Page 34 of OutFoxed

He snorted. “Yes, Bea. This is Merry. Merry, this is Bea.”

“Pleased to meet you, Miss.”

“Pleased to meet you, Bea.”

“I hope you know what a lucky girl you are. The boss is quite the catch.”

“I am sure he is. He seems to have accepted my bait, but I am not quite sure where to put the snare.”

Giovanni grinned, and her vision blurred a little. “May I have some water, please? Things are picking up speed.”

He nodded. “Of course.”

“Tap water is good.” She smiled. “Or just point to the water glasses.”

Giovanni went to the fridge and grabbed an armload of litre bottles. “Come on, sweet. Let’s get you comfortable.” He kept the bottles on the same side as her luggage, and they were walking through the halls again. He kept his steps slow, but she could feel that he wanted just to pick her up and haul her off.

He showed her the guest bedrooms that were going to be taken over by Thomas and Richard, his own bedroom, and then the room that was set aside for omegas. The nest.

It was snug, filled with white and soft pink items, fabrics, and pillows. A bathroom with a large shower and a stack of thick towels. The windows had thick coverings on them, there was an air-handling system for dealing with the pheromones, and a fridge where Giovanni tucked the bottles. He handed her one of the bottles, and she opened it and chugged.

“Thirsty?”

“Hot. I know that it goes with the event, but it is still disconcerting. I didn’t care for it when I was alone, so the whole thing fills me with a lot of dread.” She capped the bottle and set her phone down near the door. She removed her shoes and grabbed her luggage. She unzipped and opened the case, pulling out a black gown with a very low back. “I will be right back.”

Giovanni was staring at her with heat in his gaze. “Hurry back. Thomas and Richard are in the drive.”

She nodded. “Back in a minute. Seriously. I have two items on right now.”

He groaned and muttered. “Hurry.”

She laughed and went into the bathroom, stripping and getting into the gown before unravelling her braid and fluffing out her hair. Merry glared at herself in the mirror, feeling the whisper that would soon be a roar in her veins. Her eyes were pale, her skin pale with a flush of pink, and her black hair in a halo. Her lips were going from pale to red as she watched. A mottled flush started on her chest. How the fuck had she missed the signals?

She folded her clothes and walked out to where she left her shoes and phone. Giovanni watched as she arranged her phone on top of her clothing, and as soon as she straightened, he pulled her against him.

She wanted to say something, anything, but she looked up, and he leaned down to kiss her. He must have been getting a crick in his neck because he lowered himself a foot to kiss her. He held her head as she moaned, and her hands clutched at his black button-down shirt. His other hand slid down her back and rubbed the base of her spine.

The door opened and closed. She heard footfalls, and then she felt lips pressing to her shoulders next to the thin straps. She started panting, and against Giovanni’s mouth, she asked, “Can I let it out?”

He smiled. “What do we say?”

“Please?”

“Oh, yes, Merry. Let it out. We will be here.”

She shuddered, let the control she had fade, and crimson filled her vision. She stopped thinking entirely and let them catch her.

Chapter Seven

Merry woke up, and her body screamed. She gasped and moaned. Hands lifted her, and she was cuddled against Giovanni. He murmured softly against her temple and smoothed his hands down her back. “Are you okay?”

“Ow. But my blood doesn’t feel like molten gold anymore. My skin isn’t on fire.” Her voice was hoarse, and she hoped that the worst was over.

“Aw, poor baby.” He chuckled against her temple. “You have been through a lot.”

She stroked her fingers through the hair on his chest. She moved up and buried her face against his neck. He smelled hot and sweaty, and she tasted herself on his skin.

Merry curled up on him and grunted. “Did I do it right?”

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