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The doorbell sounded promptly at seven thirty.
“You’re right on time,” he said, opening the door and stepping out beside Barron.
“When am I ever not? Your note said to pick you up here. I take it the couch was too uncomfortable?”
“Yes but not how you’d think. My things are in the car?”
“Of course.”
“Let’s go then.”
The drive was silent. Barron had learned a long time ago not to try kicking up a conversation, to let Thad get the ball rolling first. He kept his eyes on the road until they arrived at the office while Thad remained lost in his own thoughts as he watched the lake house district where he lived turn into the glass, metal, and concrete of downtown.
“We’re here,” Barron said.
“Good.”
“Are you going to need me for anything this morning?”
“I’m not sure. Why?”
“The car seems a bit out of line. I need to take it by the shop and have them look at it.”
Thad nodded, refusing to admit he might have caused it with his short jaunt onto the sidewalk last night. He slipped on his wristwatch and put his phone and wallet into this pocket.
“I’ll manage. Not that much going on during Saturday work. I just need to take care of a few things and will probably be ready to go by the time you get done. Go ahead and get it sorted out.”
“Will do. I’ll text you when it’s done and see what time you’re ready to go.”
“Sounds good,” Thad replied, already out the car door and on his way toward the entrance.
He dared not open the Alpha Meets Omega app to see if there were any messages from her. Why would there be? She was doing everything she could to fight her own destiny, without a second thought as to just how intertwined it had now become with his own. He needed a few days to sort this out in his head, to decide what to do about her, if anything. Maybe she was right. Perhaps, neither of them needed the distraction of the other.
As the day progressed, he quickly learned that it might not be up to them, as she wasn’t exactly something he could just put aside. He remained in full rut, wanting nothing more than to walk out of his office building, shift and sniff her out as his mate.CHAPTER NINEJaycee
The night had seemed endless. Trying to sleep was like lying awake in your bed waiting to see if the intruder you could hear breaking into your home was going to get in before the police arrived. Her heart thudded against her chest and her breathing came in shallow pants, unwilling to subside. It felt like she was coming out of her skin.
But that wasn’t the end of it. The heat between her legs remained, demanding attention and her hand wasn’t getting the job done. By morning, she was sore and in no better state than she had been last night. She still wanted him, desperately. She decided to work it off by going to the gym. There wasn’t one in the building but she had spotted one on her way to the store previously. It wasn’t really something she could afford long term, but they were having a two-week free trial membership, according to the poster in their window. Slipping into a pair of workout pants, t-shirt, and trainers, she headed out the door to try to get her mind off him.
It was crowded but she managed to get her temporary pass and find an open elliptical. She was quickly warmed up and jogging along at a healthy pace, something she’d prefer to do out in the wild but wasn’t familiar with the area to do that just yet. She plugged her earbuds in and opened her phone, noting the ‘message waiting’ notification on Alpha Meets Omega. Had he messaged her? She’d made a point of not giving him her private number just yet, something she’d felt important until she’d vetted him to see if he were a psycho. If only that had been the worst of what she had to worry about from him.
Switching on some music to stream, she was still drawn to the notification, finally opening it to look around. There were plenty of messages, but none from him. She felt an odd sense of relief mixed with an almost equal amount of disappointment. Still, those messages gave her lots of opportunities to forget him. That just might be the ticket to moving past her attraction to him. If she just spent some time getting to know others, then he’d fade into the past, eventually. She couldn’t stay in heat all the time, after all. Once it ended, she’d have more self-control. Laying the phone aside, she finished her run, already beginning to feel a little better.
By Monday morning, she seemed to be back to normal. She knew, from talks with friends back home, that this only lasted a few days and that once it was done, she’d no longer need him so much. Past that, there would just be a natural pull to him that she wouldn’t have with other people, but that shouldn’t be a problem. Seattle was big enough that she shouldn’t run into him. With things settled, she began making dates again on the app, maintaining her lie that she was a Beta. At least there was one good thing to come from meeting him, now that she knew who her natural mate was and what would happen while in heat, she didn’t have to worry about it with any other dates. But for now, she was headed out the door for her first real day at work.
