Chapter 2
Hailey
“Well, shit. I’m going to need this!” I declared as I grabbed the sparkly dress I had impulse bought a few weeks ago.
“I’m surprised you agreed to come out.” Alice laughed from where she lay on my sofa, already wearing a mini dress, her makeup done to perfection.
How she managed to look so damn good while running herself ragged with work was a downright mystery. Alice never had a hair out of place. And then there was me.
I was pretty sure my hair purposefully fought against any taming.
Alice worked as a dispatcher. Not long after I started as an EMT, I quickly got used to the sound of her voice letting us know where we were needed. When we finally met at an emergency services fundraising picnic, we got along like a house on fire and had been good friends ever since.
“I’ve been working so much lately. If I don’t have a little fun, I’m going to shrivel up and die,” I said, my tone thick with sarcasm, even if the truth wasn’t all that far off.
I was in desperate need of a distraction, and after seeing Merrick, I needed…maybe a little something else too.
“Well, we can’t have that!” Alice laughed, sitting up with a toss of her hair. “Then who would I whine to about my boy troubles?”
“What boy troubles?” I scoffed, eyeing her with just a tad of jealousy. “All the boys love you!”
Alice sighed dramatically. “You see, that's the problem. I have too many options.”
She wasn't wrong. There were several alphas sniffing after Alice. I didn't blame them. She was absolutely stunning, smart, and strong. If I swung that way, Alice would be on my radar too. The fact that she made an incredible friend was icing on the cake.
“If you could convince all those boys to form a pack, you would be golden.”
She sat up a bit straighter. “I mean, if anyone could convince them to make a pack, it would be me…”
“Didn't the guy you went on a date with last week punch the librarian you were dating?” I pointed out, not blinking as I regarded her.
Alice also had a very convoluted dating history, and sometimes it was hard to keep up, but I did my best. Huh, I bet the guys feel that way…
“He did.” Alice bit her lip, absentmindedly fiddling with the fluffy hem of one of my throw pillows. “Do you think that rules out a pack, then?”
“Well, if anyone can make it happen, it’ll be you. But it would probably be helpful if the guys actually, I don’t know, liked each other?”
Silence hung for a moment, and then we burst out laughing. I finished pulling on my lashes and glanced in the mirror.
Alice beamed in the background behind me, getting up and resting her hands on her hips, proudly. “You know what, you’re right! I’ll convince them to come around to the idea.”
I was pretty sure that wasn’t what I said, but when Alice set her mind to something, there was no arguing with her, so I just smiled, nodding along.
“For tonight, though, we need to take tons of photos and show them exactly what they’re missing!”
“So, where is this place we are going to?” I asked, looking around nervously.
“Just in town. It’s a total dive bar, but the drinks are cheap and strong. The dance floor may be sticky, but in my opinion, that just helps with traction.”
Sticky floors…wonderful.
I shook my head and proceeded to change, not caring if Alice saw me in my bra. We were both healthcare professionals and had seen so many jiggly bits over the years that we were completely desensitized to them.
“You can’t wear a bra with that!” Alice declared, sitting up and staring at me with a look of mock horror.
I glanced at the sparkly slip of a dress in my hand. “Hmm…You’re right,” I sighed.
“I usually am.” She nodded, making me roll my eyes. “You should learn to listen to me all the time.
“Easy there, tiger.” I giggled, grabbing a throw pillow and tossing it at her.
I slid the dress over my head, before I walked over to the long mirror in the corner of the room and did a quick turn, checking the fit. My stomach tightened when I got a peek of the back, my heart rate speeding up a hair.
“Oh…this is dangerously short...” I laughed, trying to play off how uncomfortable I felt.
The sparkly silver fabric fell just below my ass and hugged me in all the right places, but moving was going to be an issue.
“Damn, girl, you’re looking amazing!” Alice whistled, and unwillingly, a smile spread across my face.
“Oh God, really? I’m not sure…” I checked myself out again, and then something washed over me, that need to let loose a little, and for once, I let go of the self-consciousness.
“You know what? I do, don’t I?” I asked, running my hands over the fabric of the dress.
“Yeah!” Alice shot up, snagging my hand and heading to the door. “Now, shall we go drink?”
The bar was like every other bar. Crowded, noisy, and a little bit dirty. Liquor and sweat filled the air. There were so many people shoved into the small space that all of their scents intermingled into one indistinguishable din of fragrance and noise.
