24. Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

Beth

P assing out on the couch because the TV show I settled for was boring is the last thing I meant to do. It's dark out now, but I'm hungry and there's nothing in the apartment that's worth eating, besides the bag of junk food I stashed in my bedroom.

I put on my black leather jacket, and I pick my key out of my purse.

The pizza place is less than a five-minute walk from here.

I don't know why my hand feels shaky as I open the door and look out into the well-lit apartment block's hallway. I've never worried about taking a quick walk to a store or whatever at night before. I haven't ever thought twice about doing something like that.

My wrists get itchy, and I ignore the sensation.

I can't let what happened affect me for the rest of my life.

I don't want to be scared when I'm alone, or when it's dark.

Stepping out into the hallway, I close the door and lock it behind me.

I feel a little better now that I'm out here.

This building is as safe as it gets in the city.

There's a security system on the door that leads out to the street.

The building's superintendent changes the code for the system once a month and emails the new code to everyone, apparently. I have the code saved in my phone, and Catherine told me her neighbor Jenny's apartment number in case I forget it and need to be buzzed inside when Catherine's not home.

Once I get outside, I find out it's a little cold and windy tonight.

That stops me from thinking about anything else.

I move fast because I want to get to the restaurant as quickly as possible.

My hair is being blown about like crazy. It's usually a wavy mess, but now it's going to be a tangled wavy mess. I do not look forward to brushing it after this.

When I can finally see the red bricked building, I feel relieved.

I weave my way past a group of students to get to the front door.

My reflection in the dark glass is crazy. I try to pat my hair down a little, but the wind blows it right back up again. I smile wryly at myself and open the door.

Who cares if you look like a mess?

It's not like you're only here to flirt with a hot waiter, right?

Right?

My stomach rumbles and I tell myself that's my answer.

I need food, and this place has some really great food.

That's all.

I grab the door handle and push. There's a little resistance, but then it springs open, and I stumble inside a couple steps before the wind seems to grab it closed again.

Letting out a breath, I straighten, and push my hair back from my face.

And holy hell on a Sunday …

I've literally never seen anything hotter than I'm seeing right now.

I think I just walked in on something incredibly intimate.

The gorgeous men behind the front desk might look clothed from where I'm standing, but clearly, the swarthy, tall one with the big arm muscles is balls-deep in the pale blond who's bent over the desk.

Swarthy stops moving when he locks gazes with me, and his delicately beautiful partner lets out a soft moan of protest.

I take in a breath.

Mistake! Oh, God, but what a mistake it is.

The spicy-sweet scent on the air instantly makes my mouth water.

It's him. It's the blond. He's an Omega.

And that would make the tall, brooding one his Alpha.

What a combination. They're so different, yet equally appealing.

I can feel my body reacting to the perfume as if it's an aphrodisiac.

I guess that's exactly what it is.

I've just never breathed in a male Omega's perfume before.

"Wow," I murmur, as I awkwardly reach back for the door handle.

My panties are actually getting damp. I seriously need to get out of here.

Despite knowing that, I can't seem to take my eyes off them. It's insanely inappropriate for me to be standing here watching these guys fuck like this is a live sex show or something.

Finally, I capture the door's handle in my grasp, and I let out a relieved sigh.

To my horror, the handle sticks when I push down, and I turn toward it swiftly, sure I must be doing something wrong. It turns out I'm not. For some reason, the door locked when the wind blew it shut. It's not just going to open.

Talk about a disaster. I straighten up and turn back, hand over my eyes.

"I'm really fucking sorry, but your door is locked now, which I assume it was supposed to be before I barged in here, and now I can't get out."

I force myself to breathe through my mouth.

The scent of that Omega's perfume is too delicious.

I don't want to make this whole situation creepy.

It's already awkward enough.

Pretty sure if I started drooling uncontrollably it would be crossing a line.

When I risk a glance at them, the Alpha's still very obviously inside his mate.

What do you expect, dummy? This is an Alpha and an Omega.

You know what a knot is. You know how it works.

Wake up and smell the swollen cock.

Despite clearly being in the throes of a knotting, the blond picks up the receiver of the phone that's sitting on the desk beside him. His breathing is a little labored as he punches a number into the keypad, but he manages to draw me a wry smile when his dreamy gaze falls on me.

God, he's gorgeous.

All Omegas are, I guess, but wow .

This one is like something out of a painting.

Slender, with sharp cheekbones, he has flawless, dewy skin that's so pale it's practically snow-white, and silky, straight hair in the lightest blond shade I've ever seen in a natural color. If someone told me this guy was a fairy tale prince, I wouldn't doubt them.

Not one little bit.

"Jack," he says, taking me by surprise.

For a second, I'm about to say my own name in response, then I realize he's talking to whoever he called on the phone. My skin warms and I look away, pressing my lips together tightly.

"Can you come down here and unlock the door please? Long story."

No one casually introduces themselves while they're in the middle of being knotted!

What the hell are you thinking, Beth?

Clearly, my brain is misfiring.

I'm a little flustered.

More than a little.

I feel like the big guy's still staring at me.

While his cock is clearly inside his Omega.

Oh my God. This is so freaking awkward!

The sound of a door opening across the room makes me jump.

I'm already looking off to the left when someone comes from the darkness over there, walking quickly accompanied by the sound of jingling keys.

"So, what's this … long story?"

"It's you!" I gasp.

The hot guy from the store who looks like he belongs in a band slows to a stop before he reaches me. His gaze moves from the front desk to me, and he looks as shocked as I feel.

