4. Unexpected Temptation
Unexpected Temptation
~ELIZABETH~
M y head snaps up, and for a moment, I forget how to breathe.
The culprit of that low rumble of a voice belongs to someone I’ve never seen in the entire five years I’ve been here at Hard Knot Academy.
He's leaning against the lockers like he owns them; like he owns the whole damn room. Hell, he could own this entire establishment for all I care. He screams dominance and power in one look.
His uniform — the same ridiculous blazer and tie combination they force on all the students — somehow looks different on him.
Dangerous. Like putting a collar on a wolf and calling it tame.
Alpha.
Every cell in my body recognizes it, responds to it , even as my mind catalogs the details.
His hair is a dark copper, artfully messy in a way that probably took an hour to perfect, with hints of darker roots that suggest the color might be enhanced. Not that I'm judging — my own platinum blonde comes from a bottle these days. Either way, it’s a shade that compliments his peachy complexion that’s surprisingly flawless like some sort of model.
I’ve never seen a man who projects intense masculinity and yet also embodies a hint of softness in his features that makes him look worthy of being plastered in magazines everywhere.
I’m not sure how to explain it, but his attractiveness would make all the Omegas on campus go gaga over him. I can tell despite the short interaction we’ve acquired in this minute of staring that he has a playboy appearance.
Could be the way he’s leaning against the lockers, with his hands deep in those pockets, and that smug look along those dangerously smooth lips of his. Or maybe it’s his entire vibe that gives off a casual dominance like he’s very aware of how he can control this situation with a snap of his fingers.
Hell, maybe he could. He’s an Alpha after all. They’re all cocky knowing they have the power to ruin us Omegas without even trying.
But it's his eyes that catch and hold me.
They're hazel, but that's like calling a sunset orange. The brown is rich and deep, shot through with fragments of amber and gold that seem to catch the fluorescent light.
They're studying me with an intensity that should make me uncomfortable.
Instead, it makes me feel seen .
Which isn’t a good thing because my body is reacting to him like I’d give up all my morals to climb him up and ride his— fuck. Let’s NOT think like that.
His jaw could cut glass — all clean, sharp angles softened only slightly by a day's worth of stubble. I usually prefer my men more rugged, but there's something about the contrast between his refined features and the barely contained violence in his posture that works.
That’s charming and far too attractive.
He's tall — my dancer's eye puts him at around 6'4" — which means he's practically looming over my 5'7" frame, even from across the room.
Most of my height is in my legs, a blessing for a dancer but sometimes awkward in daily life. Right now, though, I'm acutely aware of how those long legs are completely bare except for my dance shorts, which aren’t doing much cover-up.
The uniform marks him as a student, but I've never seen him before. And I would have remembered.
Even in a school full of Alphas, he stands out like a shark in a koi pond.
"You must be new," I say, proud of how steady my voice sounds despite the way my heart is hammering. "This is the female changing room."
His lips curve into something too predatory to be called a smile.
"I'm well aware, Abercrombie."
Shit…he knows my name. How?
The words hang in the air between us, charged with meaning. He's not apologizing. Not leaving. Just...watching me with those impossible eyes.
I can only assume he had to be in the auditorium, watching my performance, as if it was anything close to entertaining. It makes me wonder what his objective could be, preying on me in this place that deems me “vulnerable”.
The air feels thick, and heavy with our combined scents.
That incredible mixture of warm spices and sweet darkness is stronger now, and I realize with a jolt that it's coming from him. Not cologne — his natural scent.
The thought makes something low in my belly clench.
I watch as he slides his hands into his pockets, making me realize at some point he’d taken them out for some air, but not before I catch the slight tremor in them.
Is he reacting to me as I feel like I’m reacting to him?
He's affecting me, yes, but I'm affecting him too…which could be a good sign.
Or very bad. I can’t fucking tell.
I can see it in the way his pupils have dilated, turning those beautiful hazel eyes almost black. In the tension that runs through his broad shoulders like an electric current.
The throbbing between my legs is impossible to ignore now.
My suppressants should prevent this kind of reaction, but they feel about as effective as a paper umbrella in a hurricane. Every instinct is screaming at me to move closer, to press myself against him and find out if he tastes as good as he smells.
Dangerous thoughts.
Too dangerous for me to continue staying here.
I've spent five years building walls around myself, protecting this Omega shell from exactly this kind of situation. I'm not about to let some gorgeous Alpha with bedroom eyes and a scent like sin incarnate tear them down.
No matter how much my body is begging me to do exactly that.
Easier said than done though…
I’ve always been the one to talk the talk and walk it flawlessly, but this instance proves that I may not be able to walk away from this golden opportunity.
Maybe I thought being in this situation would be easy to contradict because all the Alphas I’ve met are douchebags. I feel as though this one would be no different, but there’s just something feral about him that makes me think otherwise.
