AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Jett,” I blurted out. “You can call me Jett.”
Gideon grinned. “Jett, then. It may be scandalous, but I hope we can be friends.”
The alpha then dipped his head toward Arden in acknowledgement before leaving the room. I barely blinked before Lyric and Arden were on top of me.
“Are you okay? What did he say?” That came from Lyric.
“Let’s get to the omega room first please. We’ve been lingering too long. Then you can interrogate him”
I glanced around and saw what Arden was talking about. Some of the guests had spilled into the space and were watching us. Some just seemed curious. Others stared with open disdain. I l looked at my feet and wrapped my arms tighter around myself. Arden blocked my and Lyric’s view with his bigger body and led us away.
CHAPTER9
Emerson
My eyes feltdry and heavy as I stared at the clock on the computer. 3 AM. I needed sleep. I needed more scotch. At this point, either sounded good. Instead, I pulled up another profile and started working through it. Orion wanted to have the first meeting right after the holidays and we still didn’t know who we could trust.
Not that the words made any sense at this point. Everything was blurring together, but whether it was because of alcohol or lack of sleep, I wasn’t sure. Even when I was able to see the files, I couldn’t concentrate, as a certain little omega was occupying all my brain space.
I was constantly torn between hunting Jett down, slamming him into the wall, and claiming him for all to see and doubling down on my decision to stay away. I knew it was the right decision.I knew it.It was the only way to keep him safe. I just had no idea it would be this hard to stay away.
I’d denied omegas before. Some I was even attracted to. I may have felt guilty for a few seconds, but once they were out of my sight, I forgot all about them and moved on. It wouldn’t be that easy with Jett.
I had hidden myself in this random office on the second floor of the hotel hours ago. Since these events often led to business deals, the hall kept empty offices and conference rooms that were free to use for anyone who might need them. They kept them ready with all the major supplies a businessman might need, and the concierge downstairs would happily supply anything that wasn’t readily available. I spent too much of my time since coming up here researching fated mates. Knowledge on them was scarce. Most of it was legend and stories passed down from family to family. I wasn’t even sure I believed in them until Strongfire and his mate. They were the first ones I’d met, or at least the first who were open about their bond.
And now, less than a year later, fate struck again? It sounded so far-fetched that it was laughable. But as I was literally itching out my skin with Jett being so close yet unattainable, I couldn’t deny it.
One thing I did manage to find was a supposed way to permanently break a bond. Was it real? I had no way of knowing unless I tried. There were a few firsthand accounts that seemed too detailed to be lies, but they weren’t enough for me to be completely confident in the idea.
That was when the scotch came out. It was also when I completely closed out of all my research and cleaned my browser history. Of course, I could look it up again, but I went down quite a rabbit hole to find that information, and the idea of having it so close to my fingers sent me into a panic.
It didn’t help though. Now, it wasbecauseI deleted it. Gods. What was wrong with me? One thing I did know, as much as I should try, I wasn’t going to use the instructions to permanently break the bond. At least not yet. Logic was telling me to do it before things got too far, but any time I thought about it, I became physically ill. It was as if the bond was fighting against me, forcing me to accept it.
I wouldn’t entirely give in though. I may not end it yet, but I wouldn’t accept it. Free will was a thing, wasn’t it? It was still my choice, and I was going to stick by my decision.
It was after I calmed from my third panic attack that I decided to switch tactics and work on my actual job. I wasn’t able to stay focused on anything but refilling my glass and images of that round little ass tilted up toward me as I turned it red . . . .
I nearly jumped out of my skin as the door to the office snicked shut. Gods, I didn’t even hear it open. Hadn’t I locked it?
Jett stood before me wearing blue-plaid pajama pants, a long-sleeved blue shirt, and socks. His hair was mussed like he had been sleeping, though the heavy circles under his bloodshot eyes indicated he wasn’t getting much.
I felt a stab of guilt right through my heart. It was because of me he wasn’t getting enough sleep. I tried to take him in before I spoke. The alcohol was getting to me, and I couldn’t guarantee what would come out of my mouth, so I wanted to take advantage of the time before that happened.
Orion had assured me he was fine and that did seem to be the case. He had very light bruising around his chin that came from my hand, but it was already healing and would be gone by the morning. I almost demanded to see his ass to make sure that looked okay, but I didn’t have the right.
“What are you doing here?” My voice sounded rough, but I at least managed some fairly civil words.
Being this close to him was brutal. All I wanted to do was leave my desk, cross the room, and claim those lips that were quivering slightly. I gripped the edge of my chair, forcing myself to stay seated.
Jett wrapped his arms around himself. He didn’t seem nearly as confident as he had earlier when he confronted me in the bathroom. That was also my doing.
He was still here, though, in the middle of the night and unsupervised. He was once again putting himself in a precarious position just to see me.
“I-I couldn’t sleep.”
Fuck. I could put a stop to all of this. All I had to do was accept the bond or end it completely. While it wasn’t 100% proven, at least I’d be making a decision. Instead, I ground my teeth and gripped my seat harder.
“You shouldn’t be here.” That was all I had to say? You shouldn’t be here?
