Chapter 29
Posey looks cute. Somehow a word I’ve used less than a handful of times throughout my entire life and once hated has become my favorite word in the English language because it’s the best descriptor for this sweet omega next to me.
She’s dressed in another sweater, this one a sky blue, with some sort of slipper-boot things on her feet and loose jeans that make her legs look a mile long.
A true feat since she’s the size of a garden gnome.
I never thought she would agree to go on a date with me.
Not when the only time we’ve ever been alone together I all but rejected her, but she’s clearly stronger than I gave her credit for and has been nothing but gracious since we left the apartment.
Which is great, except that I don’t have the first fucking clue how to start a conversation with someone as sweet as her.
I’m an asshole. It’s what I do. I’m acerbic and short and too irritable for my own good. Posey is all sunshine and charm and light, and I worry that anything I say will come across brash and drive her further away.
Luckily for me, she breaks the silence first. “So what made you decide to become a professor?” She asks quietly.
My shoulders drop, grateful for the easy topic.
“It wasn’t any big thing or even a love of teaching.
I wanted to get a head start on paying down my loans while I work on my dissertation.
At her questioning look, I clarify, “I’m a PhD student at Harbor U.
They just happened to need a temporary professor while the actual Biology professor is on maternity leave. ”
I see the gears turning in Posey’s head and run through answers for every question I think she might ask, but nothing prepares me for the way she bursts into chaotic, seemingly nervous giggles. “Oh my god!” She gasps. “Is your degree in Biomedical Engineering?”
My head whips sideways, mouth parted in surprise. “How did you know that?” I’m not even sure the guys know what I’m studying half the time.
“Do you have a half-sister?”
I almost groan, but manage to keep it in at the last second. “You know Lainey?”
She beams, nodding excitedly. “She’s my best friend. Okay, technically she’s my only friend, but I digress.”
This feels like it has the potential to end really badly for me.
My half sister and I aren’t enemies or anything, but when my parents split up I decided to go live with my dad and it definitely put a strain on my relationship with Lainey.
Our mom is amazing, but I couldn’t bear the thought of Dad being alone.
And knowing what I know now about his diagnosis, I’m more grateful than ever I made that decision all those years ago.
“I feel bad that I wasn’t a better brother to her when she was growing up.
I’m sure she told you, but we share the same mom.
” Posey nods and I continue, hoping that by giving her this small piece of my story it will help her understand me more.
“Well, by the time they split I was old enough to choose where I wanted to live. After Lainey’s dad left, Mom still had Lainey and my dad…
well, he only had me. So I made the choice to live with him, and I think it hurt Lainey more than she let on at the time. She was just a kid.”
Posey nods thoughtfully before reaching out and placing a hand on my thigh. My breath catches, and I pray she doesn’t notice the way my dick jumps behind my slacks. “She hasn’t really talked about her home life all that much and I haven’t wanted to pry.”
I’m desperate to change the subject before our date goes off the rails, so I clear my throat and quickly glance at her again with a tentative smile. We’re only a few minutes from the diner now, and I haven’t asked her a single question. “What’s your family like?”
She doesn’t call me out for the sudden change, instead rolling with it and diving right into talking about her family.
By the time she pauses to take a breath we’re already parked in the back of the diner’s full lot, but I’m too enraptured to interrupt her.
“Sorry, I’ve been feeling a little homesick and talking about them makes me feel closer. ”
My heart hurts for this precious omega. She’s so far from home and being so brave.
I’ve met omegas who couldn’t function if they were too far from their home base for long periods of time.
“The fact that you chose a school halfway across the country and are thriving here is so impressive, Posey. I might not have the right to say this yet, but I’m really proud of you. ”
Her answering smile is wobbly but no less genuine.
She clears her throat and looks away, clearly uncomfortable with the praise.
I can tell when she finally registers where we are because she perks up, her scent brightening back to achingly sweet honey and apple.
“Is this it? I’m starving. I forgot to eat dinner last night and I don’t think—” she stops abruptly as a bright red blush creeps up her neck.
“Never mind. Can we go inside? This place is too cute for words!”
My mind races with all of the things she could have said.
Does it have something to do with the sounds I heard coming from Mack’s room in the middle of the night?
Our beds share a wall and waking up to Posey’s moans and scent had me so hard I was rutting into the sheets trying to find even a modicum of relief.
I didn’t get any, and I had to jack off three times just to get back to sleep.
I jump out of the car and rush around to open her door, thrilled when she accepts my proffered hand to climb out of the bucket seat.
I drop it shortly after she’s steady, not wanting to push my luck.
“I don’t know how you feel about sugar for breakfast, but this place has the best fruity cereal pancakes you’ll ever have in your life. ”
When I glance back at Posey, her mouth is hanging open. I drag a hand through my hair, self consciousness racing through me. “What?” I snap defensively.
She startles, and I wish I could shove the single word back inside of my mouth. “Sorry, I just… I cannot picture you eating something like pancakes crusted in fruity cereal.”
My body relaxes and I snort a laugh. “I would love to say I’m a sophisticated man, but the truth is I have all the refinement of a five-year-old’s palate. I’m pretty sure Mack eats better than I do even without his trainer-approved meals.”
She giggles. I wish I could bottle the sound to carry around with me whenever I’m feeling down.
“That’s great, because I grew up on classic southern comfort food.
Pretty sure I didn’t even see a scallop until I was eighteen.
I’m always open to trying new things, but the truth is I’m a simple gal when it comes to food.
Give me a bowl of Mac and cheese and I’m happier than a tick on a hound. ”
God, I haven’t laughed this hard in years. Maybe not since I was sixteen and had to hold a screeching Mack down so I could pull a leech off of his ass after he dove into a suspicious looking creek on a dare.
Taking a chance, I hold out my hand and barely manage to hold back a purr when she twines her fingers with mine as we enter the diner. “Well then, let’s get our pancake on.”
“You’re gonna have to roll me into this signing, Jude.” Posey groans, placing both hands on her stomach.
“Did I overfeed you?” I ask worriedly. She couldn’t decide between the fruity cereal pancakes and the sweet potato pie pancakes, so we got both and decided to split them.
My alpha couldn’t resist the urge to care for her, so I overstepped and fed her bites by hand until she finally pushed me away, saying she couldn’t fit another bite.
Actually, she said she was “fixin to burst” and it was so southern and cute I almost squealed like a little girl.
If we were at a different point in our relationship and she wasn’t so full I probably would have squeezed the hell out of her, but I had to settle for pinching the fuck out of my leg instead to knock myself out of what I hope was just cuteness aggression.
Posey smiles, twining her fingers through mine again.
Casual touches have been coming easier for the both of us, but it’s still so new and exciting I get a little thrill every time.
“Maybe a little, but it was so good I didn’t want to stop.
” She looks up at me with a pleading expression that no alpha could possibly resist, least of all me.
“Please promise me we can come back? Maybe we can make this a regular thing, just you and me?”
My heart skips a beat in my chest before picking back up at twice the speed. My head is nodding in agreement before I can even begin to formulate a response. “Yeah, I mean, yes. I would really like that, Posey.”
Her scent threatens to drown me in the best way, but it also makes me insanely possessive. The thought of walking into an enclosed space and having other alpha scent her makes me hazy. I pull her to a stop just outside the door and clear my throat. “Can I ask a favor before we head in there?”
The seriousness in my tone catches her attention and she meets my gaze. “Anything.”
I run two fingers down her cheek, barely brushing her soft skin, but she shudders anyway. “Can I scent mark you?”