3. Lila
Lila
Larry: Be reasonable.
I stare at Larry’s text, my heart racing as I try to calm down. Be reasonable. That's it. That's all he said. No missed calls, no attempts to follow me, just…one fucking text.
That's all a year and a half together is worth to him.
One lousy text. Did he even pause his game before sending off a message with how little fucking effort he put into it?
I turn my phone off, then tuck it into my purse.
He can fuck all the way off. Even if I were willing to hear him out, it would take a lot more than one text to convince me to take that man back.
He knows where the party is. He could have followed me here. Instead, he just proved that dumping him was one hundred percent the right choice.
I know my worth. I know what I can offer alphas. And I know what I deserve. I just hate that I accepted less than the bare minimum for so long. Larry was my first boyfriend, first kiss, and first knot. It kept me around way longer than it should have.
“Three more!” Wendy hollers, forcing a giggle out of me.
The dark-haired omega sways to the beat of the music in the bar as she waits.
Her long, dark brown hair, which had been carefully curled, swirls around nearly to her hips as she shakes her ass in a too-short dress.
I’m already tipsy, and she’s well past drunk.
I watch her with a mixture of resignation and amusement as she lights up with a grin and adds, “Each!” God, I love her.
But I am not drinking all of these shots. I want to remember tonight. Thank you.
We throw back the first shots together before she gets distracted by a hot alpha bumping into her, and I take the opportunity to turn to face the hulking form I feel lurking at my back.
His scent has been tugging at my instincts for the last few minutes, and I’m curious to see if the man matches the mouth-watering spiced pecan smell.
And boy, does he ever. He’s as tall as his shadow cast under the dim bar lights suggested, with wide shoulders and beefy biceps. I could climb this man like a fucking tree. A mental image of me with my arms and legs wrapped around his one arm flashes in my head, and I giggle to myself.
“Well, hello, handsome. Help a girl out?” I nibble my lip as he turns to face me, frowning until he takes in the sight of me holding two shots out to him. He slowly smirks, flashing a dimple in his left cheek.
The hot sear of his gaze across my body feels like I’m being eye-fucked.
In an instant, a new mental image of him lifting me with those big hands, laying me out across the bar top, and ravishing me floods my mind.
I swallow thickly as my scent fills the space between us, and I return his interested look.
His gaze darkens as he steps closer, breathing deeply.
Can he scent how needy I am? What am I thinking?
Of course, he can. His dominance and musk wash over me, causing my entire body to buzz with energy.
Oh, sweet fuck. He smells so good. Wait…
I know this alpha. It’s dark in here, so I didn’t recognize him at first, especially because the last time I saw him, he wasn’t this bulky.
His eyes track the way my tongue glides across my lips, and all sorts of dirty thoughts flash in his whiskey-brown eyes.
Holy shit, it can’t be. Is it really him?
I’m staring harder than is considered polite, but as I take in the sight of the man in front of me, I know it’s him.
The alpha I crushed on for months, my freshman year of college, from one of my classes.
His hair is dark brown and wavy, curling up at the ends.
His jaw is strong but stubble-free, with full lips, straight white teeth, and a very suggestive smirk.
This man knows he’s fine as hell.
He’s still absorbing every fucking inch of me, taking his time as my skin heats up from the attention. I feel more wanted at this moment than I have in fucking months.
I’m wearing a red, strapless, thigh-length dress with a tight-fitting bodice and dramatic dip at my waist. The material is thick, allowing it to flare naturally.
The short cut shows off my long, toned legs, helped by the open-toe black platform satin heels I’m wearing, which make me look at least three inches taller than I am.
I’d matched my lipstick to the exact shade of my red dress and kept my blonde hair straight so it hits my waist. The glitter spray I added, which smells like cotton candy, makes my long hair sparkle under the lights while it does the job of enhancing my own berry and cream scent.
“Can I convince you to take these shots? It’s my birthday, and my best friend is trying to get me drunk,” I explain nervously, wondering if he remembers me at all. The full weight of his undivided attention is making me a little dizzy.
“Are you the dessert?” He smirks, taking one of the shots from my fingers and tossing it back.
“Or do you always look good enough to eat?” He takes the second shot, brushing his calloused fingers over mine as he does, finishing off the burning liquid.
