Page 11 of Scheme
“You know what I mean.” Kit gestured vaguely at the dining table, where two of the omegas from before had migrated to, watching him out of the corner of their eyes while they whispered to each other, occasionally giving me an assessing look. “I thought we were both avoiding social interaction, but youlikesocialising.”
He said as though it was a grave insult.
“I see. And you feel betrayed by this?”
Kit’s stare turned withering.Rein it in, Margot. Just because I had a fun, teasing relationship with Nico and Violet didn’t mean Kit would appreciate the same.
“At the risk of sounding obnoxious, I’m usuallygreatfun at parties. I’m just having a bad week, that’s all. Hence the hiding out in the kitchen.”
Kit blinked. “Then why’d you come?”
“I promised Violet weeks ago that I’d help out, and I wasn’t about to let her down. I’d given her my word, I couldn’t just leave her in the lurch…” I was rambling, I knew I was, but just mentioning mybad weekhad brought a rush of all the feelings I’d been trying to suppress to the fore.
Oh dear.There was a distinctwobblyfeeling in my lower lip that absolutely would not stand.No, no crying. Pull yourself together.
Shit. He’d definitely spotted the wobble.
“You should sit down for a minute.”
“You sound like Nico,” I replied, shooting for breezy and landing flat. “Alphas are so bossy.”
Kit didn’t acknowledge that, just herded me into the living room, his fingers just barely brushing my shoulders, touching me as little as possible.
There was a wooden bench in the corner that was more decorative than comfortable, which at least meant it was private, but as soon as we sat down, and our legs angled towards each other, I realised how incrediblysmallit was. Or perhaps just how large Kit was. He leaned toward me, and the movement all but obscured me from the rest of the room.
“Aren’t you worried this is some ploy to get you alone?” I teased, because it was feeling sort of awkward being this confined with a stranger.
“Is it?” Kit asked gruffly, raising an eyebrow at me over the rim of his glasses, switching back to Skeptical Mode with apparent ease.
I wasn’t sure why he was being nice to me at all—he clearly had a deep-seated mistrust of single omegas.
“Yes. I did all this to get you alone, so I could be the sole recipient of your glares.”
He responded with a deeper glare—something new and different—and I used the brief reprieve to take a few steadying breaths, finding that sense of peace within myself and encouraging it to the forefront of my mind.
I didn’t evenwantto be sad over Calum. The grief of losing the brother I’d grown up with was something I’d already dealt with years ago, back when he’d presented as an alpha. What I was experiencing now was more akin to guilt, I decided.
Guilt that I somehow hadn’t stopped him from turning into the alpha he’d become. Guilt that he was my brother, and I was glad he was dead and couldn’t hurt anyone else.
“Are you going to cry? Should I go get Violet?”
“No.” I managed a watery laugh. “Please don’t. I don’t want to put a damper on her night—she’s worked really hard planning this party.”
Kit nodded. My shoulder was resting against the wall behind us, and he leaned forward to rest his forearm on his thigh. It looked as though we were intimately close, but I was pretty sure he was just giving me some privacy from the rest of the room.
He smelledreallygood. Like an expensive Irish Coffee, if Irish Coffee couldfuck.
Bad Margot.I really hoped Bryce and Kane were going to host another party soon—I clearly needed to get laid.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“You don’t want to hear about it,” I replied drily. “It’s not a happy story. And I’m sure you don’t want to spend your evening holed up in the corner with me—”
“It’s fine. I’d rather sit here and listen to your sad story than be harangued by the other omegas,” Kit said absently, glancing over his shoulder at an omega who was shooting him bedroom eyes from the doorway.
What a dick.
I wasn’t entirely without an ego, and even Accomplished Margot could be petty from time to time.
