Page 29 of Dubious Match
“Hollis,” Brice says, hesitating. My eyes are tightly closed because I both don’t know how to explain what I’m thinking, and stringing together any more words together is beyond me.
Shutting the door, he goes around the SUV, and I listen as he gets into the driver seat.
“For now, we’ll do this your way,” he grumbles. “What’s your address?”
Rattling off where I live shouldn’t be this hard, but I really can’t concentrate. Finally, I’m able to get the words out, but not once does Brice get annoyed. Instead, I can tell he’s worried about me, which makes me sad.
How can he feel this protective about me already? Does the scent match work that fast? I have to admit that I couldn’t sleep this weekend. I kept thinking about their good looks, the way their suits stretched over their shoulders, and how pretty they all are.
Four alphas shouldn’t be this gorgeous.
“Hollis, you’re fucking drowning me in your scent,” Brice groans. “You smell like every wet dream I’ve had this weekend.”
“Inside thought,” I whisper, kind of amused by his words.
“You shouldn’t be this mouthy,” he says, careful as he drives me to my apartment. “I wouldn’t be able to function if I were you.”
“I’m not,” I grunt. This is survival, not actually functioning.
People think that if you have a migraine, you’re completely unable to do anything. Instead of taking my migraine medication immediately, I chose to push through so I could finish my to do list.
Then, if I had the energy, I’d do things outside of my immediate job. Unfortunately, I was over ambitious and crashed. I can grit out words if I have to, but I am white knuckling things until I get home.
My heavier medication is there, but it’ll knock me on my ass. I’ll be asleep within seconds and completely vulnerable. Dammit. I’m going to have to wait for him to leave after dropping me off before I can take it. Possibly.
I hope he doesn’t insist on staying. He’s being so sweet, but scent match or not, I don’t fucking know him. I know that they’re generous with their money and support to the community, I can sense that he is truly apologetic for the way his pack behaved, but nothing else.
It’s too much vulnerability for me to be able to share with someone.
My phone rings, and I whimper because I’m going to have to pick that up. God, I don’t want to fucking human right now. Leaning down as slow as possible because my head feels like a ten pound bowling ball, I pull my phone out of the front pocket of my bag.
A semi glance shows that it’s Cian, which means I definitely need to answer this.
“Hello,” I rasp. I sound like death.
“Hollis. What’s wrong?”he asks, sounding horrified.
Yeah, me too, buddy.
“I feel like death. Going home,” I say. See? I can force the words out when I absolutely have to, but they crack like dry clay.
“Fuck,”he hisses.
“Nothing can be more important than you going home, Hollis,” Brice says.
The phone isn’t on speaker, so I ignore him as I rub my tender head.
“Going to go to sleep to kick this migraine, Cian,” I say. “Anything you want will have to wait.”
“Of course. The Senior Families want to meet with you,”Cian says. “Get some sleep, and please feel better. They can wait.”
“What… what do they want?” I ask, stumbling over my words as my head drops back on the head rest. I can tell that my breaths are coming faster as I push myself to talk.
“Hollis, you can’t meet with them like this,”Cian admonishes.
“Cian,” I complain. “Tell me. I don’t have any…new information for them.”
“Emilia is being her normal self,”he grumbles. “People are worried that she’ll attract a large crowd at her event.”
