Chapter Nine — Brooks
CHAPTER NINE
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brOOKS
No fucking way.
I mean, there was no fucking way, right?
Of course there was a way, because the scent of water-drenched violets swirled around the four of us, and it was damn sure none of us would forget that scent now that it was branded on our brains.
Glancing over at Bastian, I found him utterly frozen, the same way he’d been last night watching her disappear out of the club. He didn’t speak unless he had to, but I knew my twin well enough not to need speech.
She knew, too. The shock on her face was plain. Also, the terror.
I got it. Telling our parents we met at a BDSM club wasn’t exactly how I’d envisioned this visit going.
In a few seconds it was going to get awkward if we kept staring at each other, so I made the decision for us. “Hey, Mama Hart.”
“It’s been too long since I’ve seen all of you. Come here.”
She stood for hugs, and I shot a wink at Trinity as I went to hug Liz. All four of us had family in one way or another, but Logan’s mom had become an adoptive mother to all of us.
Liz patted my back when I leaned down to hug her. “It’s been too long.”
“I think it’s only been a couple of months?”
“That’s still too long.”
Cecil had followed us in. “She’s hiding in the pool, but this is my daughter, Trinity.”
The Omega in question was now at the edge of the pool, catching the edge of the shade from the table’s umbrella, still staring. “Nice to meet you.”
Logan crouched down by the edge of the pool and took her hand, shaking it. The four of us were all watching her close enough to see her cheeks turn a bit pink. She hadn’t texted Logan, but then again, the day wasn’t over.
“Here we are,” a sing-song voice called from behind me. The rest of Cecil’s pack appeared carrying various dishes of food.
We’d just met them inside. They seemed nice enough. I guessed we would get to know them better over time. As far as I knew, Cecil and Liz were planning to stay here.
A splash distracted me from the chatter and noise of dishes being set down, and when I turned, I barely kept control of my jaw.
Trinity quickly stepped out of the pool and fuck me.
The bikini she wore was emerald green just like her dress last night.
The color worked for her, and she clearly loved it.
I had zero complaints about watching my Omega step out of the pool dripping wet, and after I’d gotten an eyeful of how wet she was last night, my mind suddenly raced with all the possibilities.
She dried herself off quickly, pulled on a sheer coverup that did little to hide anything, and slid into the flip-flops sitting by her chair.
Her scent was darker now, laced with urgency and unease. But in the same way that I knew she was my Omega, I knew that the shift in her scent had nothing to do with us. But it had changed—
Only a minute ago. When the rest of her father’s pack appeared with the food. As soon as they appeared she’d exited the pool. Cecil looked none the wiser, and so did Liz. I glanced at the others to see if they were noticing the same change, and they were.
When Trinity gathered the rest of her things, Cecil frowned. “Won’t you stay to eat?”
“Not today,” she said with a gentle smile. “Got an early morning.”
“Rin,” he laughed. “The sun’s not even setting yet.”
She leaned down and kissed his cheek. “I know, but I need to go. I’ll see you soon, okay? The three of us can do lunch this week.”
“All right.”
As she passed, his face turned to confusion and sadness, but Trinity didn’t see it. She was already pushing out of the pool gate as if the ground were lava and she was trying to get off it as quickly as possible.
I turned and took a step only for Logan to catch my elbow. “Not now,” he said quietly.
“Why not?”
“Because whatever that was, it doesn’t seem like she wants attention drawn to it. And now we have a way to reach her.”
My instincts rose, wanting to shove him off and go after our Omega anyway, because I wanted to make sure she was okay. But Logan was right. She was ours, but she didn’t know that, and it would only seem to her like we were radically overstepping our bounds.
I nodded once, taking a few deep breaths to keep myself in check. Soon. We would speak to her soon.
“She hasn’t texted you, right?”
“No, not yet.”
My instincts were fully on edge. Something wasn’t quite right. But I didn’t know enough to say what it was.
“Come on, boys,” Liz called. “Don’t let the food get cold.”
We obeyed, and I tried to get lost in the flow of conversation. Cecil’s plans for a show of his photography in Clarity Coast. Questions about Logan’s next competition and Bastian’s next fight. But my thoughts were with a beautiful blonde Omega that my instincts told me needed us.
The real question was when we could see her again, and what were we going to say when we did?