Chapter 29
ADAM
We laid together, naked, but neither of us satisfied. Exactly the opposite, actually. My phone had gone off four times already, and we were onto the fifth. It buzzed itself across the nightstand and onto the floor with a clatter, where it continued to ring, muffled but no less annoying.
I buried my face in Fletcher’s belly, my good mood and my boner both gone. Goddamnit. Fletcher ran his fingers idly through my hair, his fingertips smoothing along my scalp.
He sounded sad as he said, “You need to answer him.”
“I don’t want to,” I said flatly, annoyed at the very idea of it.
“I know, but…” Fletcher sighed softly. “He’s going to get the wrong idea. I’m afraid he already has the wrong idea.”
“About what?” I turned my face so that I could peek up at him, and the expression on Fletcher’s beautiful face made my chest ache.
His lips curved into a frown, his brows pinching together as he said, “About…us. It’s obvious that he thinks Omegas are used only for breeding purposes and nothing more.
We have no use to him. You don’t need to shield me from that truth.
You said, before, that your parents weren’t great people, but Adam…
If you don’t do what he wants, he’s going to claim that I’m the reason why you won’t date anyone. ”
“Yeah, but you are the reaso—”
“Yeah, but he can’t find that out, or else you’ll be ruined,” Fletcher said. My little voice of reason.
I moaned and buried my face in his stomach once more. “I know,” I mumbled. “Fuck, I know… God, I don’t want to date the kind of women he chooses, though. They’re never my type.”
“Adam. Baby. I didn’t say marry them.” Fletcher stroked a hand across the back of my neck, gently massaging it.
“I said go on a date. Get your father off your back. Appease him. Just go and see what happens. Besides, you said you never brought any of the women he set you up with in the past home anyway, so what makes now any different?”
I growled, but said nothing, because what was there to say? Father expected heirs. Perfect little heirs to the Sinclair name. Heirs that were one-hundred percent blue-blooded wolf…not red-headed lynx.
With a sigh, I leaned up and kissed Fletcher. “Okay. I’ll call him. Set up a date. Suffer through it.” Even if I hated the idea. Even if the thought of it made me want to vomit. “I’m gonna go make coffee.”
I got up and quickly got dressed, grabbed my phone off the floor, where it now lay silent, and went downstairs. I started the coffee pot and called Father, bracing myself for another lecture.
“Finally decided to call me back?” He was annoyed.
“I was asleep—or I was trying to be.” I grumbled. “What do you need? It’s…” I glanced over at the clock on the stove, but my stomach sank when I realized what time it was. 11:32 AM.
“Exactly,” Father said, matter-of-fact. “You used to be such an early riser, Adam. Up with the birds. Since when do you sleep in so late. Getting lazy, that’s the problem. This is why you need a woman in your life, to cook you breakfast every morning. To give you a reason to get out of bed.”
But I like cooking, I wanted to argue, but I didn’t say a word. Father was blunt and to the point in his argument, and I didn’t really have the energy for it today.
“Just accept your fate, Adam. Sinclair Alphas are meant to marry young and wealthy, and I’ve got the perfect Omega for you tonight.”
“Tonight?” I blurted. So soon? I mentally cursed myself, shaking the surprise best I could. “What’s her name?”
“Jennifer,” Father said smugly. “She’s a knockout—blonde and busty, comes from old money.
I’ll admit, she’s a bit…uppity, but you’ll have that in a woman.
She’s beautiful though, son. I’ve already made you reservations at Casa Nova.
She’ll be waiting for you in Section A at six PM sharp. ” He growled. “Do not be late.”
“Okay,” I said.
“Okay?”
“Fine, I’ll go on a date. What can it hurt?” I said, keeping my voice as neutral as I could manage, when my insides felt like they were tying themselves in knots. “Maybe we’ll hit it off.”
Fletcher was right. If I didn’t throw Father off our trail, he would start accusing me of sniffing up the wrong tree, so to speak.
So that night, I dressed nice, in a pair of black slacks, a gold silk button-up and a pin-striped blazer. Fletcher stared at me from his spot on the bed as I dabbed on a bit of cologne I kept for special occasions. Completely ogling me. I had to admit, I liked it.
“Damn.” He whistled, low.
“You like?” I waggled my brows.
“I do.” But his smile fell, and I frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said, too quickly.
“Fletch…”
He shrugged, but wouldn’t meet my gaze. “You look every bit the royal Alpha you are, that’s all,” he murmured.
I went over to the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress. Placing my hand on his leg, I squeezed it until he finally looked up at me. When he did, his eyes looked glossy, like he might cry.
“Fletcher, you know I’m going out tonight to protect you, right? To protect us?” I said.
