Chapter 7
Chapter
Seven
WILLOW
He’s my brain, and I’m an extension of his body as he dances with me.
When he shoves his leg between my thighs for me to ride and grind on, I do it.
And when he twirls my body in a half circle to hold me against his chest to dance nice and close, I let him.
We act silly together and sing at the top of our lungs, thoroughly enjoying ourselves without any need for alcohol.
I’m willing to scare off anyone dumb enough to approach us as we kill time until Briar performs, but I don’t think I’ll need to.
Surprisingly, no one bothers us at all. It’s kind of nice. Everyone is happy to hang out with their friends, catch up after a long day of work, and ignore the out of towners.
We’ve been living in a small town half an hour away from here for about eight months, and I’m still in awe of how nice it is. Widows Peak is hidden behind a large hill, shitty signage, and is an enigma to me. You could easily drive right past it and never know it was there.
Atlas explained to Jude that this place is a hideaway for omegas and those they trust.
It’s something I can appreciate with how terrible the world can be. People don’t appreciate that the word “no” is a full sentence, and omegas are meant to be cherished. I will never stifle Jude’s wants and dreams. I’m simply not that kind of alpha.
Atlas gave Jude detailed directions to get here, and said he’d arrive just as Briar was taking the stage so we could speak with her together afterward. I’m excited to get a glimpse of the omega who has been dating Atlas, and I’m trying not to set my hopes too high.
Things have been going really well lately. Jude’s leg is healing really well, he’s finally dancing again, and he’s found his other scent match. All I want is for Briar and Atlas to also want to be part of our pack.
Jude reminded me on the way over here that we need to move slowly, and I’m taking this to mean that I should stay calm. I can be too excitable, jump from topic to topic, and I know some people can get overwhelmed by my energy.
I just really hope she likes me.
The music fades away and people cheer instead of boo as the lights come on over the stage.
“It looks like it’s time,” Jude murmurs in my ear.
My lashes flutter as his voice rumbles through my body. I will never get over how much I love this man. He wraps his arms around me as I settle against his chest, careful not to lean my weight on him.
“My leg is stronger than you think, baby,” he says, kissing my shoulder.
I went for a black dress tonight that shows off a lot of thigh.
The buttons begin at mid-thigh and end at a deep vee to show off my cleavage.
It’s understated while being really fucking sexy, and is perfect for moving around in, just in case Jude and I need to find a mark if this meeting goes badly.
“No negative thoughts,” he whispers, capturing my lips as I turn my face fully to kiss him. “However tonight goes, we’ll ride it out.”
Someone introduces Briar on stage, and I glance over to see a beautiful, dark-haired omega walk out toward the mic.
She’s wearing a black vest that accentuates her perky breasts and a flowy green velvet skirt that shows off her every curve.
My lips part as my eyes drink in how gorgeous she is, and I wonder if her bouncy curls are as soft as they look.
Maybe if I think hard enough about her hair, I can ignore the wetness in my panties whenever I gaze at her pouty, red lips.
“Let’s start nice and easy,” she says with a grin.
Ugh. I’m so fucked.
“You made it,” Atlas murmurs, walking up to us with a beer in his hand. “Her voice is incredible. I’ve heard her sing in the car on dates, and she always takes my breath away.”
I nod, my eyes returning to the stage, and I sigh as she begins to sing a song by Seether.
It’s moody yet has enough energy to keep the bar entertained.
Her voice is throaty and clear as she sings, and I find myself completely enthralled.
Not once does my mind wander, which is a feat in and of itself.
It’s the same way I’d feel whenever I’d watch Jude perform. Nothing else mattered but the extension of his arm or the jump that he made appear ethereal and easy. I find myself hanging on every word, wondering why she’s not singing for a larger audience.
She certainly could if she wanted to, that’s for damn sure.
I’m disappointed as she ends her set, and Atlas chuckles under his breath when he notices.
“I feel the same way. Hello, Little Ballerina. Sorry, we didn’t have time for introductions earlier. I’m Atlas,” he says, turning toward me to offer his hand as he says hello to Jude.
I don’t need to look to know there’s a blush across my omega’s cheeks. Good. I love this for him. I don’t really have a jealous bone in my body. As long as he’s happy, so am I.
“Wil…Willow,” I stutter, placing my smaller hand in his. He squeezes it gently with a smile. “Sorry, I’m a little off-balance.”
