Page 30 of Stella

I blushed. “Uhhh, thanks but I’m okay. I’ll probably burn the house down if I lit a candle.”

“Jerrick won’t let you burn the house down,” Evan said, putting the candles on the counter. “Let’s see…oh, peppermint oil for headaches and cramps.

“I have a little bit left,” I protested.

Evan ignored me. He pulled out every essential oil and candle I could possibly need, and then some. From memory.

When I tried to pay, Evan shook his head. “Charge it to my card.”

I gave him the stink eye as we left the shop. “I can pay.”

“I know.” He smirked. “So can I.”

I climbed into the Jeep. “You know a lot about what it’s like for an omega to be in heat. Not just the sex bits either.”

“I have four sisters, all of them are omegas.”

I whistled. “Wouldn’t want to be a teenager in that house.”

Evan laughed and pulled out of the parking lot. He chose a scenic highway, so we were driving alongside the ocean. I lifted my face into the beautiful air. It was bright and sunny outside, the perfect day.

“It was fun, actually. My sisters are sweet, and they relied on each other. And me, and my mom and our fathers.” He shot me a look. “Mom, and two of my dads are from Korea. When we moved here, we stuck together until we got to know the community better.”

He brushed his hand over mine. “Mom would love you. So would my whole family.”

I swallowed hard. That was more than a ‘you’re hot, I want to jump your bones’ conversation.

“Please tell me that meeting them is not on the agenda today.”

“I’m smarter than that.” He winked at me. “Pretty sure I would never hear the end of it.”

Part of me was relieved, but again. Part of me wondered if it would be nice and cozy to go to his parent’s house and sit around the table and laugh.

“We’ll save that for later.” I brushed my hand over his, stealing some of his scent. The greedy omega in me wanted to mingle it with Jerrick’s, especially while we were out in public. “I’ll get them to tell me embarrassing stories.”

“I know your sisters too. That’s a two-way street.”

Evan pulled into a shopping center. There was no grocery store to be seen.

I raised an eyebrow. “If you’re going to kill me and dump the body, this is an awfully public place.”

“You’re pre-heat,” Evan said, as he pulled into a parking space, like that explained everything. “Let’s wander around and touch some things.”

I made a face. Walking. Again, this place had people. I glanced at the stores. He’d driven us to the best place for home goods. There was a thrift store that was usually perfect for finding my next wall hanging or side table, and a larger department store that had cool furniture.

Suddenly, dealing with people didn’t seem so bad.

“Okay, fine.” I said, bumping my shoulder against him.

He grinned and put his arm around my waist. I sighed and leaned into him as we walked toward the thrift store.

I started to scan through the aisles quickly, knowing he would want to be in and out of there.

Halfway down the first aisle, Evan tugged me back to his side. “What’s the rush? You hungry? We can get some lunch after this.”

“I know you’re not looking forward to spending hours trailing behind me while I look at stuff.”

There was a soft quilt hanging next to some really cool looking curtains. I loved how gauzy the fabric was, and my hands itched to touch it. I could imagine them fluttering against my windows.

---