1. Bea #2
I knew the bar would be crowded tonight, so I pulled my dark, curly hair into a ponytail and called it good.
I've been to the little dive bar in town a time or two but I had my hopes up there would be a few new faces since all the businesses were getting more visitors these days. It was a little stroll from my apartment to the bar and the cooler temps were nice as I walked to my destination.
A few people that frequented the bookstore waved as I passed. It was the nice part of a small town. No matter where you went, you were never truly alone. They noticed you, unlike the city where everyone had an excuse to look away. It made it a lot harder to hide myself away.
At least it was another shield against my ex.
Small-town life agreed with me more than I thought it would and I was happy here. Making the move and being with my besties every day was just the icing on the cake. I had zero regrets.
As soon as I entered the smoke-filled establishment, Pearl and Dolly grabbed me and took me straight to the dance floor. Even though they were old as hell, they weren’t afraid to have fun. I adored them and their antics.
The fact they beat down Dani’s stalker with rocks hidden in their bags only made me love them more.
"There are a few new hotties in town," Pearl yelled just as the music stopped. Her voice was loud against the sudden silence, forcing all eyes on us.
Normally, the attention would have made me blush but not with the granny mafia at my side. They would take anyone down if I needed them to. Usually, they were solid wing-women. Always looking out for me. Oddly enough, I trusted their judgment, too.
"Really? Are you going to introduce us?" I asked, elbowing her a little.
"Dolly went over to grab them," she answered in my ear.
"What? I haven't even had a drink to settle my nerves yet," I complained just as Dolly handed me one.
Three men were right on her heels. Oh, god.
"This is the beauty I was telling you about," she told them as I took a big gulp of the drink she brought, hoping to quickly drown out any nerves I might have.
"Dolly, I hope you weren’t telling stories about me," I said once I swallowed the fiery liquid. She must have told the bartender to make it strong. That or they knew her a little too well.
"Nothing more than the truth. I also told them that if they break your heart that they have to deal with me," she reassured me with a wicked grin.
The guys laughed, but I gave them a deadpan look. "She's not kidding and she has a heck of a swing with her purse. She took out a grown man not long ago."
“Damn right I did,” she said smugly. “And I’d do it again.”
This time, the threat she sent their way was caught. They all swallowed hard.
I took the distraction as a chance to check them out. The grannies did well with these three. I'd have to thank them later if it worked out.
All three of them were tall and jacked. Even in this dim lighting I could tell that was where the similarities ended.
The alpha was several inches taller. His dark hair hung just over his eyes, the green studying me right back.
His plump lips were tipped in a cocky smirk, but the kind that didn’t feel like a show.
The beta on his left had a short beard, his gray-blue eyes cutting right through my defenses. He seemed sincere, his encouraging smile both sweet and calming.
On the alpha’s right was the last beta. He had dark hair and hazel eyes, his skin was sun-kissed and his shirt was loose and unbuttoned at the top, giving me a little peep of the strength they had hidden underneath.
This was book boyfriend material right here.
"Hi, I'm Corvin," the alpha said, holding out a hand for me to shake. "This is Apollo and Ezra." He gestured to his right, then left, so I had names to put with faces.
As he said each name, they gave me a little wave. That little, awkward gesture truly broke the ice. I was relieved to see they didn’t take themselves too seriously.
"I'm Bea. Nice to meet you," I said as I took his hand and firmly shook it before draining the rest of my drink in one go, the warmth already spreading through me. "Would you look at that? I need another drink."
"Next one's on me, Goddess," Apollo told me with a wink. Oh, he was laying it on thick. I wasn’t against it, either.
"He always that flirty?" I asked as I watched him walk away, getting a good look at his ass in those jeans. It was as fit as the rest of him and perfectly rounded. The kind of ass I could sink my teeth into.
Sign me up.
"Yeah, and he’s just getting started," Ezra answered. The smile on his face meant he saw me checking out his friend.
"So, are you a package deal?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Why don't we head to a table and we can chat a little," Corvin suggested, offering me his arm.
I didn't move until Pearl pushed me toward him. I knocked into his solid frame and I had to remind my omega not to let my hands wonder.
Yet.
"Sorry," I muttered as I got my feet back under me and sent Pearl a dirty look.
"No problem. Those old ladies were pushy with us, too. They cornered us until you got here. I thought we were goners," he said, shaking his head.
"Oh god, sorry about that. They are my adopted Grandmas. I promise that they meant well," I tried to explain. “If you aren’t interested, no hard feelings.”
"They can be a little scary," Ezra admitted. “But we are definitely interested.” His eyes roamed over me again as if to prove his point.
"They aren't harmless," I said as I took a seat in a chair with my back against the wall so I could see the room. Ever since my escape from Cameron, I did things like this and it was just a habit now. “They have a mean swing with their purses.”
"Well, we’re harmless. Unless someone is a bully or something," Ezra said as he took the chair closest to mine. “We don’t take kindly to alphas pushing omegas and betas around.”
"With all those muscles it's hard to imagine anyone would try that in front of you," I said without thinking.
"Thanks for noticing,” Apollo said, putting down our drinks and flexing for me. To be honest, I was impressed. These men were built like Greek gods. “We have to keep in shape for our job.”
"What job is that?" I asked before taking a sip.
"Firemen," Corvin answered after a swig of his beer. “We work at the firehouse here in Willow Lake.”
Fate was playing jokes again, wasn’t she?