Page 36 of Discover Me
Micah lets out a little smile, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. I press my hand softly to his chest, feelinghis heartbeat gradually slow from its panicked pace. The contact sends another wave of heat through me, stronger than before. My skin prickles with it, every nerve ending suddenly hypersensitive.
Micah tilts his head to the side, studying me. "I noticed this morning a little bit, but your scent keeps fluctuating. Getting stronger and then fading, then stronger again. You're also..." He glances down. "Hard."
I follow his gaze and see my pants tented slightly, the evidence of my arousal obvious. Heat floods my face, embarrassment mixing with the confusing physical response my body won't stop having.
"I'm not sure what's happening." I step back, trying to put some distance between us. "Maybe it's all the new stuff. The relationship, having you around constantly, the stress of everything. It's fine. Nothing to worry about."
But it's not fine. My body is reacting in ways I don't understand, heat and arousal and this desperate need to be close to Micah that goes beyond normal attraction. Every time I think about him, my body responds. Every time I catch his scent, the heat spikes higher.
"You can hang in here until lunch," I say, moving toward the door. "Rest, breathe, recover from the panic attack. I'll come get you when it's time, okay?"
Micah nods, taking a seat on one of the chairs scattered around the room. "Okay. Thanks for... for coming to get me. For not making me feel stupid about freezing up."
"You're not stupid. You were dealing with a traumatic memory. There's a difference." I unlock the door. "I'll be back in a bit."
I rush out of the room and reach down to adjust myself, trying to make the obvious arousal less obvious. My hands shakeslightly with the effort of keeping control. The heat under my skin hasn't faded, just sitting there like a constant pressure.
I'm confused about why my body is reacting like this. Yesterday I was fine. Attracted to Micah, yes, but in a normal way. Now every moment I think of him, every second I'm near him, it's like my body responds with this overwhelming need. And I don't know what to do about it or what it means.
I breathe through what feels like heat running through my veins, trying to center myself. The sensation is almost painful in its intensity, like something vital is demanding attention and I'm ignoring it. My Alpha instincts scream at me but I don't know what they're trying to communicate.
I head back to the stage beneath the set room where everyone waits. They all stare at me as I approach, their expressions ranging from concerned to curious to suspicious. The silence is heavy, expectant.
"He nearly died falling off a ladder," I say bluntly, not seeing the point in hiding it. "So he panicked when confronted with climbing down one. It happens. Trauma responses are normal." I look around at them. "Are we still on for lunch?"
Mumbled "yeahs" echo from the group. Rex and Jordan exchange glances, clearly wanting to ask more questions but holding back. Sarah and Linda type away on their phones, probably already figuring out how to spin this into content somehow.
Tom looks at me suspiciously, his eyes narrowing. "Is he going to be a problem? We can't have him panicking during public appearances or photo shoots."
"He'll be fine." I keep my voice level despite the anger rising in my throat. "Maybe don't have assistants take him on tours that involve ladders without checking first."
Tom opens his mouth to argue but I turn away, done with this conversation. The group starts filing out, heading towardwherever we're meeting for lunch. I start to follow but Liam catches my arm, holding me back.
"Hey, wait a second."
I stop as everyone else disappears down the hallway. Liam studies me with that perceptive look he gets sometimes, the one that sees too much. "I know all this shit is supposed to be fake with the fans," Liam says carefully. "But in less than two days, you've gone from grumpy and closed off to freaking out over a fake boyfriend. That's not nothing, Kel."
"I just feel some kind of obligation." I cross my arms, defensive. "We got caught at the market the other day and it really freaked him out. People taking photos, getting mobbed for autographs. This is not his idea of a good time. He's only here because of the contract."
"Then why did he agree to it?" Liam leans against the wall, clearly not letting this go. "If it's so terrible, why sign?"
I look back at the door Micah's behind, making sure everyone else has left. Then I lower my voice and look at Liam. "Because Tom didn't really explain what Micah was signing. He told Micah it was an NDA, standard procedure for backstage access. But what Micah actually signed was the contract itself. By the time we noticed, Tom had already soft launched our relationship with a picture he stole from the security camera in that office."
Liam's expression darkens. "I would love to say I don't believe you, but that's exactly something Tom would do. He's pulled similar shit before, just never quite that blatant."
I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "We both knew backing out would be a PR nightmare. The fans would crucify Micah, say he was leading me on or using me. So we're just figuring it out. Making the best of a shitty situation that neither of us really chose."
Liam grins suddenly, an expression that makes me nervous. "You're also going to have to figure out the rest of it. I know youthink you're just a concerned citizen, doing the right thing by protecting someone who got trapped in a bad contract. But your reaction to hearing Micah was in trouble? That doesn't just come from an Alpha's need to protect someone weaker." He pushes off the wall, heading toward where the others went. "It comes from an Alpha's need to protect their mate."
Micah
Lunch with the band is awkward as hell. We're all piled in one of the larger conference rooms, the table spread with catering that Tom ordered. Sandwiches and salads and various sides that probably cost more than I spend on groceries in a month. The packs are here too, which makes everything feel even more overwhelming.
Rex's pack sits at one end of the table, three people I don't know but who all seem completely comfortable in this environment. They laugh and joke with Rex, their familiarityobvious. Liam and Jordan's shared pack members occupy the middle seats, two people who look just as at ease as Rex's group. Everyone knows each other, has history and inside jokes and shared experiences that I'm not part of.
I sit next to Kellan, picking at a sandwich I'm not really hungry for. My stomach still feels unsettled from the panic attack earlier, the adrenaline crash leaving me shaky and exhausted. The room feels too full, too loud, everyone talking over each other in a way that makes my head spin.
Tom steals Kellan away about twenty minutes into lunch, pulling him aside with that fake apologetic smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "Just need to discuss some logistics. Won't take long."