"I'm not a pervert!" I'm not sure why I feel the need to explain that. It just comes out. "This was an accident. I … They …"

He laughs. "It's okay. If you can move to the left a bit, I'll unlock the door for you."

I let out a relieved sigh and I take a step out of his way. The inhale after the sigh gives me more of the Omega's delicious scent, and I can't help the moan that comes out of my mouth.

Could I embarrass myself much more?

Ugh. I feel like such a creep.

I clamp a hand over my mouth while the band guy checks through his keys.

He slots one into the hole and unlocks the door.

I manage to resist the urge to look back at the other two.

He holds the door for me, and I step outside.

To my surprise, he follows.

"Thanks," I tell him.

He closes the door behind his back quickly and keeps his hand on it.

I take in the tattoo on his forearm — a black heart and arrow design — and I tell myself inked skin isn't the slightest bit attractive while I bite back the urge to ask what the design means to him. It's not my business, and I'm not into his whole rock star vibe.

Even if the way he looks at me makes my stomach feel fluttery and I might spend the night drawing and redrawing that tattoo on paper I'm supposed to be using for studying, all the while thinking about the sexy fun-times I could be having with him if I hadn't already made one too many mistakes with men.

He clears his throat, and I realize my gaze has drifted to his crotch.

Oops.

Blinking slowly, I adjust my focus to his face, giving him an expectant look.

"I'm playing tonight," he says. "I mean, my band is. You should come."

Oh my God, is he asking me out?

"Um … sure," I somehow manage to stammer.

Shit. What did I just agree to?

"Great!" He smiles as he slips his free hand into his back pocket.

He hands me a hot pink piece of card, which turns out to be a ticket for entry to a bar called The Terrace. I haven't been there before, but I know where it is. It's not far away.

No way! You're not seriously considering this.

Beth, you can't go around following strangers into bars.

No matter how attractive they are.

Pull yourself together.

I put the ticket into my purse, telling myself it doesn't mean anything.

Maybe I'll go, maybe I won't. No big deal either way.

Liar. You're so going to go. Don't even try to deny that.

"Um, so you work here, I guess?" I ask.

"I do," he admits. "I also live here."

"Oh, cool. Does that make you one of the Esposito brothers?"

He laughs. "Sort of. In a manner of speaking. We're not brothers by blood. We're pack."

"Pack?" I ask, thinking of Secret's mates and realizing what that probably means.

The realization smacks me in the face like a bucket of ice-water.

This guy must have a mating bond with at least one of the guys I just saw … together.

Maybe he's even with them both.

I don't see a mating mark, but that doesn't mean much.

The throat might be the obvious spot for them, but there are plenty of other more hidden places where a mark could be given. There are also a few cosmetic solutions available to hide a mark from sight. No visible mark doesn't necessarily mean no mate.

"I'm Jack," he introduces himself, holding out his hand. "You just walked in on my Alpha and Omega brothers inside. Lorenzo's the chef here. He probably thought he'd locked the door. We've been having some trouble with the mechanism. Arrow's our host, but that's a temporary thing. In case you hadn't noticed, it's kind of a hazard to have a perfuming Omega around. The scent can be like a drug to some people."

I take his hand, shaking it briefly and politely, while trying to ignore the fluttery feelings in my stomach. I feel dumb for thinking he was asking me out. Inviting me to see his band doesn't mean anything. He probably hands out free tickets to everyone he meets.

"It's nice to meet you, Jack. I'm Beth. I live kind of nearby and my sister brought home a pizza from this place last night which is what made me want to come back. I didn't know you guys were closed."

"Oh, right. You came here to eat, and you already tried the food and liked it. That's great! Enzo will be happy to hear it. We've been kind of quiet. That's why we've been closing early, like tonight."

"Well, it is kind of easy to walk by this place without even realizing it's a restaurant."

He glances back at the building. "Huh."

"It looks closed, and it also looks like it might be an office building."

"Shit," he murmurs.

"You didn't realize?"

"I'm just a waiter while I'm still in school," he admits. "I don't know much about running a restaurant. That would be G's department."

"G?" I ask.

"Our other Alpha. He's … out right now."

He has two Alphas. Of course . Because this pack wasn't already sexy enough.

What the hell am I even still doing standing here talking to him?

He's clearly happily mated.

At least, he should be.

Those guys back there are thoroughly lick-worthy.

Yet he's standing here looking at me as if I'm the one who could use a good tongue bath.

If this guy is even thinking about messing his mates around to get with me, he's fucking crazy, and I'm way beyond done with guys who have batshit for brains.

Even the supremely hot ones.

I clear my throat. "I should get going."

"Oh. Um … but you must be hungry."

He sounds so desperate, stretching for a reason to keep me here.

I wasn't imagining it. He's attracted to me, the same way I'm attracted to him.

Flattering, but I really don't want to earn myself a reputation as a pack-wrecker.

"I'm sure I can find somewhere else to go eat," I tell him, talking a step back.

God, we're standing so close to each other right now.

It feels like he could lean in and kiss me without any trouble.

I have to get out of here before I make a horrible decision.

"Wait! Don't go," he pleads, so earnestly that I actually hesitate.

Then, I snap out of it and take another step back, only to bump into someone.

Damn it. The street wasn't super busy a second ago.

The guy's hand rubs my arm, and I shiver, preparing to turn around as I see Jack frown.

I realize he's not a stranger and bumping into him was no coincidence when I hear his voice.

"Back the fuck up, asshole. My mate isn't interested in whatever you're selling."