Sincerelyyours,
CrawfordDaniels
Owen stared at the letter. He reread it several times, and each time his eyes were drawn to the same spot.Crawford Daniels. There was no mistaking the name—the alpha he’d run into on the stairs earlier that day was the same man going out of his way to send Owen aletternow.
Owen had no clue whattodo.
He tucked the letter back into the envelope and hurried back to his desk, sinking down to give himself a moment to think. It was crazy to even consider accepting. He’d met Crawford for a handful of seconds, and not even formally at that. There was no telling what kind of a man Crawford was, or if they’d be compatible, or if Owen wouldn’t wind up dead somewhere because he decided to trust a stranger’skindness.
But remembering the way Crawford’s gaze tore through him and left him breathless made Owen reconsider. The connection was there—he felt it in his bones, even if he wanted nothing more than to push it away. There was something about Crawford that drew Owen in and refused toletgo.
Something he needed toindulge.
There was time to worry about Saturday night, he decided. It was only Tuesday. He tucked the letter into his desk, then thought better of it and slipped it into his briefcase. Leaving something like that at work was a recipe for disaster. The last thing Owen wanted was for his coworkers to find out he was going out with an alpha he didn’t even know. He liked to think he was stronger than that—but the very thought of Crawford madehimweak.
That night, he spent more time than he cared to admit reading and rereading Crawford’s short letter, committing it to memory and remembering the way Crawford had looked at him on the stairs. Alphas were bad news. Alphas hadhurthim. Owen wanted nothing to dowiththem.
But that didn’t stop him from stroking himself to orgasm again and again, hand trembling and thoughts scattered, but always returning to the same dark eyes. Even when sleep claimed him, he spent the night imagining the things a powerful alpha like Crawford might dotohim.
He couldn’t blame his heat for his behavior. The fantasy, as degrading and backward as it was, was allonhim.
There was something about Crawford that made Owen want to be claimed. There was no getting around it no matter how hard hetried.
3
Crawford
Castyna stoodon thecorner of 93rd and Saint Dennis, its sleek modern exterior and broad, tinted windows chic. The restaurant was regularly remodeled, and Crawford was particularly impressed by its most recent reincarnation. The interior was moody enough to be intimate without being dark and brooding like most steakhouses. Then again, Castyna was no steakhouse. It was a culinary tour de force brought to life by Chef Hillard, whom Crawford held in high esteem. The city of Aurora was blessed to have such a talent in itsmidst.
“Table for Daniels,” Crawford said to the attractive hostess at the front of thehouse.
“Of course, Mr. Daniels,” the woman said. She glanced down at the reservation book on her desk, then back up at him. Crawford couldn’t tell the color of her eyes in the dim light, but he saw them look him over curiously. “Will there be a guest joining youtonight?”
“Perhaps.”
“I understand.” She nodded and stepped back from the desk. “Please, follow me. Your table iswaiting.”
Crawford’s preferred table was a third of the way to the back of the restaurant, opposite the bar. It was far enough away from the kitchen doors that he wasn’t disrupted by wait staff, but far enough away from the front of the house that he wasn’t bothered by the coming and going of other guests. The table itself was done in rich, dark wood, its interior hollow like a shell. The dip was covered by a glass sheet. Inside, the staff at Castyna had set up a terrarium. Leafy plants Crawford had no name for grew there, artfully arranged. A single pink flower bloomed across from his preferred seat near the left hand corner. From time to time, the flower wilted and died, only to grow back again. Crawford was glad to see it was in good health thisevening.
A primal part of him desired to impress his guest in any way possible, and he was a true stickler fordetails.
Owen Ellis. There was a simplicity in the name that felt right on Crawford’s tongue and registered as pleasure in his brain. Owen Ellis. Likeasong.
Crawford wanted to know more about the omega who’d done what few had ever managed to do—leaving him longing for more. He’d met more men than he cared to admit over the years, but none of them had impacted him like Owen had. His accomplishments were nuanced by his eagerness to submit. Most omegas were either so sure of themselves that they were haughty, arrogant creatures, or so submissive that they broke Crawford’s heart. Crawford’s tastes were specific. His father had raised him to respect omegas, and Crawford wasn’t about to budge on that matter no matter how hard it was to find someone who fit hisspecifications.
To think he’d found a likely candidate in Owenthrilledhim.
Seven o’clock arrived. Crawford had been contemplating the course of the evening, gaze set on the flower within the table, when movement caught his eye. The attractive young woman from the front desk was on her way back to his location, and behind her trailed the omega Crawford had been waiting for. He sat up a little straighter in his chair, watching Owen as he approached. Owen’s gaze was dipped and his cheeks were already flushed withembarrassment.
Crawford bit back asmile.
“Your guest, sir,” the young woman told Crawford with a bow of her head. She stepped back from the table and made her way back through the restaurant, leaving Owen standing by the empty chair. Owen’s hand traced over the back of the chair, his gaze still lowered. Crawford waited to speak until Owen dared lift his gaze. Theireyesmet.
“It’s good to see you,” Crawford said. He didn’t stand. “Please, take a seat.Joinme.”
“Thank you,” Owen said simply. He pulled the chair out from the table and seated himself. Crawford watched as Owen took in the terrarium, then looked up and met Crawford’s eye again. The timid omega was bold enough to meet him eyetoeye.
Crawford loved thejuxtaposition.
