what we want.”
He does a lap of my face, searching for something he must find because the light returns to his eyes and he smiles. His musk of perfectly sweet Almond Joy envelopes me like a comforting hug, and a purr rumbles in his chest. All of it has me swaying toward him, uncaring what the cameras pick up or what the other omegas in the room might think.
He closes the distance and presses his lips to mine in a soft kiss that’s nothing like the possessive one in the library or on the golf outing. But so absolutely breath-stealing, I’m lightheaded by the time he draws back, my fingers gripping his suit jacket to hold myself steady.
My perfume mixes with his musk, strong and blatant between us, and I inhale the combination. It’s perfect.
A smile tugs at his lips, and I capture my lower lip between my teeth, tasting him on it. Rafe clears his throat next to us, a glass of champagne in his grip. I bring my eyes slowly up from the tips of his toes to his face, and he grins.
“You really take the job of shield seriously,” he says teasingly, his voice low enough to avoid being picked up by the cameras. The words don’t hurt or cause a pang inside of me. Probably because he doesn’t sound remotely serious. “But I’m the one you should be warding omegas off of.”
I am swimming in their scents. Heaven on Earth. Rafe’s nutty sweetness washes over me, and I inhale deeply, savoring the two of them mixing together. The full force of their musks is something I could survive on. Damn. The hints I’ve gotten were nothing but a tease.
Elliott strolls over casually, dipping his hands into his pockets as he comes to a stop in front of me. I look up and upand up his tall form to find him smiling down at me. His dark eyes are even darker with the shadowing of the light.
The full force of all three of their attention is a drug. Especially with our pheromones out and present. I can’t even concentrate on the other omegas and whatever perfume they are putting off because these three mixes are mouthwatering. Now Elliott's pure chocolatey peanut butter hits me. Each inhale reminds me of the VIP room and what we did.
More please.
Put some ice cream on me and call me a sundae. I need all the toppings. My cheeks heat with the thought, and my perfume becomes so strong and full of need, I squeeze my legs together attempting to stop it. This is not the place.
And I am firmly reminded of that when Hailey and Blair appear next to Rafe. Hailey placing a possessive hand on his arm that has me hyper-focusing on her long fingers on his skin. I want to tear her touch off of him. Even as he effortlessly shakes free of her and steps closer to me.
She covers it up with a little laugh. “What are we all gathered over here for?”
Blair sneezes, looking slightly sick. “Why are your musks so strong?” She sneezes again. Her cheeks start to flush, making her look worse. “And all of you are really chocolate?”
“Are you okay?” I ask, when all I really want to do is stand up, grab Miles, Rafe, and Elliott, and run away with them. But I don’t. I only live that fantasy inside my head.
“How can you handle this combination?” She wrinkles her nose and sneezes again. “Maybe I’m allergic to chocolate like Ben is.” She backs away and heads to the opposite side of the patio, sinking into a chair, all while sneezing three more times.
She says something to Ben before I pull my attention back to the guys and Hailey. I tuned out her attempt at small talk,and it seems the guys are barely answering. Probably for the cameras. Chad saunters over, Willow on his arm.
“The party has arrived,” he says, and Elliott smiles fondly at him.
While Rafe pretends to sag with relief. “Took you long enough.”
Hailey’s muted vanilla and lilac perfume turns sour, and she crosses her arms, keeping a smile on her face. Willow’s quiet, her gaze falling on one of the guys filming us. She looks slightly sad, but we can’t talk about it. And I’m pretty sure she’s still taking the scent blockers because there is not even the slightest hint of her perfume.
Chad’s a tangy papaya. That fills the air like a tropical vacation on an island somewhere warm and beautiful. If I close my eyes, I can picture it. He really is the party. All personality, even if he’s abrasive and so confident he could probably share it and still have too much.
But there is no hint of desire or lust for the guys. Not like Hailey, who is leaking it like a deflating tire. Or me, who smells like I rolled around in a mud pit of pure lust.
Tamika and Tyler join us, mixing their flowery and bakery scents with ours. It’s all a bit overwhelming, and as they make small talk, I quickly excuse myself to get away from the many perfumes.
Slipping into the house, I head down the hall to one of the bathrooms. Before I can close the door behind me, Rafe’s right there, invading the space. I spin toward him with a gasp as my ass hits the sink.
