Page 15 of Tilly

“I keep things casual,” I said. Berating myself for making myself out to be a slut. Jackson knew I was one, so there was not much I could hide. “Then I can concentrate on work. I prefer work to take my time.”

Jackson glanced a look at me, tilting his head to one side as he considered me. I licked my dry lips. Not liking this line of conversation one bit.

Luca’s eyes zipped to my lips before he gave a nod. One that I hoped was approval, and I’d steered the conversation back to work.

I moved my hand to pick up my glass, taking a gulp of water. “Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom.”

And get the hell out of here.

I loved my job and wanted to say something else. But the way he looked at Sandy touching my hand, I was sure Jackson was about to dive over the table and kill someone. Were Jackson and Sandy a couple? Was that the look she gave him? And if she found out what I’d done with Jackson, she would kill me. Fuck my life.

Both men rose in a very gentlemanly-way, my mouthed fell into an ‘o’. Why did they do that? I gave a small smile and pushed out my chair and virtually ran into the bathroom. Splashing water over my throat, trying to calm my blood from roaring through my veins. I opened my purse and took out a tablet, pushing it in my mouth before turning on the tap and cupping my hand to fill it with the only water I had.

My hands gripped the porcelain of the sink as I stared at my reflection ahead as I went over and over in my head why Jackson was in the nightclub and was now my boss. It couldn’t be a coincidence. And the more I thought about it, I knew my time with the Hanson Group would soon end.

I closed my eyes for a second, loving the reprieve from scenting the pheromones emitting from the two alphas at the table. Or was that the three of them? Because it was strange, Sandy had never given me this amount of attention.

After waiting for a few minutes for the suppressant to work and for my blood to cool, I cleaned myself up and layered more water on the back of my neck.

Running my fingers through my brunette hair and placing it in a high ponytail. Something to help keep the warmth off my neck. I placed my lipstick across my lips, knowing it emitted neutralisers, stopping alpha hormones from infiltrating my nostrils and sending counteracting signals to the brain.

Everything to help hide me until I was ready to be claimed—which was never.

And nobody knew, not yet—but they would.

This was my mother’s invention. What she was working on when they took her.

The one I was perfecting—I was my own guinea pig.

I inhaled and smiled a crooked smile in the mirror. Nobody was going to bite me, mark me, claim me—not an alpha—rich, poor, rockstar, scientist, boss... bosses.

I pushed my shoulders back to their beta confidence, which wasn’t overly confident like an arrogant alpha, more silent confidence, like the cat that found the cream and lapped up the lot for themselves. Though it would be the alphas that found the cream if I didn’t relax.

I held my purse tight in my hands. The contents were my security, though I always kept spares on my body—just in case. I pushed through the crowd that had congregated in the dimly lit corridor, walked past the private meeting rooms of this luxury hotel.

Patrons were piling into the restaurant as I walked around the room to return to the table. My anxiety levels rose at the amount of people, but I took another suppressant and knew that would be enough to calm my scent and stop me from attracting attention.

Though, taking one so late I knew meant I wouldn’t sleep so well tonight. A quick phone call to Isla would sort that out. A night out at Freeze, dancing would wear me out so I could sleep.

Would he be there again?

It’s Monday night, Tilly. Chill.

I noticed Luca stood away from the table as he talked to another man of a similar size. Luca looked over the other man’s wide shoulder and gave me a quick nod of his head. This wasn’t working. Their pheromones were even stronger than before. I smiled and squeezed my hand over my purse, digging my fingers into my lifeline safely stored inside my bag.

Taking my seat next to Sandy again. She glanced a look at me; her gaze running over my change of hairstyle, her lips curved up as she gave me what looked like a predatory smile.

“I was a little hot,” I said, stupidly making an excuse like a little omega would. Rather than a shrug of the shoulder like a beta would.

Because it didn’t seem to matter what I did with my mouth, nothing that came out of it helped my cause to hide who I was.

“It’s nice like that,” Jackson said. I spun to his baritone voice. It sent a shiver skating down my spine.

“Thanks,” I said and watched as his eyes roamed over my face.

“And am I to be introduced to the beta?” the smooth voice asked.

Sandy burst out laughing. “You have no patience, Cruz,” she said as I turned my head with a wide smile to the man to my left.

But it was his scent that took my breath away. He was what I could smell on the way back from the bathroom.

I glanced through my eyelashes and stared into his icy grey eyes. He held out his hand to shake mine, but as frigid fingers iced my neck, freezing my body to the spot. I should have stopped looking, but I couldn’t tear my stare away from him.

His voice was tender with a slightest abrasiveness, but as I took in a deep breath, a dreamy awakening of lust washed over me. His scent was warm, sweet, smelling like caramelised popcorn.

Popcorn.

Goosebumps popped over my skin.

“I’m Tilly...” I stuttered. My nerves frayed. It was him.

Why weren’t my suppressants working?

Same eyes.

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