Gold Rush (Golden Omegaverse #1)

Chapter 23 – June

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

JUNE

I packed exactly one skirt for my tour, and I’m lucky it still fits.

I was fully expecting it not to, but my options are limited for tonight’s dinner with Arin. It doesn’t feel right to wear the brown dress that Bennett bought for me, so instead, I wiggle myself into a tan suede skirt that’s a little tight on my bloated belly. I pair it with the cashmere sweater Seth got for me, and a plaid trench coat that Seth also slipped into the bag under the guise of London being chilly .

The air outside clings to winter, and with it, I wonder where I’ll be by this time next year.

I push away the strange feeling as I make myself presentable, brushing my fingers through my hair and trying to make it lay correctly instead of frizzing at the ends. All my other clothes are clean again, smelling of laundry detergent and fresh rainwater.

Swiping a light wash of makeup over my cheeks, I forgo blush, the redness in them already more than I’d like. I glance at myself in the bathroom mirror, pausing for a moment as I stare, unsure if it’s a trick of the light or if I do truly look different.

My hips are fuller, the skirt pulling over my rounded stomach, and I tug at it, trying to adjust the sweater so it covers it a bit more. It took a lot of years to be content with my appearance, and the rapid changes have made me feel uncomfortable again in my own skin, my mother’s voice echoing in the back of my mind, reminding me not to order too much and to skip dessert.

But there’s another voice too, deeper, softer — Seth’s voice, whispering that I’m beautiful, paired with memories of him kissing the very stomach I’m trying to hide.

I give up, grunting at myself and turning away from the mirror as I slip on my boots, teetering on one foot, then the other to get them on. All I have to do is get through the dinner tonight with an alpha who is the prime of the pack that I’ve somehow found myself hopelessly intertwined with.

No worries.

I snatch my new coat, swinging it over my shoulders as I suck in a breath, trying to calm my pounding heart as I shove my phone into one of the pockets. Something crunches, and I pause, glancing down as I tug a crumpled piece of paper from the pocket.

Be yourself. If he upsets you at all, I’ll make Bennett fight him for prime. — Seth

My heart tugs painfully as I stare at the words, pressing my lips together as I hold the note to my chest. Closing my eyes tightly, I fight the burning in them before I tuck the note carefully back into my pocket. The townhouse is deceptively quiet as I descend the stairs.

I don’t know if Theo has even left his room since I saw his weird behavior earlier, and Seth and Bennett’s door is closed when I walk past it. I try to ignore the thoughts as my boots click on the stairs, reaching the foyer and hesitating as I stand in the center.

Footsteps echo in the hall behind the stairs and I whirl, freezing when I see Arin coming from the back. He adjusts the cuffs of his dress shirt as his eyes flicker up, taking me in from my toes all the way to my head, his eyes lingering on mine as he smiles.

“We match.”

It’s ironic — his dress shirt is a light taupe, complementing his skin tone and matching my skirt. His slacks are black, like my sweater. Arin reaches into a closet and pulls out a coat similar to mine, shrugging it on.

“I’d offer to change, but I don’t think you want me at dinner in leggings and a sweatshirt.” I shrug, pressing my lips together with a small smile. “This is what I have.”

He steps toward me, holding out his hand. When I take it, he pulls me into his side, his voice soft. “I wouldn’t blink. You look beautiful in anything you wear, Juniper.” I don’t try to fight the blush rising on my cheeks as he leads us outside and ushers me into the same black town car that Bennett put me in when we left the designation center.

Smoothing my skirt, I glance out the car window, taking in the other townhouses and the few cars parked on the road. My eye catches on a dingy white one parked directly across from the townhouse, but I push the question over it out of my mind. My eyes find Arin again, sucking in a breath as he sits across from me, staring.

“I’m not used to having a driver.” I press my palms against my skirt.

“It’s easier.” Arin answers softly. “We only stay in London for brief periods of time. It was… a stroke of luck, really, that we’re even in town.” He licks his lips. “I had business in Paris — still have it — I need to go back and facilitate a contract at the end of the week.” Arin lets out a soft laugh, running a hand over his mussed curls. “But you probably don’t care about that.”

“I do!” I lean forward. “Seth said that you were in real estate. Or maybe it was Bennett.”

