It was good. So good, that I downed my first glass and dished myself out a second one. Oliver took me by the hand and began introducing me to some people he knew from work. They appraised me with surprised but pleasant looks, and one of the other Alphas clapped Oliver on the shoulder. “Nice to see you out and about, man.”
“Nice to be out and about,” he replied. “Jay, this is Brinden. Brin, this is my friend Jay.”
“We’re friends now?” Jay teased. “Last I checked, I was a lowly acquaintance, just some guy you worked with.”
“Yeah, well, lucky you. You moved up the ranks. Congrats.”
“Woohoo! I won’t keep you two lovebirds.” He winked at me. “Go dance! And Ollie? Good to see you smiling, man. Real good.”
Oliver raised a brow, looking to me for approval, and I could already feel my face warming up. I couldn’t dance and now it looked like we’d have an audience. Great. I bolstered my courage, then grabbed my Alpha by the hand and led him out onto the floor, where other couples were dancing to the music.
It took me a little bit to find some sort of rhythm, and yeah, I stumbled over my own feet more than once, but soon we were rocking along to the beat.
Oliver’s warmth seared into my back, swaying us back and forth, but man, it felt so nice. His strong arms were wrapped around me, holding me in a tender embrace, and when the poppy-rock songs faded into something sappy and slow, Oliver hugged me from behind.
My heart clogged up my throat when he kissed the side of my neck, then gently nuzzled his stubbled chin over my shoulder. It rasped against my skin in a delicious drag and I bit my lip to keep from whimpering. I dropped my head back against his shoulder.
“Okay?” he whispered in my ear, sending warm-fuzzies tingling down my spine. I knew what I wanted, I was just afraid of taking that leap. This was only our second date, but I hadn’t felt this way towards an Alpha in my entire life, like my world could easily revolve around Oliver Dault.
“I’d be better if you kissed me.” I slowly turned in his grasp, resting my hands on his shoulders. His eyes widened, then dropped to my mouth. His big palms cupped my hips and drew me flush, and before I could respond, his mouth closed over mine.
The kiss was short and sweet with just enough hesitance to let me know that he didn’t want to push me out of my comfort zone. Swallowing back a groan, I kissed him again, firmer this time. His lips were soft and warm beneath mine, and his breath tasted sweet like the gum he’d been chewing. My fingers curled into the fabric of his blazer as I threw myself into the kiss, and Ollie’s soft sigh of happiness made my night that much better.
We spent the evening dancing and touching, only taking a break long enough to eat and grab a couple of drinks from the bar. I wasn’t a huge fan of booze, but even I couldn’t resist the allure of an ice cold beer. We clinked our bottles together and danced until my feet hurt, but I was high on life.
“Hey. You wanna come back to my place tonight?”
My heart stuttered and my breath hitched. Shit, shit, shit. My stomach clenched up around the barbecue pork sandwich I’d eaten. Of course that’s where this would lead. Sex. Sex meant taking off clothing and bearing skin to someone, and thatterrified me. I didn’t have the body for sex, and that was usually when guys tended to ditch me.
I wasn’t ready. My good mood plummeted. I didn’t want Oliver to ditch me, but I wasn’t ready. I pulled away and chewed on my lip. I didn’t dare meet his gaze.
“Brin?” Concern filled his voice. “You don’t have to, if you’re not okay with that. Hey… Baby, look at me.” When I did, it was with tears in my eyes. I breathed in a shaky breath, and to my surprise, Oliver hugged me. “It’s okay. If you’re not ready for the next step, we can wait. There’s no rush.”
“Sorry, I?—”
“Do not apologize,” he said firmly. “We’ll take our time.”
I wiped my leaking eyes with the back of my hand, ashamed of this sudden onslaught of emotions. “Thank you. S-Sorry for ruining tonight.”
“Shh, you did no such thing.” He pulled me into his arms and squeezed me to his chest, then dropped a sweet kiss on my temple. “Tonight was wonderful, Brin. The best Valentine’s Day I’ve ever had. I mean that.”
“Me too,” I told him, relaxing into his embrace. “One more dance?”
He smiled. “I would be honored.”
CHAPTER 7
Brinden
Ithought for sure that my reluctance in the bedroom would be a definite turnoff for an Alpha like Oliver, and had it been anyone else, it probably would’ve been, but Ollie was just so…amazing. He’d been nothing but gentle with me, never once rushing me into something I was uncertain about.
We’d been going steady for a few weeks now, and I felt like this was it. Tonight was the night I gave myself to him, and I wanted it to be perfect. I didn’t have the roomiest of apartments, but the kitchenette was big enough to cook a meal for two, so I invited him over for dinner.
I bustled around the tiny room, putting everything in its place. I struck a match and lit the unscented white candles that I’d placed strategically around the house—including the bedroom.
Biting my lip, I checked my phone for the twentieth time. I was so nervous, I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to eat. I wanted this to completely take Oliver’s breath away. I wanted him to know exactly what he meant to me, and by the look on his face when he walked through the front door, I was pretty sure he realized it.
His jaw dropped open, his gaze darting from the candles and the food, to me and back again. “I—Brin? This is amazing,” he uttered, shucking his coat before tossing it over the back of the couch. I squeaked and hurried over to him to claim my kiss, and his taste lingered. “You didn’t have to do all of this for me. I would’ve been happy with pizza and a couple of beers.”
