Her answering smile is wobbly but no less genuine. She clears her throat and looks away, clearly uncomfortable with the praise. I can tell when she finally registers where we are because she perks up, her scent brightening back to achingly sweet honey and apple. “Is this it? I’m starving. I forgot to eat dinner last night and I don’t think—” she stops abruptly as a bright red blush creeps up her neck. “Never mind. Can we go inside? This place is too cute for words!”
My mind races with all of the things she could have said. Does it have something to do with the sounds I heard coming from Mack’s room in the middle of the night? Our beds share a wall and waking up to Posey’s moans and scent had me so hard I was rutting into the sheets trying to find even a modicum of relief. I didn’t get any, and I had to jack off three times just to getback to sleep.
I jump out of the car and rush around to open her door, thrilled when she accepts my proffered hand to climb out of the bucket seat. I drop it shortly after she’s steady, not wanting to push my luck. “I don’t know how you feel about sugar for breakfast, but this place has the bestfruity cereal pancakes you’ll ever have in your life.”
When I glance back at Posey, her mouth is hanging open. I drag a hand through my hair, self consciousness racing through me. “What?” I snap defensively.
She startles, and I wish I could shove the single word back inside of my mouth. “Sorry, I just… I cannot picture you eating something like pancakes crusted in fruity cereal.”
My body relaxes and I snort a laugh. “I would love to say I’m a sophisticated man, but the truth is I have all the refinement of a five-year-old’s palate. I’m pretty sure Mack eats better than I do even without his trainer-approved meals.”
She giggles. I wish I could bottle the sound to carry around with me whenever I’m feeling down. “That’s great, because I grew up on classic southern comfort food. Pretty sure I didn’t even see a scallop until I was eighteen. I’m always open to trying new things, but the truth is I’m a simple gal when it comes to food. Give me a bowl of Mac and cheese and I’m happier than a tick on a hound.”
God, I haven’t laughed this hard in years. Maybe not since I was sixteen and had to hold a screeching Mack down so I could pull a leech off of his ass after he dove into a suspicious looking creek on a dare.
Taking a chance, I hold out my hand and barely manage to hold back a purr when she twines her fingers with mine as we enter the diner. “Well then, let’s get our pancake on.”
“You’re gonna have to roll me into this signing, Jude.” Posey groans, placing both hands on her stomach.
“Did I overfeed you?” I ask worriedly. She couldn’t decide between the fruity cereal pancakes and the sweet potato pie pancakes, so we got both and decided to split them. My alpha couldn’t resist the urge to care for her, so I overstepped and fed her bites by hand until she finally pushed me away, saying she couldn’t fit another bite.
Actually, she said she was “fixin to burst” and it was so southern and cute I almost squealed like a little girl. If we were at a different point in our relationship and she wasn’t so full I probably would have squeezed the hell out of her, but I had to settle for pinching the fuck out of my leg instead to knock myself out of what I hope was just cuteness aggression.
Posey smiles, twining her fingers through mine again. Casual touches have been coming easier for the both of us, but it’s still so new and exciting I get a little thrill every time. “Maybe a little, but it was so good I didn’t want to stop.” She looks up at me with a pleading expression that no alpha could possibly resist, least of all me. “Please promise me we can come back? Maybe we can make this a regular thing, just you and me?”
My heart skips a beat in my chest before picking back up at twice the speed. My head is nodding in agreement before I can even begin to formulate a response. “Yeah, I mean, yes. I would really like that, Posey.”
Her scent threatens to drown me in the best way, but it also makes me insanely possessive. The thought of walking into an enclosed space and having other alpha scent her makes me hazy. I pull her to a stop just outside the door and clear my throat. “Can I ask a favor before we head in there?”
The seriousness in my tone catches her attention and she meets my gaze. “Anything.”
I run two fingers down her cheek, barely brushing her soft skin, but she shudders anyway. “Can I scent mark you?”
“Can I scent mark you?”
My breath catches when the words fall from Jude’s lips, unsure if I heard him correctly. Scent marking is considered an intimate act usually reserved for romantic partners and bonded pairs, but if Jude is asking to scent mark me… “You can say no,” he blurts. “I just… my alpha is feeling really possessive right now, and your scent is so good. We’re about to be in a room full of strangers, and knowing you aren’t bonded is putting me on edge.”
It feels like there’s something he isn’t telling me, but Mack asked me to give Jude time to come to me, so that’s exactly what I do. Taking the initiative, I reach up on my tiptoes and brush my cheek over his before rubbing my forehead on his neck. It’s a little obvious to have my forehead smelling like another alpha, but when you’re as short as I am, the options are limited.
Jude sighs like I just lifted the weight of the world off his shoulders, further signaling there’s something more going on. Today felt like a huge step forward for us, and I’m really looking forward to learning more about this mysterious alpha. He leans his forehead against mine, breath blowing across my face in a minty gust.
After we finished our brunch, Jude pulled out pack of mints, because of course he carries mints on him. If there’sone thing I’ve realized about Jude in our short time together, it’s that he’s practical and prepared for any eventuality. Like an adult boy scout, but with a scarf instead of a neckerchief.
We stay like that for a long moment, just breathing each other in while Jude collects himself. “Thank you for that,” he eventually sighs.
“I told you, Jude. Anything you need.”
His brown eyes bore into mine, searching for a lie. He won’t find one, because I mean it. I’ve never been one to hold a grudge but trying to hold one against one of my soulmates is a losing battle I’m not interested in fighting. If he had been truly cruel or allowed it to go on longer then it did maybe I’d feel differently. But that isn’t the reality we’re living in. This is. And in this one, he’s doing exactly what he said he would and showing with his actions how sorry he is. That he isn’t truly that person.
Now it’s my turn to show him he can trust me with whatever it is that’s eating him up inside. And until then, I’ll be waiting. “Come on,” I grab his hand and open the door to the book shop. “I’m ready to watch you geek out over this mystery author.”
He rolls his eyes but follows me in, eyes going wide when we spot the man sitting at the front of the room next to a display of at least ten different books, all with the author name ’Jamie Lyndon.” “Holy shit,” Jude gasps, yanking me behind a shelf.
I turn wide eyes to him, wondering why he looks like he just saw a ghost. “I know him,” he whisper-hisses at me, eyes comically wide.
“You know the author?”
He nods frantically. “That’s Shepard Kennedy. He’s on the baseball team with Mack. He’s only a sophomore, but he’s already been the starting pitcher for two seasons. The kid is wicked talented. And he’shere?ShepardfuckingKennedyisJamie Lyndon?”
