Chapter 25 Nash
TWENTY-FIVE
Nash
As we cruise down the road to SVU, I chance a look at her to see she’s wrapping a tight curl around her finger, releasing it, then watching it spring back. I face ahead again before I get distracted by thoughts of losing my fingers in that hair, and…
What do I say? The silence is deafening. I’ve never been particularly good with words. If Tae were here, he’d say something funny that’d make her laugh, and Jagger oozes effortless charm. I could tell a joke…
“So…” We both speak at the same time.
“Sorry.” Delilah smiles. “You go first.”
“Uh…” Now my brain decides to go completely dead, all the jokes I’ve ever heard completely evading me. “Are you still full?”
Real smooth, Nash.
“Full?” She splutters, her brown eyes as wide as dinner plates.
“I mean, with food.”
Holy shit. Did she think I was asking her if she was full of cum?
From the look on her face and the slight hint of perfume, I’m guessing she did.
I snort. I already know she’s not as innocent as she looks after seeing what she reads.
Looking inside the special edition while fixing it up for her, the steamy scenes were enough to make me hot under the collar…
and eager to act out some of them in real life. With her.
“Yep.” She gazes out the window, hopefully not avoiding eye contact. “I’m full.”
I nod as I think of something wittier to say, still drawing blanks.
“Thanks for giving me a ride,” Delilah says. “I really would have been happy to call a taxi or catch a bus from Forestville.”
An uncontrollable growl comes from me, stirring the air between us. “You’re never getting a bus when I can drive you.”
The bus!?! With all those people and other potential alphas? Hell no! I grind my back teeth at the thought of another alpha scenting her.
After we knotted, all my protective instincts surged to the surface.
Even letting her leave our house is a struggle when all I want to do is keep her there with me.
I have to bite my tongue to stop myself from expressing all of this, not wanting to sound like a controlling jerk.
After our conversation at breakfast, it’s clear that Delilah needs to take things slow.
But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
“I’m sure you’ve got lots of other things to do today.” She turns to face me. “I don’t want to take up any more of your time.”
“I will always have time for you, Delilah.” My hands clench the wheel. “Always.”
“About last night…” She plays with the hem of her T-shirt. “Thanks for being there and helping me through that. Being around you guys is just…” She shakes her head. “Scent matches are crazy, huh?”
“Yeah.”
Is that really all I can say to that? Then again, it’s probably better than trying to put into words how I’m actually thinking and risk scaring her away.
We may be scent matches, but the intensity of my feelings for her could send her running in the opposite direction.
Every fiber of my being demands to be close to her, like a magnet is forcing us together.
The thought of having to leave her in Omega Village is already tearing me apart.
“Should I put on some music?” Not waiting for my response, she taps on the screen then flicks through my music playlists before settling on some old-school country. “This is a good one.”
I wince. Of all the songs she had to pick, she chose that one. I feel myself withdrawing, my mind transported back to my childhood.
“Nash?” Her sweet scent, the smell of home, breaks through the thick heaviness of my grief. “Are you okay?”
I don’t know whether she sensed a change in my scent or is an expert in body language, but I hoist myself out of my memory—the vision of my dad telling my brother to stop goofing off while we work on a project fading…
“That’s my brother’s favorite song.” I swallow down the lump in my throat. “We used to play it all the time.”
“Are the two of you close?”
“He’s dead,” I reply bluntly. I don’t often talk about Robbie—not just because of the pain but because I hate the way people look at me after I tell them. Just like how Delilah is looking at me now, her doe-like eyes full of pity. “It happened a long time ago. He was seventeen.”
She reaches over, her small hand covering my knee. “I’m so sorry, Nash.” Her sudden touch causes my body to jump like I’ve been electroshocked. She yanks her arm away. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“You didn’t. It’s just… I’m just not used to talking about stuff like this,” I admit. “I don’t talk about Robbie a lot. Not even to Tae or Jagger.”
The chorus of the song fills the car. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”
Despite my instincts to shut myself off, something about Delilah makes me want to open up, so the words keep on coming.
