Page 41 of Heat Lightning

I definitely, absolutely wouldn’t look.

Okay, fine. I looked.

Tucking myself behind an end cap display of lotions that smelled even worse than the sugar scrubs, I snuck my phone out again.

I need to fill the hole in your wall. Does this afternoon work?

My stomach flipped. Yeah, being filled this afternoon would be fantastic, actually, I mentally quipped back.

My brain short-circuited, flooding my cheeks with heat.

What the actual fuck was wrong with me? I hadn’t been this horny in… a very long time. Even before, it wasn’t like I was raring to go at the tiniest innuendo from a hot alpha.

I’d lost my mind. He was dangerous—and more than likely on the no-fly list. One doesn't walk around wearing a mask in public without ending up on some kind of government watchlist. Also, he was probably really unattractive underneath—all those muscles were overcompensating for something.

Plus, he killed people. Which was the biggest red flag, of course. And he liked to climb in—and out—of windows at night, wearing said mask, carrying a knife.

A serial killer knife.

Clearly, there were plenty of reasons not to be thinking feral thoughts about him filling me with anything other than dread. Yet, there I was acting like he’d propositioned me again.

Which he absolutely hadn’t. And I would not think about what I would say if he repeated his offer.

It would be a no, obviously. Adamantly. Swiftly. Even if he begged me. Even if he got on his knees, those big, blue eyes peering up at me, pleading to let him… what? What would he beg for?

I need to taste you⁠—

Nope. Not thinking about it. Because I’d say no.

Mmhmm.

And that was when I felt myself get slick for the second time in two years.

“Okay, what’s next? I thought about looking at those new round brush blow dryers before we go,” Gwen said, wandering back over. The basket in her hand looked significantly heavier than it had a few minutes ago.

Too stunned to answer, I just stared, unseeing.

She must’ve seen something in my expression, because her face softened. “Is everything alright? We can grab a bite before our next stop if you’re hungry.”

She reached for my shoulder to give me a comforting pat, but quickly drew her hand back, blinking rapidly. “Oh. Oh. I—uh—didn’t realize.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “You didn’t say. I wouldn’t have made you come out with me. I could’ve shopped alone.”

Confused, I shook my head. “What are you⁠—”

“Christ, who goes out in public in heat?” someone asked from the next aisle over. “Stinks to high heaven in here. Have some decency.”

Gwen shuffled from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable.

Wait. “Are they talking about me?” I whispered, a hint of hysteria creeping into my voice. They couldn’t be. It wasn’t possible.

She cringed and shrugged a shoulder before nodding. “I think so, yeah.”

I lifted the collar of my shirt to sniff underneath, and all the blood drained from my face. I smelled like… Well, like an omega in heat. “Oh, my God!”

Mortified, I bolted for the exit. Thankfully, Gwen kept her head long enough to take our purchases to check out so we wouldn’t add shoplifting to the list of bat-shit crazy things that’d happened in the past twenty-four hours.

Once outside, I stood far enough from the door to avoid awkwardly hovering over people as they came and went.

Heat? Heat? How was that possible?