Chapter 6
Brielle
My breath catches when I see the giant, gorgeous man from the alley the other night.
A smile lights up my face when I note him sitting in my section.
Most of the single men linger by the bar top, waiting for an empty stool and a show.
But he’s sunk in a booth, the cushions and table looking small in comparison to his size as he glances around, looking for someone.
I am conceited enough to believe that it’s me, so I saunter over to him, stopping at the end of the booth with a hand on my hips.
“Hey there, big guy.”
I have to stifle a smirk as a small shudder rolls through him, and then Maverick looks up at me.
Those dreamy brown eyes, big and doe-like, so unlike his otherwise intimidating appearance.
“I’m still not pouring you a bourbon,” I tease in a sultry voice.
His lips twitch at the corner, then he turns to face me more fully. His thick, corded arm is stretched along the back of the booth cushion.
“Is that so?”
I nod, rolling my bottom lip between my teeth. “You seem like a beer man anyway. Bottled, not a can.”
A chuckle rumbles out of his chest, deep and delicious. Swear to god it makes my nipples hard.
“I’m not that picky, sweetheart. I only came to see you.”
My heart nearly flips out of my chest. I had hoped, assumed, but never thought he would outright admit it.
“Is that so?” I sling his words back, unable to control my smile.
His tongue runs along the bottom of his teeth, and he sits up straighter. “Yeah, yeah it is. I know you’re working, and I never want to interrupt that, but I wanted to ask about taking you out to dinner.”
I can feel my cheeks heat with a flush, and I step closer to the table. “I’m off tomorrow.”
Soft hints of a smoky bonfire swirl around me, and it coats me like the humid air of a lazy summer day.
“Will you do me the honor of letting me take you out?”
My hand lands over my heart. “Such a gentleman. I guess what they say about Southern men is true.” I can’t stop the sarcasm as I try to calm the panic rising inside me.
I want to go on this date. Why him? I don’t want an alpha, a pack…
I think? But this would be the first time there're no influence from my parents, and that makes me eager.
Maverick’s eyebrows raise, and his fingers trace the edge of the hat he’d taken off and laid on the table. “Well, I don’t know what they say, but my father practically beat manners into me.”
I smile. “Better than my parents. They helped me pick out which men have the most money to attach our name to.”
He frowns, and I let out a nervous laugh. Oops. I’ve got to stop lore dropping my trauma as if it’s a joke.
“Kidding,” I say half-heartedly.
The skeptical look he gives me confirms he doesn’t believe me, but drops it anyway.
I knock on the wood of the table, ready to move on from this awkward impasse. “So, did you still want that beer?”
He nods. “Yeah, I think I’ll stick around.”
I toss my blonde hair over my shoulder and make my way to the bar. Marley opens a bottle of beer and sets it on the top for me. “Don’t mind Mav. He’s grumpy with everyone.”
My fingers curl around the bottle, and I’m tempted to ignore her comment, but my curiosity doesn’t let me. “Yeah? Why’s that?”
Marley laughs a little, her black braid swaying a bit as she grabs a wet rag and cleans up some spilled spritz. “What fucks us all up? Parents.”
I hum. “Yeah, I get that.” I disappeared with my best friend to the other side of the country to get away from mine.
Marley shrugs. “His ain’t so bad. Just a lot on his shoulders, and everyone kind of waiting for him to sell. Give it a few weeks, you’ll catch up with all the drama.”
Tracy walks over to us with a scowl. “I’ve never known you to chatter so much,” she says, directing it at Marley.
She doesn’t take offense, smirking. “Maybe I see a bit of a kindred soul in our new waitress Barbie. A whole lot more than the other one that reeks of gentleness.”
A fireball forms just under my ribs and a little growl rips from my teeth. “Don’t fucking call me Barbie. And Kinsey is my best friend, so watch your mouth.” They both widen their eyes, but smiles still linger on their faces as I push off the counter.
“I meant Barbie lovingly. After all, she’s the top of all her jobs.”
I pause feeling the sincerity of Marley’s statement, then I give them a teasing grin. “Oh, and Maverick wasn’t being grumpy. He was asking me on a date.”
Their mouths drop open as I walk away, back to the man whose eyes I’ve felt on me the whole time. He takes the beer bottle from me with a muttered “thanks,” then glances at the bar and back to me.
“Everything okay?”
I nod. “Yup. Just giving me pointers on how to handle regulars.”
