Chapter Six
Hudson
If there was one thing I loved the idea of and had never experienced, it was a breakfast date. A staple in romance novels and movies. My old alphas hated breakfast. They were only-coffee-in the-morning people.
They poked fun of me for eating eggs and toast with my coffee.
I put on a long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans after showering that morning. My nerves and my thoughts were on full alert.
In my head I called this a date, but he only asked me out for breakfast. He probably wanted to sell me a membership.
Sure, Evander and I flirted a bit through the tour, but he hadn’t been overly complimentary. He didn’t offer to make me food. It was probably not allowed if the club was not open, but he said nothing about it.
Maybe putting an employee out there during the day to give tours was part of their recruitment system.
On the other hand, he’d said all members were vetted and background checks done on them, so scouting people on the street wouldn’t work.
I sighed, grabbing my wallet and phone. Maybe the alpha was just being friendly or, worse, he knew of an alpha he wanted to hook me up with.
I steeled myself. It had been so long since I had a platonic friend, other than the ones at work, that maybe I didn’t know a blooming friendship when I saw one. Yes. It was friendship he sought from me. That was all.
“Good morning,” Evander said with a beaming smile. I thought he looked good in his chef’s jacket, but he was incredible this morning. Freshly showered. I smelled his natural scent above the body wash, toothpaste, and other products.
“Good morning. I haven’t been here before. Have you?”
The alpha nodded and placed his hand on my back as we went into the diner. “I have. They make the best pancakes. I’m trying to figure out their recipe. It’s an ongoing investigation.”
“Ah, so you needed a sidekick.”
“No. I invited you because I wanted to, Hudson.”
Oh. he might’ve meant that as friendly, but my cock and my wolf took that as entirely flirtatious.
“I appreciate it. What else is on the menu besides pancakes?”
Watching Evander talk about food and this place was like watching fireworks explode. His face became animated, and he talked with his hands. His passion for food was so palpable, I became hungrier as he spoke. The waitress couldn’t arrive with our food fast enough.
I took three bites of the strawberry-cheesecake French toast before noticing Evander’s gaze on it.
And me.
“Want some?” I asked, sliding my plate across the table a bit.
“Are you sure?”
I nodded.
“Thanks. Some people think sharing is weird.”
“I don’t mind. As long as you give me a bite of those cinnamon-crunch pancakes.”
Our food turned out to be a free-for-all. We ate off each other’s plates like we’d known each other for years instead of less than twenty-four hours.
“Tell me what you do for a living. I forgot to ask you yesterday.”
“I’m a phlebotomist. Nothing fancy, but it pays the bills, and I enjoy meeting new people every day.” I paused, noticing how I’d just downgraded what I did for a living. Making myself small had become a habit, my therapist said. My dad insisted on my receiving counseling as soon as I was settled.
“That’s a great career. My sister is one as well.”
He told me more about his family. He had one sister and two brothers. His omega father was responsible for his love of cooking. Evander was at the counter, standing on a stool at the age of three, already making cookies and learning.
He knew he would never do anything else.
We went back and forth, asking each other questions. He wasn’t like my other alphas. They talked about themselves incessantly, never asking or caring about anything related to me.
Evander seemed genuinely interested, but I still didn’t know if it was friendly or more than friendly.
He insisted on a slice of each kind of pie and, after they were delivered, I couldn’t take it anymore. I asked him. “Do you have an omega?”
The alpha nearly choked. “I don’t. Do you have an alpha? Or alphas?”
“No.” It still felt weird to say no even though it had been months since I had a harem.
“Let’s say you take my invitation and come to the club. What things would you want to try out?”
Loaded question. I was almost fully convinced this was a real date. “I’m not sure. I can tell you what I’m not into.”
Evander nodded. “Do tell.”
“No degradation. No knives.”
He nodded. “So you’d want to try other things?” His blue eyes lit up with the promise.
Yeah, this was a date. And he liked me. I sure as hell liked him. My wolf was completely smitten.
But we were talking about sex. This wasn’t love and wouldn’t be. Couldn’t be. I’d made a promise to myself.
“If I had someone to show me. Gently guide me.”
The alpha wolf shifter across from me growled.
“But there’s one problem.”
“What is that?” His pie was forgotten.
“You haven’t officially asked me.”