Page 88 of The Omega Exchange: Omnibus (The Exchange)

Chapter Four

Miller

Holy fucking shit, Melody is really pretty.

My brain seems to be stuck on a loop of how obsessed my nose is with her scent and how much I want to help get rid of that sad look in her eyes.

She’s a beautiful woman, that’s for sure. And I’m supposed to be giving her a tour of her suite . . .

We’ve been here for a couple weeks, and I finally feel like I have the lay of the land, at least for The Exchange side of the building.

I flip on the light and hold out an arm for her to go first. She walks past me down the hallway, and I’m smacked with her scent again.

She smells sweet, kind of like vanilla, but with hints of coconut. She’s not short for a woman, but the top of her head barely reaches my shoulder.

The soft material of her flowy white dress brushes against my arm as I follow her. It has little silver hearts and bows embroidered into the design.

“Okay,” I say as we make it into the small living room area. “You’ve got a mini-fridge, a microwave, and a sink. It’s not much, but there’s a restaurant, and we do food delivery for all meals if you’d rather stay in.”

Did I really just call room service food delivery?

Jesus Christ.

“It’s nice,” she says, taking everything in.

“The suites are much larger once you have a pack.” I head over to the right wall. It took me a while to realize it, but all the rooms are one of two styles simply inverted based on which side of the hall they’re on. “This one is the bathroom.”

I open the door and click on the light.

Melody’s long blondish-brown waves fall around her shoulders as she comes over and peeks inside.

We both step back, and I close that door before stepping to open the next one.

“This is the nest. It’s small,” I warn, because this version makes me a little claustrophobic.

It’s concerning. She seemed uncomfortable in the elevator. That could be due to the fact they move, though.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard of an omega experiencing claustrophobia.

I mean, I’m sure it could happen with trauma or something.

The thought makes my teeth clench. It’s an extreme reaction, but I don’t like the idea of Melody going through anything like that.

She steps past me into the six-by-eight room and smiles.

“It’s not that small.” She chuckles. “Well, not compared to me, but you are kind of a giant.”

I nod, holding the door open since the space will feel smaller if it closes. She has to slide by me to get back into the living room area.

“Then the bedroom is the door opposite these two.” I point instead of heading over because I’m an alpha and she’s an unknown omega. It doesn’t seem appropriate to be all up in her bedroom area. “Let me show you this before I go.”

I aim for the phone on the counter in the small kitchen.

“Zero gets you to the receptionist. If I’m off shift and you want to leave your room, that would be the perfect time to call for night security.

” I fish one of my cards out of my pocket.

“This has my phone number. I imagine you want to get settled in, so whenever you’re ready to leave the room just give me a call. ”

I hope she doesn’t focus too much on the fact I’ve got a Virginia area code and we’re definitely not in Virginia.

Nik and his stupid obsession with finding an omega who doesn’t recognize him.

“What time is your shift over?” She takes the card and her fingers barely brush mine. “That sounded weird. I don’t want to accidentally bother you when you’re off the clock.”

I chuckle, but my mind races. Technically speaking, I’ve been working eight to eight since this place is majorly short-staffed, but I also don’t want her needing anyone except me. “After ten p.m. you can call the desk.”

“Oh, I probably won’t be going out that late anyway,” she says, giving me a relieved smile.

Perfect, that’s exactly what I was hoping she’d say.

“Well, your stuff will be delivered within an hour or so. You can call down and get a late lunch delivery or take a nap. I’ll be back for dinner. Does that sound good?” I ask, backing toward the door to leave the suite.

“Yeah,” she says, giving me a tired smile. “Thanks, Miller.”

“Anytime.” I promptly bolt from the room. Her scent is entirely too damn potent.

“What the hell is up with you?” Dylan Carver asks as I grab him by the shoulders, guiding him into the security office.

He’s part of my security team and I need his assistance.

The employees of the resort might not concede to my demands, but Carver is part of Nik and Oliver’s full-time security team just like I am, meaning he’s stuck with my crazy ass.

“There’s a new omega.” I shove him into his chair. “I need her file.”

“What the hell, man?” He laughs, shaking his head. “You’ve got a password for the system just like I do.”

“You know I’m not good with computers,” I grumble, jabbing a finger at his chest. “Get to it. Melody Webber.”

He knows my big ass hands make typing practically impossible. I can hunt and peck with the best of them, but he’s being purposely difficult.

“Wait, I know that name,” Carver says, spinning to face the computer. “Is she the one that came from North Carolina?”

