Page 72 of Glass Omega

For one, they were all completely gorgeous, looking like they belonged in a sorority rather than the cute little house theyshared. Each of them was taller than me by at least a few inches and their bodies were much more rounded than mine, their clothes clinging to them as if they were tailored specifically for them. And for two, they were all betas and my status as not only an omega, but a married one had instantly made me feel like an outsider yet again.

But the other two had tried to make me feel welcome while Dahlia had spent the night making sarcastic comments in response to anything I said.

Back at the house when the other three had been working to convince me to leave through the back door with them, Dahlia had snorted and called me a giant wimp who should run outside back to my security team to protect me.

“Like the princess you are,”she’d sneered and I’d gotten so angry that I’d slammed my cell phone down on the coffee table and stomped out of the backdoor, not thinking about the potential consequences of my actions.

“Don’t push her, Dahlia,” Kailey, who’d been done with her friend’s attitude all night, said as she glared at the other girl before holding a hand out to me. “Give her a second to acclimate.”

I shot Kailey a grateful glance and took her hand.

“Form a chain, ladies, no bitch left behind!” Kailey hollered over the music and I felt Jessica slide her hand into mine before taking Annie’s, leaving Dahlia at the rear as Kailey ducked in between the writhing mass of bodies.

Her hand tightened on mine every time people pushed in on us and I did the same until all five of us made it through to the kitchen which was, thankfully, a bit more empty and calm.

A group of guys was busy playing beer pong at an old cracked dining room table and there was a plethora of drinks on the kitchen island with a guy in a Hawaiian shirt serving them up.

“What can I get youfineladies this evening?” he asked, his eyes sizing each of us up before landing on me. “Hello and where have you been all my life, gorgeous?”

“Easy there, Meyers,” Kailey chastised, her voice dry. “That’s Romey’s big sister you’re talking to.”

“No shit?” Meyers looked at me again, a slow grin filling his face. “Does big sister want a drink?”

I wondered, if I’d never been diagnosed with leukemia and if I’d have gone to school like a normal girl four years ago, whether I would have found someone like the man in front of me attractive.

At face value he seemed handsome, high cheekbones, sharp jaw, big blue eyes and a smile that said that he knew just how hot he was and he was going to use it to his advantage.

But as I stared at him, I could only think about the gold eyes that seemed to stare straight into my soul… or the dark brown ones that now seemed to be filled with a despondent longing that I knew had something to do with the former.

Ever since our first time together in his study, Edison had been, in a word, boundless in his affection for me.

He slept in my nest every night and it now smelled almost exactly how I thought it should.

And the sex just kept getting better and better. This morning, before he’d left for business in the next city over, I’d awoken to his face in between my legs and…

“Perrie?” Kailey’s voice brought me out of my naughty reverie and I realized they were waiting for me to answer.

“No thank you,” I hurried to say, my cheeks filling with warmth. “I don’t drink.”

“Oh, so you’re no fun then,” Meyers teased.

“That’s what I’ve been saying!” Dahlia hurried to cut in, her eyes intent on the frat boy. “We had to practically drag her out ofthe house kicking and screaming. But if you’re making it, I’ll take a drink.”

Kailey and the other girls frowned at her. I didn’t know much about female friendships, but I did know that putting someone down to make yourself look better was a no-no in most people’s books.

“Come on,” Kailey said with a roll of her eyes. “I want to show you the backyard. Dahlia, are you coming?”

Dahlia, who’d sidled right up next to Meyers, shook her head. “I’ll come find you in a bit.”

“Seriously?” I heard Jessica say as we headed out onto the back patio just in time to see a group of people jump into the pool with a large splash.

“Don’t take what Dahlia says to heart,” Kailey told me as we avoided the splash zone by mere inches and skirted around the wetzone to find a seat on the loungers that had been placed haphazardly around the lawn.

“Because she’s not as much of a bitch as she seems?” The words felt harsh coming out of my mouth, but the other girl had been picking at me all evening so it also felt like they were justified.

Kailey snorted and shook her head. “No, she’s definitely that bitchy, but she’s also relatively harmless.”

We settled in to watch what looked like a diving competition happening at the pool and slowly I found myself starting to enjoy myself as we cheered for the people doing flips and twists into the pool.

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