Chapter 23
chapter
twenty-three
I am not going to tackle this omega into the next luxury nest we pass.
Really .
I’m like, eighty-nine percent sure.
Or maybe more like, seventy -nine.
From the moment I arrived, every breath I’ve taken has been like snorting a line of lust . Looking at her isn’t any help, and the more I listen to her speak, the harder my knot pounds. She’s so pretty and smart—and her sharp perfume might hurt, but it also makes my mouth water.
I don’t even care that the scent doesn’t totally “click.” I’m not sure I would change it even if I could. Plus, the way it swells—then dips, then slices —keeps me on my toes. I never know if it will cut me or kiss me.
This nest store is unlike any I’ve ever seen. There are no aisles of sex position pillows or vibrators. There are no aisles at all.
Instead, the lobby leads to a wide, circular hallway that splits into individual alcoves. Most of them are dark, but every few yards, we pass a lit one.
Those must be the nests Adrian chose for Bridget.
The fact that he could even do that, after knowing her for a week, puts a jealous seethe in my stomach. It also fills my chest with gratitude.
As Adrian leads her from one display to the next, appreciation edges out my envy. The look of awe on Bridget’s face could make up for just about anything, I think. Not to mention how intense her perfume gets as we work our way through the “nest-scapes.”
I may have a lot to learn about Bee, but even I can tell the moment she finds The One.
A gasp falls from her open lips as her footsteps snag. She darts to the left, directly into the small room.
Color greets us—rich, dark-teal velvet pads the wall, with pretty bursts of flowers woven into hidden pockets.
The blooms are eclectic—purple poppies, marigolds, bright fuchsia dahlias, creamy blush peonies, small fuzzy orange buttons I have no name for.
Some sit in purposeful bouquets while other arrangements drip and dangle toward the padded green-blue floor.
The cushions seamlessly blend with the walls, but the texture is entirely different—slippery silk, I think. Or maybe satin.
The room has everything: fuzzy faux-fur blankets, pillows to match every shade blooming from the wallpaper, all piled into its wide, sunken center.
But it doesn’t end there. With the touch of a button, hidden doors silently swoosh open, revealing exits intended for bathrooms, storage closets, or— oh shit —a built-in snack cabinet.
Hell, even the sex toys coordinate, all carefully laid out on a brass tray inside the recessed mattress. Jewel-toned silicone with gold buttons.
Bridget stands at the threshold of the display, her creamy throat bobbing on a noticeable swallow. Adrian steps up beside her. “This is exceptional. You have a good eye, little blue. Do you want to go in?”
She starts to lean forward, but stops herself. Releasing a deep breath, she shakes her head and casts her eyes to the floor. “Um, no. I—I’m good.”
I don’t understand. She’s clearly upset, but her scent—which was warm and bright and as close to perfect as ever—doesn’t turn to slicing sourness. It just… disappears?
“You okay, Bee?” I murmur.
Bridget nods absently. “Yeah. I’m just, um, hot. Is it crazy-warm in here? I mean, I know it’s Florida, but come on .”
Adrian’s gaze sharpens. He pivots on the heel of his leather shoe, scowling as he cups a hand around Bridget’s cheek. Flustered, she blinks at him while he bends and presses his lips to her forehead.
Her lashes flutter faster, true shock filling her face before her eyes slowly fall shut. The look that flits over her features is as blissful as it is stunned.
Why does that tear a hole in my lung?
For that matter, why is she so surprised? A woman like Bridget should have men lining up to kiss her. Hell, I want to be one of them.
Adrian hums, his expression creasing. “You’re warm, little blue. I think your Omega likes this nest.”
Bridget presses one hand to her peachy cheek and the other to the curve of her belly.
“I—I know. But it’s probably outrageously expensive.
And this is only a tiny heat-spike. Nothing crazy, just a blip from having so many alphas around so suddenly…
and being here. But it’s fine. I’m okay. It barely hurts.”
It hurts ? My eyes fly down her fingers, and Adrian’s follow, darkening. “You’re in pain and you didn’t say anything?”
Bridget shakes as she shrugs, her lips pursing into a pout that doesn’t match the vulnerability in her eyes. “Why would I say anything?” Her voice drops into a whisper. “It’s not your problem.”
Before I can draw a breath, my Alpha growls sharply. The sound vibrates in my chest, then echoes through Adrian’s. I cut mine off immediately, embarrassed, but his blurs into a rumbling purr.
“Is that what you think?” he murmurs, still cupping Bridget’s beautiful face. Closing the distance between their torsos.
“It’s the truth,” Bridget retorts, biting her lip. “ I’m not your problem. Not really.”
“Hmm,” he hums, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “And what if I want you to be my problem?”
Yeah , I think. My insides give an eager lurch. What if we do?
Bridget’s throat works as she stares up at Adrian for a long beat. Her scent is back, but it swoops from barely-there to a finely-honed blade . I suck in a painful breath, relishing how it carves into my core and sets my blood on fire.
“But my scent,” Bridget whispers. “It’s?—"
“—making me fucking hard ,” Adrian finishes, lowering his thick brow at her. “Because it’s telling me you need an alpha. Right now.”
The fact that Bridget doesn’t protest betrays just how uncomfortable she must be.
I kick myself as I trail behind Adrian, watching him keep a steady hand on the nape of her neck, stroking his thumb over the exposed skin there. It’s tender and reassuring—the exact type of energy an omega in a heat-spike needs.
Why couldn’t I have given her that?
Why didn’t I listen to my instincts?
“Excuse me,” Adrian says, flagging down an employee. “We need a moment with our omega. Where are your easing rooms?”
The young beta nods, his face the picture of professional impassivity. “Right this way, Mr. Messina.”
I’m an alpha who supposedly has an omega fiancée, but I feel like my eyes might leap out of my skull. Easing rooms? As in places for us to ? —
“Just press this button here when you’re finished. The pod will self-sanitize,” the beta explains, gesturing at a hidden doorbell. “This area is soundproofed.”
Well, damn.
This really is a place for us to?—
“Fuck,” Adrian mutters when Bridget’s scent suddenly soars . Sour and sweet and bright and sharp.
Haaaa-oooly shit .
It’s killing me, and I can’t even care. Let it cut me. If that’s what she needs, I’ll gladly bleed out.
I remember the way Bridget’s eyes dropped to the floor when she thought I’d only bought those flowers as a prop for the paparazzi. This is different, though—there are no cameras here now. No motive other than showing her I actually care about her.
Adrian seems to feel the same. His chest rises and falls under his dark gray dress shirt, the open buttons parting as he fights for a deep inhale. Bridget quivers at the rumbling exhale that follows, her back visibly arching as fresh perfume pierces the air.
She whimpers. Adrian’s face instantly softens. “Come here, baby girl,” he hums, gently guiding her into a hug. “Your alpha is right here.” Aqua eyes snap to mine. “Both of us are.”