He’s not like all the Alphas who end up in a place like Hard Knot Academy.
The thick, charged air between us is nearly suffocating. His presence fills the room, commanding attention in a way that makes my instincts both wary and maddeningly aware of him.
C’mon, Abbie. Don’t act like a typical Omega. Stand your ground!
I prepared myself to try to keep my tone even, even as my body betrays me with a heat pooling low in my stomach.
“Let me guess,” I say, forcing my voice into something cool and sharp. “You’re a crazed fan who got lost?” I can only assume he’s insane to be so confident about being here of all places. “If you think sneaking into the girl’s changing room is going to get you anything, think again.”
He smirks at that, the kind of infuriating, self-assured grin that makes me want to smack him.
Or kiss him .
“Crazed fan?” he repeats, his voice low and dripping with mockery. “Not quite. But I’ll admit I was watching. Hard not to when someone’s lighting up the stage like that.”
I snort, folding my arms across my chest. The movement draws his attention for a flicker of a second before his gaze snaps back up to mine.
He’s toying with me…
I realize, and I’m not hesitant in testing to see how far I’ll let him push.
He’s about to learn that I don’t bend easily.
“Who are you, anyway?” I demand, narrowing my eyes. “You don’t exactly look like a Knot Academy student. You do know about the mockery “Hard Knot Academy” name it seems, but I guess social media could help with that.” I shake my head before tilting it to one side to observe his reaction carefully. “Not that they give me a fucking welcome packet when new people show up.”
He chuckles, and the rich sound rolls over me like thunder.
Damn him.
“Carter,” he says simply, his hazel eyes gleaming with a predatory edge. “Carter Giovanni.”
Giovanni…Italian…god. Even his surname is powerful. Fuck me.
The name carries weight, though I can’t place it immediately. I can only wonder if he’s involved in the black market in some way. Hell, maybe even the mafia.
Would I even care? No…I can handle danger.
Still, the way he says it, is like he expects it to mean something to me.
It rubs me the wrong way.
“Elizabeth Abercrombie,” I mutter in response, my tone clipped. It feels strange to say my full name aloud, like a reminder of someone I’m not anymore. No one ever asks for my name these days. I’m just named by all the various nicknames they’ve bestowed upon me for my five-year track at this damn academy.
Something shifts in his expression, a flicker of amusement as he tilts his head slightly.
“Elizabeth,” he murmurs, testing it on his tongue. “Hmm. I think I like ‘Abbie’ better.”
I roll my eyes so hard I think they might fall out of my skull.
“You haven’t earned the right to call me that.”
His smirk widens, his hazel eyes sparkling with mischief.
“And what would I have to do to earn it?”
A wicked grin tugs at the corner of my lips before I can stop it.
Two can play at this game.
“I’ll have to think about it,” I say, my voice deliberately teasing.
Carter straightens just slightly, and for a moment, his gaze burns so intensely it’s like he’s daring me to challenge him further. He’s magnetic, this towering Alpha with his taunting smirk and eyes that promise danger.
He’s dangerous…trouble. The worst kind.
All my warning bells are telling me to scurry away while I still can.
“While you’re thinking,” he drawls, leaning closer, “I’ll just keep making myself at home.”
I scoff, trying to mask the way my pulse quickens.
“If you’re caught here,” I snap, “they’ll expel you before you’ve even started.”
He doesn’t back away.
Instead, he leans closer, every inch of his towering presence driving home the point that he’s not intimidated by me—or anyone, it seems.
“Not officially enrolled yet,” he admits, his voice carrying that same lazy confidence. “So how could I possibly know the rules?”
I can’t help but snort.
“What if the rules mean you can’t touch me?”
He moves then, slow and deliberate, closing the space between us. His sheer presence is overwhelming as he stops just inches away, towering over me. I have to tilt my chin to meet his gaze, my breath catching at the sheer intensity in his hazel eyes.
There’s hunger there.
Undeniable, primal hunger.
His voice drops, barely more than a growl.
“I’ve always been a rule-breaker. But for you…” His gaze drops to my lips, lingering. “I might be tempted to behave. For now.”
The way he says it sends shivers skittering down my spine, though I refuse to let it show. Instead, I snicker, the sound light but edged with challenge.
“Good luck with that,” I say, biting my bottom lip purposefully, knowing exactly how it will draw his attention.
His reaction is instant.
His growl reverberates through the room, low and feral, and it takes everything I have to keep sitting in place, my thighs pressed together for the sake of my own sanity.
My Omega instincts roar to life, the suppressed primal part of me craving what I know I shouldn’t. This is surely wrong. Against my morals. Against all I’ve worked for, but how am I supposed to deny this connection?
I can’t…
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath, giving in to the irrational, desperate urge clawing at me. My hand shoots out, grabbing the back of his neck, the warmth of his skin under my palm sending a jolt of electricity through me.
