Page 159 of Defiant Beta

I pull my arm free and return to my counter. “A busy man like you must have a million and one things to do.”

His footsteps are silent. I don’t even realize he’s followed me until he speaks. “My days are suddenly clear.”

I resume restocking my counter. “Ah. Taking some time off work, huh?”

“In a manner of speaking.”

“So, you decided to teach for real?” I risk a curious peek in his direction.

He’s leaning against my counter, not in any rush to go anywhere. “Why would you think that?”

“The jacket.”

“I have on good authority that the tweed jacket has the ability to make certain girls sigh.” He holds my gaze just long enough for me to suspect that he wore it on purpose. For me. To makemesigh. “Hence the reason I wanted to wear it today,” he adds in a softer tone.

I feign disinterest. “Are you alone?”

Because I miss Levi and Xavier something fierce.

“Yes. They miss you,” he says so quietly that tears almost immediately fill my eyes.

I keep my head lowered, pretending to concentrate on straightening bottles even though I can barely read the labels. “Oh?”

“But there were things we needed to do, and one of the biggest things is happening today.”

I snort. “Yeah, right.”

He holds my gaze, saying nothing.

Something about the intensity of his stare makes me look away, which I never do. “You’re not here to buy perfume?”

He shakes his head.

“You’re in a beauty store, in the women’s perfume section. Be honest. You must be buying it for a woman. A gift, maybe, for an omega?”

“No.”

“Then why are you here?” I demand, not so much angry at him as I am with myself, because I missed him so much and he’s so calm and doesn’t look like he missed me at all.

Raised voices pull my gaze to a small group forming near one of the counters. Someone has their phone out and people are gathered around it. Others are demanding to know what’s going on.

The guy holding the phone says. “A car bomb downtown. It took out Dexter Pieter.”

I snap my head back toward the man standing calmly with his hands in his pockets at my counter.

Vincent smiles at me.

Leaning over my counter, I whisper, "Did you fake your own death?"

His gaze flicks to my mouth. “Yes.”

I peer around the store, concerned. “Aren’t you worried about someone recognizing you?”

His eyes arestillon my mouth. “Very few people know what I look like. I stayed in the shadows for that exact reason.”

I lean back because if he kisses me here, I won’t stop him or myself. “Oh?”

“I wasn’t here to buy perfume. I’m here to ask a beautiful woman out for dinner because I’d like to get to know her, and I want her to get to know me. Therealme.”

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