Page 76 of Forget-Me-Nots and Apricots

He stood just inside the doorway, his tall frame silhouetted against the late afternoon light streaming through the glass. His blue eyes were intense, studying me with that penetrating gaze that always made me feel like he could see straight through to my core.

"Dakota talked to you," I said. It wasn't a question.

Gabriel nodded once, taking a measured step into the greenhouse. "He did."

I set down my scissors, suddenly finding it hard to meet his eyes. "I suppose you're here to tell me how inappropriate that was. How it complicates everything.”

Gabriel took another step forward, his movements measured, controlled. His scent—apricot and sandalwood—reached me even from across the room, familiar now in a way that made my heart race.

"Is that what you think I'm here for?" he asked, his voice steady but with an edge I couldn't quite place. "To reprimand you?"

I shrugged, trying for nonchalance despite the tension coiling in my stomach. "Isn't that what the responsible Alpha would do? Maintain boundaries, keep things professional?"

Gabriel's expression softened slightly, a flicker of something like understanding crossing his features. "Dakota blames himself. Thinks he took advantage of the situation—of you."

"He didn't," I said quickly, perhaps too quickly. "I was a willing participant."

Gabriel watched me for a long moment, his gaze so intense I had to fight the urge to look away. "And what if it had been me instead of Dakota?" he asked, his voice dropping to that low, resonant tone that seemed to vibrate through my very bones. "If I had been the one to touch you, to kiss you—would you have been just as willing?"

The question hung in the air between us, charged with unspoken possibilities. I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry.

"I don't know," I whispered, though the rapid beating of my heart suggested otherwise. "Maybe."

Gabriel took another step closer, close enough now that I could feel the heat radiating from his body, “I can smell when you are lying,Vivian.”

Heat crawled up my neck to my cheeks as I stood frozen, unable to look away from his piercing blue gaze. The greenhouse suddenly felt too small, the air too thick with tension and the mingling of our scents.

"Fine," I admitted, voice barely above a whisper. "Yes. I would have been willing. Is that what you want to hear?"

Gabriel moved closer still, his proximity making my pulse quicken. He didn't touch me, but I could feel the weight of his presence, the careful restraint in his posture.

"What I want," he said slowly, deliberately, "is the truth. Nothing more, nothing less."

I exhaled shakily, my fingers gripping the edge of the workbench behind me. "The truth is complicated. I didn't come here looking for... this. Any of this. I was supposed to be focused on staying alive and finishing these arrangements, as you all catch whoever is after me and the other Omegas out there.”

Something flashed in Gabriel's eyes—satisfaction, perhaps, or desire—before his expression settled back into that careful control. He moved closer still, close enough that I had to tilt my head back to maintain eye contact.

"And now?" His voice was a low rumble that sent shivers down my spine. "What are you looking for now, Vivian?"

I inhaled sharply, his scent overwhelming my senses—rich and complex, distinctly Alpha yet uniquely Gabriel. "I don't know," I admitted, the honesty painful in my throat. "Everything's changed so quickly. I barely know which way is up anymore."

Gabriel's hand lifted slowly, giving me plenty of time to move away if I wanted. When I remained still, his fingers brushed a stray strand of hair from my face, the simple touch sending electricity coursing through me.

"You're safe here," he said, his blue eyes never leaving mine. "Whatever happens or doesn't happen between us—between you and any of us—that doesn't change. Your safety comes first."

"And…what is this to you all?" I asked, surprised by steady by voice was, “A Fling? An easy Omega…” I was cut off by a low angry growl.

"You are not just some 'easy Omega,'" Gabriel's voice was rough with barely controlled emotion, his eyes flashing with something primal. "None of us see you that way."

I swallowed hard, trying to ignore how his intensity made something twist deep in my core. "Then what am I to you? To all of you?"

Gabriel seemed to struggle with his words, a rare moment of uncertainty crossing his usually composed features. "You're..." he started, then paused, as if weighing his next words carefully. "You're someone who fits, Vivian. In ways none of us expected or were looking for."

"Fits?" I echoed, the word hanging between us.

"With us. With the pack." His gaze held mine, unwavering. "All four of us have felt it, in different ways. There's something about you that... resonates. Completes something in our pack.”

I took a step back, needing space to process his words. "That's... that's not possible. You barely know me."

---