Page 13

Bethany was standing in the kitchen when I made my way downstairs, rummaging through her bag. Spotting me, she smiled warmly. It was a casual look for her, but for me, it was a punch in the gut. Did she have any idea just how beautiful she was? She probably had young men knocking down her door.

Don’t think about Bethany and other men. You are going to get murderous.

She pulled her phone out and checked the time. “I need to get going. Honestly, you don’t need to drive me. I know you said you would, but I am more than happy to go catch a bus,” she said, the smile never slipping off her face.

“Nope,” I said simply, taking a step forward and plucking the purse off her shoulder, ignoring her shocked expression. It was probably a mistake getting so close to her because her scent was unavoidable.

God, I wanted to taste her.

How could an omega smell that good?

“Cullen!” Bethany said in an admonishing tone, giving me a startled look. “Give me my bag!”

“No,” I said, my voice firm and expression hard. If there was one thing I was not going to mess with, it was her safety. “Get in the car.”

She gave me an exasperated look. “Joey is asleep upstairs. You can’t leave her!”

I paused.

Shit.

I hadn’t even thought of that.

Fuck—a few minutes with this omega, and my mind was going blank.

“Jensen will be back soon.”

Bethany glowered at me for a moment before huffing. “I catch the bus all the time after I’ve been out late,” she grumbled, starting to walk past me.

Unable to stop myself, I gently grabbed her arm and pulled so she was looking at me. I wanted to meet her eyes as I spoke. “Any man that is letting you take public transportation or walk home is a piece of shit, and I hope you understand that. You are worth a lot more than that.”

Beth’s eyes were wide, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to find her words.

Internally, I cursed at myself. I shouldn’t have said anything. I just couldn’t resist. The idea that some young punk alpha would think it acceptable for her to walk home made my blood boil.

“Okay…” Bethany said softly.

We were close, too close. I could make out the little flecks of gold in her eyes, the way they complemented her hair. Those plump, inviting lips that looked freshly kissed, the slope of her nose. The pulse hammering through the veins in her neck.

Fuck me.

It took all my effort to step back, breaking the spell between us.

Thankfully, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway provided the perfect distraction.

I nodded. “Get in the car,” I said, letting go of her arm. “And I’m giving you the money for the pizza.”

Thankfully, this time, she did as she was told.

“Hi, Bethany!” Jensen beamed as he entered the house. “Bye!” He laughed as I lightly pushed Bethany toward the door.

“You’re being awfully bossy,” she grumbled as she opened the passenger door. “What’s that?” she asked, looking at the takeout bag on the passenger seat.

“Cake for you,” I replied simply. “I took some in for Joey, but this is all yours.”

She tried to hide her grin, but cake was always a winner.

When we pulled up outside her building, I pushed a handful of cash into her hand, ignoring her protests.