Page 112 of Power Shift

“She—”

The sound of the front door opening cuts her off. There’s a slam before footsteps head in our direction, their pace frenzied. My stomach flips, anticipation rolling through me as I slide to the edge of the couch cushion and stare at the opening in the wall.

Nothing else matters once I see him.

Breathing frantically, Landon strides my way. He fixes a shuddering blue stare on me beneath knitted brows as I hold completely still. If I move, he might disappear.

“Did you just slam my door shut, Landon Montgomery?” Kira asks.

She doesn’t get an answer.

Landon physically shakes when he gets close enough to smell me and, without hesitating, scoops me off the couch and into his arms. My eyes burn as I curl myself around his body and cling to him, the distraction from earlier disappearing and making way for the reality of why I’m here in the first place.

The de-scenter in the apartment tries to hide his vanilla, but that doesn’t stop me from searching for it and the slight edge of cinnamon that I justknowwill be there right now. I take advantage of the low cut of his T-shirt and bring my nose right to his throat, breathing him in like I’m scared it’ll be my last chance to do so.

“Are you okay?”

His hands dig into my thighs as I tighten them around his waist. The low, husky sound of his voice is downright sinful. Ilike it far too much. Almost as much as I like the way he pulls back and inspects me, the eyes I’m so used to seeing closed off in my presence dimmed with worry.

Is there an answer to that question that won’t make him drop me right now?

“Yes.”

“Time to go, then.”

“You could stay,” Kira suggests, but something tells me she doesn’t really mean it. “Or you could take your omega home.”

“Home,” he snaps, the facial hair he’s been growing out scratching at my neck when he lowers his chin to my shoulder. “Thanks, Kira.”

“Mm. You’re always welcome here, Briar. Next time, bring my son so I can tell him exactly what I’m going to tell you, Landon.”

The alpha holding me grows still, fingers clenching around my thighs.

Ronan’s mother’s touch is gentler than Landon’s as she pats the back of my head affectionately.

“Life is too short, and scent matches are too rare to ignore. The past has no place in our futures. If you mess this up, you won’t get a second chance. It’s one in a billion.”

Landon doesn’t reply with words. The dark rumble in his chest presses into mine, a silent vow.

One that I’m not sure he means to make but that has me gliding my mouth up his neck and to the shell of his ear.

“I knew you’d come.”

36

LANDON

I knew you’d come.

Her faith in me is undeserved. I’ve done absolutely nothing for her to think that or to have called me out of all the guys when she was in danger.

Yet, she did call me, and I have this unyielding desire to give up the predetermined and unfair opinion of her that I’ve made so that she always will.

I never have my phone on me when I’m at the rink. It’s kept tucked inside my bag because the only people who ever contact me are at my side on the ice. But it was another strike of perfect timing that had me changing out of my gear early to meet with the team physio when she called.

The terror I felt when she first said my name could have debilitated me had I not been shot up with adrenaline. I pulled on my workout clothes and tore out of the dressing room without a care as to how slick with sweat I was or how deep the ache grew in my knee. The pain disappeared the moment I heard her say she needed me.

I’m a shitty driver on a good day, but our mailbox will be full in the coming weeks with more red light and photoradar tickets than I’ve ever received.

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