I puffed up, ridiculously proud that the sweetest omega in the world liked my scent. I hugged her tighter to me and wondered why the fuck I’d held myself back from her.
Lucy parked the golfcart in a space outside our shops, but neither of us moved.
We’d kissed at the top of the cliff for what felt like seconds, but was closer to an hour. I wanted more—to dip my fingers into her heat and fuck her until she came, to lick up the slick coating her inner thighs, to sink my cock into her heat—but I held back. Lucy deserved more than our first time being outside in the dark…and I was pretty sure Stanley might actually lose his mind if we fucked in his golf cart.
When her teeth started chattering from the cold, I’d reluctantly moved her off my lap so we could head back to town.
She tangled her fingers with mine. “Thanks for giving me a second chance to have our date.”
“The first of many.”
The streetlights illuminated the pink of her cheeks and the brightness of her smile. I wanted to invite her inside, to pull her into my bed. We didn’t even have to do more than sleep. I’d be perfectly content to just hold her.
Reality crashed down on me. The pain in my knee, which had been easy to ignore when she was on my lap, was now so intense I knew I wouldn’t make it up the stairs. Our first night together would not be on my shitty storage room mattress as I alternated applying ice and heat to my knee.
I reluctantly walked her to her door. “Are you going to leave the golf cart here? It feels like we should hide it.”
“Good to know you’re willing to be an accessory to any crimes I commit,” she said with a toss of her hair.
“Of course. Although, if you need to dispose of any bodies, we might need some help lifting them.”
She grinned and leaned in for a kiss. “I might know some people who would help. But for now, it’ll be fine parked there.”
She unlocked her door and lingered for a moment before saying goodnight and slipping inside.
25
Wilder
The sun was shining, Beans’n Bliss was bustling, but none of that registered in my mind because Lucy was back.
My heart raced as she propped her shop door open with a brick—a pink brick with flowers painted on it becauseof courseLucy wouldn’t use a plain, boring brick as a doorstop.
She stood, and a huge smile curved her lips as she looked in my direction. She waved, and for one beautiful, time-stopping moment, I thought she’d spotted me through the Beans ’n Bliss window.
Reality crashed back, harsh and cold, when I realized she was waving at the lighthouse keeper, Olive, who was crossing the street with a dark-haired alpha at her side.
I held in a snarl as they all hugged. How dare another man get close tomyomega?
Fuck.
Not mine.
“Wilder? Are you okay? Wilder?”
I jerked my gaze to the barista in front of me. Her brow was creased. “Is something wrong?”
I shook my head, the movement stiff and jerky. “I’m fine. Black coffee, please.” I paid, stuck a few crumpled bills in the tip jar, and moved to the side.
Ella’s concerned gaze followed me. I couldn’t blame her for worrying about my sanity. I’d come in four times yesterday, hoping each time to catch a glimpse of Lucy, but her shop had stayed closed.
It was the first day I’d gone without seeing Lucy since she’d dropped off the cookies, and I fucking hated it. The angry, possessive beast clawing in my chest had kept me tossing and turning so muchthat being called out at three a.m. had been a welcome distraction. It had turned out to be a false alarm with a young family’s carbon monoxide detector, but we’d thoroughly checked their house to be safe. Their two-year-old girl had immediately latched on to me, so I’d completed my checks while she sat on my shoulders, her tiny fists wrapped tightly around my top knot as she made fire engine sounds.
My guys had gone to bed when we returned, and I’d shut myself away in my office with the excuse of being behind on paperwork.
Ella called out my name, and I grabbed my coffee from the bar. My very unnecessary cup of coffee, seeing as I’d single-handedly drunk a whole pot earlier this morning, but going to Beans ’n Bliss was the only way I could see Lucy without being a total creep.
Although, staring at her through the coffee shop window might be somewhat questionable behavior. My alpha’s fixation on her was just further proof that I was right to stay away.
