Page 34 of Scent of Home

I sip my coffeewhile my feet dangle over the river and try not to grumble too loudly. Another night spent hugging the clingy omega, stirring my body into an inferno of need. I think I slept perhaps an hour. At the moment, my libido keeps asking me why I’m holding out.

I am a saint, and I want it etched onto my gravestone.

I glance at Locke as he sits down beside me.

“I have to thank you for everything,” Locke murmurs. His voice sends shivers down my spine, and the urge to lean across and nip him just to leave a mark is almost too much to bear.

“Oh, are you leaving?” I sip my coffee to hide my alarm.

“No, I’m just saying…” He trails off, frowning. “I’m saying thanks. You picked up the tab. The only thing I’m upset about is your refusal to defile me.”

I finish my coffee and lay back, closing my eyes. Patchy bursts of sunlight dance over me, warming my body. “I did. I have plenty of money. Consider it a gesture of goodwill to this small town that obviously needs some drama. Defiling you is an act of my god powers. I have to resist, you wouldn’t survive. Be afraid.”

Shadows push away the light, and I open my eyes to find Locke leaning over me.

“I want to kiss you.” He leans closer until our lips are almost touching.

I want it, too. I’m too weak to deny myself any longer. With a groan, I lift my head up to close the space when the door opens, and a shout calls through the cabin.

Locke groans and withdraws.

I watch him get up and let my head thump back on the wood. I’m not dealing with this today. It’s sleep or sex. The sun is so nice and warm. I smile as the sunlight dances over my face in gentle flecks through the thick canopy.

“Hi!”

I peel open my eyes and find Locke right beside me.

“Hi.”

“You curled up and slept on the balcony for about five hours. Do you feel better now?”

I feel stiff, but other than that, I do feel better. I roll to my feet. Locke steps out of my way as I make my way inside and start the kettle again.

I glance around. “Who was at the door?”

“Oh, that was just Nancy and Rue dropping off breakfast.” He points to a basket. I take a peek and spot a muffin. I snag it, bite into it, and moan.

“Oh, this is so good.”

“Yeah, I’m seeing that,” Locke mutters. “Finn rang the cabin phone and said if we want a lift to town to watch the river games, we need to get down to the main house in about thirty.”

Half of me wants to sit this one out, but there’s a certain alpha I want to see.

“Give me ten minutes.”

I’m dressed in apurple maxi dress that shifts around me like water, with a white knitted cardigan and sandals. I look good. Locke thinks I look good. I know because he tried to walk through one of the chairs. It was a big chair. Don’t know how he missed it. Put a bounce in my step, though.

“Tell us about the games, Finn!”

Finn glances at Locke in the passenger seat and smiles.

“Okay, there’s fishing, rafting, a race. Lots of food. There’s an art exhibition and a cake judging today, too. There are more of those in the upcoming days, but just in case you don’t want to watch the river games.”

“Where can I find Bray?” I ask in the silence.

Finn frowns but swallows whatever he wants to say. “He’ll either be around or in his shop. If you take the second left off main street, you’ll see a big red shed, that’s his place.”

“Thank you.”

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