Page 312 of Labor of Love

Luca smiled and reached out to cup the base of my neck where my pheromone glands were located. He rubbed the sensitive area, causing more tingles to spread through my body.

“You smell so good,” he whispered, taking in a deep lungful of air.

I realized I’d unknowingly released mypheromones. The entire place reeked of need and desire. The smell was so dense, they were making me dizzy.

“Fuck.” I turned around so he couldn’t see how embarrassed I was. Plus, not looking at him helped with the situation in my pants. Soaking my underwear in slick right before my bar opened was not how a professional business owner should act.

“I’ll be right back,” I said quickly, then rushed to the back where the door leading up to my apartment was located.

Along the way, I turned on the central air purifier to the max. The last thing I needed was for my customers to smell my arousal. Good thing I paid top dollar for the best air purifier on the market, because shifters had really good noses.

After cleaning up and changing into a fresh pair of underwear, Ispritzed on some deodorizer to cover up the lingering hints of my desire. The minty scent worked wonders to mask unintentional pheromone leakage.

Luca was perched on the same barstool he’d occupied all week. He turned to face me when I reappeared. The short timeapart let us cool off. His animal traits had been put away, and the massive tent in his pants wasn’t as strained as before, but he still couldn’t hide the naked desire in his eyes as he watched me approach.

“This seat really does have the best view of you,” he commented when I went around the bar to find a vase for the flowers.

Filling the vase up with water, I unwrapped the bouquet and placed it in the middle of the bar, then turned to him with a brow raised.

He didn’t need any prompting as he continued, “Did you know this seat has an unobstructed view of the entire bar? From here, I can see you through the tiny window when you’re in your office.”

I craned my neck into his angle, and yep, just as he’d said, it was the perfect vantage point to see me when I was sitting in my office chair.

It was no wonder I kept feeling his gaze on me whenever he was here.

I thought I’d cooled down, but my face burned again. Luca grabbing my hand didn’t help matters either.

He had large hands, big enough to dwarf mine. His long finger slid down my palm, lingering on my wrist. I didn’t need him to tell me to know he felt how hard my pulse was drumming right now.

I snatched my hand back, my breath coming out in deep gulps, and the smell of my desire making the deodorizer useless.

Luca smiled, not looking offended by me suddenly pulling away, but amused instead. He took his phone out of his pocket, tapped on it, then slid it across the bar for me.

“It seems silly to ask now, but can I have your number?” he said, looking up at me with puppy-dog eyes.

The imagery of this Golden Retriever shifter giving me puppy-dog eyes had me laughing.

“What?” Luca asked, a soft smile on his lips.

I merely shook my head and took his phone to do as he requested. Before handing it back to him, I texted myself so I had his number as well.

He entered something into his phone, slipped it back into his pocket, and stood.

“I think I need a little more time to cool off, so I’m heading home for the night,” Luca said, hands in his jeans pockets, looking like he didn’t want to leave at all.

I nodded, despite being equally reluctant to part.

He turned to leave, but twisted around at the last second and spoke in a soft voice just barely loud enough for me to hear, “My rut is scheduled to arrive in three days, so I’m not sure if I’ll be stable enough to visit before then. Maybe we could call? I’d really like to hear your voice. Or if that’s too much, texting is fine too...”

He was rambling, looking so different from the confident alpha leading around the love-struck omegas in my bar. I liked seeing this side of him.

“Okay, I’ll text you tonight after the bar closes to see if you’re still awake.”

“I will be,” he said, then added, “Will it annoy you if I text you while the bar is open?”

“I might be too busy to reply.”

“I don’t care as long as you do eventually.”

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