Page 26 of Going Down Smooth: Part One

He’s an Omega. A mated one.

Nate’s words come to mind from earlier, it’s pack night and he is here with his Alphas. I immediately put some distance between us stepping out of his hold.

I turn around slowly, lips parting with a clumsy excuse on my tongue but my words fail me. Sage green eyes burn into me, the light from the bar making them sparkle like gleaming jade jewels.

A throat clears behind me, but I ignore it, completely entranced by this man’s light honey skin, captivating make out session worthy lips, and long, languid body that oozes a lazy confidence.

Well, damn. I think my panties have caught fire.His short onyx hair is buzz cut and I wonder for a moment how it would feel against my fingers.

“Omari,” he says with amusement, snapping me out of my blatant perusal of every inch of him. I mean, maybe I need to ask Mercy to help me roll my tongue back into my mouth. I am salivating so hard. I mentally picture a vintage cartoon wolf who openly ogles the hot sexy femme fatal, eyes bulging out of his sockets, long tongue hanging between sharp teeth as he whistles exaggeratedly. Sometimes my brain goes there, and I can’t stop it. I have a vivid imagination and watched a lot of television as a kid.

He watches me, his smile only widens as I continue to live inside my head.Get a grip, Freeya.I’m grateful for my dark complexion because at least he can’t see how flustered he’s made me.

I open and close my mouth. Come on mouth, work, I plead before swallowing hard to moisten my dry throat. “Freeya or Free,” I say nervously, looking away from him and over my shoulder to quickly see Mercy, Nate, and Lox watching us curiously but not intervening. Thank goodness.

“Are you free?” he asks, and my head snaps around at whiplash causing speed at the unusual question. His perfectly trimmed eyebrows lift in question, tilting his head towards my bestie and her Alphas. My eyebrows mirror his, my eyes widen when it dawns on me what he’s asking. He wants to know if they’re my pack. Cool points for the turn of phrase though. Regardless of what he means the question is loaded with a promise of a more thorough answer.

“Yes,” I reply.Really, Freeya, one word? I can do better than this. I am messing this interaction up badly. But Omari doesn’t seem to care, he genuinely seems amused by my crazy. I know I could have said more, but I don’t know if my traitorous mouth will let me.

“Is that a yes they’re your pack or a yes you are free?” His smile widens as I openly gape at yet another puzzling question. I feel disoriented, confuzzled, discombobulated in front of this Omega. I can’t form a coherent string of words to create a sentence of substance.

“No, they are not my pack. I mean, she’s my best friend, I am out with them. But I’m free. I am Freeya, but my friends call me Free.” My words feel like marbles in my mouth, garbled and awkward. Yep, I got nothing.

Omari takes one step closer and leans forward, invading my space. His lips are so close, I wonder if I poke my tongue out, would I taste the sugar on them. “Good, it means I can steal you away,” he says as he inhales my scent and sighs. I know Betas have a scent too, but I don’t know if I’ve ever been sniffed so thoroughly as the warmth of his skin brushes across my face, I’m frozen solid in place.

I look over my shoulder again, mouthing, “What do I do?” to Mercy, and her eyes widen in alarm, but Nate leans down and whispers something in her ear and she visibly calms down, shoulders dropping slowly. OK, well, it’s good that she’s calm but I am all hot and bothered over here.

“Are. . .are your Alphas OK with you stealing me away?” I ask tentatively. I am not trying to break up a happy home. I would love for him to steal me away, but I’m just a Beta. I’m nothing in the grand scheme of things. Well, that’s what my parents used to say, and I definitely don’t want or need their toxicity in my head tonight.

“Oh, Freeya, my Alphas are going to be just as beguiled by you as I am.” He purrs, literally purrs. I don’t think I’ve ever heard an Omega purr. I mean, it’s a big deal, right? They don’t purr just for anyone, but Omari purrs for me, and it feels like he’s dropped to his knees, lifted my red thigh length dress up, ripped my panties off and licked my clit with his tongue. I squirm at the thought, trying not to clutch my thighs together. I’m a goner.

I swallow and search his beautiful green eyes, and all I see is me in his reflection. All of me. I check over my shoulder once more, for what I don’t know. I am a grown woman, if I choose to hang out with random Omegas then I don’t need permission. But I need my bestie to give me a reassuring thumbs up. Not literally, but something to indicate she thinks Omari here is not a psycho maniac leading me to my demise.

Mercy smiles encouragingly, and Nate gives me the thumbs up I need to step off into the great unknown. I turn and smile up at Omari who looks relieved. I guess he thought I would turn him down. He reaches out a hand for me, and when his fingers touch mine, it’s damn near orgasmic, the electrical spark between us is like a live wire ready to erupt and consume the world.

He pulls me along behind him just as the DJ begins to pump music through the speaker system and I come alive.

“Dance with me, Beta,” Omari says, leading me away from Mercy and out onto the dance floor, and I go willingly. Nature, you tempting bitch, you pick now for a man to fall from the heavens! A man I can’t have. Damn.

SIXTEEN

MERCY

I’ve never been tipsy in public before. I’ve never felt safe enough to let myself go and let it all hang out as people tend to say when referring to releasing one’s inhibitions. I’m about two drinks away from oblivion until I freak out on Nate and demand he gets me the biggest bottle of water he can find.

“I knew better. Why did you let me drink so much?” I whine. Yep, I may be a tiny bit drunk, a weepy drunk at that. “Tomorrow is so important, Nate. I can’t let people see me looking like a zombie when I walk into Smooth Bourbon. The vultures are already circling. They think I’m. . .I’m prey, Nate.” I say, voice slurring slightly as I poke his stupidly hard chest.

“Merce, baby, I gave you a warning at drink number three. Lox has a heavy hand; his drinks are strong. If you’re going to blame someone, blame him.” He smirks, his damn cute lips curl up into a smile that makes my stomach do flip flops. He pulls away from me, scooting out of the black leather circular booth in the corner of the private VIP section we are in.

“I will be right back. You definitely need water.” He chuckles, making me pout, crossing my arms over my chest in a huff.

Definitely, drunk.

“Dane is here for your protection, OK? Right at the bottom of the steps.” He points and I think I’m seeing double. “No one can get past him. Not even vultures,” Nate says reassuring me but I don’t need it. I feel perfectly safe, no one has looked at me once. Probably because Lox scent marked the fuck out me but, hey, I’m practically invisible. Nate leans in, his lips brushing my cheek. His fresh crisp apple scent makes drunk Mercy purr with growing need. I mean, who goes to a club, sits in the VIP section and doesn’t get at least one orgasm?

This girl, right here.

I’m wearing a strapless black dress that clings to my curves, falling above my knees with a pair of sky-high silver heels that I think I kicked off about an hour ago. My hair is up in a carefully thought out messy curly bun, my skin dusted in shimmer with a hint of gloss. I’m primed and ready. Nate has been on his best behavior, and although Trey took a break when we first arrived, I only managed a kiss from my crooning Alpha before he had to go again. Knight, well, I think Knight is hiding from me in his office. We’ve yet to talk and I have a feeling it will be explosive when we do. I think we’ve both held onto the things we did for so long that it we are both a volcano of emotions waiting to happen.

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