Page 23 of Sweet Whiskey
She shakes her head, her nose scrunching. “No, a cowboy of my own. He came to the bar last night too.”
I paint a small smile on and sit on the bed. “So it’s fate then? Invisible strings tying us all together, and it brought us to this town for our scent matches?”
She nods. “I mean, why else would I stay crammed in a tiny car for over a week and then in a room the size of my closest unless I’m meant to be here?”
Studying her face, I raise my eyebrows. “You reallybelieve that? That this is where we’re meant to be.”
Brielle shrugs. “Yeah, I mean…when’s the last time you even thought about going to the city? We passed through way cuter towns on our way here, and we couldn’t wait to get back on the road. Your poor baby probably feels neglected since we parked at the inn the first night.”
“It’s only been a few days, Brielle. It’s not like I’ve automatically decided I’m staying,” I tell her with a frown. “I’ll admit to feeling really drawn to them, but I still don’t know them.”
Her eyebrow raises and I roll my eyes, point a finger at her, and say, “Don’t even mention what we’ve done. Sometimes that’s just biology, and you know that. Remember when that one alpha came in during a course and you nearly begged him to mount you right then and there.”
Brielle’s cheeks flush. “God, he was so hot. And smelled so good. I wonder whatever happened to him.”
“And that’s no different between him and how I feel about them.” I wave myhand toward the door, then rub my face. “I don’t think they’re bad people, like I don’t get those vibes. But I’m not ready to settle down just yet.”
“And if your heat comes? You’ve never really been attracted to the clinic’s alphas. This time is different. You got wet panties just looking at them.”
I blush because it’s true. That’s the way of life for an omega near alphas, biologically ready to take their knot at any time.
She smirks when I don’t have a retort, and I slump onto the bed.
“You think we’re moving too fast?” I ask. I wasn’t sure how to do it any other way. During the academy, they paraded us around like prizes, and I turned down every courting request after the initial meeting. I don’t have a lot of experience, other than the casual conversation with the alphas who are about to take care of my heat.
Brielle frowns, sitting down next to me. “No, babes. Not at all. Sometimes things just happen, and the pace doesn’t matter. Do they make you feel unsafe?”
I shake my head, a smile lifting my lips. “The opposite. I’ve never felt so relaxed being around them.”
She smiles back. “And have they pressured you to do anything?”
My cheeks flush. “If anything, I’m the one begging.”
With a shrug, my best friend looks at me, amused. “Did you ever think we’d reach a point where I’d be talking you off the edge of a whirlwind romance?”
I snort. “No, if anything, I always assumed you’d make me an aunt sooner rather than later.”
Brielle gasps, nudging me with her shoulder. “Never. Whoever knocks me up better have a ring on my finger and a bite mark on my neck.”
We fall onto the bed, laughing.
“You want a ring?” I ask, curious. It’s more a beta tradition, a physical indicator of one’s commitment similar to a bond mark.
She shrugs. “Yeah, I mean why not?”
“And a wedding too?”
“Don’t you think it’s a bit silly that we don’t get elaborate ceremonies like that when we’re bonding with people at soul level?” she says wistfully.
I snort. “I guess. I’d be your maid of honor, right?”
The wordduhflies out of her mouth just as I remember another aspect of a wedding: the father walking the bride down the aisle. My stomach drops. That had been the whole point of us driving here, the whole point of me going to the library, and I got distractedagain.I groan, rubbing at my face. “God, I never want to show my face at the library again, but I didn’t even get to glance at what I was looking for.”
Brielle pats my hand. “We’ll find him, Kins. It may not be right away, but a man doesn’t just disappear.”
CHAPTER 10
COLT
