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He looks just as startled as I am, a dark eyebrow raised at my sudden outburst.
River stares at me, and I stare back.
“Egg whites?” he repeats, his voice low and amused.
My face flames with embarrassment. “A recipe,” I mutter. “I was making macarons in my dreams.”
There’s a beat of silence, and an amused smirk plays on his face.
“Macarons,” he deadpans.
I narrow my eyes. “Yes. You know, the things you accused me of bribing you with,” I snap, my throbbing head making my attitude worse.
The smirk falls from his face and he sighs. “Yeah. I was kind of an asshole for that,” he murmurs, shrugging. “Sorry. I have a problem with people sometimes.”
I blink at him. “I’ve never seen someone so upset about cookies before,” I say.
He chuckles, and my stomach does a nervous flip. Despite his abysmal attitude, he’s attractive, and the dark circles under his eyes and day-old stubble add to it.
“Yeah, well, I can be charming if I need to. But it’s pretty fucking draining, and when you walked in, I wasn’t thinking when I spoke to you. I’m truly sorry,” he adds, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.
I can tell he’s not used to apologizing, so I decide to take it easy on him.
“Apology accepted,” I say, grimacing as my head aches. I place my hand to my forehead and groan. “This really hurts.”
“After your X-rays, we should get you home,” he says. “As long as you’re okay to walk. Or I can get a wheelchair and push you out of here.”
He’s teasing me and, despite my pain, I smile. “I’ll be fine.”
“I also got that asshole’s information for your insurance company. You could press charges if you want. I’d love to see that.”
“I think you scared him enough,” I sigh, moving to stand up out of bed. River’s at my side immediately, steadying me as I almost tumble against a wall. “Shit,” I whisper, leaning into his shoulder. With one arm around my waist, he steadies me, and I grasp at his arm through the leather of his jacket. He’s warmer than I expected, his body heat comforting.
His spicy scent envelops me, making my mouth water and my thighs clench. It settles around me, and my inner Omega wakes up, desperate for more.
He’s touching us.
He’s caring for us.
But he’ll be gone after today. Just like Landon, River has more important things to do.
I force myself to ignore the ache in my chest as I welcome his embrace.
11
SKYLAR
The doctor confirms that nothing is broken, and I’m released from the hospital and assigned to a week of bed rest.
“This is unnecessary,” I grumble as I awkwardly plop down onto a cushioned leather seat. River’s car is nicer than I was expecting; it’s sleek, dark, and surprisingly clean except for the old coffee cup and the packet of cigarettes in the drink holder.
I still can’t wrap my mind around it. Why am I in his car? Wouldn’t it make more sense for him to drive my car back?
Our Omega scent will linger in his car, a small voice says. I ignore it.
There’s no way he’d want my scent in his car. Right?
“I can call my coworker; you don’t have to do all of this,” I try again.
