“Here,” Thorne throws me his jacket. It nearly hits me in the face, but Havoc catches it and puts it over my shoulders. Luke’s plan was genius, though this wasn’t how I was supposed to acquire the jacket. I was supposed to get it because I was cold, not because I can’t control my perfume.
As the jacket settles on me, his cherry scent surrounds me, and I can’t help but smile.
We sit in a comfortable silence, and I can’t tell if I am supposed to lead the conversation. The restaurant is loud, so it’s not dead silent, but my face flushes all the same. Havoc hasn’t been much of a talker since we met. Silas, I’ve known for all of 30 seconds, and Thorne, well, I’ve known a little longer than Silas, but not by much.
“Wait,” I say, wanting to get something off my chest. “Why were you at my store the other day?” I ask Silas. Havoc bought a blanket, Thorne had to pick upsamples, but Silas… Silas was just there. Was he really there to purchase a blanket?
His brown eyes sparkle as he wraps his arm around Thorne and leans in. Thorne looks away, but I catch the pink in his cheeks as he leans into him. “Well, Thorne here could not stop talking about the peachy cutie at the blanket store, and I had to come see her for myself.”
If I could be any shyer, I’d drown from flattery. I can’t even hold his eyes as he compliments me.
“You don’t sound like you are from here; what brings you to Nashville?” Silas asks, noting the distinct accent missing from me. Now that I’m listening, they don’t have an accent either.
“Ahh, you know,” I say, trying to think of a way to answer the question without scaring this Pack away.
Oh yeah, I’m hiding in Nashville from a Pack my parents set me up with that abused me for two years.
“I wanted a different pace. Um, try something new. I ended up loving it and staying.” Not a lie, exactly, just not the whole truth. That should work. “What about you guys?”
It’s not as hard as I imagined keeping the conversation going, and for once, it doesn’t feel like pulling teeth, and I even find myself laughing at Silas’s jokes. The waitress comes around and I order my favorite, a turkey club. The food comes fast despite the number of people here.
The amount of scents isn’t nearly as bad as it wouldbe in a hockey stadium, but it is still potent, even when such delicious scents surround me. Each coating me in an untenable warmth I wish I could take home with me.
“Is every question we ask gonna make you perfume?” Thorne’s voice is low and rumbly as he finally looks at me.
My heart drops as I try to keep myself together. My omega brain can’t tell if that was an insult. It had to be with the way he was glaring at me since I sat down. My scent has been notably stronger over the last week, and it’s been a pain for me because it means more washing of fabrics and yarn and using the heavier-dose scent-blocking sprays at the store. It’s been hard lately to keep my scent to myself, and I’m obviously not doing a good job.
Gosh, how could I mess this up? I push my empty plate forward, on the brink of tears from embarrassment.
Havoc growls as I shake my head. “I’m sorry,” I mutter while grabbing my purse. Silas is already reaching across the table, but I lean back, away from him.
“Maybe it’s best we don’t touch; it might make it worse. I should go.” I gently touch Havoc’s arm, as he’s the one blocking me in the booth, but he doesn’t move. His brown eyes peer into mine wordlessly, and I can’t read him. Not like I want to.
My heart races as I look around the table to find three stern faces, and I’m more than confused. Is he really gonna force me to sit through this embarrassment?
“It’s really okay,” I say, trying to get out again. The smile on my face is painfully fake as I focus on my breathing so I don’t cry.
“That’s not what I meant, Peach Puff,” Thorne grumbles. His eyes pierce me, frozen. The omega in me wants the heat in his eyes to be lust.
“Then what is it?” I ask.
“The more you perfume, the less control we have.”
“Control for what?”
“For keeping our asses on this side of the booth instead of sliding under and getting a taste from the damn source.”
“Oh.” So maybe it was lust. My brain runs a thousand miles a minute. His words have me slicking my panties. Undoubtedly making it worse for them.
“Yeah,oh.” He says with a scoff. I furrow my brow and press my thighs tighter together as I stare at the table.
I mean, I wouldn’t say no.
No, Noa, that’s whorish… What’s wrong with being whorish, though?Oh, my goodness, Ollie is a bad influence on me. That’s something she’d say. My puppeteers–I mean parents would have a heart attack at me even considering this.
“I can’t control it,” I drawl. My heady gaze is on Thorne across from me. My embarrassment won’t let me look at Silas or Havoc. Whose eyes are heavy on me.
“It’s been,” I try to get the words out. “I just need–” My heat is coming. Coming sooner than I thought, by the way my body opens up at the merethoughtof one of them making me come.
