7. Trey
7
TREY
I had hoped Walt would text after our hot makeout session in the back of his car, but after two days of hearing nothing, I was starting to doubt myself. At the time, I was absolutely sure it had been a date, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe he was just being nice to the pathetic omega who didn’t have any other friends.
I didn’t want to force myself on him if he didn’t want to see me, so I stayed close to the hotel when I wasn’t in my room. My routine consisted of a rotation of exercising, writing, eating, dreaming of Walt, and then I repeated it all over again. The overwhelming weight of missing him was causing me to feel feverish and unsettled, but I just spent more time thinking about Walt.
After a few more days, I realized the problem had to be me. Maybe I was a bad kisser. But I didn’t have a lot of time to dwell on my inadequacies because my time with Walt had awoken something in me, and my writing was on fire.
If I kept it up, my manuscript would be in Frannie’s inbox by the end of the month.
I poured my feelings for Walt into my book. I had been hung up on the love story, unsure of where Romero would go after his boyfriend died in a tragic cattle accident in the last book. Fortunately, I was able to channel all my months of longing for Walt into Romero's grief. And then, just when he didn't think he would ever recover, he met Bobby, a lonely ranch hand.
I gave Bobby Walt's face, his blue eyes, his curly black hair, and his shy smile that flickered around the corners of his mouth. Bobby also had Walt's ability to listen so deeply it felt like my soul was falling into him. The more I wrote, the harder I fell for Walt, like the words on paper were more than just fantasies in my head.
My longing for the alpha was almost physical as I became more uncomfortable as the days went on.
At night, I tossed and turned, longing to feel his arms around me. My hopes of ever having him in my bed were dwindling by the hour. When another day came and went with no contact, I began to wonder if there was something wrong with my phone.
I texted Frannie as a subtle check. Book is coming along great. You should get it by the end of this month.
I paced my room as I waited. Finally, the phone dinged with a text from Frannie. Instead of words, she sent her signature emojis. Hearts, cowboys, and dollar signs. Apparently, my phone was working, but had I even given Walt my number?
He could have gotten it from my registration details, but maybe he was waiting for me to reach out to him.
I couldn't stand sitting around anymore, so I decided to grab a drink at the hotel bar to calm my nerves. It was past five o'clock, so it’d be easy to blend in with the happy hour crowd. I got dressed and slicked my hair back, feeling a bit like myself as I headed out the door.
I went down to the bar and quickly realized it wasn’t a great idea. What I had been building up in my fantasies as a meaningful night between me and a powerful alpha was probably just another test to see if I was a threat to his family. Maybe even worth taking home.
Obviously, I didn’t make the cut.
I ordered a vodka soda and checked out the bar. If it were any other man I was feeling this way about, I might consider finding someone to take back to my room for a bit of fun. But that wouldn’t work this time. Walt had ruined me for other alphas, and the only way I’d find relief was through him.
I sipped my drink and contemplated if it was time for me to leave Gilded Lake. My muse was back, which was the primary goal of this trip, and I was clearly overstaying my welcome.
Suddenly, a hand rested on my back for a moment, and I froze. Then it slid up to my shoulder and a finger gently stroked behind my ear.
I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, seeking out the manly scent that had been haunting my dreams. The person sat on the stool beside me, and I opened my eyes. Walt stared at me, and my heart started hammering in my chest. I clenched my drink on the counter like it might try to escape.
Before I crushed it, Walt reached over and his strong hand encircled mine. He traced the spaces between my fingers with his for a moment then gently slid my hand away from my glass and picked it up. He sucked on the cocktail straw and took a drink. "Mmmm, yummy."
I smiled, feeling my body get warm and tingly at the sight of his sucking lips. "Where did you go?" I tried not to sound desperate or needy but the words just tumbled out.
"I needed some time. To cool off." He flashed me a mischievous grin, and sweet relief flooded my body. Maybe he’d been feeling this thing between us too.
I turned to fully face him. "Honestly, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. It’s like I’m obsessed, and I'm not used to feeling this way. I mean, I’m kinda used to feeling this way about you, but usually, I’m the one people get obsessed over. And it weirds me out and freaks me out when it happens, so I really, really don't want to freak you out."
I was aware I was talking a lot, but I couldn't seem to shut myself up. "I mean, I know I’m delusional and you’re just trying to keep your family safe. But–"
Walt put his finger to my lips to stop my rambling. "Shhhh. Let's get outta here. I don't really like to have my dates where I work."
Date? “Okay.” I quickly slid off the stool and grabbed my coat, ready to follow him anywhere.
Walt helped me put it on then guided me outside to a waiting car. My heart began to sing at the possibility that he had planned to take me out.
