Werecreatures were part animal, so they’d have a stronger sense of smell than humans, just like in the books. What else was similar?
She waited until Tank and Hunny turned away from her and walked further into her shop before she lifted her arm and sniffed near her armpit, curious to see if she could figure out what the hell ‘fear’ smelled like. All she caught were whiffs of her deodorant and hints of Murphy’s own intoxicating scent, the latter of which had her inhaling deeply, trying to drag more of it into her lungs.
Her anxiety eased as she breathed in that enticing sandalwood fragrance, the finite traces of pine and that sweet flowery scent she couldn’t place making her mouth water. Usually, she tried to ignore the scent that haunted her daily, but now, as she inhaled again, her eyes nearly rolled back in pleasure; a torturous ache ignited in her core that she hadn’t felt in years.
Murphy—
Nessa’s eyes snapped open, widening with shock as she felt slick seep from her core, dampening her panties. What the hell was she doing?!
Quickly, she dropped her arm, her face heating with embarrassment. How long had she been standing there, growing aroused while sniffing her armpit like an absolute nut?
Something’s wrong with me.
Luckily, Hunny and Tank had already found a table to sit at in the dining room of the teahouse, so they hadn’t caught her acting like a complete weirdo. But as soon as she neared, they’d probably smell her arousal.
Just great.
Gritting her teeth as her anxiety returned, Nessa walked into the lobby, moving to the right and ignoring the dining room on her left. Stepping behind the counter, she dropped her large purse near the cash register with a thunk. She kept a gun in there for safety reasons, and though she rarely used it, she felt better whenever she left home with it in tow.
After the wolf incident, she’d made sure it stayed close to her side every second when she left her house.
Next, she removed her jacket, grabbing the front of her sweatshirt and fanning herself. She wasn’t hot or anything, but hopefully, it would dilute her scent.
“What are you doing?” Tank barked, suddenly standing only a few feet from her. Surprised, Nessa jolted in panic.
Her hip slammed into the edge of the counter, and she hissed out a pained breath, bracing her hands on the countertop as a sharp sting rattled along the bone.
Tank, to his credit, didn’t comment on whatever he could smell wafting from her this time. Instead, his glower softened. “Come on, Yapper Two. Got a lot to talk about.”
Nodding, she pushed away from the counter, wincing at the now throbbing pain in her hip that protested with each step she took into the dining room.
Hunny sent her a worried glance, her chair pushed back from the table to accommodate her growing bump. “Everything alright?”
“Just terrifying Murphy’s—Nessa,” Tank corrected, the near-slip echoing in Nessa’s ears like a drum beat.
Oh yeah, he’d definitely been about to call her Murphy’s mate.
“You know, I feel like you talked less the last time I saw you,” Nessa commented dryly, waiting for him to take a seat next to Hunny before she took her own at the table across from them.
“A lot’s changed in two months,” Tank growled. “You’d know that if—”
“If I picked up the phone?” Nessa finished for him, giving him a glower of her own. “You don’t have to remind me of something that I’ve thought about every day.”
“You have?” Hunny asked suddenly, perking up in her seat.
Nessa bit her lower lip, unsure of how to answer. “I’ve felt bad for ignoring you. I just … I needed time to wrap my head around things, and then when I finally processed everything, it felt like I’d waited too long to talk to you. Each time the phone rang or you texted, I wanted to answer, but I didn’t know what to say. I felt guilty that I didn’t respond, but relieved at the same time because that meant I could just block everything out, at least for a little while longer. And then you stopped calling, and I …” She trailed off, shaking her head. “I don’t know if that makes sense—”
Tank rolled his eyes. “It doesn’t—”
Hunny elbowed him in the side. “Itdoes. At least to me.” Her eyes shifted back to Nessa and softened. “I can’t imagine how it must feel to spend your life believing one thing, only for something crazy to happen and warp your entire reality.”
“It’s not exactly a walk in the park,” Nessa mumbled under her breath, low enough that only she could hear. Tank scoffed, and she looked up at him in confusion. “Did you—youheardthat?” she exclaimed as the realization washed over her. Of course, he had.
“Our senses are heightened,” Hunny confirmed softly, as if she were nervous that raising her voice would freak Nessa out. Given the ache still thudding prominently on her hip, Nessa didn’t doubt it for a second. She was obviously still very twitchy. “Depending on the type of shifter, they can also be stronger. Faster.”
Shifter? That sounded better than ‘werecreature.’
“Just like in my paranormal books,” Nessa stated, though it felt more like a question than anything else. At Hunny’s nod, she licked her suddenly dry lips. A million questions flew through her head, and she blurted out the first one, “I heard Tank call you his mate. What does that mean, exactly?”
