Page 26 of Switch Heater

My hindbrain is screaming that these are mine. These belong to me; they just don’t know it yet. However, just because River is flirting with me doesn’t mean he’d be okay with me stepping into his territory. It doesn’t mean he would welcome me in his home, with his alphas and beta, and allow me to make them all mine. Omega instincts are not always something you can ignore. And I don’t know an omega alive that would allow another omega to come in and touch what’s theirs.

I hum, laughing. “So, you’re a troublemaker then, huh?”

“Oh, Little Bird, you have no idea how much trouble I can get into.”

Did it suddenly get hotter out here? My belly warms, and I squeeze my thighs together, willing my pussy to get a grip. Except, that’s just it. She wants to get a grip. On River’s cock. Oh, sweet Moon Goddess. I want to ravage this omega. I want to throw him on this picnic table; crowd be damned.

His eyes darken as he watches me react to him. He bites his lip, and I nearly lean forward and pull it from his teeth with my own. I just barely stop myself. Clearing my throat, I decide to get to know him. That’s what you’re supposed to do when you find someone you’re pulled to, right?

“Tell me about yourself,” I say, clearing my throat and feeling my cheeks heat.

He grins at me, all teeth. “I thought you’d never ask.”

***

Before I know it, half an hour has passed. River is flirtatious and cocky. But he’s sweet and caring as well. He loves his pack, the little family they’ve created together, and it shows in the way he speaks about them. He’s easy to talk to, surprisingly, and I suddenly become an open book in his presence as I tell him anything he asks about me.

“I must say, Ripley. I’m really surprised by my reaction to you.” He leans in and I do the same, our faces inches from each other. “I’m hard as a rock under this table right now. Your scent is driving me up the wall.”

My breath catches, my eyes widening. Well, he’s certainly not shy, is he?

“If we weren’t in public, I’m not sure I could stop myself from picking you up and rutting into you like an alpha. But it’s not just how delicious you smell that has me intrigued. You’re beautiful and funny. Sincere. I don’t know what’s going on, but damn if I don’t want to figure it out.”

His eyes flick down to my lips. I lick my bottom lip and his eyes track the movement. I’m so close to grabbing his shirt and pulling him in the longer I feel his breath on my lips. His pupils dilate, the black nearly overriding his iris completely, giving him a wild look. I’m willing to bet if I was to look in a mirror, mine would match his.

“River.”

A large hand lands on River’s shoulder, and I watch in fascination as a shudder rolls through him. He closes his eyes for the tiniest moment before opening them again and looking back at the alpha behind him. We lean away from each other, and I take a deep lungful of air to clear my head.

Teakwood. So much stronger this close and so much more intoxicating.

My eyes travel up, up, grazing over olive skin filled with colorful tattoos that I could trace with my fingers for hours. A black shirt is stretched over broad shoulders, molding to his frame. He has thick black hair that I can picture myself running my fingers through as we cuddle late into the night. Stunning light green eyes are framed in thick lashes that even I’m envious of. To put it frankly, the man is enormous. He’s also breathtaking.

Didn’t I say the same thing about Syn? That she was breathtaking? Not that it’s a lie. Do they all look so delicious? River has to be the luckiest omega ever.

I don’t know why I’m sitting here imagining myself between all of them. They have a pretty great omega already, from what I’ve seen. Syn was distraught over her reaction to me last night, a totally normal reaction for an alpha completely committed to her omega. I imagine Kian was as well.

“River, I swear you test me on purpose. You couldn’t listen to us just once, could you? Or did you just want to be punished when we got you back home?”

That last part is growled out lowly. So lowly that I’m almost positive I was not supposed to hear it, but I did, and I’ll be damned if the sound of his growl and the thought of him punishing River doesn’t make me perfume. Two sets of eyes turn to look at me slowly. I clear my throat, a blush making its way up my throat and over my cheeks. Fucking omega biology.

River raises a brow at me, a laugh dancing in his eyes. The man behind him continues to stare at me. His nostrils flare as my scent hits him full force, and I watch as his hand tightens on River’s shoulder. I swallow thickly and squeeze my thighs together, willing my body to get its shit together.

“Uh, hi. I’m Ripley. I’m sorry for pulling River away from where you told him to stay. He was nice enough to offer me company while my mom finishes up at the booths.”

I smile softly at him and reach my hand out to shake his. His eyes dart back and forth from my face to my hand, but he doesn’t reach forward. Awkwardly, I pull my hand back and set it in my lap. My smile doesn’t falter, though. It almost looks like River elbows him in the ribs, but he makes no reaction, so I must have imagined it. Wishful thinking and all that.

“Excuse his brutish behavior. He was raised in a barn. Ripley, this is one of my other mates, Nico.”

I nod as he tries to glare at Nico and get his attention discreetly. His eyes haven’t left me yet, and I’m feeling a little antsy under his gaze. I don’t want River to get upset. Things were going well so far. I look away, hoping that will make him pay attention to River.

“Where’s Knight? I thought you both were going to get us food?”

I watch a group of pre-teens excitedly run off toward the rides and grin. Ah, that first little taste of freedom you get when your parents let you wander a fair or park with your friends without adult supervision. I remember sneaking off with Tyler Ramos the first time my parents let me go somewhere alone with all of my school friends. He was the cutest boy in my class, and I was beyond giddy when he wanted to sneak off with me and make out.

My phone buzzes in my back pocket as I zone back into my surroundings. River and Nico are still whispering with one another. Nico is balanced on one knee between River’s thighs, and I have to look away before my imagination can run wild and I become a perfuming mess. Again.

A quick glance at my screen shows a message from Mom.

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