Emily glances at me from the passenger seat, her bright blue eyes standing out against her golden-kissed skin. The last time I saw her she was dressed for a funeral. She was still stunning in her all-black dress and shawl, dark hair pulled back in low waves behind her shoulders.
But now? She’s a far cry from mourning wear with her dark denim pants and her red sleeveless vest with its scooping neckline that enhances the swell of her breasts. She pushes some dark hair that’s falling out of her messy ponytail behind her ear, her jaw set and her lips pursed.
“I’m fine,” she grits out.
I note the faintest shudder, and it dawns on me that she is not dressed for the season here. I also know sometimes omegas in heat can experience chills if they are too far from their nest, or their alpha.
It’s late, and the stores are closing soon if they are not already. I don’t have a spare jumper in the car. So, I do the only thing I can think of and pull over without a second thought, getting blared at by some wanker riding my arse a little too hard, to be honest.
“Bugger off,” I gripe out the window, before turning to see Emily staring at me like I’ve grown two heads. Her bright blueeyes fixate on me, and I don’t know if she’s breathing. I move an inch and she curls back, her arms bracing for…
I hold my hands up.
“Calm down,” I say, but apparently that isnotthe right thing to say.
“Calm down?” she nips. “How can I be calm when you just drove us off the side of the road and?—”
“I’m only trying to help you.”
“I didn’t ask for your help!” she snaps, her eyes blazing, but her scent thickens like a fog around me. Choking me with that sweet milk and honey flavor that makes my damn mouth water. I should be kinder, but her tone baits my alpha, and that is what I respond to.
“Maybe not, but you clearly need it!” I snap. She glares at me, holding my gaze.
I remove my jumper and offer it to her. The rush of air against my skin is cool, but not unbearable. It’s a small price to pay for an omega’s comfort.
Emily stares at me, her gaze dipping to my exposed chest, and I don’t miss the way she swallows before she looks up at my eyes again. The overpowering scent of milk and honey fills the space between us, making my alpha salivate.
“Go on, take it.” I shake the jumper at her. “Unless you would rather freeze to death.”
Emily purses her lips, her shoulders set in defiance.
She holds her head high as she grabs the jumper, clutching it close to her chest.
“This doesn’t change anything,” she says sourly.
I grin victoriously.
“Sure it does,” I say as I put the car back in gear. “At least I won’t have to deliver you to my parents with hypothermia now.”
“Whatever.”
I pull out onto the road. From my peripheral vision, I see her putting my jumper on and my inner alpha is pleased. For the moment, anyway.
It’s late when we arrive at the estate, but not late enough that everyone will be sleeping. And even if they were, I’m sure they’d wake up to receive a guest. It is the hospitable thing, after all.
The last person I expect to see is Simon, sitting out front on the marble bench smoking a cigarette.
“Back so soon?” Simon asks, kicking his ash right onto the travertine stones lined along the pathway. His voice is apathetic as usual. Sometimes I don’t understand how he and my brother are friends. Simon Cunningham is an aloof playboy alpha who has more knot than brains, and a reputation that proceeds him. Yet my brother seems attached to the wolf like some raggedy teddy he can’t seem to get rid of. Which means he and his annoying sister are always around to irritate me.
“Yes, well, I do live here, Simon. You, however—” I lick my lips, glaring at him as I open Emily’s door at the same time she thrusts it open, nearly making me stumble backward.
I regain my balance, shooting Emily a surprised glare of my own.
“...and who is this stunning creature?” Simon purrs as he puts out his cigarette in Mother’s prized peonies.
“My name is Emily,” she sayssweetly, and I have to grasp the door just to keep from falling for the audacity of this woman. She extends her hand—so small, engulfed by the thick cable knit of my jumper—towards him, and my alpha pushes against me with adamant fervor. I growl without thinking, low and heavy, but Emily ignores me.
Simon, however, smirks.
