Page 7 of Empty Heat
I wasn’t afraid of alphas. I walked the world back home with them every day. I’d gone to college with them, graduated with them, worked with them at my job. But this man startled me.
“Who’s that?”
“That’s Lev. He’s one of the many talented gardeners around here. This place doesn’t stay tidy from the encroaching jungle without some daily work.”
“Oh.”
“Would you like me to introduce you?” Rhodes asked.
“Um. Okay. I just didn’t expect anyone else. He’s not my surrogate, right?” He’d just told me Lev was a gardener, but I had to be sure.
“No. We have matched you to Soren. But you won’t be meeting him until tomorrow.”
“Right. And you’ll be there, too.” I could possibly go into heat tomorrow, early, so I was a bit worried.
Rhodes smiled, placing a light hand on my back to assure me. “I’ll be right at your side all the time. Unless you request otherwise. Now, are you okay being introduced to Lev? I just don’t want him to startle you, since he’ll be in the area.”
“Um. It’s fine. I’ll say hi.”
Honestly, I was okay about it. Lev was graceful as he stood to face us, tall and strong with a heart-shaped face framed by sun-streaked brown hair wisping away from his ponytail clasp. His dark eyes seemed to sparkle in the leafy light, and the set of his jaw was smooth but strong. I found him quite attractive.
Rhodes walked up to Lev. “Hey, Lev. I want to introduce you to Callum. He’s here for a while. If you’re going to be gardening in the area, you should know each other’s names, at least.”
Lev nodded at Rhodes but turned to me, gaze open and friendly. “Hello, Callum” He held out his hand.
His grip was easy and kind, his large hands uncalloused, which seemed strange if he worked with shears and mowers and shovels. Maybe he wore gloves a lot?
“What a paradise to work in,” I said.
Lev smiled. “I agree.” A little breeze came up, scattering the bees and butterflies, and he swiped at his escaped locks of hair as they billowed about.
I found that gesture endearing, which was a weird thought for me considering I was nervous and in a strange land. But then again, Iwasattracted to alphas, I just didn’t want to mate with them.
I hoped my surrogate, Soren, was someone as nice as Lev.
My imagination had sort of run wild with the surrogacy aspect. I had read a lot about it and had tons more questions lined up to ask Rhodes. I pictured a rather cold and calculated, intellectual experience that would teach me how to learn about my body and my limits and what that might mean for me. I imagined it would all be very perfunctory, perhaps awkward. And meaningless.
But when I looked at Lev, even though we’d just met, I couldn’t believe he’d be that way if he’d been a surrogate. He’d be warm and friendly. He’d have that hint of a smile I saw right now as a weird silence came over us.
Rhodes scratched the back of his head as if a little nervous. But he didn’t say anything.
I took a chance. “We’re going to look at the ocean. There’s a break in the trees.”
“Yes. It’s a beautiful view,” Lev answered.
Suddenly, I had a ton of questions. Not for Rhodes, but for Lev. “Is there a cliff? How high up is it? Does it overlook a beach or more rocks?”
Lev didn’t wait for the invitation I longed to give. Straight-forward, he said, “Let’s go look.”
The three of us walked across the emerald lawn and through a copse of olive trees until we came to an open clearing. Blue glints of ocean flashed in the sunlight and as the branches thinned a huge expanse of the Caribbean under taffy-blue skies filled my vision.
The sea was much more silent than the Pacific, but it still made sounds like a rushing wind. I couldn’t hear it back in my cabin except last night, when a quick squall came and went. Then, I heard the crashing and roaring. But only for a short while.
“I love the sounds the ocean makes.” I inhaled the sharp, salt-fresh scent.
“The Caribbean actually whistles,” Lev said. “The tone is A-flat.”
“What? Really?” I’d never heard of that before.
