So it went on and on. Xavier didn’t come to every date because not all of them were disasters. Many were fine enough, with no sparks to lead to another date. Either the alpha or I would agree not to go further. Until Lucas, at least.
I met Lucas for Sunday brunch at the cutest cafe just off the beaten path of the main street. We talked about books, art, and swimming, with the conversation flowing easily between us. When it came time to head out, we opted for a walk in the park.
The day was breezy, yet the skies were clear enough to risk a wander through the ornate gardens. Lucas walked close to me, dipping his head to catch every word I said. He was sweet, attentive, and very nice to look at. Still, I didn’t quite feel anything aside from friendship between us.
When Xavi sent his check up text, I replied saying I didn’t need him. I wanted to give Lucas a fair shot despite my lukewarm feelings for the guy.
At the end of our date, Lucas kissed my cheek and asked to take me out to dinner. Without a reason to say no, I accepted, though I felt conflicted about it.
All week I fretted over it. My parents wanted me to work this out by myself. My brothers were far too busy with their mate, and Jae had wedding stuff along with his mate and kid, so I tried not to bother him with my petty problems.
Wendy had my back. “I think you should give Lucas a shot. He’s a what? Nearly ninety percent match? I think if you quit all this now, you’ll always wonder if Xavier would ever get matched with you.”
“I’m already wondering that. I’ve been on seven dates now!”
“Well, if Lucas doesn’t work out, you could call Mate Match. Maybe they can tell you if he’s in there. Didn’t you say it’s in a queuing system? That there are far more omegas than alphas?”
“Yeah, you’re right. I can see there are a few pending.”
“Really?”
“It says in the FAQ that you risk losing a higher percentage match if you swipe off a match in the hopes of getting a better one, or something. It’s all science stuff I don’t understand.”
“Huh. So, are you giving Lucas date number two?”
“I already said yes. I’m not changing my mind about him now. If it’s not working later, I’ll pull the plug.”
Dinner went well with conversation flowing, but Lucas was especially intense. He kept brushing my hand with his fingers, or his foot would touch my leg under the table. His pheromones were stronger, too, as if he’d given up on the pretense of being a more passive alpha. The server kept giving me looks. Were they worried about me? Nothing from our interactions suggested I was in danger. Still, I couldn’t quite relax.
“Would you like to go for a walk? There’s an observatory if you’d like to see the stars.”
Unable to think of a decent excuse, I accepted. Before we left the restaurant, I texted a worried face emoji to Xavier without really thinking about it. What I was doing wasn’t fair. If heturned up, he would see me on a date again, this time a second date. It had to be hurtful to him.
We walked along the path leading up to the lookout point. No one was around us at that late hour. My instincts were at war with common sense, leaving me on edge. Lucas wasn’t a danger to me. The app had vetted him, and we’d been out before. I was overthinking things.
Lucas took my hand. “This okay?”
I nodded, unable to find my voice with fear flooding my system. “Could we maybe go back? I’m not sure the food agreed with me.”
He pulled me to a stop at the edge of the path, my back against a rock wall. “And end our date before the good stuff?” Lucas leaned down to kiss me, but I turned my head away. “C’mon,” he cajoled, “just a kiss.”
His lips met mine, cold and unyielding as he forced his tongue into my mouth. He let his pheromones loose in a cascading wave. Without the pheromone scrubbers in the restaurant, my knees threatened to buckle.
I savagely bit his tongue. Lucas jerked back. “Fuck!” I thought he was going to hit me when I heard footsteps on the path.
“Hey!” Xavier’s voice was loud and tinged with anger.
I nearly cried with relief. My knight was here to rescue me! I shook as my adrenaline crashed.
Lucas pushed away from me. “Whatever. Fucking omega tease.” He stalked away from me, his shoulder bumping into Xavier’s.
Warm arms surrounded me, grounding me in the moment. “Let’s get you home.”
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have texted you,” I muttered, feeling guilty.
Xavier held me closer. “I’m glad you did, though I’m sure you had him handled.”
“It’s selfish of me to keep doing this.” I leaned into Xavier’s warmth as we walked back down the path toward the bright lights of Main Street.
