by Drea Roman
Heaven Scent
An Omegaverse story
Drea Roman
Contents
Acknowledgments
1. Dominic
2. Sasha
3. Dominic
4. Sasha
5. Dominic
6. Dominic
Epilogue
Books by Drea Roman
Author Biography
“Heaven Scent” is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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Copyright © 2019 by Drea Roman
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Published in the United States by Drea Roman. All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author.
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Cover Design by BL Maxwell
Acknowledgments
Thank you as always to my alpha-beta, Mel. BL Maxwell created a lovely cover just perfect for this story. A special thank you to Balgair Tod for his title suggestion. Kim Breyon and the entire gang for the Hot Summer Reads Giveaway have endlessly supported me. Thank you.
1
Dominic
As I step into the Book Nookery, I scan the room looking for whatever drew me inside. I don't want to admit to myself what I think it is. Because I could be wrong. I've waited so long for this moment and now that it might be here, I'm afraid. A man like me doesn't get afraid. I'm ruthless in business and personal pleasure, but something here is pulling me in.
I'm not afraid of finding him. I'm afraid I won't. Into my 45th year, I've never lacked for company. But I've always lacked for the one. My mate. Scanning the room, I see people browsing the full stacks. Best sellers, cookbooks, erotica, this place has it all, each section clearly marked, with a cafe snuggled tightly in the right corner. Following the scent of coffee, my nose turns me toward it. And then, I see him. A petite elfin face below a mop of golden-brown curls. I can't see his eyes or catch his scent from here, but he has to be the one. He has to be. Nothing else could explain my restlessness today, my sudden desire to tour a book shop that has never peaked my interest before. In my spare time, I would rather be fucking than reading.
But today my soul pointed me down this street and through this door. I hope it is for a reason. I hope the reason is him. I pause, still for a moment, purposely out of the reach of his scent so I can study him first. If he is the one, he is far younger than me. Of medium height, with a slender build, he smiles quietly at a customer, nodding at her comments as he makes her order with obvious attention to detail. A more noble man would care, might fret at binding such a young welp to him, but I don't. If he is mine, I will ensure his pleasure and happiness, but he shall never be free from me.
Taking a moment to consider the change he will make in my life, I smile, though with my dark features, I know a few would find it menacing. Sincerely, I hope he does not. He is the only creature on god's earth for whom I will bend. One more settling breath and I take a large step in his direction. A tendril of scent reaches my nose then, pulling me forward. Another step, and another, and I am walking resolutely toward the cafe counter and my destiny. His scent deepens the closer I come to him. Cloves and coffee. Ahhh, so the scent is not just the grounds, it is him.
His back is turned toward me now as he deftly creates someone's latte. He smiles as he pours the foamy milk from the small metal ewer into a mug, swirling it so the coffee and milk settle together in a rich blend. He looks like a dream up close, his soft pale lips curved shyly up, sandy brown curls settling over his forehead. One more stir with a spoon and he turns around offering the mug to the woman at the counter. She takes it with a polite nod and he looks up. His eyes collide with mine and he simultaneously takes a deep breath and a step back, jostling the rack of mugs behind him.
"Careful," I admonish, and he freezes, his summer sky blue eyes going wide. He seems to choke on his breath and I am concerned he is having a panic attack. His fingers grip the counter tightly, his skin going white from his grip on the granite stone. "It's you," he whispers so low I barely catch it.
A shiver runs through his thin body and he closes his eyes a moment before snapping them open to catch my gaze again. "Oranges and ginger," he murmurs, and it takes but a moment for me to realize he too has caught a scent, my scent. A growl escapes me, and he blushes, dropping my gaze. I see his Adam’s apple bob in his throat as he swallows hard.
"What do we do now?" He almost whimpers and God be damned if that doesn't make my cock twitch.
Swallowing down my own sudden lump of emotion, I try to keep my voice calm.
“First of all, we might start with introductions. My name is Dominic. To whom do I have the current pleasure of speaking?”
My mate’s fingers still grip tightly to the counter top behind him. The skin of the knuckles has now turned completely white. Fear and wonder flash across his face. Damn, he is so young, his fair complexion so much paler than my own darker Mediterranean coloring. When he does not answer right away, I cock my head to the side, breathe deeply and try to project a feeling of calm. Unlike shifters, human alphas do not have the ability to project calming pheromones, but since this is my mate, I try to pull my naturally aggressive nature back and hope this will soothe him. After a few moments of staring at me, wonder and fear clashing in his eyes, he finally closes his lids over those piercing blue orbs as he attempts to breathe deeply.
My little omega is trying to calm himself down and unfamiliar emotions swirl in my chest, yearning and the need to comfort.
“It is quite all right, if you are overwhelmed right now.” I keep my voice low, though at this late afternoon hour, only a few people gather in the café. “If I might enquire, are you finished with work soon?”