The flex of his neck as he throws back the shot has a soft pant breaking free of me before he reaches around to set the glasses on the bar behind me.
I blush furiously. My heart races as he stands close enough for his body heat to warm me. For his scent to soak into my skin.
Will Larry smell him all over me tonight when I return home? And if he does notice, will he even care?
More importantly, do I care?
Nope.
“I’m not sure how to respond to that,” I admit with a nervous laugh. I want him to recognize me. To remember me. To have left an impression on him like the one he left on me.
But this alpha was popular, and not just because he was hot. He’s also very funny and knows how to make everyone around him comfortable. He was incredibly kind to everyone, alphas, betas, and omegas alike. He treated people equally, and that's what drew my attention to him.
Sadly, I was too shy, quiet, and focused on studying. I wasn’t social, especially after I met Larry. He took up all my free time.
“You could offer a slice of that cake.” His brown eyes lock with mine, and I can’t look away. Watching as he bites his bottom lip, the hunger that was just beginning to heat my body blazes.
Is he a fucking hypnotist? I lick my lips, suddenly desperate for water.
“You’re bold,” I tell him, shaking my head. “I’m Lila.” I offer my hand for him to shake now that some of the shock has worn off and hold my breath.
“Harrison,” he says, as he takes my hand in his, sending shivers across my skin. My mouth waters, and a fucking moan slips free as the full force of his scent slams through my system like omega catnip.
Did he always smell this good? He’s making his desire for me clear. Using his spiced pecan scent to send a neon sign that flashes in bright red, ‘Take my knot.’ Would his flavor explode in my mouth too?
Fucking hell. My thoughts are feral. I need to get a grip. When was the last time Larry made me come? When was the last time I didn’t have to fuck myself with my fingers in the shower to hide the scent from the alpha that couldn’t be bothered to get me there?
How long have I been so numb that a moment like this knocks the wind from my lungs and sets my body on fire? When was the last time I felt desire so strong?
“But you already knew that, right?” He tilts his head, and my lips pop open on a small gasp.
Does that mean he remembers me? “It’s nice to see you again, beautiful.
” Harrison pulls my hand to his lips, kissing my skin as he holds my gaze captive.
Fuck me. He’s a magnet, and I’m a helpless scrap of metal.
His warm lips are soft against my knuckles, and I suck in a ragged breath.
“You too.”
“And Happy Birthday,” he adds with a smile.
“Thank you,” I manage to murmur around the tightness in my throat. This moment feels significant. My berry and cream scent hadn’t fully blossomed until junior year, and by then, I had no classes with Harrison. I pretty much haven’t seen him since that freshman class.
Was his scent this powerful before? Was he wearing blockers?
He was playing for the football team then, so more than likely, he maintained the suppressants they needed to play team sports.
A lot of us chose to while enrolled in college.
Kind of hard for the professors to teach a class full of hormonal young adults who all smell like they’re trying to fuck twenty hours a day.
He must be a possible scent match, with how deeply I’m drawn to him.
“You have to dance! It’s your birthday!” Wendy suddenly squeals from behind me.
Her dark blue eyes squint in the low light as she moves us.
She starts to tug me away from Harrison until she catches sight of his hand on mine.
“Oh, yes. You’re coming too!” She nods like a madwoman and reaches for his wrist as well, dragging us both to the dance floor.
Wendy and I attended different colleges, and I never whispered a word to her about Harrison, so she has no idea that there’s a tiny history there. She just thinks he’s hot and likes that he’s giving me attention.
“Oh, I like her. She’s ballsy.” Harrison smirks, and I nod. Yeah, she is.
“Her recently-dumped now-ex-boyfriend ditched her tonight. On her birthday! You’ll remind her she’s a sexy as fuck omega, who should be treated way better than a loser who never celebrated her the way she deserved!
” Wendy hollers, revealing way too much information.
My cheeks surely must match the color of my dress as I blush.
“Please ignore everything she says,” I beg, wincing up at Harrison, who just smiles.
Once on the dance floor, he spins me to face him, a frown marring his brow. I want to ask if he’s okay, but my nerves are strangling my chest, and I feel like I can’t take a breath of air, let alone talk.