Chapter 27
WREN
Idon’t need to scent him to know that he’s here.
Holy shit, my blood ignites the moment we’re ushered past the velvet rope by a bouncer into the VIP area. My Omega senses start spinning and twirling, as the awareness of Theo’s presence is so overpowering, I have to focus to simply put one foot in front of another.
Did it suddenly get hot in here? What the hell?
Nikita jabs me in the ribs with an elbow, and I slowly blink at her.
She’s got a look on her face that tells me she’s just been saying something, but I didn’t hear a word.
It’s nothing to do with the pumping music, or laughter and chatter filling the space.
No, all I’m aware of is my heartbeat pounding between my legs.
“You can get this round… right?” My friend shoves me in the small of my back in the direction of the bar, while hissing in my ear. “Take your time.”
Oh. Ohhhhh.
My slow brain manages to figure out what she’s doing by practically running me off in the opposite direction of the table where my brother is surrounded by teammates. Lifting my eyes, I see why she’s so hasty to get rid of me.
Theo.
The moment our eyes connect, it’s as if a surge of electricity hits me.
Surely my knees are about to give out. He’s so damn magnetic, even from the distance to where he stands with forearms resting leisurely on the bar.
Looking like my every dream and fantasy, with that tousled surfer boy hair and stubble coating a strong jaw.
It’s impossible to stop myself from gulping in every detail without a care in the world for who might see.
The sight of him in the flesh leaves my pulse tripling, and I’m unable to resist the temptation of drinking in the sight of him—even though I’m not supposed to look his way at all—with a white shirt rolled at the elbows, collar propped open, and perfectly fitted jeans.
His eyes are hooded, dark shadows making all the planes of his face even more angular. Theo Brennan is pure sex appeal, and doesn’t my body know it.
Before I consciously choose to walk over to him, I find myself standing at his side, gripping the edge of the bar to keep myself grounded.
Also, to keep my hands in a responsible, non-compromising position.
All I want to do is throw myself at him, to rub against him, to have him carry me out of here so we can disappear together.
It’s a crushing realization that my only hope of surviving this scent match is to stay away from him. Because this? Right here? Standing in the same room as him? I don’t know that I can be responsible for the way my Omega nature responds to our connection.
Keeping my eyes on the polished bar surface, I swallow and wet my lips. What do I even say? This was easy when we were texting; it felt so natural to talk and flirt. But the way his scent of the ocean and sunrises is coiling through my senses, leaves my mind blank.
Well, not exactly blank. That’s a lie.
I’m hornier than I’ve ever been in my life.
Heat rages through my limbs, and slick builds at the junction of my thighs. The thighs I’m squeezing together with pussy clenching, begging to be filled, and he hasn’t said a word.
Maybe he’s as dumbstruck by this as I am?
Or perhaps he’s realized just how bad an idea this is to run into each other?
Worst of all, maybe it was all a cruel mistake, and he’s changed his mind?
Theo’s shirt sleeve brushes against my elbow, and I whimper. The noise escapes before I can trap it. My teeth sink into my bottom lip as wave after wave of this impossibly thick tension rolls over my body.
“You came.” He clears his throat, sounding hoarse. “You look absolutely stunning, Wren.” There’s no one around us at this end of the bar, and the music is so loud it would be impossible for anyone to hear us talking. But even so, he keeps his voice lowered, eyes forward.
“Why didn’t you tell me you’d be here?” I exhale a little shakily. Can he sense this internal struggle? Does he have any idea how difficult this is, when my entire DNA is squealing with longing to jump his bones?
“Don’t be mad. I needed to see you.” From out of the corner of my eye, I see his strong throat dip. The spot I want to glue myself to and inhale his delicious smell from.
“We can’t…”
A growl bursts out a whole lot louder than his low tone of voice. “I’m finding I really don’t like those words.”
“It’s too risky.” My body disagrees harder than ever before.
“Sweetheart, don’t you think I know? You’re too good to waste time with a guy like me—”
“That’s not it at all. Don’t say that.” For a brief second, I let my elbow brush against his again, giving us a tiny point of contact that feels as if it sizzles into my bare skin.
