Page 17 of Hot Knot Summer
“Speaking of time,” River interjects, leaning forward with a predatory gleam in his eye that immediately puts me on guard. “You seem different. Distracted.” He taps his nose significantly. “And you smell... interesting.”
I shift in my chair. As pack leader, I’m not used to being the one under scrutiny. “Had a long flight. Probably just tired.”
“Bullshit,” River says cheerfully. “You’ve got that look. The one where you’re trying not to think about something, which means you’re thinking about nothing else.” His eyes widen suddenly. “Did you meet someone?”
Damn him.
“It was nothing,” I say, but even I can smell the lie in my scent. Despite my best efforts, my mind driftsback to the plane, to Emma’s startled gasp when the turbulence threw her against me, to the way her eyes had darkened when our gazes locked.
“Holy shit, you did!” River crows, sitting up straight. “Who is she? Details, Chief!”
I sigh, knowing I won’t get any peace until I give them something. “Just sat next to an Omega, who’s a writer, on the flight back. We talked a bit.”
“An Omega writer?” River’s interest visibly sharpens, and even Levi leans forward slightly. They know I’ve avoided Omegas since Caitlin cleaned out my bank account and disappeared a year ago.
“It was nothing,” I repeat more firmly. “Just a conversation.”
“Yeah? Then why does your scent spike every time you mention her?” River challenges, a knowing smirk on his face.
“Because...” I run a hand through my hair again, frustration bubbling up. “Fuck. She smelled incredible, all right? Like old books and honey and vanilla. And she was writing what looked like a romance novel about an Alpha who sounded suspiciously like me.”
“She was writing about you?” River’s eyes go wide with delight. “On the plane? While sitting next to you?”
“It wasn’t like that,” I mutter. “She’s in Whispering Grove, but she made it very clear she wants nothing to do with me.”
“Wait, she’s in town?” Levi straightens, suddenly more interested. “For how long?”
“I don’t know. She mentioned renting a cabin for the summer to finish her book.” The thought that Emma might be somewhere in Whispering Grove right now makes my skin prickle with awareness. “But like I said, she wasn’t interested.”
“Bullshit again,” River scoffs. “If she was writing sexy Alpha fiction inspired by you, she was definitely interested. What did you do to scare her off?”
“Nothing!” I protest, then sigh. “I might have been reading over her shoulder. She didn’t appreciate that.”
River throws his head back and laughs, the sound filling the office. “You nosy bastard! No wonder she shut down.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I insist, though the words taste like a lie. “I’m going to respect her boundaries. We’ve got a station to run and a town to protect.”
But hell, it’s going to be damn hard not to check in on her. She’s in my head constantly, like a song I can’t turn off, a scent I keep chasing even when I know I shouldn’t. Every hour I’m not seeing her, I’m thinking about where she is.
“Atlas,” River blurts, suddenly serious, his teasing tone gone. “You’ve been saying for months that the pack feels unbalanced. That we need an Omega to complete us. And now you happen to sit next to one who smells right and is already writing fictional versions of you? That’s not nothing.”
I stare at him, momentarily caught off guard by his insight. It’s easy to forget sometimes, with all hisjoking and flirting, that River has depths that rival the mountain lakes surrounding our town.
“I never said she was the one,” I argue, but it sounds weak even to my ears.
Levi pushes off the desk, shaking his head at both of us. “Well, better get changed and settled in. We’re on high alert with potential fires and the town full of tourists.” His lips quirk in a smirk. “You can moon over your plane Omega later.”
“I’m not mooning—” I start, but I’m cut off by an especially loud crack of thunder. I glance out the window at the darkening sky, the first sprinkles of rain on the glass.
The phone on my desk rings, its shrill tone cutting through our conversation. I reach for it automatically, but River beats me to it, snatching up the receiver with a wink.
“Whispering Grove Fire Department,” he answers, instantly professional despite the teasing glint still in his eyes. His expression sobers as he listens, reaching for the notepad. “Location? Uh-huh. How many? Right. We’re on it.”
He hangs up, and we’re already moving before he speaks, reading his body language. “Climbing accident at Thunder Rock. Two hikers stranded on the north face. Storm’s coming in.”
“Rock rescue in a thunderstorm. Fucking perfect,” I mutter, but we’re all grabbing gear.
“Welcome home, Chief,” River says, slapping my shoulder as we head for the rescue truck.
