Page 29 of Where There's Smoke
“Rose flavored? Yep. I tried to explain that to Fitz, but he thought I was fucking with him.” I grinned as we waited in line, loving how easily we were chatting.
Melody snorted. “He’s an interesting character, isn’t he?”
“Life would be boring without him. And without Elliot, I’m pretty sure our lives would be unadulterated chaos. One year, we kind of forgot about tax season, and he took care of everything.”
“How do you justforgettax season?”
“Honestly, Fitz and I had gotten into a prank war, and it was overtaking our lives.”
My face heated as I remembered just how childish our antics had gotten. It had been great fun, but not one of our best moments.
“I’ll need to know more about these pranks at a later date,” she said as we stepped forward in the line. “Now, what’s your poison?”
“Weirdly, I’m not the biggest coffee guy. I tend to prefer energy drinks, especially on shift. I used to drink two or three a day, but Elliot started lecturing me on the health of my heart, so I only have one per shift now.”
“That feels a little hypocritical, coming from the alpha who puts a fuck-ton of sugar in his coffee,” she said.
“Elliot cares a lot about his pack. Himself, not so much. He’ll bitch at us to eat fruit, then survive off granola bars for several days.”
“Sounds like he needs someone to be a pain inhisass,” Melody mused.
I had a strong suspicion that Melody would be the perfect woman for the job. If Fitz or I tried to make Elliot eat healthier, he would just lecture or get grumpy at us—something I doubted he would do to sweet Melody.
“Oh, look! Cinnamon buns!” Melody said, pointing excitedly at the display, her eyes lighting up.
One of the reasons I’d chosen to drive a little farther out of the way to this particular coffee shop was due to their selection of baked goods. Made fresh each day, they were unbeatable.
“The pastries here are amazing,” I told Melody as the guy in front of us paid for his takeout coffee. “Order a bunch, the guys at the station love them.”
Her eyes lit up as she gazed over all the treats. “I want to get one of everything…”
“Do it.” I shrugged, pleased at the dazzling smile that spread across her face at those words.
The guy in front of us went to leave, but as he turned toward Melody, his eyes widened, nostrils flaring, no doubt dazzled by the scent of such a sweet omega.
A charming smile spread across his features, and I was certain he was about to talk to her. She was completely oblivious, her gaze locked firmly on the bakery treats, reading all the labels, moving farther and farther away as she perused the baked goods.
Softly, so as not to disturb her, I growled. It had the intended effect, the man’s eyes darting to me, registering my presence. I couldn’t blame him for failing to notice me when there was someone as lovely as Melody next to me, but I needed to make it clear that she was mine.
Melody may not have known it yet, but shewasmine, and I was going to do everything in my power to help her see that.
My gaze hardened as I glared at the alpha. His eyebrows reached up, and I saw him swallow before swiftly exiting the coffee shop without so much as another word.
Yes, we were both alphas, but not all alphas were built the same. I prided myself on my physique. Being a firefighter meant many hours in the gym, and I had a body that reflected that. He, on the other hand, had a body that had probably never done a day of physical labor in his life.
“Hello!” Melody greeted the barista, shaking me out of my line of thought.
“Good morning, what can I get started for you guys?”
Melody rattled off the order, remembering all the drinks I had mentioned, including the flavored lattes for Fitz, Tommy, and Jeff.
Then, there was the treat order. True to her word, she ordered nearly one of everything. The box of baked goods was bursting by the time the server handed it over with a bright smile, informing us that the coffees would take a few minutes.
As Melody reached into her pocket for some cash, I swiftly moved forward, tapping my card against the payment terminal before she could react.
The beep let me know the payment had been successful, and Melody turned to me, her mouth open in shock. “I wanted to get it. You guys have done so much for me!”
“Hush, you’ve got the shelter to focus on, and anyway, this isElliot’scard, not mine…”
