14. Aria

14

ARIA

As I'm stuck on his knot, the passionate haze from our encounter slowly dissipates, replaced by a creeping anxiety. My mind races faster than my heart. How do I explain this mess without giving away too much? The heat from my preheat still lingers, making my skin hypersensitive and my thoughts muddled. The stark contrast between the intense pleasure of moments ago and the fear gripping me now is dizzying.

I glance down, relieved to see the condom still in place. At least we remembered that much in our heat induced frenzy. One less thing to worry about in this mess of a situation.

"Can't tell you that." I sigh dramatically, feeling like a contestant on a twisted game show. I am in quite the predicament…and what a knot it is, truly top-notch craftsmanship. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. My body aches with satisfaction and lingering need. "Alas, I suppose I have some explaining to do."

Quinn gives me this charmingly smug grin that could make even a rock swoon. Ever so gently, he maneuvers us onto our sides on my trusty old mattress that's seen better days in my equally charming apartment. The scents of bergamot and orange fill the air, mingling with the faint mustiness of the worn bed. The tenderness in his touch surprises me, so different from the roughness I've known before. A part of me wants to lean into that gentleness and trust it, but another part screams at me to stay guarded.

"You need to promise me something," I say, flopping down onto my lumpy pillow. He arches an eyebrow but stays silent, probably wondering what kind of absurdity I'm about to unleash. "You can't spill the beans to your pack." The fear of being exposed tightens my chest, and I can barely keep my voice steady.

"Aria," he murmurs, his voice tinged with concern, "you know I don't like keeping secrets." His eyes search mine, trying to understand the depth of my fear.

"I just need you to trust me on this," I tell him, holding his gaze, my heart racing. The idea of the pack knowing my secret is too much to bear.

He hesitates for a moment, then nods slowly. "All right, I'll trust you on this. But I hope you'll feel comfortable enough to tell me everything soon."

The relief that spills across my shoulders makes me almost dizzy.

He's not exactly impressed. Nostrils flaring, he nuzzles into my neck like he's marking his territory or something. "I'm not sure if I can completely switch off the bond," he confesses against my skin, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine.

Well, cue the impending disaster, because I totally forgot about the darn bond. "Oh no, oh no, no, no. This is a disaster waiting to happen," I mutter, digging my nails into his shoulders out of pure panic. The feeling of his taut muscles beneath my fingers is both comforting and alarming.

"Hey…" He interrupts my mini meltdown, cupping my cheek with a reassuring hand. "Relax. I cut off the bond when I arrived here." He chuckles softly. "Call me selfish, but I wanted some quality time with you."

Relief washes over me like a tidal wave. Crisis averted…for now at least.

"Just promise me you'll keep this between us, at least for a while," I plead. "I need you to keep up the fa?ade that I'm just your average, everyday beta." The vulnerability in my voice betrays just how much I need his cooperation.

"I don't know how long I can play pretend," Quinn grumbles with a frown before reluctantly nodding. "But for your sake, I'll give it a shot because I'm dying to uncover whatever has you in such a frenzy. Just promise me that if things get too dicey, we'll bring in the pack." He punctuates his point with a playful swat on my hip, a spark of mischief in his eyes. His understanding gives me a glimmer of hope, but the fear still lingers.

My nerves go into full-on salsa mode. Making promises is hard when you aren't even sure you can keep them, but hey, turnabout is fair play. "I can't…ugh…articulate…" Words fail me as I try to verbalize the fears lurking in the shadows of my mind.

Quinn simply nods, his warm breath tickling my skin as he speaks. The soft glow of the bedside lamp casts shadows across his face, highlighting the sincerity in his eyes.. "Get to know me, trust me, and when you've built up enough trust, spill whatever beans you're comfortable with." His fingers trace lazy patterns on my arm, sending a shiver down my spine.

Hope blooms in my chest like an overwatered houseplant. "Deal," I agree with newfound confidence.

"Ever played twenty questions?" he asks casually while brushing a lock of hair off my forehead, his touch sending a tingle through me. The idea of getting to know each other through simple questions feels safe, almost like a shield against the weight of our secrets.

