Page 214 of The Omega Exchange: Omnibus
Miller and I join them.
“Mmm, this is so good,” she groans, flicking her tongue over her spoon.
I clear my throat awkwardly. Now I’m getting hard again. Christ, it’s like being a teenager all over again.
“I’ve still got your scent card in my back pocket. Do you think you could refresh it with your scent for me?” Oliver asks nonchalantly as he scoops up a bite of vanilla ice cream from the side of the plate.
I sigh, shaking my head at the ceiling.
I should have seen that coming.
Oliver doesn’t understand that some things are better approached with tact or not at all. The first time we met, back when he was creating tech for my fitness app, it was one of the things I found refreshing about him. It’s less convenient now that I’m concerned he might frighten off our omega.
“We were hoping to discuss putting in a bid to court you,” Miller says, turning to face Melody.
“Or at the very least ride out your heat,” I add because she’s looking a bit overwhelmed.
“I’m... Wait, are you serious?” she asks, twisting to face Miller.
“I’m very serious about needing to refill your scent card,” Oliver says. He truly cannot read a room to save his damn life.
“That’s very sweet,” she says, giving him a soft smile. “I’m really fond of your scent too.”
“That’s great,” Oliver says, laughing. “Does that mean you’d be open to us?”
“Don’t look at me,” Melody says, dropping her spoon and stretching back in her seat. “I have no clue how this stuff goes.”
Miller takes the opportunity to pull her into his side. It’s quite a smooth transition from where his arm was resting on the back of the booth.
I quirk an eyebrow, giving him a grin. I’m actually proud of him right now. The big bastard has zero game. I almost think he was saving it all up for the one day he’d need to use it, and apparently, that time has come.
“Are you interested in permanent matching or simply looking for a pack to ride out your heat?” I ask.
“I wasn’t pre-matched,” Melody replies, looking at her lap. “I came with pretty low expectations.”
“That just means you have the luxury of options,” I tell her, trying to figure out how to wipe that frown off her pretty face.
“I pulled up The Exchange rules on matching for owners,” Oliver adds helpfully as he scrolls through his phone. “You have the right to an advocate and we shouldn’t be having this conversation here. It needs to be in the office with her file and our file.”
“Oh,” Melody says, shooting a confused look up at Miller. He’s running his fingers through her hair and she looks content despite her confusion. “Wait, you’re the owners of the hotel?”
“Nik is,” Oliver mutters, still studying his phone.
I frown.
I don’t think he was nearly as helpful as he intended to be. Although, I do vaguely remember signing rules when my brother and I took over for our moms. Having three female alphas and a female omega in one pack is rare, but my moms make it look seamless. That’s neither here nor there.
The point is when we inherited the hotel and this location of The Exchange, there was some controversy due to both of us being unbonded. It didn’t affect me nearly as much as Nathan since he’s here doing the day-to-day stuff.
We were still in our twenties at the time. That, combined with neither of us having a pack, made the franchise coordinator uncomfortable, but we were eventually approved for ownership.
There’s every possibility that was only because separating the hotel from The Exchange would have been a logistical nightmare.
“How about we do a little research while Melody gets a good night’s sleep?” Miller suggests. “Does that work?”
“Yeah,” Oliver agrees without looking up. “I think that will give us time to buy courting gifts and plan for our declaration meeting in the morning.”
“Christ,” I whisper, trying to catch Melody’s eyes. “Please understand that we don’t mean for you to feel obligated or pressured.”
