The asshole looked proud of himself. His lips twisted into a half smirk.
“You coming inside, omega?”
“Yep. Yeah. Coming.” I sputtered the words out and hurried after him, trying to calm my racing heart.
Alphas are insane.
We were past the dinner crowd, and things were winding down, so it was mostly empty inside. The large windows overlooked a patio and the lake. The tables in here were close together, but well taken care of. The air smelled incredible and I didn’t miss the pie display at the front counter.
“Can we sit outside? It looks beautiful out there,” I said as my eyes scanned the room.
“That’s my favorite spot,” he agreed easily.
“Hey, Coach. Hereanothernight?” the waitress teased as she walked up and plucked two menus from the holder. “And you brought me company.”
“Can we sit outside?” I asked her this time.
“Of course, honey. Here, you take your man and go pick a seat. I know what his drink order is.” She looked at me expectantly after handing Hayes the menus. “What about you?”
“Iced sweet tea for me, please.”
She nodded once, not bothering to write it on her notepad before tucking it away, and hurried off.
Hayes led me outside with a hand on my lower back, heat searing through my shirt. I was hyper-aware of this man and his little stunt only made it worse.
Every touch, every smile, every heated look all hit me right in the chest, chipping away at any reservations I had.
I hated that my opinion of him had been tainted by those early days. My brainknewhe was coming from a place of fear and worry. He’d worked hard and didn’t want to lose his well-earned reputation or job.
He’d apologized now, and I wanted to let it go. My omega wanted me to let go as well.
But it wasn’t that easy.
I had to know that he wasn’t going to underestimate and doubt me. He complimented my fire, and every time I shot barbs back at him or let out a sarcastic comment, I watched him get turned on. I could see it in his face, in the way his eyes heated, but I needed to see who he was now that he knew who I was to him.
Hayes picked a corner table, putting us right up against the water’s edge, only the railing separating us from the lake. There was a soft breeze blowing in, so it was comfortable.
The sun hadn’t set yet, but I had a feeling it would soon, which was only going to make this that much more romantic.
The door squeaked open, and the waitress walked out carrying what looked like two sweet teas. I hadn’t even looked at the menu yet, so I finally cracked it open.
“Here’s those two sweet teas,” she said.
“And I see you just opened your menu. You can take a minute and I’ll come back, but our special today is house-made gnocchi in a cream and spinach sauce with fresh bread.”
“Honestly, that sounds incredible,” I said, closing my menu.
I looked over at Hayes, but she had already plucked his menu away and was writing something down.
“He’s a predictable alpha,” she said before hurrying off.
“So, what’s your usual order?” I asked, too curious to let it go.
“If you tell any of the players, I’ll have to punish you,” he warned. “But I’m a sucker for pancakes and bacon, and I order it every time I come here.”
“All those carbs and sugar, Coach?” I gasped dramatically. “Every day?”
I swear everything I learned about this man was a contradiction. But he was so damn adorable when he let all the barriers drop.