Arin’s lips twitch as he looks at me. “I am. I do contract law, but I occasionally help others tour homes or locations. That’s how I met Bennett and Seth, actually.”

I smile at him, the car stopping and starting in the evening traffic. “And let me guess, Seth just never left.”

“That’s accurate,” Arin chuckles, a fond expression crossing his face.

I feel a pull in my chest, like a string connecting me back to the townhouse and the beta inside it. I’m glad to have a moment of peace alone with Arin, even if it’s only to get to know him in this odd situation we’ve all found ourselves in. Still, it wouldn’t bother me at all to have Bennett and Seth with us at dinner… and maybe Theo too.

“They were purchasing commercial property.” Arin speaks softly as the car pulls to a stop. He steps out first and then offers me a hand. I take it as he keeps talking. “Bennett and I hit it off immediately — we have very similar personalities, I’ve found. And I’d met him prior at a networking event in…” He squints as he walks us toward the door of a tall building. “God, I don’t even remember where it was.”

My eyes flicker up and up, taking in the high rise as Arin guides us inside where a man behind a desk greets us.

“Mr. Mohan.” The man smiles at Arin. “Thank you so much for your call earlier. We’re happy to have you this evening. Please, follow me.”

I take in the fancy decor as the man leads us away from the main area, which resembles a regular office building, to a private elevator off to the side. He glances at Arin first as we step into the elevator, and I shift closer to the alpha holding my hand as the elevator itself sways, beginning to rise. I don’t have a great track record with elevators, but at least I’m not alone.

Arin bends down, his voice soft. “I’d have you close your eyes, but I’d like to see your face when the doors open.”

I turn toward him, about to ask what he means, just as the doors click, the elevator dinging as they slide open. The host motions for us to step off, but instead, I stare .

The floor is entirely made of glass, looking down at some kind of club on the level below us in the building. Arin chuckles softly as he guides me off the elevator, walking across the lit up surface into an empty room. When I finally drag my eyes away from the floor, I’m met with a view of windows, the entire wall looking out onto central London in the evening, the sounds of traffic trickling up from the street below, at the peak of the city’s hustle and bustle of evening traffic.

I stop near a single table in the center of the room, two chairs across from each other. Arin pulls one of them out, smiling at me as I take a seat.

He takes his place across from me, folding a napkin across his lap. “I think it was Berlin, now that I’ve thought about it.” His lips lift. “Bennett wanted to expand to a European market, then a year later — the next time I met him, while showing the property — I also met his partner, both in business and in life.”

I stare at him, sucking in a little breath. “And you just let them into the pack?”

“I had to speak to Theo, of course.” Arin glances at his napkin. For all the activity underneath us and the lights flashing, the room we’re in is quiet, only street noise filtering through the open windows.

I stare at Arin, realizing I know nothing about any of them.

“He tried Seth’s rum and was pretty keen to have them in our little pack.” He laughs lightly, looking up at me. “I’m sorry he’s not been on his best behavior. I can’t make excuses for him, but I do hope that one of these days he can find it in himself to explain to you the reasons behind his actions, as misguided and rude they’ve been.”

I almost say that it’s okay — but it’s really not. Instead, I swallow and thank a waitress as she appears to fill each of our glasses with cold, still water. Arin orders a bottle of some kind of wine, and then the waitress is gone again.

I lick my lips, glancing around. “I”m sorry, I’m having… I…” I pause, trying to gather my thoughts. This place could easily hold a hundred to two hundred people, and it’s just… empty. Because apparently the alpha in front of me made a call .

He takes a sip of his water, and then lays his hand on the table, palm up. “I wanted to be able to talk to you one on one.” I eye his hand, then place mine in his, my throat tightening as his fingers wrap around mine. “And we couldn’t do that with other patrons around… potentially watching. I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable, but now I’m realizing I unintentionally did that anyway. This wasn’t meant to be flashy, I’m sorry.”

I stare at him, chewing on my lip. “People wouldn’t be looking at me.”

