THEO
Theo
“Oh, shit,” I said, catching Mackenzie’s elbow to keep her on her feet. “The stupid carpet.”
“Bad carpet!”
“Yes, let’s blame the carpet and not the drinks.”
“Right, we are not drinks. I mean drunks. I mean drunk.”
“Totally not.”
We nodded solemnly before bursting into giggles. Mackenzie leaned her back against the wall and fanned herself.
“Is it hot? I’m hot. Are you hot?”
“It’s the scents. Too many alphas smelling too damn good,” I admitted, putting my hand on the wall for balance.
“Oh, shit, my bag!” Mackenzie stood and swayed.
“You stay here. I’ll go get it. You must have left it at the table.” I handed her the drink.
I wove my way back to the deck. The party was still going strong, but Mackenzie had decided she needed a break. Good thing, too. Adjusting my jeans, I tried to ignore the drinks, the alphas, and Mackenzie’s yummy scent—all of which had left my dick hard and uncomfortable. I focused on my feet and the path back to our table. Her purse was right where we’d left it.
It was a small clutch bag with a loop for your wrist. It was only just larger than my hand. Its slight weight threw off my balance. Yeah, that was it—not the raging boner and all the drinks.
I pushed on the exit door, but it didn’t budge. Dummy, pull, not push. My feet decided not to go in the same direction as I stumbled through the door and right into an alpha doubled over. His dark scent made my head spin even faster. It had a sharp edge like pepper. Not a hint of sweetness.
He grabbed my hip to steady himself, using me like a handhold to pull himself upright. His touch burned and rooted me in place. He was taller than me by a few inches. Looking up at him gave me that roller-coaster feeling. His eyes were as dark as his scent, darker than his hair, and they didn’t meet mine. Instead, he scanned my face.
He blinked hard several times, then stepped back and looked at where his hand had touched me. I swore I felt a slight caress from his thumb before he pulled away.
“Sorry, I, uh… don’t think I have my sea legs yet,” he said, his voice rasping. He took a deep breath, his eyelids fluttering.
I shook myself, trying to restart my brain. “Oh, here.” I snapped off the bracelet from my wrist, holding it out to him. “It’s acupressure. For seasickness.”
“Acupressure.” He said it flatly, so I wasn’t sure if it was a question.
“May I?” I gestured for his hand.
He held it out to me, palm up. I balanced Mackenzie’s bag on the handrail that lined this section of the hall. His hands were big, but the bracelet would fit. He was warm—almost hot. I tried to snap the bracelet on, but my fingers were shaking. My vision blurred with an image of me licking his palm just to taste him. A ring glinted around his thumb. I shook my head again and finally got the snap to catch. “There.”
I looked up at him. His lips were parted, drawing in a barely audible breath. They’d be hot and soft on my skin.
“I, uh, I have to go. Mackenzie’s waiting.” I shook my head again and stepped around him.
“Mackenzie?” Her name on his lips felt like a caress. I practically bolted down the hall. I was too drunk and too horny for alphas.
“Hey.”
I stopped dead and swayed. It was the drinks. Just the drinks.
“This is Mackenzie’s?” Again, hearing him say her name went straight to my dick.
He strode down the hall with Mackenzie’s bag in his hands, not dangling carelessly from the strap but holding it like it was precious.
I swallowed hard, taking it from him, but no words would come out.
“Your name?”
“Theo.” I barely had enough breath to make the word come out. Careful not to touch him again, I took the bag. Good thing I couldn’t really speak, or I might’ve begged him to put his hand around my throat and hold me like I was precious. I ducked my head to avoid eye contact and did my best not to sprint down the hall.
I turned left at the bank of elevators. The second I was out of sight, I leaned against the wall to steady myself, panting to catch my breath.
“Theo.”
I was so drunk I was imagining it. Imagining him saying my name like that, like he was savoring it. I cupped my dick through my shorts. Giddy laughter echoed from down the hall, making me look up. A pair of betas rounded the corner, heading back to the party. A blush burned my cheeks as they passed me.
I needed to find some place to jerk off and stop thinking about that alpha’s hands on me.