Page 30 of Mark & Don't Tell

“Oh, crap. They’re hot,” Jane whispers.

I blow out a breath. “Yeah, they are.”

The only thing more nerve-racking than presenting in front of a client is presenting in front of attractive clients.

All eyes are on them and Mandy as they come into the room, like they’re a magnetic field we’re all drawn to. Mandy introduces them as Malakai and Lincoln, and I smile, genuinely excited to present, but stiffen when their scents slam into me.

Cinnamon and bergamot. A touch of spice and sweetness. A delectable citrus with faint touches of floral notes. Both blend perfectly with the smoky floral of my lavender scent.

They smell amazing.

Mouthwatering.

Delicious.

A tremble runs through me, and I breathe in again, nearly moaning at how good they smell. Those scents are so tantalizing, I’m instantly wet, slick coating my panties. Jane shoots me a look. She may be a beta, but there’s no mistaking the sudden burst of lavender emanating from my nether regions.

I squeeze my thighs together and try to get my reaction under control, but my skin is flushed, and I greedily inhale again.

Mine. Mine. Mine.

Even though the thought is a soft whisper, I flinch, as though someone screamed in my ear. Mine? There’s no way. They can’t be...but as my core clenches and I drag in another addicting lungful of that cinnamon and bergamot, my body suddenly achy and needy, it’s clear. These two are meant to be mine.

This is more than simply loving their scents. This is...nature. Destiny.

The owners of Good Vibes, two sexy older men, are my scent matches.

Or am I being silly?

Trying not to panic, I glance around the room. Maybe this is one of their products? Maybe they created sanity-stealing love juice. That has to be it, right? My gaze strays in their direction, waiting to see if they react the same way to my scent.

The one in the lighter blue suit steps forward to introduce himself. “Thank you for that, Mandy. Like she said, I’m Malakai, the CEO of—” He pauses and frowns, nostrils flaring as he inhales.

My heart jumps.

Lincoln does the same thing, forehead furrowing. The two of them exchange quick looks. Oh my god. My pulse thunders so hard, I wonder if I’m about to have a heart attack. They breathe in again, slow and deep, as though they’re savoring the taste of my scent. There’s no sanity-stealing love juice. A thousand words pass between them. I’m dying to know what they’re thinking, to know how desperate my scent has made them.

But Malakai shakes his head, as if dismissing whatever he’s thinking, and chuckles. “Sorry about that, I didn’t finish my coffee this morning. Like I said, I’m the CEO of Good Vibes, and Lincoln is the COO. We’re excited to hear your pitches.”

My chest cracks open with an all too familiar feeling.

They don’t like it.

That, or they don’t want it.

Maybe they’re already mated.

Maybe this is like every other time I thought I’d found something good. A big disappointment.

Chewing on my cheek, I blink back tears pricking at the edges of my eyes and stare at a spot on the wall as the pitches kick off. Mandy has me slotted to go last, which means I have exactly thirty minutes to figure out how to stand in front of them and pretend like they don’t exist.

Because I’ll be damned if I let another pack break my heart.

Twelve

LINCOLN

Kai stumbles over his introduction, and I pinch my eyebrows together. He never struggles with this sort of thing. Taking a deep breath, he shoots me a searching look. Does he want me to take over? I arch an eyebrow, prepared to do just that, but then I almost fall to my knees as a blend of lavender and musk, so alluring, so perfect, slams into me.

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