Page 18 of One for the Money
She’s clearly not fine, but I’m not going to say that. No one wants to be told they’re not okay when they’re asserting that they are.
“Understood. But I need some groceries. Do you want me to grab you anything while I’m in there?” I ask her, opening the notes app on my phone. “I don’t mind.”
Her shoulders slump in relief. “Yeah, thanks, that’d be good.” She rattles off a list that I’m sure is smaller than what she actually needs, but I write it down anyway.
Matteo and I climb out of the truck, telling the doctor to lock the doors about fifteen times. I don’t like leaving her in there alone, but I can tell she needs a minute, and I’m not trying to take away her independence. She should be safe in the truck.
“What is going on with you?” Matteo whispers as we walk into the store. “You’re acting weird.”
Am I? Fuck, maybe I am. I do feel a little strange.
“My Alpha nature is like, barely under the surface. I’m holding on by a thread,” I tell him. “It’s never felt like this before. I don’t know if it’s her specifically or just the being around an Omega thing. And I can’t even scent her pheromones, which feels sacrilegious, so it’s obviously not that. I just want to take care of her.”
“But how do you know exactly what she seems to need?” He’s grabbing snacks, and I throw in a duplicate of each thing right after he does. “What are you doing?”
“Buying extra things and telling her they were on BOGO and that we don’t have space for them.”
“That. That right there is what I mean when I sayyou’re acting strange.” He pulls the cart off to the side of the aisle and grabs my shirt, affectionately pulling me close. “What is going on here, Q? Really?”
I nuzzle him, rubbing my cheek against his, marking him with my scent to help soften the blow of what I’m going to tell him. “Honestly? I think she’s my scent match.”
“Why would you think that? You can’t smell her,” he deadpans. “It’s a scent match. Emphasis on scent.”
I trail my fingers up and down his back, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Not sure. But she liked my pillows. She let me pick out everything for her nest. I think, even though it’s suppressed, her hindbrain recognizes what I am to her.”
Teo tilts his head back to look up at me, his smile sleepy and sweet. “I’ve never seen you like this before.”
“I’ve never been like this before,” I tell him honestly. “But I feel all nurturing and shit around her.” I love Matteo, but we don’t have the type of relationship where we nurture one another. We’re constantly pushing for dominance, for control, and we love it that way.
The idea of having Alex between us, both of us spoiling her and taking care of her, makes my knees weak.
I’ve never wanted something so much as I want that vision to come true. And I have a knack for getting what I want.
My Beta strokes some of my hair out of my eyes. “It’s cute. These Alpha instincts look good on you.”
“Feels a little strange. But I don’t hate it.”
We continue shopping, making sure we get everything on her list and then supplement it with items the internet suggested Omegas would like. My body aches from being on my feet so long, but I’m used to it. As we’re checking out, Matteo looks in the direction of the truck.
“She’s running from something, right?”
Being a part of the circus, you meet all types, from all sorts of backgrounds. We’ve been a part of it long enough that we both know what it looks like when you’re trying to escape.
“Or someone.”
“I hate it,” he says as he stores his card back in his wallet. “But would she really fit in with us if she weren’t a little messed up?”
I throw my head back, laughing so hard my chest hurts.
“Does this mean you’re okay with me pursuing her?” I ask when we’re a few paces from the truck. “I won’t do it if you’re not interested in her as well.”
Matteo chuckles, grabbing the front of my shirt and pulling me into a painfully hot kiss. “Of course I’m interested. I knew the moment I saw her that you’d be like a dog with a bone. Just try not to hump her leg.”
Chapter 7
“Guys,”I complain, watching Matteo and Quinton shove snacks into my cabinets until they’re overflowing. “I can’t take this.”
“It was buy one, get one free,” Matteo says with a shrug. “We don’t have the space to store doubles of everything, and couldn’t leave it behind. That’s leaving money on the table.” He puts a box of powdered sugar donuts away, then slides a jar of instant espresso beside it. “Also, who drinks instant coffee?”
