12. Twenty-five
Twenty-five
Brea
Friday night. God, had it been nearly a week already?
The closer it got to seven o’clock, the faster my heart raced.
Taryn and I sat in the back of the cab, hands loosely clasped between us, as we neared the restaurant the boys had written on the note.
It had never really been a question if we’d go.
We wanted to go. Wanted to be near Lin and Brooks again.
But shame and humiliation from our last encounter still hung over me like bad BO.
Taryn’s thumb caressed over mine so softly, so gently, and I smiled.
She was always beautiful, but tonight she was radiant .
She wore a satiny red dress, the hem hitting around mid thigh—long enough to be elegant but not stodgy, short enough to show off her beautiful, lean legs.
A fitted black leather jacket kept her shoulders covered over the dress’s spaghetti straps.
Minimal hair styling—natural, slightly wavy, magnificent—and understated makeup, and she looked like a creature straight from my imagination.
“You sure you’re okay?” she asked in a low voice.
I sighed, bringing her hand up to kiss her knuckles. Our nails mirrored each other’s outfits—mine painted red, and hers, black. Hadn’t even been intentional, but it felt nice to be linked together in that way. Little bit of me with her, and her with me.
“I’ll have to face the music sooner or later,” I said as the car turned the corner. The towering building that housed the restaurant was in view. “And…I don’t want to be the reason you don’t explore what’s there with them.”
That was at least mostly true. I didn’t want us to reject the guys out of my own embarrassment, not when the chemistry had been so strong between us all.
Another week down, another week closer to Taryn’s heat, and she deserved heatmates who cared at least a little about her, who she felt comfortable with.
That meant I needed to get over my nerves and make it happen.
Thus why I’d chosen my favorite dress for the evening.
A simple, structured faux-leather black number that made me feel equal parts powerful and sensual.
Add in the power shoes—black stilettos with a silver-studded ankle strap—and I was almost not nervous.
The car pulled up outside the building, Taryn gave my hand a squeeze, and we scooted out. I was wearing my armor. My why stood at my side. Time to go to battle.
We entered a grand white and gold lobby that was somehow quiet and bustling at once. There weren’t many people in the space, but every sound bounced off the marble floors and walls, magnified by the stone as much as my own anxiety.
Brooks and Lin leaned against the opposite wall of the entry doors, heads close together as they spoke in hushed tones. Or, rather, had been speaking. The moment we crossed the threshold, they both popped up, eyes glued to us as we strode toward them.
And bless my omega, she never let go of my hand. It was a grounding touch, the extra strength I needed to mea this culpa.
“Evening, ladies,” Lin said, voice smooth and deep. “You both look…absolutely stunning.”
“That’s one word,” Brooks said, stepping close to lean in and give Taryn an entirely unself-conscious kiss on the cheek. “I’d say fucking delectable,” he breathed before stepping back next to his mate.
Lin tsked the beta, stepping up and taking my free hand and, deep brown eyes boring into mine, raised it to his lips for a gentle kiss. “Well. He isn’t wrong ,” he whispered. He didn’t immediately drop my hand, and my heart raced for a different reason as we stood together, exchanging glances.
Brooks floated to Taryn’s other side, one hand at the small of her back. “Shall we go up?”
“Wait,” I said. “Before we do that, I need to say something.” All eyes fell to me, and the nerves settled back in.
Taryn squeezed my hand again, though, and pushed a soft, warm dose of loving encouragement through the bond.
“I just…I am so sorry for what happened on the roof last week. The way I behaved was just…” I swallowed.
“It was inexcusable. And I promise you both, it won’t happen again.
” I looked specifically to Brooks. “I am so sorry, Brooks, and I swear I would never—”
“Brea,” Lin interrupted. “Take a breath.”
He finally dropped my hand, only to wrap his arm around my waist.
“Believe it or not,” he continued, “we know a thing or two about alpha instincts. And how strong they can be at times. You did nothing wrong.”
Brooks nodded, all jesting and flirtation gone from his face. Only sincerity shone there. “Yeah, Brea, I didn’t take it personally, I swear. And I’m glad nothing further happened for your sake more than mine.”
I blinked a few times in rapid succession.
“Lin wouldn’t let you hurt me,” Brooks clarified. “And as much as you’re kicking yourself over the nothing that happened, if there’d been anything more, it would hurt me to know how bad you felt over it.”
