Page 27 of Knot Happening

Whatever the reason, bad boy Alphas are actually the worst. Very dangerous to an Omegas heart.

However, it can’t hurt to flirt. And look a little. That’s safe. Risk-free. It’s not like I’m begging him to knot me in the supply closet. Speaking of knots. I lean in and try to catch his scent. Nothing…at first. But then I get a hint of something. There’s definitely Alpha markers. The longer I sniff, the more chemically it smells. Like…pre-packaged brownies, rather than freshly baked. Fake sugar or something. Hmm. Guess we’re not compatible. At least, not scent wise. Could still be in other ways, though. Not that I’ll ever find out.

“Maybe one.” The dazzling smile I get in reply is enough to make me a little dizzy. “Just a beer.” He nods to the bartender, Felix, and I accept the cool bottle of beer from across the countertop.

“You work here, don’t you? I thought I saw you in uniform before,” he asks, watching me for a moment, before looking around at the rest of the area, and I nod once his eyes are back on me.

“You caught me. I’m Tatum, by the way.” I hold my hand out for him to shake. When he takes my hand in his, I shiver, just a little. They’re not soft, like I imagined. For some reason, I pictured him doing work that didn’t require manual labor that caused the calluses I feel. It’s not an unpleasant feeling. I probably enjoy it a little too much, honestly.

Is it normal to wonder what a stranger's hands might feel like on your body? I’m sure it is.

“Eas-” He coughs, shaking his head as he releases my hand. “Everett. Sorry about that,” he chuckles, looking around again. “You like working here?” When he meets my eyes with anintense stare, his question sounding more serious than the rest of the conversation, I’m not sure how to answer him.

“Um, yeah.” I shrug. “It’s been less than two weeks, though. So there's still time to discover that it sucks,” I joke, and he nods his understanding, only returning from that burst of intensity when I answer.

“Good.”

I’m sort of mesmerized by him, and the glow of his tattoos in the low lighting of the club. He’s not as tall as Alphas usually are. Maybe six-one or six-two. Declan, for example, is probably six-five, and Hayden, is no less than six-six.

The name Everett doesn’t seem to suit him, but whatever, I’ll never see him again, so I guess if he did just give me a fake name, it wouldn’t matter.

He’s got a softness to his features that make him almost beautiful.

The familiar urge to steal washes over me, and I quickly take inventory of his body. He’s got a bracelet, but it’s made of string. Much harder to remove. There’s a ring, but I never take those. The delicate pearl necklace and gold chain around his neck both catch my attention, but how the hell would I manage to get those off him?

Besides, those all just add to his attractiveness. Would be a shame to mess that up with theft.

I need something of his. Desperately. I’m getting anxious, and a little whine slips free. His eyes meet mine, pulling him away from his people watching, and I bite my lip.

Certainly can’t tell him what that was all about, can I?

In a half delirious move, I take his beer from his hands. “Mine’s empty.” I shrug.

One of his eyebrows goes up, a half smirk slowly pulling his lip up. I just sit there, staring back. Not sipping from his drink. Because then it would be my mouth on the rim…

“I have to go check my laundry,” I squeak, jumping out of the bar stool, probably making no fucking sense.

“Have a good night, sweet Omega,” he calls after me as I act like a complete crazy person.

Instead of heading to the basement to check my laundry, like the liar I am, I head to the locker room, where I can dump the rest of this beer, and then stash it in my locker.

I stole the bottle. He saw me doing it. There’s still a thrill because I escaped having to explain my whine, and made off with something of his that I know I won’t need to return.

If I do ever see him again, he’ll think I’m nuts and avoid me, no doubt.

I’m just stuffing the bottle in the back of my locker, making plans to take it home and add it to my collection, when Dream startles me.

“You’re here on your day off!” she practically squeals. “I was so sure you’d do what everyone else does and refuse to come in!” She calms down when she sees I’m panting, clutching my chest. “Oops.” She wrinkles her nose at me, and I shake my head, laughing.

“Sheesh, woman, you startled me. And I needed to wash some of my uniforms, so I thought I might as well.”

“Fair. I mean, no one ever wants to come in and do what’s essentially free work, on a day off. Even if we do get free drinks.” Dream shrugs.

“Eh. I’m here now, might as well learn what I can.”

Chapter Thirteen

Easton

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