Arin’s lips twist as he stares at me. “Oh, Juniper.” His voice softens. “They would . Not only you, but me as well. You’ve heard the saying, money talks, but wealth whispers , well —” He glances away at the open windows. “I’ve done well for myself in the last fifteen years of my work. The people who need to know who I am, do.” He looks back at me. “I’ve found something I enjoy doing, and I have found I enjoy the connections I make as much as the deals I seal.”

My heart beats in my ears as I whisper, “I don’t know how to do any of this.” The admission is soft. “I never wanted to be… known for anything.” My mind flickers back to my books. “I know that’s now how most people operate, or what they dream of, but now I find myself not only having a career exploding, but a world interested in my personal life. One would be overwhelming, both is…”

Arin gazes at me, his lips dipping into a frown. “I can’t imagine.”

I nod, my throat feeling dry. “I feel like I woke up one day and I suddenly wasn’t just Juniper Walden, the beta daughter to two beta parents who wished I was more.”

Arin tilts his head at me. “I’m sorry. That sounds like a lot of change in a very short amount of time, possibly the biggest change you could go through.”

The server reappears, pouring us both a glass from a bottle of red wine before leaving it in a chilled bucket on the table. Arin looks up, his hand tightening on mine, a reminder that the conversation is only paused, not over.

“Tell the chef the menu he sent over is perfect.”

The server nods her head before she leaves the table again. I look over at the windows, sucking in a deep breath as I tighten my fingers around his, clinging to him as much as he seems to be holding onto me. There’s something so… solid about him — for as awkward as he is, there’s a sense of serenity when I glance back at him and find him quietly watching me.

He’s really beautiful. His dark brown eyes are framed with thick brows, a softness in his expression that speaks of kindness. Messy curls are pushed back on his head, resembling slight order, but one piece keeps flopping forward on his forehead. He must have trimmed his stubble, because his beard is a little cleaner around the edges.

I glance down at our hands, my pale fingers wrapped around his bronze ones.

“I think I understand now why Theo thought I was just trying to worm my way into a rich pack.”

Arin snarls , and I nearly pull my hand back at the noise. His nostrils flare, his eyes narrowing. “I didn’t know he said that .”

A shocked laugh barks out of me. “You look like you’re considering ways to kill him.”

“A lot of options are currently crossing my mind,” he mutters the words under his breath as the server returns with two salads. I finally let his hand go and pick up my fork, spearing fresh spinach, nuts, prosciutto, and dried berries all in one bite.

Arin clears his throat after he takes his first bite. “We grew up extremely close.” I tilt my head, eager to understand what the reasoning is behind the two of them being the baseline of the pack. “Theo is complicated and it’s not my place to say why, but for all his faults, he has a heart that’s begging to be unthawed.”

Balsamic vinegar bursts on my tongue as I look up at him. “He’s kind of prickly.”

“He’s a fucking asshole.” Arin takes a drink of his wine, leveling me with a look. “I apologize for his behavior. I’m very pleased with Bennett and Seth, though, and I hope you are too.”

I blush, spluttering around a bite of the salad. “They’ve been very nice to me.”

“Good.” He puts his glass back down, and then sighs, laying his fork on his plate too. “If I had more time, I think I’d have more tact.” Arin wipes his mouth, his full focus lighting me up from the inside out. “Do you want to stay in our home for your heat? Is that what would make you the most comfortable? Because I will do whatever you want, Juniper. I will hire someone for you, I will take Theo by the ear and drag him across the world so he doesn’t bother you, and I will leave you in the careful and capable hands of Bennett and Seth — but I want it to, ultimately, be your choice.”

My hands shake as I place my wine glass down.

How is this the first time someone has truly and earnestly asked me what I’ve wanted during all this? Seth is well-intentioned, but leaving the center with him and Bennett wasn’t so much of a choice as my only option.

I stare at Arin. “I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.”

“That is not what I asked.” He stares at me, his eyes dark. “Was it, Juniper?”

“No.” I whisper the word, embarrassment mixing with something else as my perfume blooms under his attention. I’m not going to be able to bullshit this man — and it’s equal parts terrifying and electrifying.

Arin’s hands flex as they rest on the table. “Answer me.” His nostrils flare. “Please.”

I suck in a breath, my chest tugging as I admit what I’ve known since the beginning. “Yes, I want to stay.”

He nods. “Then you’re staying.”