Page 16 of Knotty Nights
Her brows rose as she valiantly tried to put two and two together.
“I was talking about the plane.”
“Yes, well?—”
The air grew thick.
“Is that something you’re struggling to believe?” she asked.
My breath stuttered.
I blinked, looking away before I could sink into those sweet, dark depths.
“It’s just old baggage.”
“That’s still baggage,” she said gently. “Heavy things don’t stop being heavy just because you pretend they’re not.”
Stop being kind!
My jaw clenched so tight it trembled.
She couldn’t possibly be sexy and cute and kind and shy and empathetic all at once…
I blinked hard, trying to keep my voice steady.
“My ex—my old Alpha—she liked new things, new experiences...” The words felt thin. “And when I stopped being new, she found someone who was.”
Atlas brushed the back of my hand gently before taking my fingers in hers.
“She said I’d lost my spark. Like I was…” My throat tightened. “Like I’d rusted.”
Atlas made a little sound like a breath had punched out of her.
“Rust is a funny thing,” she said quietly. “It only happens when something’s been through a lot.”
Her gaze held mine, steady and warm and unbearably sincere.
My eyes burned so hard I had to blink fast to keep the tears at bay.
She gestured toward the plane wing leaning against the scrap pile. “That piece of metal has seen more sky than either of us ever will. Someone tossed it out because they couldn’t use it anymore. But look at it.” She smiled softly. “It still catches the light.”
Oh no. No, no, no…
This encounter wasn’t meant to be like this. It was supposed to be a no-strings-attached physical encounter with an attractive Alpha. Feelings weren’t part of the equation, but I couldn’t deny the way my heart thumped with longing as Atlas’ pheromones surrounded us with that dark, heady scent.
The ingenuity of this Alpha was rare—perhaps even impossible to find. I hated how much I adored that about her. I’d only known her for an hour and I already wanted to jump her bones because she was perfect inside and out.
“Jaz?”
Her fingers trailed over the back of my hand, sending goosebumps up my arms.
She was just so…big.Up close, her aura felt like gravity settling around us, rearranging the air so that everything pulled me toward her. I tried to straighten my shoulders, but the weakness in my knees stopped me short.
“You’re shaking.”
It took me a minute to realize my fingers were unsteady against hers.
I fixed my gaze to the opening of her collar, knowing full well that meeting her eyes was too intimate. I couldn’t look at her without imagining what she’d sound like gasping my name.