Page 9 of Hired for Research
He frowned but straightened, taking the lead when she gestured for him to walk ahead of her. If he’d been smarter she wouldn’t have had to carry anything, but she seemed fine with the single case an her luggage.
“These are all test tubes?”
He eyed the cases in his arms, wondering how much blood she’d be drawing from her volunteers if she needed that many.
“No, just two of them. One has the needles and the other two have the other supplies I need to collect pheromone samples, plus a few extra things just in case.”
Jett shuddered at the mention of needles. He hadn’t been lying when he said he had no issue with blood, but needles were a different matter, and the thought of an entire case of them made his skin crawl.
He reminded himself he wasn’t the one being stabbed. At least, as long as he didn’t make a bigger fool of himself and spill them everywhere.
5. Evelyn
Evelyn stepped into the lift behind the alpha, turning to face the door.
“First floor.”
She looked up, meeting golden brown eyes, a few shades lighter than the skin surrounding them. It took a moment for her to realize he was telling her to hit the button for the first floor since his hands were occupied.
A shiver went down her spine as an image of those big hands onherflashed in her mind. She certainly hadn’t expected her instant reaction to the first alpha she’d ever met.
The doors slid shut, trapping them together as the lift began to drop. She had caught whiffs of Controller Comanne’s scent outside, but away from the wind, she was surrounded by the smell of him.
Taking tiny sips of air and trying to detach herself, she went through a mental list of the reactions to use as a shield from actuallyfeeling.
Increased heartrate. Nipple erection. Womb contraction. A desire to breath deeper and hold his scent inside her.
It wasn’t helping. The more she paid attention to her body, the more aware she was of the alpha filling the space beside her.
The doors finally slid open but she sucked in a breath too soon, the air still heavy with that musk that marked him an alpha, and his unique scent. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was, and curiosity had her following a little closer as they left the lift, trying to place the taste coating the back of her throat. It reminded her of leather, and maybe, cayenne?
“Spicy.”
The alpha turned to look over his shoulder at her as he walked out into the sunlight on the sidewalk in front of the building she’d landed on. In the sun, she noticed an almost orange undertone to his tan skin, reminding her of the beautiful terracotta roofs she’d seen on a research trip she’d done while studying.
“What was that?”
Heat rushed to her cheeks as she realized she’d spoken the word out loud. Ripping her gaze from him, Evelyn looked around, searching for something to use as an explanation. Eyes landing on the café across the street, she cleared her throat and straightened.
“Sorry, I was just thinking that place sounds like the food would be spicy.”
She spoke before she read the name of the café, barely resisting the urge to slap herself on the forehead when he raised a brow at her. It was one of those smoothie places that had become so popular, and she doubted they had a single thing that could be considered spicy.
“Umm, I don’t know. I’ve never been.”
Trying to escape the awkwardness she’d created, Evelyn looked up and down the street. It looked a lot like the newer areas near the university, minus the crowd, but with a lot more greenery. There were people out and about, but nowhere near the number that would be found elsewhere.
“Should we call an AutoCab?”
It was strange not to see them buzzing by every few seconds, carrying people where they needed to go, or waiting to be signaled. It was something else different about Eden.
“The medical facility is just around the corner, there. It would take longer for one to get to us than it would to walk.”
“Oh. Okay then.”
She paced beside him as he strode down the sidewalk, looking around as she went. It was easier to ignore his presence and the way her body reacted to him with the distraction, but she still caught traces of his scent with every breath.
The awareness of the male even when she wasn’t looking at him was another surprise to her, and once again she was reminded that she’d never been around an alpha. It made her question whether she really was the right person to be conducting the research. Surely someone who was more familiar with the dominant dynamic would have been a better choice.
