Page 63 of Scent of Home

“What are we going to do about the alphas?” I ask Locke.

“They are complicated. You’re doing a good job getting them to come together.” Locke teases. I lean over him and lick up his chest. I can’t resist, he tastes better than the chocolate.

I scoff and then laugh. “It’s like trying to get vipers to get along. They are so attracted to each other, but it’s like they don’t even realise it.”

I lean back on the pillow. “Finn’s holding back. Even his scent is controlled.”

“Leave Finn to me,” Locke says with a wink. “I’ve got a bead on how to break him into all his pretty little pieces.”

“Then leave the other two to me. I know just where to push.”

I drink half the bottle of water and then lay down, pulling the blanket up to my chin. I’m bonded. Wow, I don’t know what to do with this. Don’t freak him out would be a good start. Does he know or not?

“What do you do, Locke?”

“I work. Musician, I told you that. Did you think I sat around looking pretty?” Locke teases.

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it. You’ve got far too much energy.”

He wiggles down and rolls on his side so we’re almost nose to nose.

“But you are pretty,” I whisper. His cheeks pinken, but his eyes dilate, getting dark and intense.

He leans forward and kisses me. It’s a kiss that turns into another kiss, and then another one. Over and over, neither of us caring. When he pulls back, he sighs. “I work really hard. Too much. Sometimes.”

“You don’t want to tell me what you do?” I can’t help the brief pang of hurt.

He hesitates. “I don’t want you to think differently of me, and everyone does,” he whispers in a pained hush. “Eventually, I stop being me in their eyes and become a thing.”

I hesitate, I want to promise I won’t, but it’s true that some information does change your opinions of people. “I guess that makes sense, but I see you, Locke. Are you good at what you do?” I ask.

“I am so good at what I do. I’m the best.” His ego shouldn’t be so cute, but his confidence is sexy.

I kiss him this time. “I don’t care if you’re the best. All I care about is this person in bed with me now.”

Locke’s hands slide up over my hip. “Are you going to go back to working too hard, Erin? Are you going to exhaust yourself and forget about us?”

I hesitate. Am I going back?

I don’t think so.

When did I decide that?

When I found out I had an omega. When he bonded me and I bonded him right back.

“No, I don’t know what I’ll do, but I don’t think I’ll go back to the life I’ve left behind.”

We go silent for a long moment, but it’s not uncomfortable.

“What would you do if you could do anything you wanted?”

Locke scowls and sits up. “You can’t ask that!”

I sit up. “Why?”

“Because I don’t have the luxury of being able to dream about what I want!”

I stare at him, listening and hearing the distinction in his words. “Locke!”

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