He flicks his eyes open then, suddenly amused. “If you might enquire,” he murmurs to himself, a shy smile blooming on his perfect pink lips. A laugh tumbles out of his mouth, perhaps an expression of his anxiety. When he finally looks me directly in the eye again, he seems determined, more solid in his reactions causing me to stand up straighter in anticipation.
“Well, Dominic, it is quite lovely to meet you. I am Sasha, barista extraordinaire and manager of the Book Nookery Café. Though it is past most people’s coffee time for the day, would you like something to drink? Coffee is most certainly available, and I have several international teas if you would like something less caffeinated.”
Charmed by my omega already, I cannot fail to notice that he did not answer my question. “Black coffee is just fine, but only if you have more time left on your shift.”
I pause as he eyes me warily and decide to out with it. We are fated mates after all. It is clear by his own words that he has caught my scent. Arching my left brow, I keep my tone teasing. “Did you not just say that I smell like oranges and ginger?”
The startled look is back in his eyes and I would regret charging ahead with such little finesse if not for the fact that his nostrils flair as I watch him very blatantly scent me.
A gulp and then a nod. “Yes,” his voice wavers as his eyes search mine. “What do I smell like?”
Touched and amused by the question, I chuckle softly. “Perhaps not surprisingly to you, you smell like coffee and cloves.”
He finally releases the counter behind himself and holds out his hand. “Dominic, I must say, it is delightful and scary as fuck that you just walked into my life. As I am only 22, I wasn’t expecting a mate to come along quite so soon.”
Quickly, I stretch out my hand and take his, delighted beyond words that Sasha said “mate” before I could. Ele
ctricity seems to zap between us and we both gasp. Sasha looks up at me wide-eyed. In this moment, I finally notice our height difference. With his shorter, slender frame, I could easily pick him up and carry him away. Damned if the primitive part of my psyche doesn’t want to do just that.
Sasha squeezes my hand firmly one more time before releasing it. A slightly amused smile tugs at his lips. “At the risk of finding out far more than I want to know at the moment, what thought just crossed your mind?”
“Why, omega? Did my expression give me away? What did my face tell you my brain was thinking?”
My omega laughs softly as he turns away to pour me a mug of hot, black coffee. When he sets it on the counter, I hand him the card I just pulled from my wallet.
“Fast with that, now aren’t you?” My omega seems to like teasing me in his light, sweet way and I cannot wait to find out if he likes teasing of a far more sensuous quality.
As he tries to take the card, I hold onto it a moment longer than necessary. “I am fast with a good many things, but seducing my mate isn’t one of them”
I am rewarded with the most gorgeous blush of pink against his creamy white skin. It stains his high cheekbones first, then flows down his long neck, disappearing underneath his shirt after reaching the top of his clavicle.
A sharp inhalation of breath, then what sounds very close to a whimper seeps out of my mate’s lips as he stares at me, his bright blue eyes wide with surprise and even a smidgen of lust. Yes, lust I can work with.
“Going back to your previous question, omega mine,” I say as I press my luck for all I am worth, “I was thinking how easy it would be to pick you up and carry you around like the caveman I am.”
The blush I am rewarded with is darker, the rosy hue drawing my attention to his lovely long neck, his hair curling up at his nape. Clearly, I have rendered my mate speechless and though the flirting is fun, I desperately need to know who he is. Looking at my watch, I see it is almost four p.m.
“Back to my earlier question, what time are you off work?”
Sasha swallows hard, then looks at his own watch. “Five p.m. We close early on Sundays, so I am the only one here today. I’ll start clean up around 4:30p.m.” He ducks his head a moment before looking up shyly. “Will you wait? I would like the chance to talk to you.”
I can tell how much courage it took for my dear, shy one to voice that desire to know me better.
“Of course,” I reply with a genuine smile, “I will sit at a table along the window. It is a lovely summer day. I can enjoy the birds flying around while I wait for you to finish up.”
My little omega looks downright astonished. “You like to bird watch, too? I mean, I’ve never kept a list or anything, but I would love to take one of those bird watcher’s nature hikes. Have you ever gone?”
Pleased beyond measure to know a tiny bit more about my dainty and delightful mate, I commit that little detail to memory. “No, I have never gone bird watching. But it does sound like a perfect date with you.”
I will never, until my dying day, tire of his blushes. Another customer steps up behind me and his presence makes me want to whip around and growl. Sasha looks panicked for a moment. But I smile at him again and pick up my mug from the counter where I had set it. Nodding toward an empty row of tables along the large bay window overlooking the line of bushes separating the building from the sidewalk, I move away from the counter. “I will be right over there, if you need me.”
“If I need you,” he murmurs, before turning to greet his customer, a harried looking man wearing a too-tight business suit and carrying an ancient, battered suitcase.
