Page 40 of Bonding the Band

Meadow nodded. “Okay…well, we have to get to know each other no matter what now. He’s been sick as well?”

“As a dog!” I declared happily. “His own fault! We’ve got so much catching up to do…”

She was sweet as a button. I wanted to keep her.

As she told us about the last few weeks, I listened intently, trying to commit every word she said to memory and learn as much about her as I could.

The tour bus door opened again after a while, and everyone turned to look at Hendrix as he ambled up the stairs into the bus. He was breathing deeply, like he had literally run from the VIP meet and greet. A strong cloud of sweat and scent followed him.

“There you guys are. What the fu—” He cut off when his eyes landed on Meadow. “Hey.”

She stared at him, eyes wide.

I wanted to snort with disbelief. Hendrix was finally meeting the omega he had banged, bonded, and made a baby with, and the most he could say washey?

Meadow, on the other hand, looked nauseated.

“Why thefuckdo you smell like other omegas?” she growled, jumping to her feet and leveling Hendrix with a glare.

“I…uh…” He opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to find the words and failing miserably.

I probably should have helped him, but what dumbass would come meet his bonded omega after having a bunch of women crawling all over him in the VIP room?

Chapter 17

Meadow

Wrong. Everything was so, so wrong. He wasmine. My vision tinged black on the edges as I lost my grip on reality and lunged at him, taking us both to the floor, my fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt and yanking with all my strength.

“Get them off!” I hissed.

Tears flooded down my cheeks, and I knew it was irrational as hell, but I couldn’t stop them. He was covered in omega scents, and my brain kept screaming,That’s why he abandoned you. And he hadn’t. I was the one who ran out without leaving any contact information. Iknewthat, but the screaming in my head was so loud.

“Shit,” Hendrix whispered. “I’m sorry. So, so fucking sorry. I meant to shower before coming out, but I didn’t know you were on the bus, and I was just trying to get away before someone else needed something.”

He whipped his shirt off and tossed it away, but those scents had sunk down to his skin, which was an absolute no for my instincts. I growled, following the compulsion to lean forward and plaster myself against him, swiping my cheek over his jawand anywhere else I could reach until enough of those scents had been covered with mine that I could draw breath again.

I sat up, my head spinning and my chest heaving, fingers digging into him while he lay frozen beneath me, staring at me with blown pupils and his cock tenting his pants between my thighs.

“You okay there, sweets?” Phineas asked. “Is it safe to approach?”

As the instinctual freakout receded, embarrassing clarity took its place. “Oh god. That was…”

“Hot as hell?” Arlo suggested.

Beckett passed me a bottle of water, and I took a few sips, still immobile above Hendrix, my body unwilling to move, and he seemed unwilling to make a peep, in case I threw myself at him again.

“I’m so sorry,” I eventually said to Hendrix, not quite able to make myself look at him.

“Don’t even worry about it,” Beckett replied for him. “Between the omega instincts, the pregnancy hormones, and Hendrix coming in smelling like a bunch of groupies, I’m surprised you didn’t bite the shit out of him. He’d have deserved it.”

“Need help up, princess?” Arlo asked. “Or would you rather sit on Henny for a while?”

I sucked back a pout and reached my arms out to him, letting Arlo and Phin get me back to my feet while Beckett offered a hand to Hendrix. Awkwardness swept over me, so strong I couldn’t even raise my eyes from the floor. My instincts had never driven me to do that before. Beckett was probably right—the combination of factors was simply more than I could handle—but that didn’t make me feel any better. Right mind or not, I had gone feral on my bond-mate baby daddy.

I curled myself against Arlo, burying my face against his chest, and his arm immediately came around my shoulders. “I hate this.”

His kiss on the top of my head relaxed me a little, but not enough to chance looking at Hendrix.

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