Page 5 of What Haunts the Heart
"No shit, Sherlock? I haven't noticed," he sassed back. "I'm only, you know, hosting a freaking Halloween party! I’ve got a lot on my mind."
I raised my hands in front of me. "Jeez, don't get your boxers in a twist. I was just curious. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, if it's that big of a deal. How about I give you some ideas, hmm? You could be... A slutty serial killer?" I bounced my brows suggestively.
Chester groaned under his breath. "Are all of your costume ideas going to start with the word 'slutty'?"
I smirked. "Maybe. Remember what I said about that safety net? Live a little! Dare to be dangerous. I bet Kinsley would shit himself if you showed up in bloody fishnet stockings. Mmm. I'd say you've got the thighs for them, but—”
"Eden!" he squealed. "Can we not talk about this? Please? I'm anxious enough, trying to get everything together for the party. I'll figure something out, I promise, and if I need help, you'll be the first person I talk to. Okay?"
With a dramatic sigh, I spun around so I was walking backwards, still facing him. "Okay, fine. How about we talk about my costume instead, then? And yes, it's definitely starting with the word 'slutty' if you catch my drift. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday and, surprise, I'm single again this year—which means that it's time to go sniffing for sexy Alpha studs just waiting to get their dicks wet in a little—”
Chester’s face turned beet red. "We arenothaving this conversation!"
"But—”
"LALALA! I can't hear you!"
I swatted at his arm, then danced away before he could react. "C'mon, Chessy, I'm just having a little fun. I'm lonely, I'm bored and I'm tired of pining over someone I can't have, so what’s wrong with a little Halloween fling? Just because you landed one hell of a mate without flaunting what the gods gave you, doesn't mean that I'll be that lucky."
I frowned at the thought.I wish...
It was kind of ironic, really. Growing up in a chaotic household, where my parents were always screaming at one another, I decided that marriage and mating just wasn't on my agenda. I didn't want to end up some low-paid Omega who resorted to alcoholism to cope with his problems.
I told myself that Alphas were fun—that's it. No commitment. No worries of ending up pregnant and alone. I came to Vale Valley to get away from all the shit in my past. I didn't need some bullheaded Alphahole to come swooping in, yank me off my feet and keep me barefoot and pregnant. No thanks. Not my style.
Until Oakley Kingston came along and uprooted everything I thought I knew about Alphas.
Kinsley's younger brother should've been off-limits—and hell, maybe that's why I decided it was "safe" to fool around with the gorgeous man.
We met at Chester and Kinsley's wedding, and man, he was the most god-like Alpha I'd ever met. It was almost as if the sun shone directly onto his golden head. A chorus of angels filled the room whenever he walked in. He was the epitome of walking, talking wet-dream, but he was promised to someone else. A woman. A woman he only planned to marry because of his pack's demands.
Safe, right? That's what I thought, anyway.
I ran headlong into danger, into the arms of Oakley…okay, to be fair, into the broom closet at the wedding reception because I was thirsty as fuck, okay? One look, and it practically melted the panties right off my pretty peacock ass. I was putty in his hands. I told myself once wouldn't hurt. Then twice. Then three times, but I was wrong. I was so damn wrong.
Oakley Kingston was an addiction. After a weekend of rock-my-socks-off lovemaking, he left Vale Valley and took my stupidly naive heart with him. I should've said no the next time he came to visit, but I couldn't. I kept coming back for more even though I knew it would ultimately break me.
When he came to Vale Valley earlier this summer, he told me that this was it. That the next time he came to visit, he'd be a married man. That we couldn't continue this. We said goodbye and that was that.
Why, then, did every single Alpha I'd slept with since not satisfy me?
Because Oakley ruined me, that's why.
I wanted to hate his guts. I wanted to scream at myself for falling so hopelessly for someone I knew I could never have. Foolish, just like Mum always said, looking down her crooked nose at me. "Foolish boy, with your head in the clouds. You'd be wise to remember, ain't no Alpha a good Alpha. Don't matter if they're a man or a woman. Take it from me. They're all silver-tongued snakes and you'll end up at the bottom of a bottle. You'll see."
"Eden?" Chester's voice carried a note of worry and I realized I'd come to a stop in the center of the produce aisle.
"Sorry. Spaced out there for a minute, thinking about all the sexy Alpha ass I'm going to score at your party." I winked for good measure, but I could tell Chester didn't believe a word of it.
"Well, I wouldn't get too cozy with that idea, if I were you," he said with a knowing look. "Kinsley just texted me. Oakley's on his way to Vale Valley as we speak."
A bitter swell of jealousy sung through my veins. I tried to appear nonchalant, like this news didn't just stab me in the heart. I curled my lip as I said, "Yeah, and last I heard, he's a married man now. I might be a slut, Chess, but I'm no home-wrecker."
Huffing in annoyance—and okay, a little bit of pain—I stomped off towards the ice cream section. The wheels of the cart squeaked as Chester followed me. I browsed the selection, then gave the freezer door a tug and deposited a hefty half-gallon of death by chocolate in the cart. There. Now I could cry myself a river when I got home so I'd be over it in time for the party, because I wasn't letting amanstand between me and Halloween.
"He's not married." Chester's words pinged through me, and I absolutely hated the little sprig of hope that sprouted in my chest. At my quizzical look, Chess smiled. "Not until November. From what Kinsley said, Oakley's pretty freaked out about it. He's getting cold feet and Claire suggested they come to Vale Valley to try and sort themselves out before the wedding. Just a little tidbit of knowledge." Then, his expression softening, he said, "There's still time."
"Time for what?" I retorted. "That ship sailed months ago. I'm over it."
But that was a big, fat lie. I knew for a fact that if Oakley showed up on my doorstep, there was no way I could keep myself from jumping his bones.
God, I was so fucked.
