Page 35 of Party Girl: How a Naughty Omega Finds Love
“Ready?” He studies my face, trying to figure me out.
“I guess.” I follow him to an SUV, raising my eyebrows when he opens the front passenger door for me.
“You’re not under arrest, but if you’re more comfortable in the back…” He trails off, letting me decide.
“This is fine.” I climb in, studying the concentration lining his face. I haven’t caught another whiff of his alpha scent. Whatever he’s thinking, he’s keeping control of his emotions.
He gently shuts the door and walks around the front of the vehicle. I buckle and gaze out of the side window. The car becomes a suffocating prison when he climbs in. Asher may be hiding his scent from me, but there’s a distinct aftertaste of it in the air. Being in the car with him is like waking up after smoking a cigar the night before. The taste of him lingers on the back of my tongue, my throat is dry, and my head is fuzzy.
“Are we going to talk about the other night?”
“Let’s pretend it didn’t happen.” I avoid his gaze.
He scoffs. “That’s not going to happen. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.”
I glance at him, caught off guard by how forward he’s being.
Remembering he’s supposed to be mad at me, his gaze darkens. “You lied to me.”
“Would it have changed anything?”
He presses his lips together, refusing to answer. Hayden should have driven me home. Riding with Asher is going to be a special kind of torture.
“Where’s your friend?” I ask as he pulls out of the parking lot.
“I was wondering when you’d ask about him.” Asher’s comment makes me feel like a fool.
Breathing through my teeth, I fight off the sudden urge to snap at him. My omega hackles are up, but I won’t let him rile me. The bitter scent of my frustration fills the car.
“Trev needed him for something,” Asher finally says. “He wanted to take you.”
“That’s not why I asked.” I glare at him. He thinks he knows me. The frustrating part is that he’s not off base with his assumption.
“Okay.” He shrugs and drives to my apartment, not needing the address since he’s already taken me home once before. Tonight isn’t so different from that night. My life is still a mess and whatever attraction there is between us is buried beneath the heaviness of reality.
“Music?”
“Sure.”
The radio blares rock music, and I flinch, an ingrained reaction to louder than usual noises. Asher curses and turns it almost all the way down.
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I say, giving him a stiff smile. “It just surprised me.”
He squints at me, like he can tell I’m lying.
Leaning forward, I turn the radio up and look out the window again. The conversation lulls, and while it’s uncomfortable, it’s easier than talking to him. He parks outside my apartment complex, turning the SUV off. He starts to get out.
“I can take it from here.”
Pausing with his fingers on the handle, he studies me. “I’ll see you inside.”
“Thank you for the ride, but I’m fine.” I quickly climb out and shut the door, making a break for my apartment.
His door slams shut a second later. “Whitney.”
My stomach flips at my name on his lips. Intense need floods through me, driven by my hormones. The sweet scent of desire cloys. I was born to crave alphas, but he’s not my alpha. He’s an overbearing jerk who thinks he can tell me what to do because we kissed.