“Harry,” my omega greets him warmly, and this time I have to bite my tongue to keep myself from growling. As Sasha deals with his obviously regular patron, I settle into a seat at a table that allows me to look right at him. As I muse about my mate, he makes the man a cup of tea and chats about the early summer weather. Though he is talking to another man, I enjoy watching him interact with someone he knows. No blushes for Harry, I am inordinately pleased to note. Just easy service-related conversation. Harry leaves with a to-go cup after slipping a couple of dollars into Sasha’s tip jar.
“Thank you,” Sasha says with a wave and now I am in love with him. Totally, completely, head-over heels in love with my mate, who is over twenty years my junior. Only a handful of minutes into our acquaintance, I adore him so much my heart feels like it may burst with the emotions running rampage over it. As soon as the customer exits the café area, Sasha’s eyes immediately turn to me and I see him sigh and relax the tension I did not realize was there. He smiles at me and gives me a shy wave, which I return.
Since there are no customers now, Sasha washes his hands at the sink behind the counter, then makes himself a cup of hot tea. He brings his mug over and stands awkwardly at the table for a moment before I realize he wants permission or, at the very least, an invitation.
“Please do sit, Sasha, I have been longing for your company for far too long.”
He laughs as he settles himself into the seat across from me. “Far too long?” He quirks his brow at me in an endearing display of personality and sass. “I do believe you were alone for less than a total of five minutes. Are you truly that high maintenance?”
Grinning at him, I take another sip of my coffee before responding. “My dear Sasha, I have been waiting for you a lifetime.” I pause, ridiculously pleased at the surprise on his young face. I study him for a moment. Sky blue eyes, fair skin, with a slightly gold undertone that suggests he might tan instead of burn, curly golden-brown locks, so soft looking I long to touch them and wind my fingers through them. He blushes under my perusal and drops his eyes from mine.
“Oh, dear, are you worried about our age difference?” I’m not, but I am curious as if he has any concerns on the matter, it is more than twenty years after all.
He looks up quickly. “No, you seem perfect to me.” Clearly surprised at his own candid response, he takes a quick drink of tea, then hisses when the too-hot liquid hits his tongue.
“That is rather nice to hear.” Suddenly, I feel far too confined by this public space. I want to ask my beautiful mate all sorts of personal questions, none of which are appropriate in his work environment. Hell, most of them would not even be appropriate in a bar.
“Do you think you could knock off a little early? If you need help, I can lend you a hand in clean-up.”
Sasha thinks for a moment, then nods. “I will go ask my boss.”
“Will he ask why?”
“No, Mr. Wilson treats me like a son. He is always telling me to go out more and live a little.”
“Do you though?”
“What?”
“Go out and live a little?” My voice comes out in an almost growl and I inwardly curse myself.
Sasha’s shy smile returns. “No, I’m a bit of a bookworm, too much of a homebody for that. How about you?”
“I’ve had my share of fun, but now I want to know about you.”
“I thought you wanted me to knock off early so we could get out of here.”
“That, too. I want everything.”
Though his smile is shy, Sasha looks very pleased with my answer. “Uh, good, I want everything, too.”
“Then, I guess you should go tell your boss you are leaving.”
Sasha stands, taking his cup with him. He pours out the tea and washes it in the sink behind the counter and puts it away before he strides off down an aisle that must lead to his boss’ office. When he returns less than five minutes later, he is grinning broadly. In the meantime, the few remaining customers have left, and I am the only person in the café section of the bookstore.
He waves at me, then begins to close down his station, first taking the drawer out and back down the aisle to the office. When he returns this time, he washes the coffee machine and the few utensils he had left in the sink. After wiping down the counters, he quickly wipes the dozen or so tables.
“Do you have to
stack the chairs or sweep?” I ask, realizing that I still have my coffee mug. I down the rest of the now chilled liquid and grimace. Sasha grins and takes my mug with a shake of his head.
“No, the cleaning crew does that after the whole store closes down, which isn’t until seven. When I started working here, the café wasn’t even open on Sundays. I told Mr. Wilson how much traffic he was missing out on and he asked me to run Sundays. The previous manager was none too pleased about that. When he left, Mr. Wilson offered me the position. I’ve been the manager for about a year now.”
As we have talked, we have moved back to the kitchen area. Sasha cleans my mug and places it in the drying rack.
“You really like your job, don’t you?” I ask, so very curious about him.
“Yes, I do.”
Sasha smiles broadly, his eyes twinkling up at me. Somehow, we have come very close together and his scent of coffee and cloves washes over me. Without thinking, I reach up and stroke his cheek with my fingertips. Sasha stills, his eyes so wide and innocent, I know in that moment he has had few, if any, lovers. Damn, but that makes me desire him even more. It wouldn’t matter to me, considering how many lovers I have had. But the thought of being his first wets my appetite in a whole different way.
The corners of his mouth quirk up. “Your mind went somewhere naughty again, didn’t it?” When I open my mouth to speak, he shakes his head. “Don’t tell me here. If you do, I cannot do anything about it. And, Dominic,” he blushes before continuing, “I very much want to do something about whatever naughty thing just flitted across your mind.”
“I promise to tell you in the car.”