Page 107 of Heat & Deceit
“Exactly.” He comes around the counter. “You’re what they’ve been looking for.”
They?
I tip my head back as he approaches, maintaining eye contact. “And what about you?”
He stops a few inches away. “I want a place in your story.”
“You can’t handle my story.”
“I think you don’t know me very well.” He takes the cup from my hand and sets it on the counter.
“I think you underestimate how bad it really is.”
Placing his hands on both sides of my face, he leans closer. “Don’t try to scare me away,” he whispers, nudging his nose against mine. “I love this lilac scent.”
My eyelids flutter closed as citrus and pepper surrounds me. Grounds me.Home. He smells like home too. Clenching inside my chest, my heart pauses, anticipating the worst. Minutes tick by, but Rome simply stands there, pressed close, holding me, breathing in my perfume. Patiently waiting.
“Look at me.”
There’s no denying him. My eyes snap open and collide with his blue eyes. They’re turbulent, filled with a mix of emotions. Want. Concern. Regret. Hope. Fear. The last is what kick-starts my heart. As much as I’m scared of them rejecting me, these alphas are afraid of that too.
They’ve been looking for an omega for years.
I’m too jaded to believe in fate, but if I did believe, I imagine this might be what it feels like. The energy in the air buzzes and snaps, and I suck in a full breath of his scent, drowning in it and never wanting to come up for air.
“So, you’ve forgiven him?” Lycus drawls, destroying the moment.
Rome’s lips twitch, and he whispers, “Should I kick his ass?”
Lycus scoffs. “You can try.”
“No more fighting.” Javier.
A missing piece clicks together inside my chest, and suddenly, my heart is galloping, beating against my ribcage. They’re all here. I don’t know why that means so much to me, but something about this moment is pivotal. Like we’ve crossed the line we’ve been toeing for weeks. Weeks spent flirting and dancing closer and closer, but now we’re in a full tango. My stomach dips as my mind screams at me to go to Javier.
Rome’s hands fall away from me as I step around him and march straight toward the alpha I’ve been missing without realizing it. I lied to him. I expect anger. I expect indifference. I expect anything but the way his emerald eyes watch me, filled with relief. A corner of his mouth lifts as I make my way toward him.
“Where’ve you been, mentirosa?” he asks, voice light and not at all angry. I don’t understand Spanish, but that nickname, the fact that he used one, the way he said it, warms me to my toes. A weight lifts, and I collide into his chest. His arms wrap around me, and I go on my toes, burying my head in his neck. There’s something so steady about him, something so secure about his hold. Something safe. A deep, pleased purr rumbles in his chest, and a strong hand strokes down my back. I sniffle.
“Here, I thought I was the favorite,” Lycus mutters, making me laugh.
I tilt my head to the side and peer at him. “There are no favorites.”
“Are you sure? For a minute there, I was sure you liked me better than these two assholes.”
“You’re the asshole,” I remind him.
“Only for you.”
I press my lips closed and step away from Javier, smiling up at him.
“Hi,” he whispers with a grin.
“Hey.”
His eyes track over my body, happiness fading as he takes in the bruises and scrapes. “What happened?”
“Lycus didn’t tell you?”