His lips thin. “I’m no regular. Like I said, I'm only really here for you.”
My heart soars, and I try to dissuade hope that bubbles even more. “And the first night for buddies you never met up with?”
Maverick takes a swig of his beer, and nods. “Work keeps me busy, it was a slow night. Never really saw the allure of hanging around here…until I saw you.”
His cheeks turn a slight pink, as if he didn’t mean to say the words that came out of his mouth. And I love it, something so sweet coming from a behemoth of a man.
I lean against the table, flinging my blonde hair over my shoulder in a flirty way. “So what you’re saying is that fate brought you here that night.”
He blinks once at me, a gleam in his eyes. “Fate?” His nostrils flare, and it makes my heart take off a little.
“I’m on suppressants.” Or I should be. I ran out a few weeks ago, and I’m too embarrassed to ask Kinsey for hers because then she’ll know that my parents have been portioning them out to me as a form of control.
A pharmacy dispenses our suppressants three months at a time, in track with our heats, but my parents only give me a month at a time.
Not that I need them much anymore. It’s amazing what you can achieve when you will it.
Just like hiding your scent for survival.
He nods. “I figured, but I’m not interested in you just because of that. I’m drawn to you, Brielle.”
I twist my hair around my finger. “Because I’m pretty?”
“Gorgeous.”
I try to keep my smile down. “Because I’m funny?”
Maverick grins. “Hilarious.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Because I have a rocking body?”
“The best I’ve ever seen.”
“Hmm,” I mutter. “I guess I can do you the honor of going on a date.”
His hand twitches on the table, as if he’s holding back the urge to grab me and kiss me.
He clears his throat. “Thank you. I’ll make it a night to remember.”
I shrug, playing off my excitement. “I guess we’ll see.”
Maverick stands, and I hold my breath, trying not to breathe in his scrumptious scent.
Last time I was tempted to try to buy an indoor fire pit so I could smell it as I touched myself.
It’s deviant to think about, but no one understands an omega’s urges.
Sometimes it’s out of our control; our bodies are driving us to mate with our alphas.
His fingers brush over my cheek. “I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I’ll pick you up tomorrow at seven. Is that okay?”
I nod. “Do you know which room at the inn?”
He looks at me with a smirk before his tongue peeks between his lips. “I want to tell you the truth, but it would come off creepy.”
“Could have said, ‘There are only so many rooms and visitors. Not hard to figure out.’”
Maverick winks at me, and I almost come on the spot.
“Not all of us are as quick-witted as you,” he says.
Then he leans down, brushing his lips against my temple.
He leaves me there, slick threatening to drench my panties.
I glance at the table, pocketing the ridiculous tip he left with an eye roll.
My eyes catch Kinsey’s. She gives me a hesitant thumbs up and I nod, but I think I need a small break to gather myself.
I brush past the bar top, nearly stumbling when a familiar scent makes me freeze.
The hint of oranges with a slight metallic scent that’s burned into every crevice of my mind, a stench I’ve scrubbed raw from my skin.
My heart surges, my blood runs cold enough that I can feel it in my bones.
I snap my head to the side, looking for that slicked-back head of black hair.
My stomach churns harder as my eyes flicker from patron to patron, not finding the nightmare of my past. It’s like I’ve swallowed a bag of nails as I struggle to breathe.
Please, he couldn’t have found me.
Leave. Run. Hide. Kill him. Leave. Run. Hide. Kill him.
My mind cycles what to do, and I nearly jump straight off the ground as a hand touches my arm. Kinsey steps in front of me, her eyes studying me carefully.
“You okay?”
I nod, trying and failing to smile. “Just a little dizzy.” It comes out a little hoarse, and I clear my throat.
“Heat spike?” she whispers, glancing around us.
Our heats have always happened around the same time, and hers has been a little out of whack lately.
It makes sense given she’s met the men that are more than likely her scent matches.
She just hasn’t realized it yet. Having the pack that’s basically predestined for you can affect things like that.
Biology pushes us to do the job we’re built to do best, to make cute little babies.
“No, I don’t think so. Not like—not like yours,” I tell her.
Kinsey looks at me like she doesn’t believe me, but she doesn’t say anything. “Go take a break. I’ll cover your section until you come back.”
I blow out a shaky breath. “Thank you.” I mean it in more than one way. She’s saved me on multiple occasions, and she doesn’t even know.