That night can never happen again.
Sean spends a year keeping to himself. He’s careful with Beth— not that he sees her that often, but when he does, he tries to keep the physical contact to a minimum. Not to mention keeping her at a nice safe distance, where he can’t catch her scent. He already made the mistake of giving her his number— and his Snapchat, and his other social media— and he’s seen her at a couple of his shows. Seeing her is bad enough.
The thing is, he has a life plan. He’s still young, not quite thirty yet, and he hasn’t accomplished everything he’s wanted to yet. Settling down isn’t in the cards for him yet. He’d rather stick with Betas than tumble headfirst into an accidental mating with an Omega.
Especially Beth.
Sean keeps telling himself the same thing, every time he sees Beth, right up to the moment he almost bowls over her at a Halloween cast and crew costume party.
He didn’t even know she was here. If he did, he’d have ducked out ages ago, or at least kept an eye out for her to try to avoid her. Not that he’d have a chance anyway, because— costume party. Nobody looks like themselves. He can barely hear himself think over the music, let alone if someone was trying to ask him to move for them, and he already had to use his Alpha-voice on someone to get them to clear a path so he could get to the bar. So, really, running into someone is an inevitability. It may as well be Beth, since Fate apparently has it in for him.
“Whoa—” they both stumble away from each other, Beth’s steps dangerously unsteady. Sean catches her waist to keep her from falling, and then—
Oh, no. This is so unfair. No Omega should be allowed to smell like this. Like something sweet and succulent he can’t quite place. Especially through his blockers.
Plan, he reminds himself. He has a plan.
“Oh—” Beth blinks up at him, and then smiles sweetly when she recognizes him. “Sean! Hi.”
She’s blonde, which is new, since she was definitely a redhead earlier today, when he checked her Snapchat story. Which he doesn’t do more than once a day. Usually. Often. She’s also coated in glitter, which is rapidly transferring onto his own costume.
“Hi,” he says, carefully stepping away once he’s certain she’s stable on her own feet again. “Happy Halloween.”
Beth bounces on her feet, her white-blonde ringlets dancing across her bare, glimmering shoulders. “You too! It’s good to see you.” She looks him over with a slightly furrowed brow, taking in his tried-and-true Captain America suit. “Cap! Nice.”
“Thank you.” He tries, and fails, not to check her out, in the dangerously revealing green dress she’s wearing. It barely covers anything, the sides gaping and laced like a corset. The phoenix tattoo on her left thigh is fully visible under the hem of the skirt, but obscured by fishnets decorated with tiny gems that make her legs sparkle. Every inch of skin on her sparkles. She’s showing so much of it she’s practically naked, which— not really something he wants to think about in public.
Anyway. He should say something back. A compliment. A nice one.
“Nice dress.” Sean catches sight of the wings on her back. “Tinkerbell?”
“Thanks!” She spins. “Yeah, Tink. I made my dress!”
Yeah, he’s seen the other things she’s made herself, some of them in person. She’s pretty crafty with a sewing machine. “It looks great. And you make a great blonde.”
Beth laughs, the sound like bells, and it staggers him for a moment, replacing his thoughts with white noise. “It’s a wig. Thanks, though!” She gestures toward the bar behind her. “I’m getting another drink, which I definitely don’t need, but intend to enjoy, since I’m not driving tonight.” She gives him a little wave and turns on her heel, curls swinging.
Sean’s mouth responds before his brain does. “I could use a refill.”
She looks up at him when he falls into step with her, her eyes bright, and– he can’t believe he didn’t notice before– her face a little flushed. Definitely tipsy. “How’s everything? I feel like we never really talk to each other.”
That’s because we don’t, Sean thinks to himself, but shrugs. “Same old, same old.” There are about half a billion people in this club, he thinks, even with two floors and a whole outdoor area for them to go to. The sweat and colognes and perfumes all mix with any scents he might pick up, from other Alphas and Omegas, and yet, he can still pick Beth’s out from the rest.
Maybe he needs to up his blockers?
Right, they were having a conversation. “How’s your roommate?”
Beth’s expression goes completely blank as they reach the bar. She shrugs, staring directly ahead of herself. “Kirsti? I’m sure she’s fine, but we’re not roommates anymore. We don’t talk now.”
