In the light of day, Arina was pretty. Which was saying something because I didn’t typically notice things like that.
Scratch that, I didn’t typically noticewomenlike that.
Men’s six packs and chiseled backs? I’d never missed a chance to gawk. Give me thick biceps, chin stubble, and a V-line all day. But sitting across the table from Arina, with warm sunlight filtering in through the window and hitting her features just right… It stirred something in me.
Something foreign. New. I didn’t understand it.
Was it the borderline criminal aspect that did it for me? Or the fact that she was fearless and bold, trekking across the state by herself?
Or was it justher?
We’d settled on a little diner a block away from the event center. I didn’t want to drag her all over the city, when we were both clearly exhausted. Insomnia had kicked my ass last night, and Night being a dick this morning hadn’t helped.
He’d probably be pissed if he knew where I was.
But if he wanted boyfriend privileges, he’d have to do more than fuck me occasionally. He didn’t want a relationship, so I was free to do what I wanted, even if it pissed him off.
While Arina perused the laminated menu, I studied her features. Her pale, round face and her plump lips. Her stormy gray eyes that glittered in the light, and the way strands of dark hair fell haphazardly around her face from her messy bun. My gaze dipped lower, to the ivory skin exposed by her tank top, and landed on her nipples tenting the thin material.
Had I ever given a woman’s nipples a second glance? No. But now, I couldn’t seem to drag my eyes away.
Until hers snapped up to look at me and shattered the daydream. I blinked and pretended to be studying my menu, heat prickling over my cheeks.
“Fifteen dollars for a sandwich?” she whispered, jabbing her finger at something on the page. She sounded a little panicked. “That’s highway robbery.”
I laughed but cut the sound off with a cough when I saw the concern in her eyes. She was serious.
“Don’t worry about it.” I waved my hand and smiled reassuringly. “It’s on me.”
She simply blinked at me for a second, the divot between her brows deepening with worry. “No, I… I can’t take handouts.”
Shit.That wasn’t how I meant it. I didn’t want her to feel bad about me buying her lunch, especially when it had been my idea.
“Seriously, I wouldn’t have dragged you somewhere just to make you pay,” I explained. “And you still owe me the long version of your funny story. Call it even.”
She looked undecided for another long second before her eyes slipped back down to the menu.
“Fine,” she muttered, followed by an even softer, “thank you.”
A tall, slender waitress with blonde curls sidled over to take our order, her strong vanilla body spray engulfing the table. I scrunched my nose as she walked away, but the scent was still thick in the air. I could almost taste it.
“Do you think her nose works?” I muttered when she was out of earshot.
To my relief, Arina smiled, and warmth spread through my chest. I could get used to her looking at me like that, with kind tenderness banked in her eyes.
Night certainly never looked at me that way.
“I’ve heard some betas do that to try and attract alphas,” she whispered back, leaning in over the table. “But it always winds up being overkill.”
I looked across the small diner to the kitchen door our waitress had disappeared through. Did that shit really work? Would Night, Revel, or Zero find that attractive? Or would they be just as turned off as I was? I knew scents and pheromones worked differently for alphas, but in no world could I imagine them thinking a pound of perfume smelled good.
A few seconds later, our waitress was waltzing back over with our drinks. She set a coke down in front of me and placed a glass of water in front of Arina, then walked away again. I held my breath for a moment, waiting for the sickly-sweet scent to diffuse.
“So,” I said, leaning back in the booth. “Tell me your funny story. How did you accidentally get to Dallas?”
Pink tinged her pale cheeks, and her full lips curled into a bashful smile. “Okay, maybe it does involve some entering, but I didn’t break into anything, I swear.”
So she was going to be honest.Good.
