“What would you like?” she asks, not taking no for an answer.
“A hazelnut latte,” I say. She smiles and shakes her head. “What?”
“It’s my best friend’s drink of choice. Go take a seat at that table, and I’ll bring it over,” she says in a tone that warrants no discussion. I’m honestly still a little tired, and she’s getting me a free drink, so I oblige and take a seat at the table she directed.
It takes a few minutes, but she comes back to the table with her drink, mine and two baked goods.
“Would you like the blueberry scone or the chocolate croissant?”
I give her a look that says she’s being dramatic and take the blueberry scone. She smiles and takes the croissant. She dips a piece in her coffee before eating it.
“I’ve never seen you here,” she says.
I shake my head. “Just moved here for work.”
“It’s a great area. I love it here. Oh, where are my manners? I’m Piper.” She holds out her hand, and I shake it. Her hands are soft; her nails are short and have no nail polish on them.
“I’m Owen.”
“Nice to meet you, Owen.”
“You too, except for the third degree burn on my arm.” She gasps and looks at my arm, and I shake my head and laugh. “I’m kidding. I’m fine.”
“Don’t make me take the scone back.”
I take a massive bite of it, showing that her threat has no bite to it, and she shakes her head.
“So where do you work?” I ask her.
“At the hospital, I’m a surgical resident.”
“Oh, wow, that must be a lot of work.”
“Yeah,” she says quietly as she stirs her coffee but doesn’t drink it. I decide to not push that line of questioning any further.
“Since you’re a New Haven expert, where are the best places to eat?” She lists off multiple places, most of them I will forget as I can’t help but stare at her animated face. She’s beautiful in more ways than I would like to admit. But if there was ever a time to not get distracted by an Alpha, it’s now.
I plan my escape route, but I’m saved by Piper’s pager. She looks at the device, and her brows furrow. “I’ve got to head out. Maybe I’ll see you around sometime.”
I nod and give her a wave. I make a mental note to avoid the coffee shop with the beautiful, friendly Alpha in the future.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and when I see the name, I groan and scrub my face. I sigh dramatically and hit the answer button.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Owen Gregory Connery, what in the actual fuck do you think you’re doing?”
I rub my forehead with the palm of my hand, and there’s a massive pause of awkward silence. “Mom—”
“Do they know, Owen?”
“Mom—”
“You could get hurt, Owen. You could get so seriously hurt. I don’t even want to think about all the medication you’re on right now to hide who you are. Baby, you’re perfect. You don’t need to hide this. “
“You know if the NHL knew, they wouldn’t let me play. I need this. I really fucking need this.”
“Owen, you know I know how talented you are, sweetie. But what is the cost going to be?”