“He and I were close. More than brothers, really. Best friends. He died in a car accident.” I shudder.
“I was in the car with him when it happened. I was supposed to be driving that night, but we switched because I wanted to have a few drinks. If I hadn’t done that, he’d still be here. ”
I can still hear it—the crunch of metal, the thwack of leaves cracking the windshield before the bone-deep jolt as the airbag hit me, the devastating silence that followed, only punctuated by a high-pitched ringing in my ears.
“Oh, Nash…” She cautiously pats my knee again. Instead of jumping this time, I concentrate on the warmth radiating from her palm through the denim of my jeans, like a ray of sunshine cutting through storm clouds. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“Maybe not, but it still doesn’t take away that it should have been me who died that night. It was my job to get us home safe.” I shrug. “My parents were never the same after we lost Robbie. And neither was I.”
“I wish there was something I could say, but sometimes words aren’t enough,” she utters softly. “I can’t imagine how hard that was for you. I guess it’s one of the reasons why you’re so protective of your pack now.”
“I’d die for the people I care about.” Her included, though I don’t verbalize it. “I’ll never make a stupid choice that puts anyone I love in danger again.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” she reminds me. “It was an accident.”
I almost believe her.
Deciding we’ve had enough emotions for one day, I clear my throat and point up ahead. “Almost there.”
We drive through campus in thoughtful silence, listening to Robbie’s song. As Delilah hums along to it, I realize it’s the first time I’ve listened to it in years. Maybe this is a sign from Robbie that I’m in the right place, with the right person.
“You can let me out here,” she says as the song changes, and we reach the Omega Village gates.
“I’m security, remember?” I pull out a clearance badge from the glove box. “I’m taking you right to your door.”
“Have you met Margie?” Delilah laughs. “She’s very protective.”
I smirk as I approach the barrier. Margie is one of the guards I met during my security team meetings, and we’ve built a good rapport.
“Nash?” Margie arches an eyebrow, craning her neck to get a look at who is next to me. “Delilah?” She squints. “Is that you?”
“I’m here to drop Delilah off at Stella House, Margie. I want to make sure she gets home safe. She’s had a rough night.”
Margie exhales through her nose, peering at Delilah who nods back at her. “You have five minutes, Nash.” The barrier opens slowly. “Then I expect you back here. By the way, I may need your help fixing the security monitor I was telling you about. The screen’s gone dark again.”
“Probably a loose connection somewhere. My tools are in the back.” I grin. “I’ll take a look.”
“Whoa…” Delilah’s eyes are like saucers as we drive through. “I’ve never seen Margie be so accommodating to an alpha before. She almost tased Calder, Kady’s boyfriend, the first time they met. Apparently, she had him pinned down on the floor.”
I snort. Seeing Calder Soren being pinned down by Margie is something I would’ve paid to see.
“Which house is yours?” I ask as we pass a long row of scent sorority houses. I’m impressed by their decor, each having unique touches, although I shouldn’t be surprised as omegas love to make things homier.
“This one.” She points at the one with a pale blue door and beautiful stained glass windows.
“I’m walking you to your door, Delilah,” I insist as we come to a stop.
I open the door for her then walk with her up the steps to the porch. Despite the serene environment and not seeing anyone else around, I can’t shake the odd feeling that we’re being watched.
“Thank you again.” She pauses at the door. “For everything.”
I nod curtly, racking my brains for some parting words, but nothing is coming as she reaches the door handle.
“Well, bye, then—”
“I’m not good at this,” I blurt, causing her to turn around. “This whole talking and courting thing.”
“Neither am I.” Her smile instantly puts me at ease. “I guess we’re going to be learning together, right?”
“I guess we are.” I can’t stop the smile curving my lips.
She rises on her tiptoes, her plump lips grazing my cheek and sending heat rushing up my neck. “See you soon, Nash.”
“See you soon, Delilah,” I murmur, watching as she disappears inside, leaving me wondering how this perfect omega has managed to turn my whole life on its head so fast.