“No, she’s from Texas.” Once the words are out, I vaguely remember her mentioning something about that. Unfortunately, my brain got stuck on how beautiful she is, and I guess I didn’t fully absorb everything she was saying, which makes me feel like an asshole.

“Right, but she did her intake at another location.” He types away on the keyboard. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure this is the same chick. I remember Nik talking about it. Connor Hastings reached out personally to see if we could find a spot for her.”

“Why?”

“It was a favor for his omega . . .” He frowns. “I think she may have had some past relationship with one of his pack and they needed her out of there. I don’t fucking know.”

I growl, and I’m not even sure why.

The thought of Melody with anyone else doesn’t sit well with me. It’s another ridiculous thought, and if my brain were functioning properly, I’d be able to recognize that.

“Ohhh,” Carver says, elongating the word to the point it’s obnoxious. “Gotcha, all right then. Let’s see what we can find.” He goes back to typing. When her picture pops up on the screen, he whistles low under his breath. “Damn, she’s smoking hot.”

I lean over his shoulder to get as close as possible.

She is incredibly pretty, but I also love the sound of her voice and her smell does funny things to my chest. Her long blondish-brown hair hangs in waves around her shoulders in the picture.

She’s on the slender side for an omega, but she’s not thin.

She’s got an hourglass frame similar to most omegas, she just seems more athletic, or I have no idea.

She’s freaking beautiful, that’s about all my brain can seem to process.

“She’s twenty-six?” Carver asks. Apparently he’s been reading her information rather than staring at her like a total creeper.

I’m not sure why, but my eyes are continually drawn back to hers.

The outer rim of her iris is dark blue, but the closer it gets to her pupil, the lighter the color gets until it’s a very bright light gray.

I’m sure there are fancy color names to explain each shade, but all I know is they’re striking.

“That’s on the older side to just be entering the system,” Carver continues. “I guess it makes sense if she’s already been in a relationship. No bonds? That’s even more bizarre at her age. I mean look at her.”

I am, but I’m also starting to feel a little too much like I’m objectifying her.

“She doesn’t have a matched pack she’s here to meet,” I say mindlessly, finally taking a step back.

“No, but according to her last lab results, she’s going to have a heat within a week maximum.” He continues scrolling through her information. “You know it’s not an exact science.”

“Christ,” I grumble, swiping a hand over my face. I’ve never had such a visceral reaction to another human being. “I’ve got to go. Thanks, Carver.”

“No problem,” he says, laughing and shaking his head. “Things are about to get interesting around here.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Nik asks as I toss open his brother’s office door and stomp inside.

I glance at the open doorway and back to my packmate.

“Sorry,” I mumble, carefully closing it before making my way to the desk.

“Right,” Nik chuckles, “what exactly has you all riled up?”

“Do you know someone by the name of Melody Webber?” I ask, putting myself down in the chair opposite his. “She’s an Exchange guest.”

“I vaguely remember the name. Why?”

“She smells like . . .” My head shakes involuntarily. I’m not even sure how to finish that sentence without using the words she’s mine.

Apparently Nik doesn’t need to hear the words to know what I’m getting at. His perfectly manicured eyebrows rise as a predatory grin takes over his face.

“Really?” he asks, leaning forward. “What exactly does she smell like?”

“Perfection,” I mutter before I can hold the words back. “She’s got a light vanilla smell with tinges of coconut and . . . Do you want me to be honest, Nik? I don’t know how to describe it other than saying she’s absolutely a match.”

“Fuck,” Nik says, laughing darkly. He scoots his chair close and starts typing on Nathan’s computer.

“Damn, I do remember her. An owner of one of the other locations was calling around trying to find her a place in one of the programs. If I’d known she looked like that, we would have taken her the same fucking day. ”

“Don’t be a dick,” I growl as my hands land on the edge of his desk.

“Oh, hell.” He snickers. “You’re so fucking done for.

Already? They say it’s wild when it happens.

What’s the plan? Damn, she wasn’t pre-matched?

That’s insane. I’m telling you, this is why they don’t offer pictures with the scent cards.

There’s no way that delightful little treat would have made it until now without being snatched up. ”

That’s probably true. I’m not sure I like thinking that she could have been scooped up before I got the chance to meet her.

“I want you and Oliver to check out her scent cards,” I say, pushing myself out of my chair. I don’t add that I’ll pursue her alone if I have to because I’m sure he can tell that just from looking at me.

“It’s almost like we wished it into reality,” he says, shaking his head.

“What?”

“I’ll ask Oliver to meet me in medical after my appointment,” Nik says, looking considerably more serious.

“Good,” I grunt, pushing myself out of my chair and aiming for the door.