Page 44 of Beautifully Scarred Omega

For a moment, I consider telling them.

They know about the woman from the gala. I told them about her that night, came home unable to stop talking about dark eyes and a conversation that felt real, about a kiss that ended too soon and a woman who vanished before I could get her number.

I think I met someone, I’d said, and Max had raised an eyebrow while Ethan smiled that quiet, knowing smile of his.

She just... left? Max had asked.

Something spooked her. I don’t know what.

They’d teased me about it for days. The mystery woman. The one who got away. Finn Preston, finally knocked off his feet, and she didn’t even stick around to see it.

I could tell them now. That the mystery woman and our new undercover agent are the same person. That the kiss that’s been haunting me ever since came from a trained operative who kissed the wrong man and disappeared.

But something stops me.

Pride, probably. Embarrassment, definitely. And the fact that the second I say it out loud, they’ll have questions I’m not ready to answer.

Or maybe it’s something I don’t even understand yet myself.

“Finn?” Ethan is watching me with that patient, curious look he gets when he’s trying to figure something out.

“I’m fine,” I say again, and this time I almost believe it. “Just tired. Long week.”

Max grunts, already turning back to his laptop. “It’s only Tuesday.”

“Like I said. Long week.”

I leave before either of them can ask any more questions.

Because I can’t tell them the truth.

The truth is, every time I look at Sophie, I feel like I’m losing my mind.

CHAPTER 14

Sophie

Imake my way back through the corridor to the marketing wing, forcing my shoulders to stay relaxed, my expression pleasantly neutral. Sophie Dysart wouldn’t storm through the hallways with her jaw clenched. She would be grateful for the opportunity, eager to get back to work, maybe a little flustered from being in the same room as three powerful alphas.

I try to channel that energy. It’s not as easy as it usually is.

Finn’s cold stare keeps flashing through my mind. The way he barely looked at me the entire meeting, and when he did, there was something sharp behind those blue eyes. Oh, he remembers.

I wonder what he’s made of it. Whether he’s figured out I mistook him for a mark, or decided I’m some flighty little omega who lost her nerve and bolted. Or maybe he just thinks I changed my mind and lost interest. Either way, it doesn’t matter.

I’m here to do a job, not to lose sleep over what one alpha thinks of me.

Keep telling yourself that.

The office is buzzing when I get back, phones ringing and people typing away at their keyboards. Celine spots me immediately and waves me over.

“There you are, dear! How did the meeting go?”

“Fine,” I say, settling into the chair at my desk. “They just wanted to go over expectations. Make sure I understood the rotation schedule.”

“Of course, of course.” Celine pats my arm. “Don’t let them intimidate you. They seem scary at first, but they’re really quite nice once you get to know them.”

Nice isn’t the word I’d use. But I nod and smile like I believe her.