“You don’t even know me.” He scrubs a heavy palm over his mouth. “There are so many better choices for you. I know that this isn’t good for you, or what you wanted for yourself. I fucking know that.”
Oh, fuck no. My Alpha can’t possibly think that about himself.
Theo Brennan is wonderful. I know he is. There’s no logical explanation for how I know it, I just do.
“Well, I know you care enough to keep checking on me, even though I’ve been the one who doesn’t respond most of the time.
The way you care about this team is obvious, too.
” I duck my chin, a little embarrassed at how it might sound like I’ve been ever so unsubtly devouring everything I can about him online.
He shakes his head and spins the beer bottle in his big, strong hands. The size of his palms would bracket my body to perfection. Those hands need to be on my body. This man needs to be holding me, preferably in his lap, while I grind my pussy all over him.
Jesus. Where are these thoughts coming from?
“You probably think I’m an asshole.” He sighs.
“No… not at all.” All I want to do is touch. My knuckles blanch around the edge of the bar. “You’re nothing of the sort. But I won’t lie, I do think your son, on the other hand, is a prize asshat.”
That drags a pained groan out of him. “I don’t know how to even begin apologizing for him, or to figure out what the fuck went wrong to make him act the way he does. I really fucking tried—tried to give him everything I could, but he just wouldn’t change the way he chooses to see the world.”
“His mother?” My teeth clamp down as I barely resist hissing. A wild, aggressive flare of heat travels up the back of my neck, thinking about Theo being involved with anyone else.
I’ve thought about this scenario before, and yet I’ve not once felt this sort of visceral animosity. Like if there was any female within a breath of him, I’d launch at their face with claws out.
And why does it feel like the temperature keeps climbing in here?
“The oldest fucking news you could imagine,” Theo grunts.
“A stupid mistake when I was a young, dumb rugby player early in my career. She didn’t tell me I had a kid until lawyers contacted me when he was five years old.
I’d just signed my first big contract. Lo and behold, she turned up demanding a paternity test.”
My hackles continue to rise.
“You were never together?”
“God, no.” He’s vehement.
He keeps on talking, but his words sound a little far away… like he’s at the end of a tunnel, explaining how things have always been strained with his son. The ways he tried to be part of his life, but it was almost impossible when his mother manipulated things behind the scenes.
My Alpha is so strong. He’s a good man. Being here is exactly what I need. He is what I need.
I need.
Need. Need. Need.
That word drums away inside my skull, and there’s lava flowing through my veins.
It’s thick with jealousy about this woman and longing for my scent match.
Fueling a mood to grab the front of his shirt.
To not even care about silly thoughts from earlier about slipping into the shadows.
Why did I think we can’t do anything together? That version of me was plain stupid.
My Alpha is right here, ready to take care of me.
“Wren?” His eyebrows pull together, looking down at me. Still not putting those hands on me. Which is frankly unacceptable.
“Shit.” It’s a curse uttered under his breath, through a jaw clenched so tight it does that sexy muscle flicker thing.
I agree. This is shit. It’s complete bullshit that we’re still standing here, not touching, when he by all rights should be ravishing me right where I stand.
It is a thousand fucking degrees in this bar. I need ice to run over my neck. Can’t someone get me some ice?
Those eyes of his flick to the space at my side.
“Brennan, I’m not surprised to find you propping up the bar—”
My big guy. My Scottish Alpha.
Turning to stare up at him, I certainly hope he understands the assignment. Of taking care of me. He would be oh so very good at taking care of me, too.
He also has sexy hands.
“Renfro.” My scent match sounds wary. When he speaks, it’s like a warning. Which is silly. He doesn’t need to worry. Everything is perfect with the two of them together with me. I should tell him how perfect the Scottish Alpha is. I should tell him how much he turns me on.
“Whoa, holy shit. I don’t know what the fuck is going on here…” My Scottish Alpha’s eyes widen, his jaw tightening as he looks between me and my other Alpha. “I can scent you, Bambi.”