A riot of butterflies takes flight in my stomach along with a dangerous sliver of hope. “Like a date?” I ask quietly. The threat of rejection makes me feel like I’m going to barf all over his beautiful leather loafers, but I need to know what this means to him so I don’t make a fool of myself later on.
He studies my face intently, searching for something. He must find whatever it is he’s looking for because the wrinkle between his brows smoothes out and his posture relaxes. “If you’re amenable to that.”
McKenzie’s words from the other day come back to mind, and I find myself desperate to know what has this alpha so tied up in knots that he intentionally pushed me away without even trying to get to know me first.
Mama always did warn me my curiosity would get me into trouble one day. Why not today?
“Alright,” I find myself saying with a nod. “I would love to go with you.”
Jude’s smile brightens, rivaling the sun reflecting off the ocean and dazzling me. He’s handsome all the time, but when he smiles? You could knock me over with a feather right now. “Really? Wow, okay. Um, can you be ready in thirty minutes? It only takes twenty minutes to get there but I thought if we go early enough I can take you to this little brunch spot just down the road that does the best pancakes on the East Coast.”
I hold up a hand to stop him and sigh. “You had me at brunch and sealed the deal with pancakes. I’ll be ready in fifteen.”
He mutters something about needing another cold shower and stalks off down the hall, making me laugh under my breath. A large hand glides across my middle, pulling me back into a very warm,veryhard body. McKenzie has to bend down comically far so he can nuzzle his nose into my neck, inhaling deeply and letting it out with a pleased groan. “You smell even better this morning,” he muses. I turn around in his arms and collapse into him, rubbing my face over his chest like a cat. “I heard Jude. Are you comfortable being alone with him?”
My head tilts, considering the question. “He was rude and hurt my feelings, but he never made me feel unsafe. My omega is pretty reactive.” I nearly snort thinking about the milk man incident. “Most of the timeoverreactive. But Jude doesn’t set off any of my warning bells or make me feel scared. It’s mostly just worry that I’ll do something to make him hate me again.”
Mack sighs, placing kisses on the top of my head. “Try to remember he never hated you, pretty girl. He’ll tell you his story when he’s ready, but I think in the meantime you should give him a chance. If you want. I would never pressure you either way, I just know how good of a man and pack mate Jude is and I trust him with my life.”
Confusion has me stepping back. “But do you trust him with me?”
This time it’s McKenzie’s head that tilts. “That’s what I said.”
My mouth parts as I stare in stunned silence. He grins cheekily and winks before turning me towardsthe bathroom, slapping my ass as he does. “Now be a good girl and go get ready for your date. You’re gonna have fun with the Prof and then maybe you’ll finally realize we’re all fucking obsessed with you.”
Ignoring his last sentence, I breathe out all of my worries about this date with Jude and glance over my shoulder at my eternally supportivealpha. “You’re right. It’s going to be a good day. Who knows, maybe this will be just what we need to move past our beginning.”
Posey lookscute. Somehow a word I’ve used less than a handful of times throughout my entire life and once hated has become my favorite word in the English language because it’s the best descriptor for this sweet omega next to me. She’s dressed in another sweater, this one a sky blue, with some sort of slipper-boot things on her feet and loose jeans that make her legs look a mile long. A true feat since she’s the size of a garden gnome.
I never thought she would agree to go on a date with me. Not when the only time we’ve ever been alone together I all but rejected her, but she’s clearly stronger than I gave her credit for and has been nothing but gracious since we left the apartment. Which is great, except that I don’t have the first fucking clue how to start a conversation with someone as sweet as her.
I’m an asshole. It’s what I do. I’m acerbic and short and too irritable for my own good. Posey is all sunshine and charm and light, and I worry that anything I say will come across brash and drive her further away.
Luckily for me, she breaks the silence first. “So what made you decide to become a professor?” She asks quietly.
My shoulders drop, grateful for the easy topic. “It wasn’t any big thing or even a love of teaching. I wanted to get a head start on paying down my loans while I work on my dissertation. At her questioning look, Iclarify, “I’m a PhD student at Harbor U. They just happened to need a temporary professor while the actual Biology professor is on maternity leave.”
I see the gears turning in Posey’s head and run through answers for every question I think she might ask, but nothing prepares me for the way she bursts into chaotic, seemingly nervous giggles. “Oh my god!” She gasps. “Is your degree in Biomedical Engineering?”
My head whips sideways, mouth parted in surprise. “How did you know that?” I’m not even sure the guys know what I’m studying half the time.
“Do you have a half-sister?”
I almost groan, but manage to keep it in at the last second. “You know Lainey?”
She beams, nodding excitedly. “She’s my best friend. Okay, technically she’s my only friend, but I digress.”
This feels like it has the potential to end really badly for me. My half sister and I aren’t enemies or anything, but when my parents split up I decided to go live with my dad and it definitely put a strain on my relationship with Lainey. Our mom is amazing, but I couldn’t bear the thought of Dad being alone. And knowing what I know now about his diagnosis, I’m more grateful than ever I made that decision all those years ago.
“I feel bad that I wasn’t a better brother to her when she was growing up. I’m sure she told you, but we share the same mom.” Posey nods and I continue, hoping that by giving her this small piece of my story it will help her understand me more. “Well, by the time they split I was old enough to choose where I wanted to live. After Lainey’s dad left, Mom still had Lainey and my dad… well, he only had me. So I made the choice to live with him, and I think it hurt Lainey more than she let on at the time. She was just a kid.”
Posey nods thoughtfully before reaching out and placing a hand on my thigh. My breath catches, and I pray she doesn’tnotice the way my dick jumps behind my slacks. “She hasn’t really talked about her home life all that much and I haven’t wanted to pry.”
I’m desperate to change the subject before our date goes off the rails, so I clear my throat and quickly glance at her again with a tentative smile. We’re only a few minutes from the diner now, and I haven’t asked her a single question. “What’s your family like?”
She doesn’t call me out for the sudden change, instead rolling with it and diving right into talking about her family. By the time she pauses to take a breath we’re already parked in the back of the diner’s full lot, but I’m too enraptured to interrupt her. “Sorry, I’ve been feeling a little homesick and talking about them makes me feel closer.”
My heart hurts for this precious omega. She’s so far from home and being so brave. I’ve met omegas who couldn’t function if they were too far from their home base for long periods of time. “The fact that you chose a school halfway across the country and are thriving here is so impressive, Posey. I might not have the right to say this yet, but I’m really proud of you.”
