“I can tell you’re unbonded. What’s a sweet thing like you doing here all by yourself?” he asks.
I’m finally close enough to the booth, my shoulder pushing the man in question to drop an unexpected kiss on the top of Sloane’s head. I swear I get a hint of her scent in her hair, but I’m pulling back too fast to deal with this asshole to confirm.
“There you are. Sorry for making you wait, baby.”
Her smile widens as she looks up at me. “It’s no problem,” she says in her soft voice.
I look over at my shoulder, the gruff Alpha looking irritated.
“Can I help you, pal?” I ask in a condescending tone.
“You shouldn’t leave your Omega unattended like that. People might get the wrong idea.”
I stand to my full height, having a few inches and way more muscle on this guy. I cross my arms over my chest and make sure Sloane is blocked from his view.
“And what idea would that be?” I ask, making it as uncomfortable as possible.
The man stumbles and waves me off before pouting and stomping his way out of the diner.
“Thanks for the save,” Sloane says as I take the seat across from her.
“Does that shit happen often?” I ask, and she furrows her brow before nodding.
“You haven’t spent time around many Omegas?” she asks, and I shake my head.
“I mean Owen, but when he designated, I was out of the house, and he was always doing everything he could to hide it anyway. Our mom and stepdad are Betas. Speaking of which, how the hell did he know you were an Omega?”
“I’ve been here before. I only started wearing deodorizers,” she says with irritation.
“You don’t hide your scent on purpose?” I ask.
“No. It’s a stipulation for working for the team this year.”
I smirk, and it makes sense. She’s already a slight distraction with her beauty. I’m sure if she was perfuming all over the place, we’d all be tripping on the ice and unable to focus.
“It seems like you’re one of the few Omegas out there who isn’t trying to hide your designation.”
She rips off a straw wrapper, folding it into a perfect square, before placing the straw into her water and taking a sip. Her deep green gaze searches my face.
“You just sound inexperienced. None of your conquests have been Omegas?”
I roll my eyes. “They weren’t conquests. And there weren’t as many as you think, and no, I’ve only ever been with Betas and Alphas.”
That has her stopping her drink, popping her lips off of the straw.
“Men or women?” she asks, her hand twirling her straw.
I rest my arms on the table and smirk at her. “You tell me a secret, and I’ll tell you a secret.”
She squints at me and parts her lips for a moment, then closes them like she’s trying to think about what to say before a smirk takes over her pretty face.
“It needs to be a comparable secret,” I say, noting that I’m being a complete jackass. Flirting not only with the woman who is trying to help me with my reputation, but the coach’s off-limits daughter isn’t my smartest move.
“I was with a female Alpha once,” she says, shrugging her shoulders.
“You didn’t like it?”
“It made me realize my preferences lean more toward men. I think if the right female Alpha came along, it could change things, but our chemistry wasn’t there.”
