“No, it’s not that.” She squeezes my hand in reassurance. “I just… I’ve never really been good at relationships. Casual fun? Hell yeah. But scent matches? I don’t know where to start with that.”
“How about slowly?” I stroke the back of her hand. “One day at a time?”
Her eyes dart around the room for a second, then she nods. “I think I can do that.”
Suddenly, a loud bang from the next room sounds, like a heavy object was thrown. Sabs drops her hold on me, the absence of her warmth making my fingers feel like they have been plunged into an ice bath. As she looks at the wall, her expression transforms from hopeful optimism to something pessimistic, filled with doom.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I follow her gaze. “I know pain when I see it.”
“How is he? Drax?” Her scent turns tart, coating the back of my throat. “When you and he were helping get the nest together, did he say anything to you?”
“He didn’t say much, but he seems to be struggling.”
“It’s my fault.” Her shoulders hunch. “I never wanted to hurt him. I… I just… We couldn’t…”
“You two have a history?”
“Something like that,” she mumbles. “I know that Orin thinks having him around is a good idea, but I don’t want to cause him any more pain. He deserves to be happy.”
They both obviously care about each other. I can’t help wondering why they weren’t courting, but I’m not going to pry and risk making her upset again.
“Drax knows how bonding works.” I playfully bump shoulders with her. “He made the decision to stay. That’s not on you.”
“I suppose.” She snuggles into the flamingo then straightens up, her posture shifting as she changes the subject. “I’m guessing you’re the nice one in the pack. There’s Adler—the cocky jock—and Orin—the brooding boss. What’s your story?”
“What do you want to know? You can ask me anything.”
“You seem an unlikely pack, that’s all,” She twirls a strand of hair around her finger. “How did you meet?”
“We all love hockey.” My smile is strained. I hope she can’t tell that it’s stretching my cheeks unnaturally. “The game brought us all together, but Adler is the only one who has the chance to go pro. We grew up in the same town. Orin was our mentor, teaching us all he knew, until he joined the military. When he left the service, we all reconnected.” She hangs on my every word. “After that, we formed a pack. Orin helped Adler and me train again, then we both got into the SVU Foxes, and Orin got a job here.”
“You play hockey?” Her eyes slowly trail over me. “I mean, you have the build for it, but you don’t strike me as an asshole like most of the others on Adler’s team. Plus, I didn’t see you at the party last night. And with your dreamy eyes, I would have expectedThe Valley Voiceto have featured you in one of theirswoony sports star columns by now. Which I may or may not follow…”
“I’m flattered you think I could be the subject of an article, but fate had other plans for me.” I stare at a spot on the carpet. “I got injured six months before we arrived. The damage to my shoulder was so bad that I couldn’t risk playing again without causing serious damage, so I had to pivot and started training as a sports physical therapist instead.”
“Shit. I’m sorry.” Her hand goes to my knee, warming it through the fabric. “It sounds like destiny hit you right in the gonads.”
Her ability to make me smile while thinking about such a painful time says a lot about her. “It felt like it. Getting used to life off the ice was an adjustment.” I don’t want to get too deep after only just meeting her. Truthfully, there was a time when I thought I’d never get over it. Spending my whole life pursuing a dream, only to have it snatched away when it was within touching distance, was soul-crushing. “I do miss being able to skate rings around Adler, but I enjoy what I’m doing now. I like to help people feel better.”
“I’m starting to see that.” She squeezes my leg. “Well, I’m definitely glad that you’re here. This whole thing,” she gestures at Adler’s mark on her neck, “is hard enough without having to move into a house that smells and feels like living in a guys’ locker room.”
“I hope you can feel at home here.” I mean it. “Truly.”
“Me too.” Her eyes scan the nest, the freckles on her nose dancing as she scrunches it up in concentration. “It’s looking better but still missing some extra sparkle.”
“I’ll bring your bags in.” I jump up. “Having your own things around you may help.”
I don’t have to go far because, sure enough, out on the landing are all of Sabs’s hot-pink suitcases. Orin’s doing, I’m sure.
She descends on them like a wild cat as soon as I wheel them inside, removing more glittery objects, jazzy fabrics, and feathers than I’ve ever seen in one place. She hums to herself as she scatters her belongings around the room.
“What do you think?” She holds up a purple, fluffy blanket. It clashes horribly with the rest of the colors, but she looks so happy about it.
“It looks great.” I can’t fight the smile tilting my lips. “Is there anything else you’d like to add?”
“A disco ball.” She points at the ceiling without hesitation. “Some omegas prefer flickering candles, but I like the rolling colors. I have one at Stella House that I can arrange to have moved.”
“No need.” If a disco ball is what she wants, that’s what she’ll get. I’m so smitten that if she asked for the moon, I’d find a way to lasso it down. “Anything else?”
