Page 60 of Curvy Nerdy Omega

I checked my phone but didn’t see any messages from either of them. The last thing I wanted was to play babysitter right now. I may not be going through pheromone withdrawals, but I couldn’t stand the idea of being any farther away from her than I already was.

Alpha instincts were practically impossible to ignore during courtship, and I honestly hadn’t understood exactly what that meant until we’d let Lucy go.

It was so much worse than I could have ever imagined and the only reason Frankie was safe from us was because their relationship made it very clear they were nothing more than family.

“No, I’m not gonna take Cas. Pop is sending one of the Lopez bodyguards to pick me up.” Frankie grabbed her leather holster from the hook on the wall and buckled it on. “He doesn’t want to stir up the other legacy packs if he doesn’t have to, and if they see me going around the city with that big brute at my side, people are going to start asking annoying questions.”

“How much longer do you think we’ll be able to stay out of the news?” Lucy poured cream into Frankie’s cup and then screwed the lid on. “I need to finish this before people find out what we’re looking for.”

We watched Frankie unlock the drawer where they kept their guns and check that the safety was on before shoving it in her holster. “We picked a restaurant known for its rules about client privacy, but it’s only a matter of time. People are going to hear about the meeting between Lopez and Valor sooner rather than later, and they’ll wonder why we’re there. I suggest you finish whatever it is you need to before then.”

I didn’t like that she was right about that. The security team was working overtime to make sure nothing got leaked, but it was a fucking miracle someone hadn’t figured it out already. We were running out of time on every front and I needed things to start moving before Liam decided to take matters into his own hands.

Lucy watched as Frankie pulled on a blue sweater, yanking up the hood so she could put her leather jacket on over it. “Do I know this bodyguard, or is it someone new?”

Frankie took the to-go cup from Lucy with a grin. “It’s someone new, but I sent you an email with his personnel file attached. You can track me through my earring too, just like you always do.”

That was actually a good idea. Someone could take a phone, or break it. An earring would be overlooked by anyone who kidnapped her. We should definitely get Lucy one.

“Don’t wreck the apartment again while I’m gone. It took us hours to clean it all up.” Frankie squeezed Lucy’s buns one last time before she could stop her. “I’ll call you in a few hours to check in.”

“You better.” The way she glared after the alpha reminded me of a cranky cat who secretly loved attention but would never admit it. “And don’t do anything stupid.”

Frankie waved as she left and then slammed the door behind her hard enough to rattle the pictures on the wall.

Lucy looked up at the camera in the kitchen as she poured creamer in her coffee and I licked my lips, knowing she wasn’t looking at me but it fucking felt like it. That look in her eyes was a promise and I was ready to cash in.

She planted her hands on the counter and looked down at her phone, staring at it for a long time before she picked it up. She swiped and then tapped, selecting someone’s contact.

Two seconds later my phone started buzzing.

I stared at Lucy’s name and tried to understand.

“Answer it,” Liam murmured, his eyes on her and her alone. “Don’t make her wait.”

Why the fuck was Lucy calling me?

CHAPTER 23

Cas

Punching in the code to the main door of the apartment building, I tried really hard not to overthink this. Lucy wanted to talk to me. In person. And I had no fucking idea why.

I wanted to feel relieved I was going to be in the same room with her again, but I just didn’t understand why she wanted me.

Not Liam.

The front door buzzed and I shoved it open, heading for the stairs instead of the elevator.

I’d told Liam to head to the apartment across the hall from hers because I didn’t want him in a vehicle without me if things went sideways. Being able to go across the hall if he did something stupid would be a lot faster.

Dragging Lucy over there wouldn’t be hard either. She had her chance to deny us. If she tried to say something ridiculous again I wasn’t going to let her get away with it.

Inviting me up to her apartment was dangerous and she’d done it anyway, even when I’d warned her not to.

I took the stairs two at a time and tried to remind myself I couldn’t grab her the second she opened the door – I couldn’t sink my teeth into her neck or rip those scent blockers off. I’d even made sure to wear them myself since Nathan put her on the suppressants, worried I might lose control and accidentally send her into heat again.

The metal door slammed into the wall and I winced, annoyed that I was already losing control of my strength thanks to just how fucking worried I was. I tried to reel it all back in as I walked down the hall toward her apartment.

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