Oof. Sounds like something she doesn’t want to talk about in depth. Sean tells himself he doesn’t want to know and nods at her. “Got it.”
Beth sighs, and he pretends not to notice. Just like he pretends not to look at the rough, pink patch of skin on the side of her neck while she smiles at the bartender. “Vodka and cranberries, please.”
Sean places his beer order, barely sparing the bartender a glance. Already, he can feel his control slipping. He slips into the small space left between her and the person next to her, effectively caging her in. Damn Alpha posturing. “So, do you have a new roommate now?”
Beth’s smile returns, excitement seeping back into her expression. “Actually, I got my own place!” She takes her drink and immediately starts to sip on it, swinging her hips a bit. She’s damn cute. “A few of my friends and I loaded up a truck last week and hauled me down the street. It was a time.”
“Sounds fun.” Except he’s not entirely sure he actually heard her, because all he can focus on is her scent glands, and the movement of her lips, and the way her dress would be so easy to pull off of her—
Christ. He has got to get it together, and fast.
“It’s nice to have my own space,” she continues, as he receives his beer and takes a long pull from it. “I’ve still got a few things around the apartment that need fixing.” And, like that she has his attention. Some alpha part of his brain perks up at the prospect of being useful, of providing for her. “I really should just call maintenance, but they make me kind of nervous, so I keep putting it off.”
Her light chuckle, even though it’s virtually nothing, barely even a real sound, does him in. “I’d be happy to help.”
Stupid, stupid—god, his life plan is going up in smoke the longer he stands here talking to her. He really needs to go find someone else to talk to. Maybe he can talk someone else into coming home with him, to erase her from his mind.
“What?” Beth looks sharply up at him, the straw falling from her perfectly shaped lips. “Really?”
No, no, no— “Sure, what do you need fixed?” Idiot.
“Um.” She just stares at him for a second, as though not entirely convinced he’s actually just offered to help her. Hell, Sean isn’t convinced, and the offer came from his own mouth. He should back out now, while he still can. “I, uh… the chain on my ceiling fan broke, and I’m too short to fix it. I don’t have a ladder, either, just a step stool, so…” Beth actually dabs, one hand coming up across her face. “That’s a thing. And I have a mirror that weighs more than I do—“
“So, nothing,” Sean smirks at her, and then sips at his beer when she gives him a droll look.
“Ha,” she says dryly. “Well, it’s too heavy for me to hang, so it’s just leaning against my bedroom wall.”
“That seems easy enough,” Sean says, and really, this is already going too far. He needs to make up some excuse and then go back to his rock solid, foolproof plan of being detached and mildly friendly with her. Instead, he says, “Shoot me a text whenever you’re free, and we’ll work something out.”
Lord above, he’s going directly to Hell, and he’s not even trying to stop himself.
“Okay!” Beth bounces on her heels, and Sean can feel his resolve slipping away into nothingness. “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”
Sean swallows. “Happy to help.”
Beth opens her mouth, probably to say something else that will rust through is iron will, but before she can speak, someone else squeezes their way partially in between them. Sean immediately tenses up, the Alpha part of him gearing up to scare the other Alpha away, but he grits his teeth, and grips his beer glass like a lifeline. The woman is wearing a pink dress nearly identical to Beth’s, showing off some serious curves, and has an identical set of wings on her back.
“Hey, Court wants us to get pictures before we’re all too trashed,” she says. She spares Sean a glance, and he recognizes her vaguely as one of the costume girls from the show where he met Beth. “Hey, Sean.”
He has no idea what this woman’s name is, but he lifts a hand, and forces a smile. “Hey. Nice dress.”
“Thanks. Beth made it.” Her eyes flick back to Beth, and she slides a hand around Beth’s arm, the motion almost possessive, but without any sort of marking scent coming from her. “Ready?”
Actually, it looks as though Beth is not ready, considering the frown that crosses her face as she looks at her friend. It fades when they make eye contact, and she smiles, though it doesn’t reach her pretty, crystal blue eyes. “Sure. Okay.” She turns that smile onto Sean, and it brightens minutely. “It was great to see you. I’ll text you soon!”
“Bye!” He waves at her, and watches as she and her friend vanish into the crowd. He doesn’t even realize how tense he was until her scent fades away, and he feels himself relax.
Simi B Carlton 