AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I had to stifle a growl.
Everyone I worked with just assumed I was a beta like them, and I never corrected them. But that wasn’t what made me want to scratch some unknown omega’s eyes out. It was jealousy, pure and simple. To have this man wanting them… Shit, I needed to pull myself together.
“Sir,” I called out from a few feet away. “I assure you we don’t have anyone else in the gallery right now. Can we call someone for you?” I looked to Reggie. “Would you escort him to my office, please?”
I wanted to calm him like Tiffany had done for me, like I should have been able to do as an omega. Getting him into my office would have to do.
He was quiet now, looking my direction. Likely not seeing me due to his low vision since I was too far away. I walked closer, all my instincts telling me to touch, to calm the panicked alpha. That was probably why I reached out, unconsciously laying my hand on his warm arm.
His scent washed over me, sandalwood and jasmine, sweetness and spice. It was all I could do to keep from burying my nose in his neck.
Maybe I did have some calming omega mojo after all, because he seemed to relax at my touch. I went to pull away, but he moved quickly, snatching my hand in a firm grip. The contact with his palm and fingers was like a warm buzz of pleasure along my skin.
“Your office?” This close, I was pretty sure he could see my face. His pupils were blown wide from whoever he had scented, and they were intensely trained on me.
I smiled gently and nodded, turning to lead the way back. Reggie followed behind, the three of us on a little march.
When we got to my office, the man was squeezing my hand so tightly it was verging on painful. I angled him over to the hard wooden guest chair and patted his hand, pulling mine away even though I didn’t really want to. I crossed my arms to keep from reaching back to him and leaned against my desk.
“Why don’t you call someone? You can wait here for them to come.”
“Want me to wait here with him?” Reggie asked from the doorway.
My tiny office already felt crowded. Stacks of paintings leaned against the walls, and there were no other extra chairs.
Before I could answer, the alpha shook his head, hard.
“No.” It was almost a bark, and when we stared at him, he blushed. His voice gentled. “I’d like to wait with her, if that’s all right.”
“That’s fine,” I said. Reggie started to mumble a protest, but I cut him off. “It’s okay. I’ll call you if I need you.”
Reggie frowned at me but nodded. The man seemed calm now, not a threat. Reggie backed up and closed the door partway, leaving it open a crack. Then I was alone with the alpha.
For a moment, we were both silent, staring at each other.
“I’m Sylvie. Would you like me to make a call for you?”
“Sylvie.” He whispered my name as though he could taste it on the air. “We’ve spoken. I’m Jonah Lance.” His tentative smile somehow transformed his face, making him even more gorgeous. The idea of him walking out the door already had me feeling bereft. “I think I will call someone.”
Jonah pulled out a phone and held it to his ear, his eyes never straying from me. I felt pinned by his gaze, and I reveled in it. Having this man’s attention on me was like being buzzed after a couple of glasses of wine.
“Hi, I need you to come meet me at Templeton Street… Yeah, the art gallery… No, now.” He was getting agitated again. “Just trust me, okay? You’re going to want to be here… Okay, see you soon. I’m in the office in the back.”
He ended the call and continued to stare up at me. I tried to ignore the growing tension in the room.
“I’m glad you made it into the gallery. I hope you’re considering teaching in our studio.” His outburst out front hadn’t scared me off working with him, but I’d need to remember to air out the space if he was sensitive to scents.
“You made a compelling case. Would you step closer? I can’t see you very well.”
I could excuse what I did next and say that I wanted to make sure he could see my face. But what I really wanted was to get closer to that sandalwood spice that was starting to make my clothes feel too hot. Too tight and too much. My brain had left the building. I closed the distance between us, then lowered my hands to the armrests on either side of the chair, caging him in.
It was aggressive and forward, much closer than I should have gotten. His scent made me feel drunk.
Before I could blink, Jonah was gripping my face as he slammed his mouth into mine. The kiss was wild and desperate, and I was out of my mind, opening for him on a moan. Somehow, in an effort to get even closer, I went from bending over him to kneeling in front of him. I ran my hands up his muscular thighs while he held my face at the angle he wanted and plundered, tangling his tongue with mine.
Then he softened the kiss, hard and fast becoming sweet and tender. I melted toward him, savoring the feeling of his full lips against mine. He tasted me with delicate sweeps of his tongue, and my toes curled. I brought my hands to his hair, raking my fingers through the silky strands to hold him tight.
In a quick move, he pulled out of my grip and stood, lifting me with him before hooking an arm under my knees. He sat back down with me draped across his lap, curling his arms around my waist and back. His forearm brushed the swell of my breasts, and I gasped into another devouring kiss.
