Page 35 of Wild Card

“Hank is still clearing everyone out. She shouldn’t be alone.” His head tilts toward the door. “She seems convinced you’re not a threat to her but torn on whether or not she trusts you.”

I sigh heavily as I mentally prepare another speech. This is going to get tiresome.

“I can recognize a feral alpha when I see one,” Bear says. “Hurt her in any way, and I’ll kill you. I have acquaintances that will tow your body a few miles offshore and feed you to the crabs. Keep that in mind.”

I chuckle, and I don’t even know why. Part of me can respect his straightforward approach. The rest of me doesn’t like being challenged.

He spins around and walks toward the club, calling over his shoulder, “She’s waiting for you.”

My heart skips a beat while my body lurches into motion.

I come through the door, and a large, dark wooden desk sits straight ahead. There’s a desktop computer and files, but for the most part, it’s tidy. There’s a dog bed in the back corner, and the right wall is covered in pictures.

Barely focusing on any of that, I scan to the other side of the room.

Lennox lies on the sofa on the left wall. She’s on her side, with her knees pulled up to her chest, and she’s engulfed by a jacket that must belong to Bear.

It’s only a few strides until I’m directly in front of her.

My knees hit the wood flooring with a thump. It doesn’t feel great, but I’m more focused on Lennox. Her eyes are clenched closed, and her lips tip downward.

“Aww, kitten.” I brush her hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “You’re looking a little rough.”

“This is all your fault,” she says, and her hazel eyes pop open. They’re glassy and red, more than I’ve ever seen them. “Your stupid manly display of alphaness…” She huffs. “Broke my system. You gave me a fever.”

She sounds so indignant that I struggle to hold back a laugh.

This is the Lennox that I fell in love with. She’s open and honest, a little goofy at times, and so sincere, it’s impossible to keep my walls up.

“Fucking hell, I missed you,” I say, bending to brush my lips over her forehead. “I’ll be happy to help get your fever down.”

Alarm pulses in my chest as I pick up on exactly how hot she is. It might be a higher fever than even the spikes she experienced in New York.

“I’ll be fine.” She blows her lips together as she exhales heavily. “I’m not going to forgive you because you knocked those guys out. A few really incredible orgasms aren’t going to wipe the slate clean, either.”

“But they’d be a nice start?” I know as soon as the words are out that they were a mistake. Her entire face contorts in pain, and she curls even tighter in on herself.

Lennox has always smelled electric to me. It’s an indescribable scent that appeals to me like no other smell ever could. However, when she’s aroused, it holds hints of the way everyone else describes her scent.

For a long time, I had no idea what the electric thing meant, but as her perfume floods the air, those thoughts slip away.

Delicate orange cream, with citrusy notes that are sharper than her scent normally is, combines with hints of vanilla to create an enticing smell that makes my nostrils flare.

Omega arousal is one thing. It’s hard enough for an unbonded alpha to be around without losing their head, but omega perfume?

That’s an entirely different ball game.

Omegas perfume when they’re close to their heat and around compatible alphas. It’s a honeytrap of epic proportions, that tends to knock out all rational thought from the mind of the alpha.

Still, this isn’t two-hundred years ago, when society assumed biological responses equaled consent.

It does help me understand that she might not have liked my cocky reply, but her body is fully down for a few no-strings-attached orgasms.

“I meant what I said,” I tell her, giving her forehead a final kiss. “I fucked up before, but I’m here to make it right, no matter how long it takes.” Sliding my hand between her side and the couch, I lift her. It takes a little maneuvering as I move to sit on the cushion and bring her to rest over my lap. “If you can’t ever find it in your heart to forgive me, then I’ll still be around, watching and protecting you from a distance. My heart made its choice months ago. You’re it for me, Lennox.”

“I hear you,” she groans, wiggling around my lap. “But I ache so badly that your voice is annoying me. You’re hotter when you don’t talk.”

“Sorry.” I work a hand between us to run my fingers over her leggings. Lennox groans against my T-shirt, and her hands slide along my sides. She bumps my holsters and we both freeze.

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