"No," I reply slowly, both puzzled by his sudden game suggestion and intrigued. A realization hits me—this gentle afterglow, this willingness to simply talk and be close, it's so different from what I've known before. With He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, moments like these were filled with tension and fear. But with Quinn, I feel…safe. The thought both comforts and terrifies me.

"All right, we go back and forth asking each other simple questions." He gives me a stern look. "At first," he tacks on with a strange look, "and then they get harder."

I wrinkle my nose at him. "Can we just answer the question?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, say I ask what your favorite color is, and I'll go first kind of deal." I lean in, stealing a sniff of his bergamot scent, and gosh, it matches perfectly with my orange. That should send off warning bells in my head.

"Then that shall be our first question," he says.

"Soft lavender," I answer.

"Not at all what I would have chosen for you." He laughs and sweeps a lock of hair off my face. "Silver."

For a moment, we pause, both of us barely hiding our giggles at how absurd this is, but also, I love it. Never in all my life of dating or getting to know a guy did I want to know more about them like this.

"My turn." He kisses my nose. Damn, I love those little baby kisses. "Even though I already know the answer since I'm in your apartment, I'm still going to ask this. Do you have any pets? I'll go first." He smirks at the game. "No, but not because we don't want one. We can't agree on a pet."

I snort. "No, I don't have any pets, but…" My heart thunders in my chest at opening up about my childhood. I spent six months burying what happened in the depths of my soul, and here I am, pulling little pieces out. "Growing up, my mom was a huge pet person. I swear the pet distribution system was like a PEZ dispenser for that woman. She had so many pets. At one point, she had three reptiles, four dogs, two cats, and a random rabbit that she nursed back to life after my dad hit the nest with the weed whacker."

Quinn smiles the entire time I rattle on about my life growing up. "That sounds perfect," he whispers. Reaching down, he grabs my comforter and tugs it up over us, his warmth wrapping around me like a cozy blanket.

"My turn." I'm loving this. "What kind of music do you enjoy? I love indie folk and acoustic."

"That's an easy one." His knot begins to release, and for a moment, we moan as he slides out of me, but he doesn't move. "Electronic and synthwave."

"Ew." I wrinkle my nose.

"Favorite movie," he says. " Inception ."

"Somehow, that suits you." He feels like a dream. " Gilmore Girls ."

"That's a show," Quinn argues.

"Is it though? That last season was more movie than show," I protest.

He holds his hands up in defeat. "Coffee or tea? I'm a matcha man."

"There's a joke in there," I tease. "Both. I'm a mood drinker." I secretly prefer coffee. "Favorite hobby? I love to garden, but as you can see, no garden."

"Coding." He sneezes as he says it, almost as if he's a little ashamed, and the blush that works across his face… I want more of that. "Best vacation you've ever been on? Dash and I went to Silicon Valley for a tech conference, and it was so much fun. Well, I lost Dash for the whole week we were there, but it was still fun."

"Girls trip to Salem." I don't even hesitate. "Cayenne, Ginger, and I flew across the United States right after college graduation and did all the touristy things. We were witches for that whole week, and you can't tell me otherwise."

Quinn tilts his head to the side, and I realize just how much I gave away, but what's done is done.

Clearing my throat, I think about the next question. "Oh! Favorite book? Mine is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett."

"You have so many surprises. You really want a garden, don't you?"

I'm about to pop off, and there is no controlling it right now. "I have this fantasy." I sit up and close my eyes while holding the comforter to my chest. I can see it as I tighten my eyelids. "I want a fairy garden, like the front of the house is full of twinkle lights and flowers and there is this stone path to the backyard where everything is overgrown and edible. Oh, and there's a little pool right in the middle of the garden, like a secret." My eyes flutter open to see Quinn gazing at me with a curious look.

"That sounds magical," he whispers. "Mine is Neuromancer by William Gibson. All right, what about…" He hums as I lie down beside him. I know the questions are going to get a little harder from here. "Morning or night? I prefer night."

"Afternoon," I tell him. "It's the best time of day really. The most sun, and it's just right. I have a good one." I wiggle my eyebrows. "What can't you live without? Mine is my besties."

He blushes. "My laptop."