Instead of saying “I can see that” in the smug way some people will, he shrugs. “There’s not a handbook for asking to date your omega. Jude is talented and gorgeous. You’re a lucky alpha.”
The way he casually and discreetly admits this, has the potential to be awkward, but it helps settle me.
“I’m the lucky one,” Jude murmurs. “Willow has helped me through really dark days, and gave me a reason to wake up when I really didn’t want to.”
Having his ballet career destroyed really broke him. Dropping my head back, I accept the kiss he presses against my lips. It’s not simply a peck, because with him it never is. Instead, it’s a slow, steady, possessive reminder of why we both hold our heads up on the hard days.
“That’s what being a team is about,” I reply, my voice husky as I offer Atlas my attention again.
My lips twitch in amusement as I catch him adjusting his cock.
“I’m not gonna apologize for it,” he murmurs. “You two are damn sexy together. Arching your back like that in that dress should be illegal.”
The easy way he gives the compliment makes me chuckle. Jude told me the girls at The Rusty Pipe say he doesn’t flirt with anyone at the club outside of Briar, and it tells me Atlas is being sincere. It’s not a come on to a girl he doesn’t know, but more a promise of what we could all be.
Desire is an important part of attraction, and without the latter, it makes it difficult to begin a conversation about becoming a pack.
“I told Briar we’d be coming by,” Atlas continues.
“So we aren’t blindsiding her?” I ask, wanting to clarify a few things. “It would suck to start this conversation on the wrong foot.”
“It’s loud. Let’s start walking toward the back office. Briar said she’d meet us there after her set. She told me she wanted to change first,” he explains.
“I wish she didn’t feel like she needed to,” I pout as we walk. “She looked gorgeous up there.”
“You noticed, huh?”
“It was hard not to,” Jude mumbles to Atlas.
Smirking, Atlas leads us across the bar and to a back hallway where it’s decidedly quieter.
“Now, here is what Briar knows,” he says.
I listen intently as he tells me about how they had a conversation about Jude, but I frown when I find out it was after my omega had had sex with him in his office.
“I didn’t know she was at the club, Willow.
To be honest, I couldn’t think about anything beyond Jude being my scent match.
I kept apologizing because it was impulsive for me to have sex with Jude in my office, but she kept telling me we didn’t do anything wrong.
Briar is probably going to tell us she wants to take things slow when she gets here. ”
“I don’t like slow,” I grumble. “There’s a reason I haven’t dated very much before I met Jude, and it’s because scent matches can cancel out everything else. I wanted to be sure I was in a relationship with someone who could not only handle my chaos, but enjoy it.”
“You don’t seem very chaotic to me,” Atlas says. “Passionate, happy, excited? Yes. It’s nice to be around someone who’s always looking for something new, and refuses to be stagnant.”
“I suppose that’s one way to look at ADHD,” I say, amused.
“Look, everyone’s brains work differently. I see nothing wrong with it,” Atlas says.
“That’s what I tell her,” Jude agrees shyly.
“Hi,” Briar says, hurrying down the hall with a key in her hand.
“Hey, Little Rose. You sounded amazing tonight,” Atlas purrs.
“Your singing makes me happy,” I add, knowing that probably sounds insane.
Instead, Briar looks over at me and blushes a color reminiscent of the rose Atlas just called her.
“So pretty,” I whisper.
“Woah….” she says, blinking slowly at me. “So are you.”
“Briar, this is Willow and Jude.” Atlas sounds as if he’s hiding his amusement, but not in a way where he’s laughing at us.
Briar shivers as her arousal becomes apparent, and Jude fucking perfumes along with her.
God, I hope this conversation goes well.
I’m head over heels in a way I haven’t been since I first met Jude.
She doesn’t smell like my scent match, and the wheels begin to turn furiously in my mind to make sense of it.
Reaching out, Atlas steals the keys from where they dangle from her fingers, and pulls her in for a very hot kiss.
His lips tease hers until she opens for him with a small whimper before devouring her.
I find myself almost panting as I watch them, and Jude rubs his erection against my ass before swallowing my whimper with his lips.
No matter how things end tonight, I know we’re going to end up fucking in the back alley before we head home. We’ve found out over time that our sedan doesn’t make for comfortable sex.
“That’s my good girl,” Atlas whispers against her lips as Jude releases me from his own kiss. “I heard you’ve been watching Jude dance, is that right?”
He opens the office door without looking, his eyes firmly on Briar’s wide ones.