Page 16 of The Alpha Escort Agency
"Yes." He’s not used to talking about himself, and he finds it difficult to know what more to say.
"What of?"
How does he answer a question like that? He considers it.
"Life." He peers out of the window. The realisation that the sky is darkening brings him to his senses. "I'd better go."
He stands and shrugs on his jacket and she follows him onto her feet and to the door as he opens it and steps through into the entranceway. When he turns back to say goodbye, she's leaning against the door, her weight on one foot, the other tucked behind her bare ankle, her head resting on the wood, her hands on the handle. She looks adorable and nothing in the world could stop him from doing what he does next. It is all instinct. His body reacting so rapidly, his brain has no time to intervene.
Before he registers it, he steps into her, wrapping one hand around her waist and the other her neck and pulls her into his embrace, his mouth on hers.
Normally, his first kiss would be respectful, careful even, checking it was wanted and returned, but he's desperate to taste her, to feel the sensation of her lips grazing his. He'd resisted it through the two days of her heat. Now his restraint snaps like a rubber band pulled too taut.
His fingers tangle in her loose hair, the other grips at the curve of her waist and he tastes the chocolate of the brownies on her tongue as she opens up for him, allowing him to explore the wet side of her lips, the entrance of her mouth.
She kisses him back, her mouth moving against his, her scent spiraling through his mind and her teeth scraping the plumpness of his lower lip. Lifting onto her toes, she grasps the front of his t-shirt in her fists and the action snaps him back to reality.
He steps away.
"I'm sorry," he mutters.
She looks at him with confusion and cocks her head. "Did … did you want my number?"
He feels his brow tug down into a frown. "Yes. I would very much like your number, Alice. But I can't have it."
"Oh." Her own brow crinkles. "Why?"
"It's against the rules of my employment and of the contract you signed."
Her eyes fall to the ground, her scent spiking with embarrassment and disappointment, and she bites her lip. "Oh," she repeats.
Shit! She's so damn cute.
He lunges back towards her, his lips finding hers again hungrily, the gland on the back of his neck tingling so strongly it almost hurts. He kisses her hard, wanting her to remember it, to imprint on her mouth and in her mind.
Then he halts, his forehead pressed to hers, "I'm sorry."
"You said that," she breathes into his mouth.
"I have to go. It was wrong of me to come."
He drags himself away, turning his back on her before he succumbs to more temptation and striding to his truck. When he's seated behind the wheel, he'd like to take a moment to detangle the web of confusion in his mind. He'd like to sniff her scent on his fingers and his watch strap. Instead, he starts the engine and jolts the vehicle into gear, swerving away from the curb, needing to get away.
The drive gives him something to focus on, to distract himself with, yet twice he catches himself running his tongue along his lip, sneaking a taste of her.
The light fades rapidly and lights flicker on across the city, headlights sweeping past him in the opposite direction. The temperature inside the cab falls, and he cranks on the heat, flicking between radio stations, unable to decide what he wants to hear.
There's an unease growing in his stiff muscles with every yard of distance that grows between himself and the Omega. He could do with a beer and some sense knocked into him.
Some of the other Alpha escorts like to hang out together, grab a beer and exchange stories and advice. Once or twice over the years he's swung by. Most of the time he's not bothered. He's never liked other Alphas, the jostling and bravado. Still, despite his lack of engagement, he's heard on the grapevine of escorts being fired for dalliances with clients. Andrea is pretty ruthless about it.
Once, early on in his escort career, there'd been an Omega who'd gotten too attached. She'd tracked him down, started hanging about outside his house. At first he'd tried to handle it himself, assuring the woman he wasn't interested. There had been no room for kindness and vagueness, but she hadn't got the message. She wanted to be his mate, to be bonded with him for life. There was no reasoning with her.
Finally, he'd informed the agency, and they'd dealt with it, but somehow he'd still ended up in trouble, hauled into the agency for a dressing down and verbal warning. He's been very careful since then. Careful not to be too friendly, too personable. He treads a fine line, keeping things polite, respectful and reliable. There hasn't been a repeat. What has possessed him to slip up like this now?
If Andrea finds out about this unsolicited visit to the Omega, he's going to get booted out of the job. He hopes Alice has the sense not to mention it to the agency. He should have told her not to. His livelihood is at risk, after all.
Chapter 7
