Page 33 of Fragile Heart

“You all right if I grab a ride with you?” Melissa asks. Olivia quickly agrees.

Oh shit. Is Brandon’s event next? What had Caleb called it yesterday? Roping? There’s already been two roping events but neither of them bothered Melissa.

“You okay with me heading out with them?” Melissa turns to me, pushing her glasses up her nose.

I don’t make her explain herself. It’s clear enough in her haunted eyes and nervous fidgeting. Instead, I stand and hug her.

“Thanks for coming with me,” I whisper.

Her smile isn’t as forced when she pulls away, and her eyes lose the sad feel as she flicks her gaze to where Caleb still sits behind me. “Of course, Bri.” Her lips curve into a knowing smirk. “You’ll tell me before anyone else, or we’re not friends anymore.”

I roll my eyes and smile. “Nothing’s happening.”

She snorts. “Yeah, sure.” Olivia hooks her arm with Melissa’s. “Promise me, Bri. I’ll be first.”

“First for what?” Olivia asks, her brows drawing close as she frowns. I sigh but nod.

“Promise.”

A quick smile flashes across her face and then she turns with Olivia. “Good.”

Hudson follows behind them, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans.

“Have a good night,” he murmurs, touching the rim of his ball cap before following the women up the stairs. I swear there’s a growl from behind me. But when I settle back onto the bench and the first man nods to let the chute open, quiet settles over the arena, including our little group.

The audience stands and cheers for the winners one more time. Emily whistles where she sits beside me, quietly taking Melissa’s spot after she left. It’s almost enough to distract me from where most of my attention has been stuck all night. Caleb doesn’t clap, his arms wrapped around Camden where he sleeps, his lips slightly parted and his cheek smashed against Caleb’s shoulder. He crashed before the barrel racing was finished.

Even just glancing at them has my breath catching. I’ve never once felt so inside my own head. Like there’s a damn spotlight on me, that every small movement I make is being noticed and acknowledged. Slick coats my scent blockers, and my chest feels hot and tight in a way I haven’t felt for nearly a decade. Caleb shifts next to me, and I swallow the small noise my body tries to force out.

The moment the winners leave the arena and the announcer dismisses everyone, I’m on my feet, adjusting the skirt of my dress to keep the trembling in my hands from being noticeable to anyone watching. The rest of the group stands after a few seconds, and Emily loops her arm in mine, keeping me from bolting back to my car. I bite back a sob. Honestly, I’m ready tohide away in my bedroom until the need to throw myself at Caleb lessons enough I can think around it. He turns toward Beau, and his cinnamon scent washes over me. Again.

My thighs clench, and my belly tightens.

My skin itches, and I’ve had to reapply the lotion twice more over the course of the night. I’m probably more sensitive to it than everyone else, but it doesn’t change the fact that the acidic edge of my scent has grown stronger every time Caleb’s knee casually brushed mine and his scent was noticeable. Cinnamon and the sweet bite of whatever shampoo he uses. It reminds me of Joan’s cinnamon rolls.

“I’ll head back with Cam,” Caleb says, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Sounds good,” Ethan answers.

Fuck. Me. Evenhisvoice is shooting through me right now. I need to get the hell out of here. And then I need to figure out where the charger for my vibrator is.

“We’re going to go meet up with Triston and then go out,” Emily says. I force my gaze to hers, trying to keep just how much of a mess I am off of my face. Why does she have to be an Alpha, too? The contact on my arm is helping, sure, but God knows she’ll be able to tell what’s happening with my body.

Like clockwork, her eyes skate down my body and she frowns. “You good?”

“Just tired,” I offer. My voice, at least, is calm and confident. And thank God, it’s an easy enough excuse to get out of having to be around Ethan anymore tonight when I’m ready to climb just about anyone like a damn tree. I haven’t craved a knot like this in… well, since before Brett, really. Certainly not since going on the suppressors when we were engaged.

I run my hand through my hair to dispel the memories. “I think I’ll head home instead of going out. Not really feeling up to it tonight.”

“We’re still going riding tomorrow?” she asks.

When I nod, she drops her arm and hugs me. The itchy feeling settles just a bit.

As she pulls away and joins Beau and Ethan, Caleb says, “I’ll walk you to your car.”

And there’s all that hyperawareness back in the space of a single heartbeat.

Are my cheeks warm? Fuck, I think I’m blushing. Is my breathing normal?

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