Chapter 7
7
DEVYN
The group chat is ignoring me!
I don’t know why, especially when it’s the evening of my date and I need their support.
Connor is set to pick me up in less than an hour, and I’m not sure I’m prepared.
I’ve never been on a date with an Alpha before.
Both April and Skylar told me it will be okay, and my outfit was approved in our group chat, but it’s been radio silence since.
Yes, they’re both working at the café, but I even added Tammy to our text chat too, hoping for some words of advice.
No one’s responding.
This is an emergency, and I have no one else to call.
Ben is working late tonight—he’s out investigating a case with Landon, one of Skylar’s packmates.
I text the chat one last time, hoping maybe this time they’ll listen after my twelve other messages they ignored.
I’m freaking out!!
There is a thumbs-down from Skylar, then a response from April, finally .
Stop freaking out. We’re working.
“Gah!”
I manage to text while working and do my job well.
Why can’t they do it for me?
I pace in my room, stomping around in circles in my outfit, looking ridiculous.
It’s just one date. This isn’t a big deal. It isn’t .
Then why does it feel like my life is about to change?
There’s another ding from my phone, and my heart stops when I read Ben’s text.
I love you, Dev. Be yourself, and he’ll be smitten.
I stop my pacing and smile. Then another text comes through from him.
Have fun. I’ll see you tonight.
I legitimately have the best boyfriend in the world, and I’m half a second away from canceling on Connor.
I don’t really need a pack, do I? I don’t?—
Another text from Ben.
And don’t you dare cancel on him. I mean it, Dev.
I chew my lip and sigh.
Damn it.
Placing my phone down, I take another look in my full-length closet mirror. This is the first time I’ve worn this strappy baby-pink dress, and I love it. It’s flattering and stops mid-thigh, the material soft and fitting to my curves. I wear my faded denim jacket over it, and I plan to step into my wedge heels once Connor picks me up.
I love dressing up much more than Skylar and April do. They tease me about it, but the minute I was able to buy my own clothes and not rely on hand-me-downs or donations, I did.
I was fourteen when I started working, and with my first paycheck I bought candy, the kind we never had at the group home, and a pair of brand-new jeans.
Not worn, not used, not donated.
Something that belonged to me, and only me, for the first time.
I shared the candy with everyone, but I never let anyone borrow the jeans, and the rest is history.
I already did my hair and makeup, doing my best not to overthink it. I tamed my curls and did some sparkly eyeshadow, similar to the kind I wore on my first date with Ben.
Actually, I haven’t been this anxious since my first date with Ben, but that turned out better than expected.
I had a good feeling back then and I have a good feeling now about Connor, despite the nerves.
I take a deep breath, toy with my hair one more time, and sigh.
“I can do this,” I repeat to my reflection like a weirdo. “I can do this.”
Truthfully, this is the perfect time to have this date. My Heat isn’t due for a while, and I’m on extra-strength suppressants just for the occasion.
I can be myself and not worry about drooling over Connor’s scent or staining my underwear with slick.
(Even though Ben would be thrilled if I came home with ruined panties.)
I head into the front room with my decaf iced coffee in hand, sipping it anxiously as I collapse in a chair.
It’s Connor and his boyfriend’s brand, so I think it’s fitting for the occasion.
My stomach does a flip at the memory of meeting Ace. He was covered in tattoos and almost as tall as Connor, with a sinful smirk that made my core clench.
He smelled like pepper and lavender, the opposite of the richness of Connor’s coffee, chocolate, and bourbon aroma, and it was the perfect counterpart.
Goosebumps pebble on my skin as I think of him and Connor together and how I would handle both of them at once.
Ben would love to watch me take them both. I just know it.
I shiver at the thought.
What would our first time be like?
There’s a knock at the front door, and I jump up, my iced coffee sloshing in its tumbler.
Connor’s here.
When I open the door, my pink tumbler still in my hand, my breath catches as I meet his eyes.
He towers above me, but his green eyes are soft as he gazes down at me.
“Hello, Devyn,” he murmurs. “You look lovely.”
There’s a bouquet of flowers in his hand, an assortment of red and cream roses. They sit in a gorgeous crystal vase, and each one is in bloom. They’re breathtaking and almost look too perfect to be real.
“I hope you like these,” he adds, handing them to me. “They’re…a little different. They’re made from wood. You don’t have to water them, and they’ll last forever,” he adds with a nervous chuckle.
I hold the bouquet in my hand, marveling at the detail. “Wood?” I repeat.
“It comes from a special plant root,” he adds. “I know that sounds a little weird, but?—”
“This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” I murmur, delicately touching the petals. They’re not as soft as a normal flower would be, but slightly sturdier.
And they smell like him, too. Instead of a floral scent, I sense a hint of chocolate and coffee.
