“Yes, becausethatwould have been the logical option,” Bear said, his tone serious. “I could watch our omega and work on my projects.”
I snorted. It wasn’t a far stretch of the imagination.
Our combined scents filled the car, now joined by Flora’s rose and honey. As I drove the short distance back to our place, I couldn’t help but ruminate on just how damn good we all smelled together.
Chapter 18
Flora
“Miss Hewitt, can you wait a moment?” a smooth voice asked as I gathered my bags.
I froze, the lack of sleep and gnawing anxiety getting to me before I realized who the voice belonged to. Straightening, I turned to him and plastered a smile on my face.
Lyle, the teacher’s assistant, was waiting nearby, looking at me intently. He had been part of the class since the start of the year and often graded our papers.
He had been a TA for a while and dressed more like a teacher than a student, in slacks and a button-down shirt. He stood out next to the mountains of students who wore university sweatshirts and tracksuits. I had just sat through a three-hour international finance lecture and was ready for a nap.
Yes, I liked numbers. But international finance didn’t count in my humble opinion.
“Hi, Lyle. Yeah, of course. Did I mess up my last paper?” I asked, scrunching my nose. Knowing how sleep-deprived I had been of late, I wouldn't have put it past me to have utterly screwed up my assignment.
He smiled, waving off my concern. “Oh no, not at all. It was good, as always. I just wanted to check in.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, raising a brow and breathing a small sigh of relief. “My international finance papers are never that good. Once you bring different currencies into the mix, my mind gets a little muddled.”
“Trust me, it’s a lot better than some of the papers I’ve graded,” he assured me. “Though, if you ever want to talk about some of the finer details to maybe get your score from a ninety-two to a hundred, you’re welcome to stop by during office hours.”
“Thank you so much,” I said, nodding gratefully. As I slung my bag over my shoulder, I beamed at him. Honestly, I was happy with a ninety-two in international finance. It was one of the few subjects I struggled with, so I wasn’t distraught about not getting perfect grades.
Still, maybe at some point I’d be able to aim for more than that.
“I have office hours this afternoon,” he offered.
“Would next week be okay?” I asked. “I’ve got several tutoring sessions at the library this afternoon.”
“Tutoring sessions? I didn’t realize you needed tutoring. I’m happy to help. I took most of the advanced classes you’re taking.”
“Thank you again, but I’m notbeingtutored,” I explained. “I’mtutoringstudents.”
“Oh,” he said with a nod. “That makes a lot more sense. In that case, don’t let me keep you. Oh, by the way, I like your jacket,” he added. “Though I think you bought it a few sizes too big.” He laughed, like he had just cracked the most hilarious joke known to man.
My jacket. I just happened to be wearing the oversized leather jacket once again.
The one the handsome stranger had given me.
It was ridiculously large on me, but I couldn't deny the confidence it gave me.
“It’s a friend’s jacket. He’s letting me borrow it,” I replied with a small smile. I didn’t know why I felt the need to justify myself, but something about his gaze made me a little uneasy. Maybe he was trying to figure out if I had a boyfriend.
Well, if the giant jacket made him think I was taken, I was okay with that. Not that Lyle was a bad guy, but I barely knew him, and there was no way I was going to date a member of the faculty—even if he was just a teaching assistant.
Lyle nodded. “Well, in that case, my door is always open. I’ll see you next week.” He clapped a hand on my shoulder in what I think was meant to be a friendly gesture, leaning forward ever so slightly, his nostrils flaring as he took in my scent.
Smelling me wasdefinitelynot appropriate. Unfortunately, some alphas just couldn’t help themselves.
Thankfully, I was cloaked in the handsome stranger’s scent. Even though the jacket had been in my nest and I’d worn it out several times, his smell still faintly clung to it.
“You seem tired, Flora. Make sure you’re getting enough rest,” he said, his brows furrowing.
