Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
Prescott
“Good morning, Luna,” I sing as she storms past me into her office, biting back a grin.
Luna Salazar is not a morning person. Or an afternoon person.
Hell, she’s not an anytime person.
A weaker man would’ve given up on her grumpy ass years ago.
Or maybe just one who’s less lovesick than I am.
I shake my head, checking my email to be sure there isn’t anything urgent. We have a meeting with a new client in less than an hour, and who knows how long that’ll take.
Luckily, there isn’t. I close it out just as Luna calls for me. I already know what she’s going to ask me, but I want to see her when she asks for her coffee.
I always want to see her.
See? Lovesick.
I’m right about the coffee, and as much as I hate walking away from her, I know she’ll be easier to deal with after she ingests some caffeine.
Don’t get me wrong, she’s always grumpy as hell, but before her first latte? I'm even wary about approaching her then.
The air feels heavy in her office when I return with her coffee, and I hate it. She gets like this from time to time—introverted and lost to pain.
Pain I don’t understand because she never talks about her past—at least not with me. I know what happened to her and the other widows, but I don’t know a damn thing about her past before that.
The only thing I know to do is interrupt her and pray she doesn’t bite my head off. At least I have her coffee. That should help keep me safe.
When she takes the first sip, I can’t help the grin that breaks out. I knew she’d love the flavor.
She’s so damn disciplined about taking care of herself, only allowing herself one sweet treat a week even though she works out with Briar down at her gym at least five days a week.
But I’ve learned not to ask too many questions of the omegas here in Widows Peak.
They all have their stories and their reasons for why they behave the way they do.
When Syrus calls, I consider sneaking out of her office. He’s probably just letting her know that her appointment has arrived. He’s big on watching who comes and goes from Widows Peak.
He always has been, but I swear it’s gotten worse since he and Silva got together. But who am I to judge? I’m not even with Luna, and I’d do anything to keep her safe.
I don’t know what I’d be keeping her safe from, but that’s okay.
I bite the inside of my cheek when she glares at me, willing my cock not to harden.
There’s definitely something wrong with me.
She’s gorgeous all the time, from her tiny five foot two stature to her mahogany hair and russet brown eyes. She’s all soft curves over hard muscles, dressed up in a suit with sky-high heels that make her legs look a mile long.
So fucking delicious.
But when she turns that glare on me, it really gets me going.
What can I say? I’m an odd guy.
I’ve been panting after her since the moment I laid eyes on her. Unfortunately, she’s not looking for anything romantic—something she’s made abundantly clear to me and everyone else in town. So I take what I can by being her friend and heat partner.
Does part of me hope that she’ll one day see me the way I see her? Hell, yes, but being in her life is enough for me.
My little sister thinks I’m pathetic, and maybe I am, but I’m also a man who knows what he wants, and that’s her.
You’d think after Jasmine met Nala, she’d understand. When you know, you know—and I know Luna is it for me. I just need her to realize it, too.
I tune back into the conversation in time to hear her mention bikers. Well, shit. That doesn’t sound good.
I know there’s no way I can sneak out of her office now.
She’s definitely going to give me shit about the appointment now.
I’d tried to tell her about it last week when they called, but she said she’d deal with it this morning.
I can’t even blame her for putting me off since she was wrapping up a case for one of the omegas in town.
She’d been out of town for three days until midday Friday, and she just wanted to put work behind her.
Maybe I should’ve pushed her a little harder. Maybe I should’ve asked more questions before setting up the appointment.
But why would I when I went through the questionnaire we set up together? I did nothing wrong, and I know she knows that.
When she almost bites my head off for not jumping to make her a second latte, I just shrug it off and hurry from her office.
One, because my cock is now throbbing in my pants, and there’s no way to hide that with how snug they are. Two, because I know she needs the caffeine. She’s definitely addicted, but I don’t want to deal with her without it. Or at least not more than I have to.
It’s the first thing I put in her hand when her heat’s over. Going days without caffeine wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for her omega hormones taking over.
I take my time making her a triple-shot latte and decide to make myself one while I will my cock to calm down. I seriously need to get over this degradation kink or whatever the hell it is. It’s quite inconvenient when we’re working.
Shaking my head, I turn my focus back to our coffee. I don’t like sweets as much as she does, but I do like my coffee sweet. I used to drink the shit black, but Luna opened me up to the holiness that is flavored lattes, and I’ve never looked back.
“Do you have any questions about the client?” I ask as I set our coffees on her desk before ducking back out to grab my tablet. It’s my job during client meetings to take notes while Luna focuses on the client.
She shakes her head, taking a sip and sighing. “No, your notes were detailed as always. Thank you.”
I wait to see if she’ll apologize for almost biting my head off, but I should’ve known better. Luna isn’t big on apologies.
Fuck. Why am I so into her?
Most men would run in the other direction.
“Shit, I’ll grab the descenting spray.” I set the tablet down at the small table behind and off to the side of her desk. There’s also a chair where I’ll sit during the meeting. It’s easy for people to forget I’m there when I’m practically hidden in a corner.
Hurrying from her office, I grab the professional-grade spray. I spray myself from head to toe, even though I already used my own spray before I came into work, and return to her office and gesture for her to stand.
“Don’t spray it in my damn coffee this time.” She frowns, deciding to cover her cup with a notebook before standing. “You ruined a perfectly good latte last time.”
I nod, biting back a smile. “I did, and I’m sorry. I won’t let it happen again, boss.”
“Why are you back to calling me boss? You know I hate it.” She glares and there goes my cock again.
Fucking hell.
I can’t exactly tell her I do it because it gets her worked up and causes her scent to fill the room.
What can I say? I’m a glutton for punishment.
“Sorry, boss.” This time I don’t bother hiding my grin. “My bad, Luna.”
She just rolls her eyes, and I spray her with more spray than necessary.
As much as I hate the way her scent disappears, I don’t want any strangers scenting her.
She’s mine—even if she doesn’t know it yet.