Then again, maybe it wasn't. After all, Cassidy hadn't gone out on any dates since she'd started making research trips to the Boundarylands.
"And if you need more proof," Paige said, "Samson was there the night I met Kian. He was in the room when my nature awakened. He was one of the only alphas that didn't start playing tug of war with himself right there in the middle of Evander's."
What?
Cassidy gaped at the omega, not just because she couldn't believe that Samson had resisted the allure of an awakening omega's scent, but because she had definitely never heard that story.
Hell, she could write a whole paper about that moment alone.
Gail reached across the table and gathered Cassidy's hand in hers.
"I know you're afraid," she said. "We've all been there. And I wish I could promise you that things would be easy from now on, but they won't. But I do know that if you claim Samson, he will love, care for, and cherish you forever."
"Thank you," Cassidy said, wiping at the tears that had formed in her eyes. "You know the beta world has omegas all wrong. I was always taught that you were sad, tortured creatures who exist only to breed. But you aren't anything like the stories I heard."
"Tell me about it," Mia said. "Just once I wish someone would tell the beta world what our lives are like."
"What they're really like," Paige agreed, pouring herself some more tea.
Cassidy shifted in her chair as a spark lit up her imagination. She sat up a little straighter.
Everything she'd learned about omegas was wrong.
Okay, maybe not the anatomical and psychological differences, like the libido changes that came on with the first heat. Cassidy had also learned there were personality changes, obedience and subservience chief among them, but clearly those were only one part of it.
Nowhere in her textbooks had she read about teapots filled with bourbon.
Which was a shame. Because if she had, Cassidy might have been more interested in Omega Studies than Alphas Studies.
But as far as she knew, no university had an Omegas Studies course. She had no idea if that was due to a lack of research subjects or a lack of interest by the beta scientific community. And honestly, she didn't care.
All Cassidy knew was that she was sitting at a table with three lovely omegas who had lives and stories that deserved to be shared with the world.
"I think I might be able to help you with that," she said before downing the rest of the bourbon from her porcelain cup.
Chapter Thirteen
Cassidy's curiosity had blossomed again.
Samson didn't know what had happened inside Gail's house with the omegas to bring her sense of wonder and excitement back to life—and honestly, he didn't want to jinx it by asking. All she'd been willing to tell him was that Gail made a damn good cup of tea.
Even though she was just as silent on the ride home as she had been on the trip over, everything about her was different.
The wheels of her mind were spinning again. The fog of worry had lifted. The constant frown that pulled at the corners of her lips had disappeared as well. Now she teased her lower lip with her teeth, and her gaze was no longer fixed somewhere in the distance. Instead, her eyes flicked back and forth as she stared out the window.
By the time Samson reached his property line, her gaze was starting to flash toward him. Every time it did, the scent of her excitement deepened, changing from excitement to something far more carnal.
Something that made his blood heat and his cock swell.
He only made it past the first dip in the drive before Cassidy leaned over and started kissing his neck.
Damn. What did Gail put in that tea?
Her kisses weren't gentle, either. They had a hunger and force that blindsided him.
Samson hit the brakes, but the truck lurched into the brush before he could kill the engine. Cassidy wasn't deterred by the rough road.
She tugged at his shirt, popping off a button before he could pull his hands from the steering wheel. The scent of her pooling slick filled the cab, causing Samson's cock to strain against the fabric of his jeans.
Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled Cassidy over and onto his lap. She stretched her legs wide, trying to straddle his, but there wasn't room. The bench in his truck was designed for an alpha’s size, but not for two. The space was just too cramped.
Letting out a growl of frustration, Samson gathered up both Cassidy and his jacket before getting out of the truck. While the cab might be too small for fucking, the bed definitely was not.
Samson had just enough control to open the tailgate and spread his jacket down over the cold metal before the need to take Cassidy out in the open air became too strong.
Wrenching her lips away from his neck, he captured her mouth with his own. She tasted like heaven and desire…and just a touch of bourbon.
So that was Gail's secret ingredient.
He should have known.
"I want to touch you," she purred against his ear.
She wanted to do a hell of a lot more than that. He could feel the passion in the warm breath spreading over his skin.
She tried again to claw at his shirt, but Samson didn't have the patience for her fumbling. So instead, he ripped the opening free, sending buttons pinging off the side of his truck.
Cassidy bit into her lower lip as she spread her fingers over his chest. Her hands felt so small. So soft. So fucking perfect. They traced over every swell and groove of his muscles.
But, just like he'd thought, she wasn't content to simply caress him for long.
Her hands dipped down to the top of his jeans, and she pulled at the zipper. As much as he would have like to have buried himself in her right there and then, Samson shook his head.
"You're not ready yet,"
