Page 17 of The Omega Exchange: Omnibus

Grabbing out a pair of gloves, he yanks them on before pulling out a saw. I'm super freaking grateful that I asked what we're doingbeforehe pulled that thing out. Otherwise I might've had a heart attack right here in this parking lot.

I pull my gloves on as he comes up to my side, offering me his free arm.

"Let's do this," he says, giving me a crazy-handsome grin.

Luke guides us into the woods and down a walking trail. It's not long before we come to a clearing with a copse of Christmas trees. On one end you can see where someone replants the trees on a regular basis.

"All right," Luke says, stripping off his heavy jacket. He hands it to me, and I blink like a fool.Um, why exactly is he removing his coat?"Which one tickles your fancy?"

An embarrassing sound between a snort and a cough comes out. "I have no idea what I'm looking for."

"Well these are all balsam, they're going to give you that fresh smell for longer. But they are known to dry out faster than Frasers. We'll need to do a needle check to make sure the one wepick will last, but go on, pick the size and shape you like best and we can go from there." Luke pulls up the sleeves of his t-shirt.

It's freezing. What the hell is he thinking?

My arm wraps tightly around his jacket at the sight of his strong forearms. They're corded with thick lines of muscle and they’re veiny.

Which is such a weird thing to find attractive, but here we are.

His delicious manly scent fills the air as my arm flexes in his jacket. It's insane. He very much smells like an alpha. I've never in my life had such a strong reaction to any beta's scent. I wonder if my sisters have the same reaction to the smell of their beta mates? I always assumed they were more of a love match than a scent match.

Luke gives me an encouraging look, and I get myself together. I walk up and down the lines of trees. Luke's scent has me questioning everything I thought I knew. Considering how sensitive he was about it, I'd say it's likely something that's been brought up regularly.

I find a tree about my height. It's thick, and the branches seem well-placed. I nod to it, and Luke heads over, pulling off one of his gloves. He runs his strong hand over several branches and seems to be taking note of how many needles fall.

He shoots me a megawatt grin. "Good choice, this one's perfect."

My knees clench together, and I try to get a hold of my raging hormones.

I sure hope he has decorations, since I absolutely don't have any hiding in my suitcases. Several Christmas-inspired sets of lingerie? Absolutely, but not a single decoration to be found. Well, not unless my reindeer-inspired dildo counts. Or the elf-ear clit stimulator.

"All right, sweetness, take a few steps back for me," Luke says, shooting me a panty-melting smile. I stumble back in the thick snow. It's light and fluffy and seems different from the snow we get in New York.

Luke's muscles flex as he shakes the tree to get off any remaining snow. He squats down, leveling the saw with the ground.Holy shit,his ass fills out those jeans nicely indeed.It takes longer than I'd like to admit to realize I'm being a total perv.

The tree tips, and Luke drops the saw before popping up and spinning around to face me. I'm sure I'm beet red from more than the cold. I take a few steps toward him, and he meets me in the middle. His long hair falls around his face as he grabs the jacket and pulls it on.

"Come on," he says, grabbing my hand. "Let's get you settled in the truck. I’ll come back for the tree."

A shiver runs down my spine as he smiles at me. "Thanks for bringing me with you," I say as we head off. "I've never picked a tree before."

"You're welcome," Luke says, linking his arm with mine. "Will you hang out with me and the bosses tonight to help us decorate it?"

"Yeah," I agree. "I think I'd like that."

Luke smirks, and my stomach dances with butterflies. I lean into his strong form as we head back to the truck. This is a once in a lifetime getaway from reality, so I'm going to lean into the craziness and enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts.

It didn't take Luke long to haul the tree back to the truck, but I'm grateful he let me sit in the heat.

The ride back is peaceful. The truck smells like Luke, and my nose doesn't mind a bit. Luke tells me about his family, and what it was like growing up on a ranch in Texas with four brothers. I tell him a little about the insanity of growing up in a house with four sisters. The fact there's only eight years between my oldest sister and youngest sister always throws people for a loop.

"Damn, that's fucking nuts," Luke says, laughing and shaking his head. "I'm the second youngest, too."

It's such a small thing to have in common, but it makes my heart race. Luke is one of the hottest guys I've seen in person. It's a major bonus that he's friendly and easy to be around, but I do have eyes.

I might be quiet and spend more time with old books than I do people, but I'm not a virgin. I had several boyfriends during college and in the years after. They've just never been so different from me. Luke is outgoing and in your face. The men I've spent time with tend to be more like myself.

"My oldest and youngest brother have eleven years between them. My parents subscribed to that two years apart is baby smart bullshit."