Page 5 of Knotting Hill
“I wasn’t going to let her fall on her arse and dump coffee all over herself.”
“What?” I’m confused now. Doesn’t take much today.
He huffs, but when he turns to me, his eyes twinkle. “Didn’t you see her? She was fucking hot, but it was more than that. It was instinct to reach out and try to save her, but when she threw it all over me, there was something there.”
“Meaning?”
“The fire in her eyes when I got angry with her. Fuck. It was hot.”
“Okay, I’m slow on the uptake today. You’re going to need to explain this to me.”
He lowers his voice, almost conspiratorially. “Haven’t you noticed that the omegas we’ve been hooking up with lately are…” He pauses, searching for the right word. When he finds it, he pulls a face. “…too easy?”
I frown. Thinking about it, yes, they are, but that’s what makes it so much fun. There’s no work. “Sure, but…”
“It’s boring,” he interrupts me. “They fawn all over me, and you as well, I suppose, I’m finding it very dull.”
I ignore the backhanded insult. I don’t think he meant it badly, but he is being profound on a major hangover, so his words are weird to my ears. Is he having an existential crisis? I would expect that of Josh, not JP. I didn’t realise JP had it in him.
“Dull.” I ponder this word. He has a point if you think about it. I figured it was fun to have it be easy, but now he is making me think about shit, and my head hurts too much for that.
“Yeah, dull. They are dull. We don’t even have to buy them drinks. They buy them for us. I mean, what’s up with that?” He shakes his head in disbelief.
“I quite like that.”
“Pah,” he sneers in disgust, which shocks me out of my hangover a bit more than this conversation already has. “That omega back there, Storm – even her name is sexy, she had fire. She was furious, and I wanted to see how far I could push her.”
“So you did all of that just to rile her up?” I have to ask because I’m starting to flag again, and I need it spelt out.
“Yeah.” He gives me what could only be described as a shit-eating grin. “Did you see her face when I told her she had to pay for the dry cleaning? Her scent hit the back of my nose like a fucking cloud of sweet, cherry-burst perfume. Fuck.” He looks back over his shoulder in the direction she went and stops walking.
“Uhm.”
I seriously feel a bit astounded by this revelation. I didn’t bat an eyelid, really, when I figured he was being a dick. But this is, well, the only word for it isnew. But weirdly, he has made me think about shit I didn’t want to think about. I was happy in my fugue alcoholic state, just taking it one sip of cappuccino at a time. I didn’t want to think about the cherry omega with the legs that went on for miles, and the cute top with the bow that I can now only think about tugging on with my teeth to exposeher cleavage. I didn’t particularly want to have a hard-on this early in the morning. Not that it’s something I haven’t dealt with before, but now this is over something I can’t do anything about.
“Don’t you want the chase? The thrill of the hunt?”
I blink as he carries on walking, leaving me behind until I catch up.
I can honestly say that before he said those words, no, I didn’t want that. I like an easy life. I love that I don’t have to work, having watched my dad work seventy hours a week to give our family everything he could provide, I know for sure that is not what I want. JP has helped me increase my trust fund to a state where I don’t have to work. However, he makes it sound so enticing. Especially when it is attached to the cherry omega. Storm Rivers. Itisa sexy name to go with a sexy omega.
“So, what are you saying?” I ask slowly.
He turns around and walks backwards, jabbing his finger in the direction of the way we came. “I want to chase that omega down and claim her.”
“What?” Okay, I’m saying that a lot this morning, but he is messing with my head. “Does that mean what I think it means? Did you just make a declaration?”
He gives me a wicked smile before he turns around and marches off. “Maybe.”
Five
Storm
I’min a state when I hurry up the three stone steps and push open the door to the doctor’s office.
It’s an oasis—a serene and shadowy haven of healing in the heart of a bustling district in London. The decor is a combination of modern minimalism and classical beauty, with a hint of mystery and a touch of romance.
The walls are painted a soft white and adorned with a series of oil paintings in muted, earthy tones of oranges, reds, and deep purples. Through the tall, frosted windows, the hustle and bustle of the city outside are barely audible in the peaceful room.
