Page 24 of Scent of Home

He’s gone too far, and he knows it. I know it, Finn knows it. Finn grips my arm and pulls me off Shane, but I shove him off and slam Shane to the wall.

“I might be poor, but at least I don’t hide who I am,” I growl into his ear. He shoves me back, but I have hold of his shirt so I don’t go far.

The smell of him distracts me, and I lose hold of the anger as hurt replaces it. I don’t know what I ever did to Shane to make him hate me so much.

“Enough!” The calm, cold command snaps through the diner and has me releasing Shane and stepping back before I can think. I turn a shocked gaze on the alpha who is drinking her coffee with an air of impatience.

I’m not the only one.

Locke looks like he’s been punched in the face. He’s dazed and dreamy. Finn’s brows are in his strange white hair.

It’s the humiliation, it’s too much.

“Fuck this!” I spin on my heel and storm away from the embarrassing spectacle.

I’ve gone a dozen steps when someone grabs my arm. I whirl around, my teeth bared, and find Locke. I immediately lose the expression and step back from him, looking around in confusion. No one comes after me. Not in all the time I’ve been here. No one follows.

“What’s wrong?”

“Show me around.”

It’s not a question but a demand. I’m bemused. “What about Erin?”

“She’s good. We’re going to meet up later. I want to hang out with you,” Locke says easily. There’s no judgment or pity, just banked desire and curiosity.

I frown and study him carefully. “Right, this isn’t a joke or a prank, is it?”

Locke smirks and leans in, pressing his lips to mine.

Vanilla spills from him into me. His lips are firm and soft at the same time, and he’s good. Maybe as good as me. Our kiss turns carnal in seconds. He breaks away, panting.

“Show me a good time, Alpha.”

I grin and grip his shirt, dragging him up against me, kissing him hard again. “Okay, what do you like?”

Locke’s eyes darken. “Everything.”

I bite his lower lip and tug gently. “Let's go see the musicians then and get a beer.”

Locke laughs, and when I turn and walk away, he’s right next to me.

“My kind of guy.”

I lean on thewooden bar and watch as Locke bounces around in the temporary dance square. Three other people are dancing with him, two of them children. He’s laughing, his face flushed, and he looks happier than I’ve seen him since he arrived.

I sip my beer and smile. We’ve eaten. I’ve taken him on the rides and shown him some of my favourite places in town. We’ve made out a lot. Everything we are doing is foreplay. Sexy, dirty foreplay.

He’s smart, witty, and sexy.

A woman dances up to him and presses against him. He steps back, and when she says something, he shakes his head. She pursues him. Locke stiffens, and he gets the strangest expression on his face. It digs at me. I don’t understand it, but fury floods me. I toss the last of my beer and glide onto the dance floor, wrapping my arms around him from behind.

Possessive claiming. Locke breathes again, the fear dissipating as he leans back into me.

“Fuck off, Jess. This one’s mine.”

The woman narrows her blue eyes and tosses her chestnut hair. “Yeah, well, anything that fucks you isn’t worth shit after.”

I tense, but Locke leans back into me, slipping one of his hands into my pocket and stroking my thigh through the thin material.

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