His brow furrowed as he studied me for a moment. “I don’t believe you. You’re coming with me,” he said, trying to grab my arm, and I shrugged away from him and back peddled. He got closer and my back anchored against another body.
I gasped.
”Is everything okay Tilly?” Sandy asked.
The man dressed in black stood and stared. One side of his lips curled in a snarl. He knew who he was looking for, and Sandy confirmed it for him.
“This man thinks he knows me,” I said, linking her arm, and she smiled as I did that.
He narrowed his eyes, locking his gaze on another alpha. “So you are into women,” he said. He leaned closer to me, his mouth practically on my ear. “You owe us,” he whispered. “And we still want the payoff.”
I narrowed my eyes, confused by his words. Wanting to ask, but didn’t want to stop pretending. I shrugged my shoulders. “You have me mixed up with someone else.” I turned to Sandy and smiled. “Let’s go,” I said.
There was a growl as I we strolled over the road, but I didn’t turn back. On the other side of the road, I unlinked my arm from Sandy. As I was about to walk into the coffee shop, I glanced over my shoulder and he stood and stared at me.
He remained in the same spot, his arms crossed over his chest, and another tall guy stood beside him. He nodded his head, raised his hand, my eyes widened thinking he was about to threaten me.
But he blew a kiss.
I shook my head and followed Sandy into the coffee shop.
As she ordered drinks, I opened my mobile and sent a quick message to Jackson.
Me: You need to talk to me, because a man stopped me, claiming my sister was in danger and that I still owed him and I had to go with him.
I clicked send and tapped the mobile against my chin, and typed another message.
Me: And Sandy is about to tell me what the three of you aren’t.
“Who was that?” she asked.
“You tell me,” I replied.
“Don’t get sassy with me Tilly,” she hissed. “I said I would tell you what I know. Unfortunately, it isn’t as much as you think.”
I sighed. She lured me into this conversation but didn’t know everything. I should have turned back the moment I knew she didn’t recognise the man in the street.
Her scent puffed in the air, and I closed my eyes. I turned away from her smell, but a gentle breeze brought another smell to me as someone walked through the open doorway. My gaze shot to a man wearing a navy suit stood near the entrance. With black hair that was slicked back, but longer on the top with close cut sides. His trimmed facial hair highlighted a powerful jaw. He was staring back at me.
“And here comes David,” Sandy said. “Let’s get a seat.”
David invaded my space as he held his hands on my shoulders. He leaned to my face and kissed my cheek. The kiss wasn’t the surprise, no it was when he sniffed around my skin, his nose nuzzling into my neck and purred.
I need to take suppressants again.I scolded myself as nausea skated up my throat.
“David,” Sandy said with a chastising tone to her voice. “You’ll frighten the girl away.”
“Take a seat Tilly, let’s have a chat,” Sandy said.
I took a seat on the opposite side of the table to David, secure in the fact Sandy sat between us.
“How much has Cruz told you?” Sandy asked, taking a sip of her coffee, her eyes meeting mine as she stared over the rim of her cup.
I shrugged my shoulders. “Nothing.”
“Really?” she whispered. “Nothing about why he was there that night.”
“No,” I said with a whimper. “I’ve not long met them. He hasn’t told me anything.”
“You need a pack to protect you, Tilly. And we can give you that,” she said, taking hold of David’s hand. “A pack you can trust with your life.”
David reached across the table to take my hand, but I didn’t give myself over to him. But I did glance over his shoulder as the men outside stole my attention. And it was unnerving seeing them still there and watching. This was turning into a nightmare. I could never hide myself like this.
“I’m not sure.” All I needed was to get away from everyone. But first, I needed to speak to Isla.
“I think you are,” she said, pushing my shoulders against the wall, pinning me in place. She held one shoulder against the wall as the other hand cupped my chin with a hard squeeze. There was no fury in her gaze, just lust.
Shit.
She smiled. “I think you’ve worked it out, omega. I want you, I want you now, and I’m not afraid to admit I’m jealous of them stealing you.”
“I’m not yours,” I said.
“You will be,” she whispered, smelling around my hair and my neck again. “Beautiful perfume, floral. I wonder why I couldn’t smell you before now. But I always wondered why I found you enchanting. If only I wasn’t such an idiot about betas and not wanting a pet. I would have made a play for you.”
“I’m not into woman,” I said. And now I knew our scents didn’t match because to me, she smelled like boiled sweets.
”Is that right Tilly? Not with your friend in the beta club you go to,” she said. Her teeth ground in my ear as she sunk her face into my neck and hair. My heart rate spiked and blood gushed too quickly through my veins.
“I told you we only did that to stop guys pestering us, not because we had something going on between us.”
“It’s time to be treasured, Tilly. And I will be the one to do that.”
I tried to work out how I could pacify her, but this was Sandy, my boss, powerful, intelligent and an alpha. She wouldn’t fall for my feeble excuses.
“How many are in your pack?” I asked, trying to make it appear as though I was interested.