“No. Sit down, Hudson. And tell me what I need to understand.”
He settled on the couch next to me, but with a good foot of space in between. The story he shared had me wanting to reach for him, hold him, promise I’d never hurt him, but he’d believed that about others before. I wasn’t going to be able to tell him I was a good guy. “Omega, stick around, and I’ll show you who Iam. We can take it slow. Spend as much time together as you feel comfortable with. You have the lead.”
He studied his hands in his lap. “But you’re the alpha. That’s not how things work.”
“Omega, things work between us the way we say they do. No rules except the ones we make. And agree to.”
“But you’re a dom, too.”
“Hudson, has nobody ever told you the submissive is in charge? You have a lot to learn, and I hope you’ll allow me to teach you.”
We sat there for a while, ended up having coffee, and then I stood up to leave. This was not a night to stay together. He needed space to think. So I gave him a soft kiss on the lips and went back to my car. Aching at leaving him behind but knowing it was the right thing to do.
Chapter Fourteen
Hudson
The alpha who had weaved his way into my heart was one of a kind. He texted me about a million times before our date asking questions. We both had busy schedules, so it was almost a week before we saw each other again.
Evander had many responsibilities. But each night, he made time to call me, let me tell him about my day. He gave me the gossip about things that happened in the club. He never gave names or specifics, but some of his stories were outrageous.
One night, I had the slightest of sore throats and told him and, in minutes, soup was on my doorstep, piping hot, with a sweet note attached. How he got it delivered so fast and with a note, I’d probably never know. I assumed a big tip was involved.
We’d decided to take things slow. Build up trust and a bond.
He said he would be there for me no matter what.
I gave myself a once-over in the mirror as a knock came at my door. Evander insisted on coming to my apartment and picking me up like a real date.
When I answered, I gasped. Dark jeans and a long-sleeved shirt fit as if made for him. Goddess, I was falling hard for him. “Hi.” My voice cracked with emotion. It had only been a week, but I missed him as though it had been a year.
“Hi, yourself. These are for you.” He held out a dozen roses, each one as perfect as him.
“Thank you. I’ve never had…” I took them without finishing the sentence. “Let me put these in water.”
We held hands on the way to the car, and he opened my door for me.
The alpha was a gentleman, and it didn’t feel like the gestures were to impress me. They were simply ingrained in him as a decent person.
“What are we doing tonight?” I asked as we got on the road.
“There’s a new museum exhibit tonight. An immersive display with lights and music to go along with the showing of the art. It sounded fun. After that, dinner at my favorite hole-in-the-wall.”
“I thought you were a dinner and a movie guy,” I admitted.
“I like that too. We have time to do everything we want to.”
We went to the museum. The artist was world-renowned, but seeing his art with the accompaniment of the music and light show made it all come to life. I cried during one of the showings. The artist’s portrayal of himself made me think about how sad he must’ve been.
I’d felt a similar sadness. But the more time I spent with Evander, the more it faded.
I retained the fear of him changing. Becoming mean or controlling, but my wolf didn’t. He’d bonded with Evander even without shifting.
We had dinner at a place I’d never seen. Maybe I’d passed it but never looked twice. The enchiladas and soup burst with Latin flavors. Over coffee and a plate of cakes, we talked about everything. His work. I told him about my day. There was a lab manager position, but there were plenty of employees who had been there longer and who deserved the job. I didn’t even apply.
Keeping my life as simple as possible was the whole point.
“There’s one more place I’d like to go but I need you to be honest with me. Completely.”
