Page 33 of Excess

My brain said that. My instincts felt differently.

She raised an eyebrow at me, though the corners of her lips twitched like she wanted to smile. “Thank you for traumatising my House Manager.”

“Is that what he is?” I asked absently. “I think Freya might be my House Manager.”

Inika laughed before remembering she was supposed to be quiet and clapping a hand over her mouth. “I imagine she’s stricter than Graeme.”

“You’re not wrong about that,” I agreed. Though if Freya strolled around the house hollering for me the way Graeme had just done for Inika, I could at least tell her to mind her manners. “How come he feels so comfortable yelling for you like that?”

Inika’s face flushed. “Graeme used to work for my parents. He’s known me since I was born.”

“He’s your employee, though. Not the other way around. You shouldn’t have to hide in your own home, Inika.”

“No, I know…”

I didn’t push it, since she was clearly uncomfortable as it was. It had certainly given me new insight into this omega, though. Inika carried herself with the confidence of a woman who had everything, but there was far more beneath the surface than what she let on.

And even though looking deeper was completely unnecessary and would probably only make it harder to walk away, I had to know more.

There was no scratching the itch that was Inika. She just burrowed further down into my skin with each moment we spent together.

“I’d better go,” I told her gruffly, taking a step back.

She smiled, blowing me a coy kiss that made me realise I’d never kissed her on the mouth, and that was a travesty. “Until next time, alpha.”

Chapter 10

INIKA

By the time the weekend—and tapas with my friends plus Hugo—rolled around, my water bottle was in my hand at all times to counter the dehydrating effects of producing so much slick all week.

Blake had finished each work day in my spare bedroom, contorting me into positions I’d only fantasised about, and knotting me until I was bow-legged.

It made the prospect of tonight’s dinner even less appealing. Usually when I was being set up with an alpha, I could at least comfort with myself with the idea that I’d get some decent—good, if I was lucky—sex out of it. But I didn’t want to have sex with anyone who wasn’t Blake, so that was out of the question.

Like I’d conjured him with my mind, my phone buzzed in my purse while I sat in the back of the car, Lúcás humming happily to himself as we headed for the restaurant.

Blake: Freya was asking after you today. Apparently tea and cake isn’t as much of a treat when it’s just me.

That was unexpected. While we’d been spending plenty of time together this week, there’d been no communication outside of when Blake was at my house.

Inika: I’m sure that’s not true! How was the interpretative ballet class today?

Blake: More interpretive than ever.

I smiled at my phone like an idiot before silencing it and slipping it into my purse as Lúcás pulled up in front of the restaurant. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how to reply to that anyway. Did he just want to chat? I was attached to him enough as it was without adding casual messages on top.

Would it be weird to ask if I could take Freya out sometime? Probably. She was just such a fun kid, and I hated the thought of her not having an omega to talk to. She was many years off the most challenging of the omega traits kicking in, but there were still little quirks that baby omegas had to deal with—especially how their environment looked and felt.

I couldn’t imagine how difficult that would be with three full-grown alphas in the house. Her brain must be in management mode constantly.

“You’re a little underdressed,” Ivy said immediately as the hostess guided me into the private room at the back of the restaurant. My friend cast a critical eye over my cropped slacks and silk camisole, which—while on the less glamorous end of my regular dinner outfits—did show off a very alpha-friendly amount of décolletage.

With the agonising strappy stilettos, the drop earrings, and the low bun to highlight my neck, I thought I’d made a decent show of myself. It was a little less overtly sexy than what I’d normally wear to meet an alpha, but I wasn’t in the mood to be sexy.

Not for Hugo, at least.

“Well, I’m sure if he likes me enough, he won’t mind,” I told Ivy, quickly greeting Stasia, who peeled her eyes away from her phone for a couple of seconds to give me an air kiss.

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