“I know. I’m being silly,” he replied, smiling, but I could tell it was forced. “Don’t worry about me. Go out on your date and at least try to have fun.”
“No promises,” I replied.
So I did try, but right away I knew that this was not a match meant to last.
Father was right. She was a stunner, tall for an Omega with long, blonde hair and hazel eyes, her makeup flawless and her outfit on-point.
She wore a skin-tight black cocktail dress with a slit up the side that showed off smooth legs and richly-tanned skin, no doubt from hours spent in the tanning beds.
She was beautiful, sure, but that was all she was. She smiled at me when I took the seat across from her at our table-for-two, wine glasses already at the ready. She gave me the once-over and pretended to fan herself, like it was suddenly too hot in here.
“Rich and sexy? How did I get so lucky?” She giggled, covering her mouth. “My name is Jennifer. My daddy thought you’d be a perfect Alpha for me. He always wants the best for his baby girl.”
Gag me… “I’m Adam,” I said, picking up the menu. Small-talk. We needed small-talk before this girl started humping my leg beneath the table. She was eying me like I was a piece of prime rib. “Do you have any interests? Hobbies?”
She beamed and pulled out her phone. “Well, if you count two million Instagram followers a hobby, then sure. I’m a fashion influencer. One of the best, actually.”
Then her gaze turned a little sultry, her smile sliding into a smirk. “And Daddy doesn’t know this, but I run a little…side-project on the side. Spicy stuff, you know? I enjoy the freedom it gives me. You won’t tell him, will you, Adam?”
“Of course not,” I told her. “It’s none of my business what you do in your spare time.”
I set the menu back down, having decided on the ribeye and a baked potato with sour cream. I wasn’t that hungry, but my wolf was on edge, and I was hoping a little red meat would satisfy him.
We chatted while we waited for our food to come, and of course, Jennifer was all about herself. That wasn’t typical of an Omega, but she seemed to be the spoiled princess type. How my father could ever think this was the kind of woman I could settle down with was beyond me.
“Do you like kids?” I asked her, and she wrinkled her nose.
“Not particularly. But I suppose it’s an Omega’s job to give her family heirs to the throne.”
She sighed, tapping her long, manicured red nails over her bottom lip. “I’m worried it will make me super fat and give me stretch marks, you know? What would people think? Plus I hate puking. Like. Maybe one kid. Max. And if we could get a surrogate to carry it, that would be even better.”
I frowned, but said nothing. I thought of Fletcher, of the sorrow on his face when we’d found out he wasn’t pregnant. How much he’d wanted a baby. He wouldn’t have cared about his weight or bodily changes.
After what felt like an eternity, our food came. My steak oozed with juices when I cut into it, and Jennifer made a horrified face. “Ew! It’s raw! Send it back. They didn’t cook it all the way through.”
“I always order my steaks rare,” I told her, popping a bite into my mouth. The meat was tender and juicy, seasoned to perfection. I moaned softly, if only to get a rise out of the spoiled princess. “Delicious.”
“Gross.” She looked down at her meal, a Caesar salad with grilled chicken and croutons, and pouted at me. “Maybe we should go vegan once we get married.”
I deadpanned. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“Why not? It’s healthy.”
“We’re wolves,” I told her. “Not deer. Not rabbits. Wolves. Wolves eat meat. Haven’t you ever gone hunting before? Eaten deer right off the bone?”
The horrified look on her pretty face told me she hadn’t. I shook my head slowly. “Besides, there will be no wedding in our future.”
This made her head snap up. “What? But Daddy said—”
“I don’t care what your father said. I don’t even care what my father said. I agreed to a date—one date—not a lifetime of marital bliss with a woman I have nothing in common with.”
She gasped. “We don’t even know each other, Adam. That isn’t fair.”
“I’ve seen enough,” I told her. “I’m sorry, Jennifer. I’m just not ready to settle down yet. I told my father I’d go on this date to get him off my back and—”
“What does that mean?” she snapped, her face mottling red. “You aren’t interested in me at all?”
I couldn’t help the harsh laugh that expelled from my lungs. “Honestly, no. I’m not interested in you. I’m not interested in anyone. I don’t know what people don’t get about that.”
She stood up, nearly toppling her wine glass in her haste, then threw her napkin down. “Fuck you! Wait till Daddy hears about this!”
With that, she stormed off, her high heels clicking on the stone tile of the steakhouse.
I took a deep breath, did my best to swallow the knot of anger and sorrow building up in my throat, and paid the outrageously large bill for the dinner we didn’t even finish.
Then I left.
I drove home in a daze, feeling like I no longer had an anchor tying me down to reality. My life suddenly felt out of control, like I was no longer in the driver’s seat and the cars around me were going too damn fast.
All I wanted was to be home in Fletcher’s arms, where I belonged. With my forbidden Omega…