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Isla snorted and replied quietly, “We’re Numbers; you’ll always be popular. You can sell weeds, and people will buy whatever you flog them.”
A shriek from the trees pulled her back into reality, and she glanced up in time to see an opportunistic young male bird trying to muscle in on the dominant males’ territory.
When Harper viewed the video call list, she rubbed her wrists and bit her lip. She could finish in under two hours if she laid out some prearrangements in front of her, people would usually see them and choose from them, and she could run to Alpha Drey.
It had ruined her evening plans, and she wanted to know why. Nick was drinking, and he sounded…in a word, defeated. There was no doubt that her beast wasn’t pleased with that, and neither was she.
Never faltering, never complaining, or taking a break, Nick took everyone’s troubles on. His unwavering loyalty and dedication attracted a great deal of attention, and many people turned to him, as Nick always provided for them without hesitation. The result was that he was often exhausted and drained.
She wondered if he was doing too much.
Shaking her head, she started filling out her daily tasks, ticking off items on her to-do list, sorting through emails, and answering video calls. Then, after completing her last order for the day, she slumped back into her chair, rolling the crick out of her neck and flexing her aching calves.
She rested for a moment, then wiped down the metal table with a rag. Her rigorous cleaning routine prevented major disease outbreaks in her plants, so she always disinfected and cleaned her tools.
It was the last task before she could run to Drey’s. She could already feel her legs twitching, her heart racing, and her beast pressing against her body in preparation.
“Perfect,” she murmured, brushing her dry hands together.
Rewashing her hands, she sniffed herself and detected an acrid lemony scent. It was a garden-smelling disinfectant, and underneath it as politely as she could put it, the smell of manure. Her natural cinnamon scent had almost completely disappeared.
She rubbed her mouth. “Right.” Just in case she did see Nick, she decided to take a shower.
She could easily forget that his sense of smell was not as advanced as hers, even though hers had been damaged. Because of this, she was disadvantaged. Since she didn’t have fully enhanced senses like Numbers, and her senses weren’t dull like humans, it was like she didn’t quite belong.
It was the reason she remained friends with him. He didn’t notice her husky voice or the warmth that spread over her body when she was with him. He didn’t notice her desire.
It didn’t take her long to realise that he couldn’t see it. It immediately put her at ease and allowed her to explore her burgeoning feelings.
She initially thought his potent heavy lust scent was caused by another person he was thinking of or had seen. When it happened again, she was taken aback to imagine he might feel the same.
He didn’t act on the pulsating buzzing mess of need she saw in his devouring gaze. She felt completely comfortable with him because he didn’t push for more.
Breathless and aching, she suggested taking their friendship further.
In the middle of a perfectly normal conversation, she blurted out, “Would you like to sleep with me?”
She groaned, wanting to sink into the quiet darkness of a black hole. Embarrassment warmed her cheeks as she ducked her head.
She could only explain the rushed words that came out of her mouth due to her preoccupation with his strong scent; the warm woodsy scent had heated and became a tightly spiralling wind that caught her in its grasp, refusing to let go. Every inhalation was like a hammer striking her senses.
She closed her eyes and summoned a deep breath, holding it in. Her cheeks pinkened, her mouth parted, and she gazed at him under her lashes. She murmured, “That’s not what I meant.” She took a deep breath and tried again, “I want to see if there’s more between us.”
Before Nick chuckled deeply, she had been so proud of how she phrased it. The corners of her lips twitched as she pressed them together to force back laughter. She had transitioned from flat-out propositioning him to inviting him to court her formally.
Nick shamefaced, glanced between her eyes and said, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t laughing at you.”
She waved her hand. “It’s okay. It’s funny.”
He was being very careful of her. It was strangely endearing. Flowing like smoke, she drifted closer to him so they were within touching distance of each other.
Taking a deep breath, Nick rubbed his jaw, gave her a probing look, and nodded decisively. “I’d like to see if this goes anywhere, and if it doesn’t, or if you don’t feel that this relationship can progress any further, then…” he trailed off, looking away, his jaw clenched.
She inhaled, catching rotten hesitant fear that made her nose wrinkle.
She swallowed convulsively; her eye wide. She reached out to him, her hand shaking. She clenched her fist and let out a low breath, trying again. This time she wrapped her hand around his knee.
His eyes jerked up to meet hers. He was hovering inches away from her face as his eyes held her captive.
