Chapter 14 Chapter 14
Scarlett’s POV
The smell was familiar. Very familiar.
My eyes flew open.
The same scent from Champlain Hotel. That night.
The night I couldn't control myself. The night my body had moved on its own. The night I'd done things I'd never done before with a complete stranger.
Because of this smell.
I sat up so fast I got dizzy. Threw off the covers. My hands were shaking.
Not again. This cannot be happening again.
I jumped out of bed. Ran to the bathroom. Turned on the cold water. Splashed my face.
Deep breaths. In and out. In and out.
Okay. Okay. Stay calm. You're not losing control. You're just... noticing a smell. That's all. Just a smell.
But my body was already reacting. Heat spreading through my chest. My skin felt too tight.
No. Absolutely not. We are NOT doing this again.
I walked back to the doorway. Kept my distance from the bed.
"Do you smell that?" I asked.
Damon sat up. Turned on the bedside lamp. He looked confused. "What?"
"That smell. Do you smell it?"
He frowned. Sniffed his shirt. Looked at me like I was crazy. "I don't smell anything."
"Are you serious?" My voice came out too high. Too panicked.
He sniffed again. Shook his head. "I smell like soap. That's it."
I stared at him.
Is his sense of smell broken? Or is mine? How can he not smell this?
My head was spinning. I leaned against the bathroom doorway. Tried to keep my body from swaying.
"Your sense of smell broken or is mine?" I said.
"Scarlett." He got up. Took a step toward me. "I just took a shower. I smell like soap. That's it."
"No." I held up my hand. Stopped him from coming closer. "You smell like... like some kind of aphrodisiac or something."
Oh God. Did I just say that out loud?
His eyes widened. "What?"
"That night at the Champlain," I said. The words tumbled out. "I smelled this exact same thing on you. This scent. It made me..."
I stopped. My face went red again.
It made me jump you like a horny teenager. It made me lose all self-control. It made me do things I've never done before.
I couldn't say that out loud.
Damon stared at me. His expression changed. Shock. Then understanding.
"My scent affected you?" His voice was quiet.
"Yes! Obviously!"
He was silent for a long moment. When he spoke again, his voice was low. Almost guilty.
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" I wanted to scream. "You think I just sleep with random men I meet in hallways? I wasn't thinking straight that night. I—"
Okay, that's partially a lie. I definitely were attracted to him. But the scent made it ten times worse.
"That's not the point right now," I said quickly. "The point is you smell like that AGAIN."
Damon's frown deepened. "That night... I lost control because of your scent too."
I froze. "What?"
"You smelled like..." He paused. "Soap and shampoo. Just soap and shampoo. But it drove me crazy."
We stared at each other.
Okay. So we both smelled something that made us lose our minds. Something that only appeared that night. And now it's back.
"Why is this happening?" I whispered.
"I don't know."
We stood there in awkward silence.
This was so weird. So uncomfortable.
Damon turned abruptly. "I'll take another shower."
He walked into the bathroom. Closed the door.
I heard the water turn on.
I opened the window. Let the fresh air in. Took deep breaths.
This is insane. Completely insane. What kind of biological reaction is this? Why does he smell like... that?
Half an hour later, the bathroom door opened.
Damon came out. His hair was wet. His skin looked cool. Like he'd taken a cold shower.
"Better?" he asked.
I walked over carefully. Sniffed the air around him.
The scent was gone. Back to normal soap smell.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Yeah. It's gone."
But Damon's jaw was clenched. His mouth twitched. He looked uncomfortable.
Actually, he looked more than uncomfortable. He looked... embarrassed?
"What?" I asked.
He coughed. Looked away. "Nothing."
"No, seriously. What's wrong?"
Another long pause.
"It's probably..." He cleared his throat. "Arousal."
I blinked. "What?"
"When people with our genetic condition experience... attraction... the body produces pheromones." He still wasn't looking at me. "Like animals. Mating signals."
Oh my God.
"It's rare," he continued. "Only documented in a few cases. That's why only we can smell it on each other."
I tried to process this information.
So you're telling me this is some kind of genetic matchmaking system? Like we're cavemen? Or wolves? What the actual—
"So you're saying this is some kind of genetic matchmaking system?" I said.
"Apparently."
I stared at him. Then my brain caught up to what he'd just said.
Wait. Arousal. He said arousal.
My eyes went wide. "So just now, you were..."
I looked him up and down.
Oh my God. He was turned on. By me. While I was sleeping. That's why he came over to cover me with the blanket. That's why—
I looked at him like he was a pervert.
Damon said nothing. Just stood there. Silent.
His face had gone slightly red.
He can't even deny it. Oh my God. This is so awkward.
"Whatever," I said. "I'm going to sleep."
I was too tired to deal with this. Too exhausted to think about genetic pheromones and arousal and all of this weirdness.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
On the floor, Damon lay on his back. Staring at the ceiling.
He'd taken extra pillows and a blanket from the closet. Made himself as comfortable as possible on the hardwood floor.
But he couldn't sleep.
His mind was racing.
He'd lost control. Just for a moment. Watching her sleep in his bed, wearing those silk pajamas, her hair spread across his pillow.
He'd wanted to touch her. To pull her closer. To—
He'd tried to cover her with the blanket. That's all. Just a simple gesture.
And his body had betrayed him.
What's wrong with me? I've never lost control like this. Never.
This is pathetic. Get it together.
He closed his eyes. Tried to clear his mind.
But all he could think about was her. The way she'd looked at him when she was on top of him earlier. The feeling of her legs pressed against his sides.
The heat of her body through the thin silk.
He was in trouble.
Deep, deep trouble.