Chapter 3
Chapter
Three
Emily
“You’re fine. It’s just a month. In England.
Just focus on tourism, not the damn alpha.
” I tug my duffel over my shoulder, my back aching from the weight.
When I round the opening of the gate, I am accosted with a reminder of my predicament.
The thick, sweet scent of melted caramel and spicy cinnamon mixed with something darker, smoother fills my lungs.
I look up, and despite the crowd, he’d be hard not to notice. Some men just exude dominant alpha energy naturally, and Luke Pembrooke definitely exudes big alpha knot energy. Which both pisses me off and makes my inner omega pant with excitement.
Not helping.
Memory strikes me, that cloying scent playing at both past and present. His gaze catches mine almost immediately, and my entire body freezes, as if on command. It’s been two years.
I wonder if he even remembers who I am.
I suppose there’s only one way to find out.
“Lucas Pembrooke,” I say, steeling my lips into a grin that is anything but genuine.
I watch the glimmer of interest flash in his bright green eyes, and a half-smirk grace his lips.
“Emily Gardner,” he says, his voice smooth like velvet. “So, we meet again.”
Well, I guess he does remember me.
I nod as I tug on my duffel, adjusting my stance because it really is heavy. His gaze flashes from my eyes to my shoulder.
“Do you need help with that?” he asks, and it is genuine.
“Nope. I handled it all the way here without some big tough alpha, didn’t I?” I say as I push past him, heading towards the sign that directs us to baggage claim.
I don’t miss his chuckle. “Don’t you want to rest a moment? Grab something to eat? I’m sure your flight was exhausting.”
I keep moving because it’s all I can do. If I stop, that overpowering scent will hit me, and my omega will start pushing against me. She’s already trying to twist my focus just because he smells so good.
Down girl!
“What I need is to get my damn luggage and find the nearest bed and crash.”
I realize all at once he’s caught up to me and I freeze, causing Luke to run right into me, nearly knocking me over.
“Watch where the hell you’re going!” I bite as he steadies me with his large hands on my arms. I’m irritated and antsy, and my entire body feels like I’ve been engulfed in a fire, and my insides twist with delight. Then the realization hits me hard, like a brick to the stomach.
Oh no.
No, no, this can’t happen right now.
I’m not supposed to hit my heat for another two weeks…
I look up at Luke, fear striking me in my chest along with panic. His green eyes sparkle under the fluorescent lights, and I sense the hitch in his breath before I hear it. It’s like something inside of me clicks into place.
I’m acutely aware of his hands on my arms, the heat emanating from them as much as the size of them. It’s a weird thing to notice about a person, especially when your insides are going haywire and your consciousness isn’t firing on all its proper cylinders, but it’s the one thing I focus on.
His hands on my arms. Warm and solid, but not harsh or heavy. If anything, Luke holds me with caution, as if he too is terrified.
I push him away, not wanting to aggravate him or spark something unwanted, but also I need to get away. I need to breathe, to work myself through this, to—
“Apologies,” he says, his voice darker than it should be. My gaze settles on the way he licks his lips, my omega spinning webs of desire in my brain at the sight, imagining just what he could do with that tongue…
No! Absolutely not!
I focus on my breath, on trying to look like the heady caramel scent and this man’s large hands and heated palms don’t affect me, when the truth is so obvious.
This was a terrible idea. The worst.
A growl emanates from him as I notice a man approaching us.
“Are you alright, miss?” he asks, looking between me and Luke. I note Luke’s eyes, how they seem to glow and how his eyebrows furrow. How his shoulders tense. The man’s scent tells me he’s a beta, but my omega doesn’t find it particularly enticing. Not like the alpha’s scent in my presence…
“Oh, yes… I’m fine,” I say, backing away slowly.
The beta looks at me with a mixture of concern and relief, but I can also see the desire culminating in his gaze.
I need to sate the animal inside of me so that I can think straight.
So that I can get to the Pembrooke estate and sleep for a thousand years and maybe when I wake up this will all be a bad dream.
“She’s with me,” Luke says, and the tone itself is hotter than molten lava. I blink, trying to remember to breathe correctly because holy hell, I have never heard a man say those words like that.
In fact, no man—alpha or beta—has ever said those words out loud in front of me.
Like he’s staking a claim on me.
I’m not sure if that makes it better or worse, because I certainly don’t need protection. I can handle myself, thank you very much. I’ve managed the last ten years just fine without an alpha.
But there’s a part of me that feels pride at his growl, at his dominant stance. That just the sight of another man—even a beta—can invoke such a visceral reaction.
The beta raises his hands in surrender, and I don’t miss the slight hunch of his shoulders, and I realize I may have overestimated his intentions because my own are clearly clouded.
“I don’t want no trouble, sir, just making sure the lady is okay.”
“I’m fine. He’s just being an ass. Alphas, ya know?” I say, giving the beta a soft smile. He nods, licking his lips, his gaze falling to my chest, or rather my cleavage.
I step closer to Luke and settle my small hand underneath his forearm, my fingers grazing his elbow, and his entire body shifts its stance from tight and tense to relaxed.
My omega tells me it’s because he’s my mate—like she understands this on some level I can’t, but I know it’s crazy to assume such things based on a touch.
Not to mention the fact we’ve met before, and I don’t remember having this sort of reaction to him.
Yes, he smelled good, and I thought he was attractive in his suit, but we spoke for all of two seconds.
I didn’t feel like I wanted to jump the man’s knot or curl up in his arms. If Luke Pembrooke was my mate, I would have had a different reaction two years ago, and he would have as well.
At least, that’s what I tell myself to dispel my omega’s whimsical notions, even though sometimes people change, and sometimes timing is everything.
“Right,” the beta says, slowly stepping away. “Good day then.”
And with that, he leaves Luke and I alone once more, in a shifter standoff.