Page 17 of Tawny Omega
Karissa was outside and waved us over.
Once we closed the distance, Karissa brought us to where Tawny stood inside, looking sheepish. Blushed cheeks.
Goddess, Rork was underplaying how beautiful our omega was.
“All right, lady and gentlemen. Tawny, these are my mates Holt, who happens to be the sheriff, Vaughn, and Poe. And these three are Craven, Flint, and Rork. They are a pack. Guys, this is Tawny who now knows that three creeps aren’t trying to come in and murder or maim her.”
Karissa’s pack shook hands with Tawny, but we didn’t. It was a different dynamic. And I was sure that one touch from her, friendly or not, would have me drooling.
“Achoo!” Flint sneezed, breaking the ice. “Sorry. Allergies.”
Tawny nodded. “Nice to meet all of you. And yeah, I’ve been sneezing nonstop.”
Karissa and Tawny hugged. “Okay, boys. Behave. And, Tawny, if they give you any trouble, call us back. But I don’t think they will be. Also, you and me, let’s get that book club going. You have my number.”
The pack and Karissa left, waving goodbye to us and then we were left in silence. Except for Flint; he was sneezing his damned head off.
I sighed, looking around the place. There was a lot of work to be done. A lot. But the place had potential. Pleasant Pages had once been a bustling business, as bustling as a business could be in a small town.
Tawny drew my gaze. Her brown hair was pulled over her shoulder in a braid now, and her eyes showed proof of her earlier crying. She wore jeans that gave me all kinds of ideas and a simple T-shirt that hugged her breasts and pulled tight against her hourglass waist.
A goddess in her own right.
“We’re sorry,” Rork blurted, breaking the spell. “We didn’t mean to scare you. We wanted to introduce ourselves. I already did, but Craven and Flint wanted to meet you as well.”
Her scent billowed all around us. The sweetness of pancakes and maple syrup wafted, getting richer by the second. “It’s okay. I-I was lost in thought and worries and then you knocked and my mind went to the worst-case scenario. It does that sometimes.”
“Happens to us all,” Flint said, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket like he knew he was going to have a sneeze-fest. “This place is great. I can’t wait to see it up and running again.”
Tawny’s shoulders sagged. Her smile faltered. The pancakes and vanilla took on a zing of ginger or lime, souring most of her smell.
“We really are sorry,” I repeated. “We can leave if that makes you more comfortable.”
She shook her head and relief flooded my system. “No. It’s been a day. That’s all.”
Flint walked over to the seating area and pulled the fabric from the chairs and small sofa. “We’d love to hear about it, Tawny. Please…sit.”
“There’s nowhere to sit, not for all of us, anyway,” she sniffed. “I only have two folding chairs.”
“Then let’s go to lunch and talk there.”
Chapter Seventeen
Flint
At least I’d stopped sneezing. And it turned out, Tawny hadn’t been crying at all but simply in the middle of a sneezing fit.
The diner was busy at lunch but Karissa and the other pack had taken the big booth in the back, and Holt stood and told us to come and join them.
I was glad for Karissa. She saw that we meant no harm and built the bridge that led to our omega. What a lovely female.
We all squeezed into the booth and I had to admit, it felt right. Two packs and their omegas. Tawny filed in between me and Rork, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that having her hip flush with mine was exactly what my wolf needed.
Her close. Not as close as he’d like her to be, but it would do for now.
We ordered milkshakes, cheeseburgers, and fries all around. I took note of Tawny’s order. A peanut butter milkshake with a cheeseburger, extra pickles. And I could’ve misinterpreted, but she was already eyeing the ketchup.
What a privilege it was to get to know our mate.
