Page 36 of Scent of Home

I don’t expect the zing that lances through me. I breathe hard, fighting to remain calm, while I try to tamp down my arousal. All I can smell is mocha in the air.

I’d be embarrassed, but the man is basically a walking sexual red flag, and I am so down for it.

Now that he’s not here, I can see something else. His shop is clean, but everything’s broken. Not the stuff to fix cars, that looks newish, but the chair is held together with duct tape. The door to what looks like lockers is hanging by one hinge. The more I look, the more I see.

There’s a bench close by, and I move towards it, tilting my head to see the sketches. They’re of cars and bikes. And an old man.

Bray comes down the stairs, dressing in a black jumper and jeans. My first thought is that he’s wearing too many clothes, we need to remove some. I reach up and mess up his hair a bit, then step back and nod.

“Perfect. Let’s go.”

He grips my hips and stops me. “What do I get out of this?”

I glance over my shoulder and feel my stomach flutter at his nearness. He’s got this whole hot stubble thing happening. I lean back into him so my back is pressed against his chest.

“What do you want for it?”

“A kiss.”

“Just a kiss?”

“Yes, just one kiss.”

I hum for a moment and then nod. Of course, I’m kissing him. Who the hell on this planet would say no? I twist and lock my arms around his neck, standing up and thrusting my tongue into his mouth. I kiss him with all the tricks and skills I’ve retained over the years, but as soon as his lips move under mine, I forget everything. All that exists is him and me.

I break away but stand there, breathing hard, I slide my hands down the hard panel of his chest.

“Come and be my distraction, Bray?”

“What do you need distracting from?”

I give him a look. “A similar thing you need distracting from. Except mine isn’t giant-sized.”

“Ah, the omega.”

“Yes, the omega.”

Bray shrugs. “Fine, you help me make Shane jealous, and I will keep your gorgeous omega far, far away from you.”

I touch my lips to the corners of his. “Thank you.”

“Come on, let’s go or I’m going to bend you over my work desk and fuck you until we can’t move.”

Hmm, on second thought.

He opens the door and, with reluctance, I exit the building. There are more people on the street now. They all seem to be walking in the same direction. I notice a couple of people look at Bray, but they don’t call out and wave the way they do with Finn. One of them, a woman with purple hair, seems to be staring at me. I raise an eyebrow in challenge, and she looks down and away. Perhaps I was mistaken.

“Why are people so strange with you?” I ask Bray instead and promptly dismiss the woman.

“Ah, fun story. So, when I was younger, I was a little bit of a dick. I used to run amok. Fuck around. I had a chip on my shoulder and an attitude to match. Small towns talk. Word spread, and I was supposed to be leaving, but there was this guy, and he saved me.”

I glance at Bray, but he’s not looking at me.

“Instead of moving on, I stayed and learned from him. Took over the shop and took care of him when he got sick. When he passed, he left the shop to me instead of his family, and the town has never forgiven me for it.”

“That’s a very sad story, Bray.”

He smiles. “It is. Also, my mother’s a drunk. But it doesn’t matter. I don’t need them to like me, and when Benny’s trained up enough, he can take over it for me, and I can go home.”

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