Sometimes, the fancier bars and clubs would put a scent neutralizer in the air. Not being assaulted with scents left, right, and center usually made the whole experience of going out for a night of dancing a lot more enjoyable.
One of the downsides of being an omega was that my nose was extra sensitive.
Alphas also had a particularly strong sense of smell, but it didn't seem to bother them as much—as far as I knew, anyway.
If I caught a whiff of a bad scent, it would put me in a terrible mood for at least a few hours.
Alphas seemed able to brush it off, or at least the alphas I had met had been able to.
Ugh, my nose. I’m going to be sneezing half the time.
“This is perfect!” Alice shouted, clapping her hands happily as we walked into the smoky, scent-drenched building. It was hard to see more than a few feet in front of us, but that was probably a small mercy.
“I’m going to dance! Join me,” she declared loudly, grabbing my hand and pulling me onto the floor without a second thought.
Ignoring the people around me, and despite the overwhelming smells, I let myself get lost in the music for a bit, giggling with Alice as she pulled off some of the silliest moves in existence.
She loved moves like the robot and the lawnmower. All I could do was laugh. Her goofy nature was part of why I adored her, though.
A few seconds into the next song, an alpha came up behind Alice, and I tensed, waiting to see how my friend would react to the attention.
When she started grinding on said alpha, though, I knew she was fine.
With Alice distracted by her “friend,” I decided to head up to the bar. I knew exactly who she was talking to, and we shared our location with one another on our phones, so I knew she would be fine if I went and got myself a drink. Safety first, after all.
I glanced around the room at the bodies pressed together, as I started making my way toward the general direction of the bar.
Most of the barstools were taken, so when I noticed an open one, I strode right up to it, doing my best to avoid bumping into too many people along the way while keeping my dress in place.
Hopping onto the stool, I steadied myself by resting my hand on the bar, which, despite the bartender regularly wiping surfaces down, was slightly sticky.
“What can I get you?” A tall man with brown hair wearing a white button-up and jeans walked over to me, ignoring the male customers who were trying to grab his attention.
There were definitely some advantages to having breasts and being an omega when it came to getting a drink. Occasional preferential treatment was one of them.
“Jack and Coke,” I said, raising my voice so I could be heard over the thudding music.
As he turned to get my drink, a scent hit me from my left.
Dark, rich liquor. It wasn't surprising, considering I was in a bar, but there was something about it that didn't feel ambient. It felt like…an alpha? There was a dangerous edge to it that made my skin tingle in the best way, and even though I wasn’t really looking for that tonight, since this was a girls’ night out, I couldn’t help but be intrigued.
I couldn't remember the last time a scent made me feel like that.
Turning toward it, my eyes met a pair of bright blue ones, striking even in the dim light.
Shit. Sitting next to me was a damn good-looking man. Sure, I probably could’ve been more poetic in the moment, but my brain immediately short-circuited, thoughts tumbling about like a washing machine.
Dark brown hair that was pushed away from his face. Rich blue eyes that seemed impossibly deep, sapphires reflecting the ocean. He was wearing casual clothes—jeans and a T-shirt—but the faint aroma of smoke and burn of liquor that clung to his skin, had my stomach doing flip-flops.
And when I stopped to think about it, it was a familiar scent that I knew well. Instinctively, I scanned him, and there were smudges on the hem of his shirt and on his cheek too.
While I was admiring him, I abruptly realized he was raking his eyes over me, completely unabashed.
Is he checking me out? Oh, God. What do I do? Should I say something? I…I think I should say something before this gets awkward. Well, more awkward.
“Hey, I’m Hailey,” I greeted.
“Preston.” He took my outstretched hand, and my entire body stood to attention at that firm grip and large hands, forcing me to swallow and adjust in my seat.
“Are you a… firefighter?” I asked, furrowing my brow.
His eyebrows rose back at me, then he smiled, this gorgeous smirk that lit up his entire face, and my pulse flickered. “What gave it away?” He laughed, cocking his head.
My chest burned, pleased at the confirmation that my suspicion was correct.
“The layer of smoke still clinging to your skin was a surefire tell. I work with firefighters pretty often, actually, so I’m familiar with it.”
“Oh? What do you do?” he asked, sliding across the bar so he was closer to me. My skin prickled at the nearness, like a charged spark demanding more electricity to feed it.