Mmm.
I catch him staring at me, still standing in the doorway to my apartment, and smile at him.
“Come in!” I chirp. My nerves dissipate, pleased with my unique gift and Connor’s kind demeanor.
His eyes crinkle at the corners as I step aside, leading him into the apartment.
Then it hits me. Connor is well off, and this apartment is probably nothing compared to where he lives. I’m proud of it, of course. It’s the nicest place I’ve lived, and Ben and I have made sure to decorate it with unique items we’ve found thrifting and at craft fairs.
It’s unique, quaint, and safe.
But I’m not sure Connor, who drives a fancy car and dresses in perfectly tailored clothes, would feel the same way. An ounce of shame races through me as I place the pricey vase and exquisite bouquet on my tiny kitchen island.
But when I turn to Connor again, he’s not looking at me.
Instead, his eyes are taking in everything in the kitchen and front room, regarding my place with fondness.
“I know it’s not the best?—”
“It’s a home,” he murmurs. “It’s very peaceful here.”
My breath catches.
He’s obviously out of place in his rich-boy outfit of a dark blue sweater and gray slacks, but somehow he fits anyway. My half-burned candle is behind him along with a scuffed photo of me, April, and Skylar, and it’s a perfect sight.
He doesn’t look uncomfortable or out of place.
It’s as if Connor has been here a thousand times before.
I beam at his compliment. That’s one of the best things someone could tell me—that I have a home, not just a house.
That’s what I’ve always wanted.
My face hurts from smiling as I grin at him like a goofy idiot. “Good! I always want people to feel like that when they come over.”
His smile matches mine. “Ace and I are the same way. There’s a big difference between a place where you sleep and eat, and somewhere you’re comfortable and able to be yourself.”
My eyes go as wide as saucers.
Just like Ben, Connor gets it.
He doesn’t even know my backstory, but we’re on the same page.
My inner Omega does backflips, then climbs up the wall and hangs upside down.
Instead of hugging Connor like I want to, I nod enthusiastically at him. “Exactly. Um, do you want anything to drink? How about coffee?”
He frowns. “Isn’t it a bit late for coffee? Do you normally have caffeine this late?”
He looks at my hands, which are now slightly shaky.
“I mean…yeah.”
His eyes narrow. “That’s not healthy for you, is it?”
Ugh. He sounds like everyone else in my life.
Everyone else that cares for us, my inner Omega supplies.
“I stick to decaf at night. You smell like coffee anyway, so it’s fine,” I blurt. “You smell like beans.”
He blinks, and then I blink, sharing an uncomfortable silence.
What the hell did I just say?
I’m screwing up our date before it’s even started.
I need to work on not blurting out everything that goes on in my head.
But Tammy says it’s endearing, and Ben says he appreciates it.
Maybe if Connor doesn’t like it, we’re not compatible.
But he cocks his head and chuckles. “Okay, well, since we’re being honest”—he crosses his arms, and I try not to ogle his sculpted forearms that the fitted sweater does nothing to hide—“you smell like cookies. Sometimes snickerdoodles, sometimes like those vanilla macarons your café has. It’s ridiculous. And tempting.”
My core clenches, and I let out a whoosh of air.
“How tempting?” I squeak, my face flaming.
He looks amused, even though a slight flush is on his handsome face. “Are we still being honest?”
I nod, biting my lip.
His eyes darken. “Okay, then. Ridiculously tempting. Beyond comprehension.”
I open and close my mouth. “That sounds good,” I manage to say.
“I wouldn’t use the word good . I would say it’s…torturous.”
He’s still standing in front of the picture of Skylar and April, and I look to the photo of my friends for help.
He’s flirting, and I’m flustered, and…
My stomach growls loudly enough that he hears it.
Oh, my god. Way to let your stomach kill the mood.
“We should probably get going,” he says, his gaze softening and the amused smile returning to his face. “Before you fill your stomach with more coffee.”
“I’ll have you know coffee can be a fine substitute for food,” I grumble, embarrassment threatening to eat me alive.
“Not tonight, it’s not,” he says firmly, extending his hand. “And hopefully, it won’t ever be again in the future, if I have any say in it.”
I quirk my lip. “I don’t like being told what to do.” I take his outstretched hand, and a surge of electricity pulses through me. Goosebumps pebble on my skin, and my pulse picks up.
I want to touch more of him, immediately.
I want to tell him to cancel the reservation and let me have him for dinner instead.
But he doesn’t sense my plight and sighs fondly instead. “You and Ace have that in common,” he murmurs. “I can’t wait to see the two of you in the same room together.”
“So does that mean you plan on there being more dates?” I can’t stop grinning, and hope blossoms in my chest as he leads me out the front door.
“If I have it my way, Devyn, this is the first of many.”
I beam.