"This doesn't surprise me, not one bit." I laugh, and it's a strange thing that gives me pause. It doesn't even sound like me. It sounds like someone else—a happier person, one free of pain.

"What's your dream job?" he asks, and I know the questions are about to get a little more serious. "Chief technology officer of a groundbreaking tech firm."

"You should open your own." I know I catch him off guard, because he pauses with a little frown that creases his forehead. "Owning my own eco-friendly salon."

"Wow, that's…" I give him space to finish his thought. "Ambitious. I like it. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? I'd travel to Iceland for its unique landscapes and technology scenes."

"I've never traveled outside of the States," I admit, feeling like I haven't done anything fun in my life. "Tuscany, Italy." I nod, because that would be amazing. "What's a skill or talent you have that not many people know about? Mine is I can paint, draw, and sketch, but you'll never find my sketchbooks."

"Challenge accepted." His eyes instantly roll over my room before landing on me with a secretive smile, like he knows exactly where I hid them. "I can hack and build complex systems from scratch."

"So you are a lot more like Cayenne than I thought. That's equal parts terrifying and, well, just terrifying." Cayenne can hack almost anything, a skill that's both impressed and worried me over the years. "Does this mean you two are going to team up and become some sort of cyber vigilante duo? Because I'm not sure the world is ready for that level of chaos."

Quinn chuckles, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Now there's an idea. But don't worry, I use my powers for good. Mostly."

"I do not believe you." I nibble my lip, because damn him for making me feel comfortable.

"One day, I'll tell you how I met her." He plops his head on the pillow with a yawn.

"Wait, it wasn't playing online games?" I'm affronted.

"Nope." He rolls onto his side, his eyes growing sleepy. "What's one thing you're really passionate about? Innovation in technology and cybersecurity," he mumbles.

"Environmental sustainability." This time, I brush his messy hair off his forehead, his brown eyes drawing me into a more relaxed state. "What's a significant challenge you've faced in your life, and how did you overcome it?" I don't know why I ask the question. Maybe it's because I'm comfortable with him, and just like he said, the ease between us feels like it's always existed. "I, ah…" Blowing out a breath, I give him the answer he wanted from the beginning, but only a sliver of it. "Escaping my abusive ex."

"I'm sorry," he whispers, his body tensing against mine. I can see the thousand questions swimming in his eyes, battling with anger and concern. His jaw clenches, then relaxes as he visibly reins in his alpha instincts. Instead of pressing for details, he simply pulls me closer, his touch gentle yet protective. "You're safe now," he murmurs, and the conviction in his voice makes me want to believe him. It's a struggle not to spill everything right then and there.

"I'm sorry too." It's the truth. "Your turn. What's a significant challenge you've faced in your life?"

"Our parents gave us up because they couldn't afford us," he admits just as candidly as I did, almost as though he just needs to get the words out quick and fast, like pulling off a bandage or duct tape. The truth also hits a little close to home. "I was placed in foster care for a few years until they found me at thirteen. You know the rest."

"Fuck, Quinn." I pull him into a hug, because there isn't anything else to say. "I'm sorry, and I'm glad you have Dash and Malachi now."

"Me too. So tell me, Aria…" He yawns into my hair. "Five more."

"Save them for dinner," I say, because we've already grown closer in the hour we've been talking. "Quinn?"

"Yeah?" He snuggles close and…and…

"Are you purring?" I sit up quickly, my eyes wide as I stare at him in shock.

"That felt like a purr." He blinks, just as shocked as me. "That's never happened before. Come on, let's nap." He tugs me back down to his chest.

"I'm still going to figure out how to lose you guys," I say while cuddling into Quinn. Maybe I'll keep him.

You can't keep only one pack member, Aria.

Like hell I can't.

"Are you now?" He chuckles like I'm the most adorable thing. "And how are you going to do that?"

"Well, I've been taping red onions to my scent glands," I blurt out.

His eyes pop open. "That's what that smell was?"

I shrug, biting my cheek. "An omega has to do what an omega has to do."

"I can't wait to see what else you come up with."

I pout. "You see this as a challenge?"

"Yep." He pulls me closer. "Give me your best, little one."

I growl. "I will show you my absolute best."

"Sleep, Aria," he purrs.

Well, if he insists.