Page 61 of Written in Scent

I set the phone down on the edge of the sink and stare at myself again.

This pack is nothing like I imagined packs would be. They’ve been incredible hosts, thoughtful in small ways I didn’t expect. It should feel strange that I’m their only guest here tonight, but it doesn’t. It feels like I belong here. Like the house itself has made space for me without trying.

Even grumpy Chase, who has been mostly quiet all night, makes something flutter in my chest every time he looks at me. Why do I find his grumpiness so strangely attractive too?

I press my cool hands to my flushed cheeks and take one more stabilizing breath before I open the bathroom door and step back into the glow of the house.

I step into the living room, the cool touch of water still lingering on my fingers and a giddy flush sitting high in my cheeks.

The guys are relaxed now. Alex and Jamie sit on the big couch with an obvious open spot between them, their bodies angled comfortably toward each other. Adrian occupies one armchair with a book resting open on his lap, glasses slipping a little down his nose. Chase sits in the other armchair, large frame relaxed, gaze fixed on the television even though the volume is turned low.

My eyes move across all four of them.

The couch feels like the safe, obvious choice. I could slip right between Alex and Jamie without a second thought, let their warmth bracket me on both sides.

But something tugs insistently at me instead. I have barely touched Chase at all really, and Jamie’s words from outside keep echoing in my head.

Drunken courage makes the decision feel simple.

I walk straight across the room to Chase and drop myself onto his lap without asking.

Chase’s arms spread out in surprise the second I land in his lap and he lets out a low grunt.

I giggle, the sound light and tipsy, and tilt my head to look up at him. “Do you want me to move?”

He shakes his head quickly, his voice coming out rough around the edges. “No.” His big hands rest tentatively on my waist, like he’s afraid I might disappear if he holds on too tight.

I realize then how much bigger he feels than the others, how completely he surrounds me. His chest is broad and solid beneath my cheek, his thighs firm under mine, and the sheer size of him makes something warm and fluttery and purely omega dance low in my stomach.

I rest my head against his broad shoulder and breathe him in. Pine forest and clean musk and the soft warmth of worn flannel wrap around me like the thickest blanket.

The other three start talking in hushed tones among themselves, giving us the illusion of privacy without making it obvious.

I stay right there, letting his scent fill my lungs until it feels like it’s part of my own breathing. My lips brush the side of his neck when I whisper, “You smell impossibly good.”

My perfume breaks free without warning, flooding the space between us with bright strawberry and peach. The scent blooms so suddenly and so strong that even I notice it, sweet and unmistakable in the closed space of the living room.

Chase groans low in his chest, the sound vibrating against me where I’m pressed to him. His hands tighten on my hips, fingers flexing once before he catches himself.

I tilt my face up expectantly, heart racing, lips already parted.

He looks down at me, his deep brown eyes dark and pained with want.

For a long second he just stares, breath heavy.

Then he speaks, voice rough around the edges, “I want to take you on a real date before I kiss you.”

I laugh awkwardly, surprised and touched at the same time, the sound hushed and a little breathless. “That’s actually kind of sweet.”

My nose nuzzles against his neck as I breath him in a moment longer, unable to resist.

The thought slips out of me before I can catch it, hazy in the quiet room.

“It feels weird that I’m moving from one of you to another like this.”

Alex answers calmly from across the room, his voice steady and reassuring. “It’s completely normal and not weird at all.”

I freeze as I realize I’ve spoken my inner thoughts out loud again. Heat floods my face and I quickly hide my burning cheeks against Chase’s broad shoulder while the guys chuckle around us, the sound gentle and fond rather than mocking.