Page 37 of Scent of Home

“Where is home?”

Bray hesitates. “I haven’t found it yet, but I’m going to. I was born here. This is supposed to be home, it just isn’t.”

“Really?”

“That’s why I stayed here, though. There is no ugly part of this town. Everything is stunning.”

“Except the people.”

“Except some of the people.”

I thread my arm through his and lean in close, ignoring the way people watch us.

“You’re going to get a terrible reputation,” Bray warns.

“I’m a lawyer, pretty sure I’ve heard it all before and then some. I don’t care if they hate me or what they call me. The only thing that matters is that I’m here on my holiday and I’m enjoying this strange town and your even stranger customs of celebrating rivers.”

Bray chuckles. “It is an interesting place to visit.”

I snort as we turn onto the main street and fall in with the throng of people walking towards the river.

“Visit, being the operative word. Why did you choose to put roots here? Why not leave?”

Bray is silent for so long I don’t think he’s going to answer me.

“I wasn’t going to stay.”

I peer up at him.

“But for some of the people,” Bray says quietly, and when I follow his gaze, I see Shane and Finn standing with Locke.

And maybe, perhaps, I can kinda understand the reasoning behind why one would stay in a town like this, even when it hates you.

Chapter eleven

Locke

This innocent act isgetting old. I am getting nowhere, and it’s crap. I finally slipped the leash, and I have a chance at not one but three smoking hot alphas and that incredibly fine beta, and I’m still suffering with the biggest blue balls in the history of blue balls. Of all the luck. I finally get a chance to decide, to choose, and they are holding back.

I don’t know how many more nights I can snuggle up to that alpha and continue to pretend I’m asleep. It’s becoming a hard issue to ignore.

I glance back at Finn and find him watching me too closely. I’m not convinced he’s as innocent as he’s pretending to be, either. His eyes never seem to leave me. Every time I try to sneak off, he’s there herding me back.

And Shane! The alpha is incredible. A smorgasbord of man meat, that is exactly what I’m starving for, but he refuses to even speak to me, and after outing me yesterday, I’m considering my options.

I wander away from them and peel off my top, conveniently shoving it in a bin so I don’t get commanded to put it back on again. I slip across the road to where a musician is playing. He’s good. I close my eyes and start dancing.

When a body presses up against mine, the bolt of fear that goes through me is instinctive and unpleasant. I open my eyes and find the girl from yesterday. Jess? Fear holds me still while her hands run all over me.

She licks her lips. I think it’s supposed to be sultry, but it just comes across as desperate. With a muffled growl, I turn away, but she runs her hand down my spine. I hiss and side step her.

“Don’t touch me!”

“You want me,” she purrs. “Everyone does, but I like you.”

I shake my head, my face a mask. Too many times I’ve been told to perfect my mask, to never let them see what I’m really thinking. She won’t be able to see my fear or my disgust.

I cast a look around, but I can’t see Shane or Finn.

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