Page 108 of Choosing Their Omega

“This is Labyrinth.” I smile up at the sign above the door. The front of the shop is painted in shining black and silver to make it stand out on the street. “The theme was inspired by the David Bowie film. But there are references to mythology scattered around the shelves there too if you want to try to find them all. It’s like a scavenger hunt.”

We enter into the building and I grin as I see the faces of my Alphas light up with understanding as it hits them how the bookstore is arranged: like a literal maze.

“It’s easy to get lost in here. I’ve done it a few times. This isn’t a place to just pop in and out of quickly, you want to take your time and explore.” I gesture at the shelves with their winding paths that lead into hidden corners and forgotten nooks. “Have fun!”

“Okay, this is the last stop.” Lawson grins at me and speaks quietly so the others can’t hear him as they slip into the stacks. “I think we can find some more romance novels to take home, don’t you?”

“You’re on.”

I’m sure that the others will tease us for it good-naturedly, but Lawson is right. This is the end of the tour. After this we head back to the car. I don’t see the problem in getting a few more books if that’s what Lawson wants.

I lead him through the maze of shelves to find one of the areas that holds romance novels. The maze doesn’t really have a center or a specific end point that you want to find. Instead you follow it along and take different paths and find different reading nooks or genre sections.

“Did you like the tour?” I whisper as we walk. There’s something about this store that’s always made me want to whisper, to keep my voice low and private. It’s easy, in this maze atmosphere, to feel like Lawson and I are the only two people in here, and I like it.

“Of course I did.” Lawson smiles at me almost bemused, like he can’t believe that I’d think he didn’t enjoy himself. “You know so much about books and the city, and you clearly care about the people who run these places and the publishing industry.”

I can feel my face heating up. “Thank you.”

“Is this something you’d like to do as a career?”

“I’ve thought about it. But I’d need to get a degree first. That was always my dream, to go to college and study the literature that I loved.”

Lawson nods thoughtfully and I lead him into one of the nooks that houses the romance novels. “Here we are.”

Lawson grins, taking it all in. “You know, I’ve got to thank you. I never would’ve thought to read this genre if it wasn’t for you. It just never crossed my mind. I haven’t done a lot of reading since I was in high school. Hockey’s taken up everything. It’s nice to get into it again, and not for homework either.”

I smile. “I’m glad I could give you that. Did you just not think romance was for you or…?”

“Nah, it’s more like reading didn’t occur to me. But you clearly loved the genre and I wanted to understand you. I wanted to know why you liked it. So I gave it a shot and now here we are. I can see why you like it so much.” The grin Lawson gives me is filthy. “And not just because of the smut in it.”

My face heats up more. “Did you think I only read them for the sex?”

“I dunno.” Lawson’s smirk grows. “There is some pretty inspiring sex in there. You really have a thing for knots too. Even before you knew you were an Omega.”

I swallow hard, my mouth dry and my body hot. Lawson is staring at me like he wants to devour me, but also like he can read my thoughts, like he knows exactly the kind of things that I think about when reading those books.

Lawson takes a step toward me, crowding me against one of the bookshelves. His gorgeous brown eyes darken, and he rests both hands on the shelf behind me, boxing me in and making my heart flutter.

“Tell me, beautiful,” he murmurs, “have you ever read a book where the heroine got fucked in a public place?”

A sudden rush of heat pools in my low belly, making my legs feel a little weak. I swallow, glancing around before answering in a whisper, “Yes.”

“And did you like it? Did it turn you on?”

“Yes,” I breathe again, my panties already getting wet as I squeeze my thighs together. “It was so fucking hot.”

He grins, but the intense look in his eyes doesn’t fade. “I know you like to try things you’ve read about in books. So what do you say? Do you want me to fuck you right here, in the back of a bookstore where anyone could catch us? Do you think you could stay quiet if I fucked you and knotted you right now?”

I’m so hot that it’s a miracle my clothes haven’t burned to a crisp—although I kind of wish they would, because the way Lawson is talking has my entire body yearning for his touch. I want to feel his hands everywhere on me, want him to grip my hips and drive into me, filling me up until I can’t think of anything else.

“I…” I swallow, my pulse racing so fast that I feel like I just sprinted up several flights of stairs. “I’ll be good.”

Heated amusement sparks in Lawson’s eyes, and he shakes his head. “No you won’t. You’ll be very, very bad. And you’ll love every second of it. Now turn around and hold on to the shelves.”

My breath hitches as I do what he said, turning away from him and resting my hands on the bookshelves. I stare at the spines, reading several familiar titles and blinking in shock at the realization that this is truly my life. I don’t just read about these things in books anymore. Now I’m about to live out one of my wildest fantasies with an Alpha who’s better than any of the book boyfriends I ever read about.

How is this real? How is this truly my life?

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