I looked down, focusing on the feel of Taryn’s hand in mine, Lin’s arm on my waist, and the kindness radiating from Brooks’s entire being. “Still,” I said as I looked back up, “I’m sorry.”
Lin’s hand on my waist gave a little squeeze, and Brooks smiled. “Forgiven,” the beta said. “If you need to hear it.”
A little of the weight that had been pressing on my chest dissipated. I appreciated their kindness, their gentle words and their willingness to give me—give us—another shot. But the guilt still existed, and likely would until I could truly atone.
“Well,” Taryn spoke up, “if that’s settled, who’s ready for food?”
The Spire Lounge was the kind of restaurant where tearful proposals could happen any night of the week.
It was like a movie set, one where the real love interest rushes in to declare his love for the main character right as the decoy partner goes to kneel and pull out a ring.
Tall ceilings with full walls of windows looking out onto the glimmering city, an elegant decor scheme of cream and gold and crimson, romantic lighting that practically begged diners to lean in just a bit closer.
Taryn’s excitement hummed through our bond as we stepped inside, her hand clasped in mine and the pair of us bracketed by our dates. The host immediately escorted our group to a corner table where Farendale twinkled below us in all directions.
“Our drink special tonight is the Starless Night,” the waiter said in a smooth voice minutes later. “Martini with gin and fine aged blackberry brandy.”
“Yes, please,” Taryn replied immediately with that sweet smile of hers.
“Excellent. And you, sir?” The waiter looked to Lin, leaning casually in his seat.
“Whiskey sour, please,” he said easily, as though it were his regular drink.
“Make that two,” I threw in.
The waiter nodded before turning to Brooks. “What will you have tonight?”
Brooks scrunched his face up, admittedly adorably. “Perrier with a spritz of lime, if you please,” he said without enthusiasm. He looked to Taryn and me, waving a small cell phone in illustration. “Believe me, I tried to get out of it, but I’m on call tonight.”
Taryn deflated next to me. “So you’ll have to leave at some point?”
“Hopefully not,” Brooks said, leaning in, all his attention focused on my omega. “Just means if there’s an issue and they need extra hands, I’ll get a call. So send out a prayer to the universe that it’s a quiet night in Farendale so I can stay by your side all night long.”
Color rose to her cheeks, betraying her delight. Maybe some part of me should’ve been more possessive, but it was so hard to look at Brooks—somehow simultaneously eager and sultry—and be annoyed at how enamored he clearly was with Taryn.
How could I blame him? So was I.
Our drinks arrived, and Lin ordered a charcuterie platter as an appetizer. Enough of my anxiety had eased that I was able to pretend the rooftop episode hadn’t ended how it had, and that the conversation downstairs hadn’t happened, and we were all simply giddy, buzzing people on a date together.
“So,” I asked, sipping my drink as I looked at the two men before us, “is this how you welcome all your new tenants to the building?”
“Just the ones we haven’t been able to get our of our heads for days on end,” Lin replied easily. His gaze locked with mine as he also took a healthy sip of his identical drink. We could probably get drunk on the fumes alone, but it went down easy.
Taryn chuckled. She leaned with her elbows on the table, dark hair falling around her shoulders. “And how many of those have come before us?”
“None.” Lin’s words carried a certain solemnity that brought goosebumps prickling over my skin.
Flirting. Sex. A biologically mandated transaction.
Maybe some fun while we were at it. That was what we were here for with them.
But as he and as Brooks looked back at us, a voice whispered in the back of my head that we could all so easily fall into something more.
I ignored that voice, focusing on the way the shadows played off the angles of his face, and what it did to my stomach.
“And what makes us so remarkable then?” Taryn asked.
Brooks leaned an inch closer to her. “Well, that’s what we’re here to find out, sweetness.”
Conversation flowed easily among us all. We traded love stories and embarrassing childhood anecdotes over prosciutto and goat cheese and chili jam. As we finished up the main course, Brooks and Taryn fell into an animated discussion of their top ten dog breed rankings.
Lin and I leaned closer over the other side of the table, each leaning onto an elbow perched on the table’s edge. He asked about my degree program, and I told him all about it. Excluding, of course, the identity of my first client.
After several minutes, I took a sip of my drink. “God, sorry. I can really get going and forget that it’s rude to monopolize conversation.”
Lin shook his head. “Don’t be sorry. Up ‘til now, you’ve been the quiet one. It’s nice to finally get to hear from you.”