Page 5 of Shaken Knot Stirred

I eyed the kitchen door. The last thing I wanted to do was to drag out the ladder. The wooden chair scraped loudly on the floor as I pulled it under the TV and braced it against the pool table. Shaking out my hands, I had to psych myself up. Sure, I could crack a drunk alpha upside the head and not bat an eye, but the thought of being two and a half feet off the ground scared the pants off me.

Steeling myself, I had a death grip on the back of the chair, cautiously stepping up. I kept my head tilted toward the TV, so I wouldn’t fall into the “don’t look down” trap. I hit the button and… nothing.

The car commercial morphed into mouth watering sushi platters from Pagoda, “Port Haven’s most elegant Japanese dining.” Or so the tag line of the commercial proclaimed as it spooled out three inches in front of my face. The Pagoda was classy for sure. Nico had promised to take me there. I knew it had been a lie. No, not a lie exactly. We’d only show up at a place like that if we were working a mark. Too rich for our little thief blood.

I mashed the button again. Nothing. We moved on to a promo for “All Packed Up: The Dinghy Races,” yet another trashy reality TV show. Helena begged to have a viewing party for the last season finale. Hitting the button with more force did absolutely nothing. I wobbled on the chair, getting the rollercoaster tummy drop feeling.

“Well, damn it.” It was high time I replaced this stupid TV. I had the money stashed away, but I hated dipping into my piggy bank. That bag of cash had to last me, well, the rest of my life.

This TV was bolted into the ceiling for prime viewing. I wasn’t the biggest fan of TVs in a bar, but when you were the last bar on the way out of town, you had to give the locals what they wanted. Besides, they were already here when I bought the place.

I gripped the bottom edge of the TV to hold myself steady and fumbled blindly for the plug in the back. I jiggled it back and forth trying to get it loose. The jump scare into the next commercial jolted me and I felt myself going off the edge of the chair.

“I got you.”

My heart was pounding and my throat burned with a scream I would not let out. Alistair’s hands had me around the hips, steadying me against his body. His scent filled my awareness and threatened to push me over the edge. Effortlessly, he gentled me to the ground and dragging me down the length of his body, like he knew I needed more than just the stability. His aura was warm and comforting as it rubbed against mine.

Rather than facing imminent death, my head was now reeling from being too close, but not close enough. I could take blockers by the fistful, choke on them, and then an alpha like this could pick me apart into little gooey pieces.

I got you.

If only that were true. If only it was all that simple.

“I’m… You… You can let me go now.” I stammered as he ran a fingertip along my jaw, stopping under my chin to tilt my head back more. His eyes were a misty gray blue hidden behind lashes the girlie pops would kill for.

“I could.” Alistair devoured me with those eyes that twinkled like everything they touched, simply delighted him. “But I’d rather not.”

My breath quickened. Every ounce of self-preservation that I had told me to push him away. But all things omega screamed for more.

“I have a bat. And I know how to use it.”

Something shivered through his aura that went right to my core.

“So do I.” His voice dropped down to that tone that was genetically engineered to make your panties wet. He shifted just slightly, just enough to let me know he was hard, but not enough to be obscene. He was the perfect bookish gent.

“Your drinks are otherworldly, Moxie.” The way he said my name made my knees weak. “But I keep coming back for a taste of you.” He grazed his thumb across my lower lip.

“I’m sure you say that to all the girls.”

“No,” he said simply. And I believed him. His aura flashed with raw honesty. “Only the ones I don’t want to let go of.” He pulled my lip down slightly with the tip of his thumb.

I was one needy little omega. For years now, since leaving Nico, I only allowed myself an alpha when I paid for it at a heat hotel. I knew that was dumb and dangerous. Omegas survived on touch and connection. It was essential, hard wired into our biology. I’d seen countless auras of touch starved omegas, all withered and flakey. But the risk was always too great.

“Let me.” Alistair purred. An honest to god purr. He eased his thumb a fraction further into my mouth. “You can kick me out of your bar and tell me to never come back.” The way he saidthat made me feel like we were both on the same precipice, both denying something we needed, wanting the other to push away to keep up the pretense of dignity.

No one would know. We were alone. Just an alpha and… an omega he didn’t know was an omega.

I needed this. I wanted it. And it might be safe because he’d treat me like a beta.

“Moxie,” he purred my name like it was an offering as his fingers traced small circles on my back.

Shivering, I lowered my eyelids and gave in, knowing it would be the only time and it would be a mere shadow of what I really needed.

I parted my lips and took his thumb into my mouth, swirling my tongue around his fingertip. He tasted slightly of the lime I had used in his Dark and Stormy cocktail. He trailed his wet finger down my chin and cupped my face. Impossibly soft lips brushed against mine, but did no more than tease. It was only when I fisted his shirt to pull him closer for more that he responded. He wrapped his fingers around my neck possessively, with his thumb under my chin. With that upper hand, he took his time exploring my mouth until he got a frustrated moan from me.

He pulled back, delight danced across his features like a hungry man sitting down to a king’s feast. I grabbed for his belt, tugging it out of the loops. Now was not the time for slow titillations.

I got the buckle and button undone before he pried my hands away. Spinning me around, he pinned my palms to the shabby green felt of the pool table. His greater height and size created a cage around me that made me feel safe rather than panicky.

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