Page 36 of Fragile Heart

Her soft voice snaps me out of my thoughts. I tilt my head, letting it rest on my arm. The sun gilds her face. It highlights a set of freckles I hadn’t noticed before, dotted along the applesof her cheeks. They’re nearly the same shade as the amber highlights in her eyes and hair.

“Mom did,” I admit. “My cooking is fair to average. But Mom’s is fantastic.”

And I want her to have the best. There’s no reason to subject her to my mediocre peanut butter sandwiches on our first date, even if it’s just a hike to one of my favorite quiet places. After a few minutes, she sets the rest of the sandwich aside.

“So was your plan to have a picnic in the forest and then seduce me?” she asks. There isn’t any coy playfulness in her question. She’s really curious if that had been my plan.

I scoff. “I might not have dated in…” I trail off and actually think back to when I last legitimately dated like this. Was it really when we matched with Kayla? Damn, that was six years ago now. I clear my throat. “Longer than I’d care to admit, actually.”

Her gaze grows softer. “You haven’t dated since her?”

I shake my head once and then steer the conversation away from Kayla. Talking about dead lovers is not the type of shit they tell you to discuss on a first date. Even worse is the subject of the Omega I was once bonded to.

“I still remember the rules of engagement,” I say. “It’s a date, not a hookup. I’m not expecting anything. Guys who expect sex on the first date are assholes.”

Her lips flick up.

“Fair enough,” she says.

She leans back and lets her face tip toward the sky, closing her eyes as a cloud covers the sun.

Her voice blends with the forest when she says, “It’s been a long time for me, too. I haven’t really had the desire to see anyone after… everything.”

“I’m sorry,” I say.

She shrugs and drops her head, the soft happiness bleeding away from her. She changes the subject with a finger pointed toward my forearm.

“That’s a beautiful piece. Is it of a specific spot?”

I glance at the tattoo that covers my forearm and wraps around my wrist. I nod and swallow back the emotion talking about the place brings up. Holding it out for her to examine, I say, “Yeah, it’s my favorite glen.”

She tilts her head. “It’s not this one, though, right? The trees are farther apart in that one. Like the meadow is bigger…”

Her voice trails off. She traces one of the pines along the edge of the tattoo, and goosebumps race up my arm. Is she upset I didn’t bring her there?

“Is this Fool’s Canyon?” she asks. “That looks like Fool’s Bluff.” She traces the rocky ridge that frames the upper side of the mountain meadow.

I nod, trying to remember how to form words, how to breathe, while keeping absolutely still. If I so much as flinch right now, I’m pretty damn positive I’m going to have my hands on her. She runs her finger along another of the trees.

“I’ve been up there once,” she says. “It’s beautiful. Different from here. And a lot harder to get to.”

She lets her hand drop away from my arm and takes a long, shaking breath. What has her so nervous?

“I never thought I’d find my scent match,” she says. Her voice is quieter, a slight waver to it. I freeze. Her throat ripples as she swallows. “It’s one of those things the Council frames as largely impossible. But this place has a history of surprising me.”

Her shoulders are tense, but her face is clear, her eyes only holding a soft curiosity.

“You’re not upset?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “More… nervous,” she says. “I spent the majority of the last decade on suppressors married to a Beta. Iworry I won’t be appealing to someone who’s been bonded to an Omega before.”

Jesus, that’s a lot to unpack. I grab her hand, lacing my fingers with hers. She doesn’t pull away from the touch. She doesn’t scent, either. Definitely wearing a scent blocker of some kind.

I pull one thing from what she said to focus on for the moment.

“To be fair, I’m nervous, too. And we don’t have to do anything at all if you’re uninterested.” She licks her lips. Cinnamon bleeds out from me. Fuck me, I want to kiss her. “I figured I’d take you out and get a chance to talk without distractions to see if it was something both of us wanted to explore. Perfect biology doesn’t mean perfect relationship.”

She smiles, her nervous energy melting away as the moment extends between us. I run my thumb along the back of her hand, and a hint of her scent wafts around us.

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