Page 40 of Hired for Research
“Can I make it back?”
Maybe if Jett had an umbrella or something she could use, she could run back to her hotel? There wouldn’t be anyone else on the street with the weather outside, but she couldn’t be sure she wouldn’t run into an alpha in the lobby, or even the hallway. If she did, what would happen?
Her core spasmed at the obvious answer. The pheromones she was pumping into the air would likely tip them into a rut. It was a miracle Jett hadn’t succumbed already, but with the way her body seemed to be kicking into high-gear, it wouldn’t be long before he fell victim to instinct.
She had to make a decision. Trying to get to her room at the hotel would be impossible, so the only other options were to ask Jett to give up his apartment for the next few days…
Or ask him to help her.
She’d seen enough alpha-omega couples when they’d gone out to know relationships between them weren’t forbidden. It would have been impossible to keep them apart in a place like Eden, so there wouldn’t be any repercussions to him tending her through her heat except for the two of them.
Did she want him to?
Yes.
She’d been curious since she met him, and oh, so tempted, but it hadn’t seemed smart. She had no idea what would happen if they took their attraction that extra step, so she’d decided to deny it, and that had been before the complication of her heat. With the extra hormones from her cycle, it would be twice as likely to affect them more than a simple hookup.
And what if he bit her?
What she’d read about The Haven said they used teeth guards, and the alphas were all on a medication to prevent sperm production. It was safe to use a stud since the omega didn’t need to worry about pregnancy or bonding, but she’d have to trust Jett to maintain control and stop himself from claiming her. And she had no idea how to prevent a pregnancy.
She groaned as another cramp ripped through her middle, bringing tears to her eyes. The pain was intensifying, and it would only get worse the longer she denied herself. She’d wanted Jett before this started, and now it was impossible to talk herself out of it.
“I can use this. It’s for research.”
She wasn’t fooling herself, but the excuse made her feel better.
Now she just had to get the courage to open the door again.
It took another few minutes of staring in the mirror before she finally removed her glasses, leaving them on the sink and stepping out of the bathroom. Not bothering to hold her breath as she had when she came in, she sucked in a lungful of pure leather and cayenne, alpha musk in all its deliciousness, and let it back out on a groan. The gush of wetness that left her soaked through her tights and she almost called for Jett right then, but there was something she still needed to do.
Moving to the bed, she stroked the black duvet as she eyed his two pillows. She didn’t have a huge nest at home, but the thought of making do with the blanket around her shoulders and what was on his bed was already making her agitated.
She needed more.
Looking around the room, she spotted his pile of dirty clothes and let out a hum.
18. Jett
He made it twenty minutes before he couldn’t wait any longer. She’d said her stomach was upset so he’d tried to be patient, but after pacing in front of his TV until he felt dizzy, he had to be sure she was okay.
His bedroom door was partially closed, leaving only a tiny gap, but he could hear Evelyn humming and muttering under her breath.
“No, not like that… There… Where’s the blue one?”
Using one finger, he pushed the door open further, the sight that met him making his mind go blank. Evelyn was in the middle of his bed, his dirty clothes piled around the edges. He spotted his duvet on the floor along with the blanket he’d wrapped around her, but his sheets and pillows were mixed up with the clothing.
“What?”
He’d barely breathed out the word when the scent hit him and his eyes went wide, everything clicking into place.
Slick. Sweet, vanilla laced, omega slick.
Evelyn’s head whipped toward him, her eyes darker than their usual chocolaty brown, a feminine growl rising between them.
She was in heat.
He didn’t know how he’d missed the signs. He should have noticed her scent changing, realized what the possessiveness she displayed had meant, but somehow he hadn’t seen it.
