When I got back to the dining area, the guys quieted down whatever conversation was going on and froze, staring at me with curious eyes.
Kai pulled out a chair for me. “Let’s have a seat, and I’ll introduce you to the crew.”
Their scents seemed to tone down, and I was able to stop breathing out of my mouth. I sat down at the long, black rectangular table near an almost ethereal-looking man on my left. He had expertly sculpted black hair I wanted to run my fingers through, full pinkish lips turned up in a slight smile and deep brown eyes that glowed against tanned skin. He wore a dark, well-tailored gray suit with a plaid tie. I wasn’t sure if he was going to or coming from work, but he looked like sophisticated sex on a stick, and I wanted a bite. What was wrong with me? He had to be the one called Daniel, and I had no idea he could look better than his picture, but somehow he did. Hell, they all did.
Across from me sat another sexy stranger, except he had a very intense look to his ice blue eyes. This had to be Lance, the werewolf. He was massive, with broad shoulders and thick, solid arms. He looked at me as if he wanted to devour me, and I wasn’t sure in what kind of way. He was gripping the table so tightly that I could see his biceps bulging underneath his tight short sleeved baby blue T-shirt.
Noticing my eyes on his hands, he loosened his grip and ran a hand through his short blond hair. He looked away from me, rolling his shoulders back as if shaking off whatever was working him up.
What was that about?
I slowly turned to the final sexy guy on my right. The one I knew as Ty. He gave me a gentle, full-lipped smile, but there was something sad and haunting in his soul-filled light brown eyes. He was clean cut, and his tightly curled hair was cut short. He was golden brown in color, only a couple shades brighter than my own, and dressed in a white tee and plaid button down shirt with jeans. He gave me a short wave, and I awkwardly waved back at him.
Kai clapped his hands. “So, introductions. I know you learned a lot from your dad and our talks but let me do a recap. Dude in the suit looking like he’s going to an important meeting but, spoiler alert, he is not, is Daniel Choi. That’s not his government name, but he’s been going by that for as long as I’ve known him. He’s a fae, and he runs some fancy restaurants called Evening. I know, very underwhelming title.”
I ignored Kai’s sarcasm and offered my hand to Daniel. He took my hand and kissed it. His mouth on my hand sent a fire within me, and he looked at me with smoldering eyes like he wanted to take me right then and right there. Shit, if I kept gazing at him like this, I just might let him. Why was I here again?
I cleared my throat. “I know your restaurants.” They were super popular and not cheap. Most of the locations were in the luxury districts in cities on the east coast. I loved the food. It was Asian fusion; they made the best drinks and had the best DJs on the weekends. “I went to the one at The Wharf in D.C. for my birthday a year ago. Had the best time,” I rambled on. Man, this guy made me nervous. It was disrespectful how good-looking he was.
“I’m glad to finally meet you, Billie. And I’m glad you liked my restaurant. Please come to any you’d like in the future. You’ll always have free meals.”
His voice twisted my core into a sweet sensual pretzel of wanton need. His voice was all charm and sophistication and dripped down my body like warm water. Or was I just getting wet? The free food offer was great, but he could have recited a technical manual, and I’d get off. How could a voice affect me like that? And why did he have to look so good? Seriously, I could just look at him all day. He had amazing cheekbones and long curled lashes that made me a little envious. He could have been a model, and he was looking at me like I was the best thing since sliced bread. It was a confidence booster.
I gave him my best pageant smile. “Well, that’s nice to know. But you don’t have to do that.”
He gently placed my hand back down on the table, brushing his fingers over mine before sitting back. And there went a cool tingle running over me. “Oh, I plan to do much more than that. You deserve everything.”
Something about the way he said it made me excited, and I tensed my body, so it didn’t shiver. Still, did he know me enough to honestly think I deserved everything? I had to remember these were alphas who were trying to woo me to be their omega. I would not give in so easily.
Kai coughed. “Okay, settle down. The intense, angry guy across from you is Lance Fredrickson. He’s a were-wolf and firefighter and likes to save kittens from trees. He also likes long walks on the beach and classic TV sitcoms.”
Lance growled, narrowing his eyes at Kai.
There didn’t seem to be any love lost between these two.
He then looked back at me, and I offered my hand to him, although a part of me was nervous about making contact. He looked at my hand like it was a snake.
Kai leaned forward. “Go on little fella, she doesn’t bite.”
Lance lifted his upper lip in a silent snarl before finally shaking my hand. His hands were large and calloused, but I felt like I was being surrounded by a blazing blanket of security. It was weird, but although he had a scary edge to him, I wasn’t afraid.
Something snaked around my ankle, and I jumped, glancing under the table, seeing Kai’s long, thin tail. He stayed in his demon form when we weren’t in public, so I was used to seeing his tail and horns, but he’d never touched me with it before. It felt oddly intimate, as if he were holding my hand. I thought about shaking him off my leg, but I kind of liked the feel of him on me. I’d work out later what that meant, but for now, I could only focus on one alpha at a time if I wanted to get through this meet and greet without ripping someone’s clothes off.
“He’s not a big talker, so don’t mind him. He was raised by wolves.” He started laughing at his own joke, and I shook my head, ignoring him.
Lance bared his teeth at Kai, and I could feel him tensing up, his scent growing stronger. Nope, I did not need them to suffocate me with their scents right now. I was already a puddle. I gave his hand a gentle squeeze, and he focused back on me, the anger in his eyes fading, scent receding. It was disarming how relaxed his face became just by my touch. It seemed we were both able to comfort each other. I hadn’t thought about that aspect of an omega and alpha pairing. I always thought the comfort was really about submission, but perhaps that wasn’t the only case.
“And last but certainly not least, we have Tyson Asare,” Kai began.
I opened my fingers to release my grip on Lance, but he held on tightly, urgency in his eyes. The heat of his gaze drew me in, and I found my body moving forward against the table. I wanted to go around it and sit in his lap, rest my head against his broad shoulder and discover his scent. I got the feeling by the lust in those ice blue eyes of his that he wanted to throw me over his shoulder and lock me in a room with him for a while, but that didn’t scare me like it should have. Mostly because he actually didn’t move but also because my body was thinking for me. The omega in me really wanted this alpha. I couldn’t understand it.
Kai made a loud sigh. “Let the kitty cat go, wolfie.”
I rolled my eyes. “Please, Kai.”
Lance successfully ignored Kai’s poking this time and, after a beat longer, let go of my hand. He settled back in his seat, crossing his arms and looking away again, but I caught a disturbed look in his eyes before he turned. Clearly, he was as freaked out by our connection as I was.
I then turned to Tyson, who was already standing. He was tall. Taller than Kai.
