Page 46 of Two For the Show
“You were whining,” he says softly, not breaking our contact. “I was worried you were sick.”
“No,” I reply, taking a step back so I connect with his front. “Just thinking about how I got myself into this mess.”
“You trusted someone who was supposed to love you.” He lifts his hand, like he wants to stroke my hair, and then drops it. I lean into him and rub my head against his chest. He takes that as the invitation it was and gently strokes me. “We grow up seeing media that says a scent match is the greatest thing that could ever happen to us. It’s everything we could ever need, our perfect match. The prince Omega meets the leader of the rival kingdom, and in one moment in each other’s presence, they give up the generational battle that had been raging.”
He takes a deep breath, and I watch as his eyes drift closed. “My sister is being abused by her scent matches. She won’t say it, of course, and I believe that she thinks it’s okay, or she has to put up with it because of who they areto her, but some part of me saw the ghosts that haunt her following you around. I never believed your story of why you were here. And then that night, with the clowns…”
I grab his hand and pull it to my chest, letting him feel my heartbeat, know that I’m okay, that I’m with him now. He sighs, his eyes downcast. “I failed you. I continuously failed you. Our pack isn’t even a pack yet, not really, and I feel like I’m not cut out to lead it.”
The jerking of the trailer has him falling forward, bracing himself on the sink so he doesn’t crush me. I can feel the softness of his body pressing against my back, his arms caging me in, and he dips his head and buries his face in my hair.
“I can’t save my sister. I’ve tried to talk to her about it over the years, and our parents have attempted to intervene, but nothing can make her leave because the magic of the scent match is pushed on us from the moment we’re born. But magic isn’t enough. I think you know that better than anyone.”
Don’t I ever.
“When I found you on the grass, my heart restarted. Like it had been skipping a beat since the moment I discovered you missing, and I didn’t even notice.”
“Were you the first to figure out I left?” I’ve never asked them about that day. I told them what I went through, my time away from them, and they talked about ferreting out the clowns, but nothing more than that.
He sighs into my hair before wrapping his arms around my middle. “Me and Quinton. I’m sorry to admit that I didn’t consider that you had a good reason to leave at first.” Having him this close, his scent swirling around me, has my knees a little weak. I can’t help but relax into his hold. “But Quinton found your cell phone, and you had taken your nest with you. It was obvious after that.”
“I won’t do it again,” I promise. “And not only because of the FOS.”
He takes a few steps backward into my room, sitting us down on my bed. I wiggle and get comfortable in his lap.
A man like Jude has the potential to be overwhelming and threatening. He’s large, with hands like trash can lids, broad shoulders, a big belly, and strong arms. But I feel safe in his arms. As long as I’m wrapped in his embrace, I truly believe nothing can touch me.
The hum of the road beneath us has my body melting, and eventually Jude shuffles back, lying us down together. I roll over on my side, facing him as I prop myself up on my elbow.
And then the trailer goes over a pothole, and I’m jostled forward, falling into Jude Oliver.
Chapter 19
Alex crashes into me,her head hitting my chin, and I bite down on my tongue. It’s an effort to hold back a swear.
This is not how a date is supposed to go.
But now that she’s in my arms, I don’t think I can be mad at the outcome.
I can’t hold myself back from her anymore, and I roll over onto my back, pulling her with me. She stares down at me, and I give her a moment to prepare herself for what is going to happen.
She surprises me by closing the distance between us before I can, plastering her lips on mine.
Kissing Alex is like eating popping candy. You’re told what to expect, but nothing can prepare you for the feelings it invokes. She makes little sounds as our lips dance and our tongues tangle that have me melting underneath her.
When she breaks away from me, her eyes shine, and she grins widely. I have to fight to catch my breath. She sitsup, resting on my hips right above where my need strains my pants, and runs her fingers through her hair.
“Do you ever think that there aren’t enough hours in the day?” she asks. “Like you need more time to accomplish your tasks, and that you can’t wait until tomorrow to finish them?”
“All the time,” I answer. “Why?”
“I feel like that when I’m with you. That there is so much I need to do, so much unspoken between us, but I don’t have enough time. That I need you, every part of you, now, and that if I wait even one day more, I’ll explode.”
She whines softly, scrubbing her hands on her face. “I’m not making sense. What I’m saying is that I’ve lost so much time with all of you. My body, my Omega, is urging me to make up those three months in such a short amount of time, and it has me feeling like I’m never going to be able to get enough of you in one day. One hour. One minute. Every second I’m with you, I need more. And not only like in a sexy, oh, I need you, way. I need you in each of your moods, no matter how glowering. Your passion for your circus. Your care of your troupe.”
My Omega grabs my hand, winding her fingers through mine. “We have so much to talk about. So much to learn about one another. I don’t even know your middle name.”
“Charles. It’s my pa’s name.”
