Page 76 of Lilacs and Leather

“I seriously regret telling you about that,” I moan, face heating.

“Too late. So do you want to hear about the time that Wes thought he was rocking my world, but I couldn’t even tell he was inside of me?”

I cackle as she flops back down on the mattress, popcorn in hand. We snuggle together, turning on the movie. I let her explain in excruciating detail about how truly awful her ex was in bed, laughing along. But I couldn’t get thoughts of that other omega out of my head. Who was he to the pack? Was he bonded to them? Did Rhett love him at one point? Did Mateo?

I do my best to shove the questions aside and enjoy my night with Gabby and manage fairly well for the rest of the night. But when the time comes, and we shut off the lights and curl up together to sleep, the spiral begins again. The logical part of my brain is shouting to just ask. I’d laid my history bare for Rhett; the least he could do is tell me about this omega. But I didn’t want to come off as the jealous, paranoid, territorial omega. It was in the past and I should let it go. If it was that important, I’m sure that one of them would have brought it up.

Right?

Twenty-Nine

Mateo

Lex: The flowers are ready. Can you swing by and pick them up for me? I’m going to be stuck in meetings all day.

Me: Anything for you, princess.

Lex: Don’t act like seeing Lydia is a hardship.

Me: Jealous?

Lex: Of you? Never.

I laugh at the last message as I slip into the driver’s seat of my SUV. Lex and I always had a love-to-hate-each-other relationship, and I take a weird sort of pride in knowing that I can get under the ice queen’s skin. At this point, the venom between us is more a habit than anything truly malicious, but winding her up is still one of my favorite hobbies.

I’d rather crawl naked on my belly over hot coals than admit it to her, but Lex is right about one thing. Any chance I can get to see Lydia is one I would take without a second thought. She’s been a little distant with me since that night at Freddy’s, but I don’t mind. She has her hands full with whatever she and Rhett get up to. She’ll want a break soon enough, and I’ll be more than happy to help with that.

I drive over to Old Town, bobbing my head to the upbeat music on the radio. It’s warm for mid-May, and summer would be sweltering at this rate. I park in front of Grandmother Wila’s and take a moment to walk a few paces down the sidewalk to check on the awning repair progress. Ever since we’d fired Davis and his crew, work was going much faster, with far fewer complaints from the store owners and their staff. The project will be wrapped within the month, and I’m eager to find my next job.

I stroll back to the flower shop, pushing the door open and sighing in relief as the blessedly cool air washes over me. The store smells like flowers, with a potent scent of freshly turned earth and candied apples on everything. I only could detect the honey and vanilla under it all because it’s practically engraved into me at this point. I look to the counter and see a pretty dark-skinned beta manning the cash register. She stands up a little straighter, a smile on her face that doesn’t quite reach her eyes as she greets me.

“I’m here to pick up an order. It might be under St. Clair, or Cooper. I’m not sure,” I start, sliding my hands into my pockets.

“Yeah, no problem. Let me look,” she says, shaking herself after a moment of blatant staring.

Up close, the caramel-candy-apple scent is stronger, and the sweetness of it almost makes me crinkle my nose. I’m sure that it’s delightful to the right person, but it’s a little too much for me. I watch as she taps on the screen of the register, cocking her head to the side.

“Who did you speak with about the order? I’m not seeing it,” she drawls.

“It was me, Gabby. Sorry. I forgot to put it in the computer,” a familiar voice says as the swinging door behind the counter opens.

A flood of lilac and lavender washes over me, and I release the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Lydia smiles at me, shy and blushing. Gabby rolls her eyes, but her smile is fond now as she looks at the omega. Lydia is wearing her apron over a plain T-shirt and jeans, her hair back in a messy bun, but she still looks incredible. I watch her move to a stack of paper order forms and pull one from near the top. I frown a little at the tension in her shoulders and the way she keeps glancing at the door, like she’s expecting someone to walk in.

Both she and Gabby disappear into the back to get the flowers, and I ponder Lydia’s behavior. Her scent isn’t abnormal, but it’s hard to tell when I’m surrounded by all the florals. I don’t know her well enough yet to catch any tells, though I’m sure Rhett would have a field day with all of her non-verbal cues. I pull my phone out and consider asking him to stop in to check on her when the pair comes back out.

Gabby makes small talk with me while they wrap the flowers. Lydia worked her magic, the bouquets full of lilacs and lavender, with a few purple and blue roses scattered among the greenery. I keep trying to catch Lydia’s eye, but she’s stubbornly avoiding me. My heart kicks a little, unease settling in my stomach like a lead weight. By the time we walk out to my car, my instincts are on high alert. Gabby and Lydia load the flowers into my backseat and Gabby scampers back into the store, but I catch her wink to Lydia on her way back. Lydia tries to follow right after, but I grab her elbow before she can.

“Is everything okay?” I ask softly.

Lydia pulls away and wraps her arms around her middle, looking up and down the nearly deserted street. My brow furrows as I watch her, confused.

“Yeah. I just… did you…” she starts, stumbling over her words.

“Hey. Talk to me, baby. What’s the matter?” I ask, taking her shoulders in my hands.

I try to pull her to me, but she steps away. I stare at her, eyes going a little wide. She looks around again, and I do the same. The work crew is half a dozen stores away, and the only other shopper is moving quickly from their car into a store across the street. It’s too hot for anyone to be dining outside at the cafe next door, and it’s the middle of the day on a Thursday, so the after-work rush hasn’t started.

“Did you see that article? About us at Freddy’s?” Lydia whispers.