As soon as he was settled on the other side of the car and had closed his door, we immediately began kissing. Any shyness or insecurity I had been feeling from the other night was gone. We were familiar with each other’s mouths now, and our hands were eager to get involved. I took a chance and explored Walt’s hard muscles through his clothes. His chest and abs, his arms and shoulders.
He slid his hand down the front of my shirt and then up underneath it before he pinched my nipple.
I groaned from all the extreme sensations flowing through me. I'd never felt this kind of pull to another person before, and it was almost scary how intense it was. The car stopped, and Walt pulled away and straightened his clothes.
I tucked my shirt in and peered out the window to catch my breath. "Where are we?"
Walt got out, and I knew he’d want me to wait so he could open my door for me. I was expecting to go to his house, but we were at a strip mall.
My door opened, and I stepped out. “Bowling?”
“Mm-hm.” Walt laughed and offered me his arm, then we walked into a normal bowling alley that looked like it hadn't been updated since the eighties. He asked for my shoe size, then we went to an empty lane and sat at the table to put on our shoes. Walt flagged the server over and ordered a couple beers and burgers.
I shook my head as I slipped into the stiff shoes. "I haven't been bowling since I was in high school."
He grinned. “You'll love it.”
And I did.
Walt was really goo,d and he stood behind me while he guided my hand and gave me pointers. After the first few frames, I started to pretend to be worse than I was so he had to help me more.
We sat down to eat when our burgers arrived, and I smiled at him before I took my first bite. "This is really fun."
"Good. I thought you would like it."
I inhaled through my nose and glanced up at him. “You know, when you came to the bar tonight, I was actually thinking it was time to leave Gilded Lake.”
Walt's face grew serious. “Why would you think that?”
I shrugged and looked away. "I felt stupid for hanging on to a hope that was unrealistic. You didn't text me or reach out after our dinner, so I figured you were waiting for me to leave."
Walt looked down at the table while he took a sip of beer, and I couldn't read his expression. Finally, he looked up at me. "Trey, you can't leave."
I was equally stunned and thrilled and confused by his admission as I searched his face. "You mean you don't want me to leave?"
He reached across the table and took my hands in his. "No, I don't want you to leave, but we have an arrangement, remember? I meant what I said at the crematorium. You know too much about my family, about what goes on here, and I can't let you leave yet."
I did remember the conversation when Walt had insinuated that he’d put me in the crematorium if I told anyone what I saw at the lake.
My heart broke even as it pounded faster in my chest. "Oh. Right."
Walt gazed into my eyes, and I could see some sadness there too. "I’m sorry, Trey. I really do like you, but we need to figure out a few things first."
I didn't know what to say, so I just looked down at my plate, no longer hungry.
Walt's eyes were on me, but I couldn't look at him. I thought he truly wanted me there, but he was just trying not to kill me if I tried to leave? It was too much to wrap my head around, so I pushed back in my chair and stood up. "I’d like to go back to the hotel now."
Walt’s expression changed to one of concern as he stood up too. "No, please. That's not what I want."
"I don't understand what we're doing, Walt. I really like you, but you’re still planning to kill me. Doesn't that seem fucked up to you?"
He stepped forward and pulled me into his arms. "I'm not gonna hurt you, omega. Just stay with me. Please let me get to know you. Don’t you understand that if it were anybody else, I would have gotten rid of them the other night?"
I shook my head as tears burned behind my eyelids. "I don't understand anything. The only thing I know is that I haven't been able to stop thinking about you for ten months."
There, I said it. I admitted my long-standing infatuation with the alpha who dominated my world.
Walt tilted my head up and softly kissed my lips. "I still remember the first time I saw you. You were standing at the roulette table in your blue suit. I watched you win three times in a row."
"Um, that wasn’t me. I haven't won at your roulette table." Mortification filled me as I realized he was confusing me with someone else.
Walt smiled and ran his thumb over my waist. "Not this time."
I pulled back, unsure if I understood what he was saying. "Wait, you remember me from ten months ago?"
He nodded. "I was so happy when you came back. Granted, I would have preferred you didn't also see my moronic guys trying to dump a body in the lake, because that complicated everything. But in a way, maybe it’s better that you saw it because now you can't leave. I don't want you to leave."
My head was spinning with so many confusing thoughts. Before I could fully sort them out, Walt started kissing me. With my hand over his heart, I could feel it beating through his shirt.
He put his hand on top of mine and pressed it into his chest as he pulled me closer. "Come home with me, omega." His breathing was fast and heavy.
I nodded, no longer able or willing to talk myself out of it.