Page 32 of Begrudgingly Yours
I think he says it sincerely, telling me not to move and to let him take care of it. To take care ofme. He moves forward, and I let him close the space between us as our lips mend together. It’s soft and sweet, but I deepen it before I can think better of it, yearning to be closer to him. His hands go to my waist, pulling me flush against him. It makes my body sing, the way he’s pulling every anxiety out of me. I nearly forget that we’re doing this in front of an audience.
Nearly.
Jett pulls back, and I’m breathless. His hands still hold me close, but there’s a gentleness that shows he’s trying to ease me. He caresses my cheek with a finger, and says,“Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged.”
It certainly fucking is.
I shake my head, trying to come back to the scene but I’m still dizzy, his scent even more heightened by our feverous kiss.
“Then have my lips the sin that they have took,”I respond, and it’s the softest line I’ve delivered so far.
“Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!
Give me my sin again.”
He kisses me again, this time with more familiarity, more confidence.I have to swallow down a moan from the intensity of it.
We separate again, and there’s a playfulness in his gaze that I’m used to. It’s something I can lean into as I say,“You kiss by the book.”
The Nurse enters the scene, beckoning Juliet away, and someone says, “Scene.”
I take a step back, suddenly horrified. But before Jett or I can say anything, an uproar of applause sounds from around the stage. Our peers who are all standing in their own spots, and classmates who aren’t in the play, clap for us. A few ofthem hoot and holler, and I put my hand to my chest in surprise.
Jett takes it in stride as a smile adorns his face. He looks much more calm than I do, but there’s a tangy nervousness in his scent.
Without the added stress of being in the middle of a scene, I have a sinking feeling.
My scent match has been lying to me.
I avoidJett for the rest of class.
Well, Itryto. We’re obviously still doing this scene together, over and over again. Luckily, Professor Chapman focuses less on me and more on how the extras act in the background. Whenever I interact with Jett, I’m actually interacting withRomeo. I’m very firm on that distinction.
My mind is reeling as I try to understand what’s happening. It doesn’t help that my omega doesn’t give two shits about the logistics of our situation. She only wants me to sidle up next to our alpha, but I put my foot down. I have to figure out what this means and why I feel like a brick of asphalt has been launched into my chest.
I think back to two years ago when Jett and I first met, trying to figure out if he gave any indication that he knew we were scent matches. I come up blank. All I can remember is that first line of his.
“Thank god there’s someone who’s actually attractive in this class that I can act across.”
It was stupid and corny and I hated him from that very moment. Not to mention that ridiculous smirk. He looked at me like he knew he could get me, and that pissed me all the wayoff.
Had I misread him? Had I reacted to his first lame pick-up line too harshly? Am I the reason we’re in this position years later?
Is there any way hedoesn’tknow? Can blockers affect your own sense of smell? Maybe he couldn’t smell me either all these years.
But that doesn’t make any sense. Opal smells me and Stacia just fine. She can always tell how we’re feeling because of our scents. So that throws out that hypothesis.
The other day, he casually mentioned my love for Cherry Coke. At the time, I thought maybe it was just an observation he was embarrassed he made, but now his reaction makes sense. He knows things about me, because he’s always paid attention to me. He’s always known.
And knowing that, feeling it confirmed, cracks something wide open inside of me.
I have a scent match. Analpha. That alone terrifies me. But also, I have a scent match that’s beenlyingto me. I’m not exactly sure how to handle that.
At the end of class, I see the eagerness in Jett’s eyes. He makes his way towards me but I gather up my stuff and rush out of the room before he can make it through the throes of people.
“Rory, wait!” I hear behind me as I speed walk down the hall. My small strides don’t compare to his long legs, though, because he catches up to me fast. “Please, can we talk?”
I shake my head quickly because I don’t trust myself to be alone with him right now. “No, not right now.”