Carter doesn’t resist as I yank him down, our faces just inches apart before my lips crash into his. At first, he freezes, as though stunned by my boldness, but it lasts only a heartbeat.
Then he comes alive.
His large hand moves to my neck, tilting my head back further as he deepens the kiss with a passion that borders on brutality. I can’t stop myself from moaning in relief, my body burning up with thrumming need as he deepens the kiss.
The world narrows to just us. His lips move against mine, claiming, demanding, as though he’s been waiting his entire life for this moment. The way he growls into my mouth, so possessively and raw with intensity makes my body tingle with lust as I feel my pussy quake with the need to be filled.
His thumb brushes the sensitive skin just under my jaw, coaxing me further into the kiss. My breath hitches as he takes control, his tongue sweeping against mine in a way that makes me melt against him.
My fingers tighten in his hair as the kiss grows hungrier, more desperate. His other hand slides to my waist, pulling me flush against him, and I can feel the hard lines of his body, the heat radiating from him.
It’s madness, pure and wild, and I don’t want it to end.
Just feeling the touch of his hardness press tauntingly against my lower half has me gasping in desperation, and how he simply smiles against my lips before diving in for another sensational, toe-curling kiss that makes my world spin.
When he finally pulls back, we’re both breathing hard, our foreheads resting together as we fight to catch our breath. His hazel eyes burn into mine, his gaze so intense it feels like he’s looking straight through me.
Right into the depths of my soul.
“Addicting,” I whisper, my voice breathless as I lick my lips, still tasting him. “This…whatever this is.”
His lips quirk into that infuriating smirk, but there’s a darker, more dangerous edge to it now.
“I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
I force myself to pull back, putting an inch of space between us, though it feels like tearing myself apart.
“I need to shower,” I say, my voice steadier than I feel. “Unless you want to stick around and have an orgy with the Omegas from the auditions. Be my guest.”
His laugh is low, rolling through me like the growl of a predator.
“Tempting,” he admits, his eyes locked on mine. I try to ignore the way my heart clenches at the mere idea of any other female touching him. As if he’s already mine to claim. “But I’m not into just any Omega.”
Fuck…
If that doesn’t just open a damn of arousal down under.
I arch a brow, a taunt on the tip of my tongue, but the playful glint in his eyes fades as his gaze trails down my body. It stops at my feet, and his expression darkens, his brows pulling together in a frown.
“What?” I ask, startled by the sudden shift. He doesn’t answer, his attention fixed on my feet. Before I can process it, Carter drops to one knee on the locker room floor, his large hands gently taking hold of my ankle.
My cheeks flush, a rush of heat spreading through me at the unexpected gesture.
“What are you doing?” I demand, trying to pull my leg away, but his grip tightens just enough to keep me still without hurting me.
“Hold still,” he orders, his voice firm but not unkind. His gaze flicks up to mine, and the intensity in his eyes makes my breath hitch. “It’s not just anything,” he says, his voice softer now but no less commanding.
“It’s just some blisters,” I mutter, my words weak even to my own ears.
“It’s not just anything,” he repeats, his eyes sharp as they hold mine. His hand lightly traces the edge of my foot, careful to avoid the worst of the damage. “A performance as passionate and spectacular as yours should never be dismissed by those who can’t even comprehend its brilliance. Those judges? They care more about politics and hierarchy than talent, and it shows.”
I stare at him, my blush deepening.
I’m not used to anyone noticing, let alone caring, about things like this.
“It’s not a big deal,” I say, my voice quieter now, though the defensive edge lingers.
“It is a big deal,” Carter says firmly. “Stay here. I’m getting a first aid kit.”
I open my mouth to protest, but he cuts me off with a raised brow.
“You need to shower, right? Go shower,” he says, his tone deceptively casual. Then his smirk returns and his hazel eyes glint with dark amusement. “But don’t be surprised if I join you. If I get even a whiff of the slick pooling between your legs, Omega…” He trails off, letting the words hang heavy in the charged air. “I can’t promise I’ll hold back.”
My breath catches, a lump forming in my throat as his words send a bolt of heat straight to my core.
Carter stands, towering over me once more, his gaze holding mine with unspoken promise.
“Your choice,” he murmurs, his voice softer now but no less dangerous. “Run, or let this happen.”
Then, without another word, he turns and strides out of the room, leaving me alone with the impossible weight of the decision.
My heart pounds in my chest, my body trembling with the aftermath of his presence. I stare at the door, his words echoing in my mind.
Run, or let this happen.
My legs feel like lead, my feet still throbbing, but the ache between my thighs is stronger. For the first time in my life, I realize I’m not willing to run.
Not from him. Not from whatever this is.
I swallow hard, my lips still tingling from his kiss, and stand.
This time…for once in my damn life…I’m not running.
I dare to accept his invitation.
Let the chips fall where they may.