Once outside the store and back in his car, Joe wondered what the fuck just happened.
He was supposed to thank West for getting him to a clinic. That was all. Now he had a date tonight, in an unfamiliar town.
Shit. Well. He ought to familiarize himself with Ace Ville then.
A quick Google search led him to a charming inn located on the outskirts of town. Joe got of the car and checked-in into the MapleLeaf.
The old woman at the counter was kind enough to give him a map of the town.
“Mrs. Berry,” he read the name on her name tag.
It never hurt to be nice. His wolf told him she wasn’t human. Not a shifter either, but definitely supernatural. She might look like a dumpy cheerful woman in her late forties, but Joe sensed she was much older.
“Can I help you with something else, Joe?” she asked.
Her warm smile reminded Joe painfully of his mother. He could also smell freshly baked cookies from somewhere in the inn’s kitchens.
“You see, I’ve got a date tonight. I was wondering if you know any awesome and non-touristy restaurant.”
She looked interested. “A date?”
He nodded. “I don’t know if you know him. With West, the owner of Alpha Wear. He saved my ass and I wanted to make it up to him with a date.”
“West Morgan? I know West. He’s a good boy despite all the rumors floating around.”
“Rumors?” he asked, interested.
“It’s not my place to say, but I know what restaurant you might be looking for.” There was a twinkle in her eye.
“Thanks,” he said after. “I don’t want to screw this up.”
“You really like this young man, don’t you, Alpha?” Mrs. Berry gave him a thoughtful look. “You’re pretty odd yourself, especially for a dominant shifter.”
“Is that a bad thing?” he had to asked.
West noticed that too. His father and Cameron would have called it weakness.
“No,” she said softly. “I wish you luck, Joe.”
* * *
Not for the first time that evening, West stared at his appearance in the employee bathroom mirror. He fussed with his hair, wondered if he should change his shirt.
Right after Joe left the shop, he mumbled some unintelligent excuse to Harper and the others. West drove straight right home and changed into a completely new outfit.
This always happened. West was fashion-conscious. It was in his blood and couldn’t help himself.
“Why did I agree to go on a date with a complete stranger? I must be insane,” he mumbled to his reflection.
West didn’t exactly look his best. There were dark circles under his eyes. For the past few nights, he’d been staying up late, figuring out next month’s budget and collections.
Harper always told him to take a break here and then.
That was what he was doing, trying to live a little.
It shocked him Joe didn’t walk away after trading words, insults really.
Another Alpha would have resorted to using his fists or claws by now to teach a submissive Omega his rightful place.
Not Joe.
That was the sole reason why West agreed to go on this ridiculous date.
Who was West kidding?
He’d been attracted to Joe the moment the injured wolf first walk into his shop and started bleeding over his carpet.
There was a knock on the bathroom door. West jumped, but it was only Harper.
“Your date’s here,” Harper said, smiling.
“What’s that smile on your face? I’m just doing this for the free meal.”
Harper laughed. “West, you were always a horrible liar. Come on. He’s nice, attractive and funny. What could go wrong?”
“No matter how he first appears, Joe is still an Alpha,” West reminded him.
“Don’t blow him off. Take a chance at love. Besides, don’t you deserve to be happy too?” Harper always knew how to hit all his weak spots. The other Omega wasn’t done. Harper continued,“All you’ve been doing these past few months is work. You need a breather too, West.”
“I’ll do my best, okay?” West finally said to shut Harper up.
The other Omega meant well, but when it came to the whole dating game, West was leery.
If he was a normal human, it would have been easy, but he wasn’t. Joe wasn’t his prince charming. The Alpha had his secrets and West wanted to know what he was getting into.
West needed to keep a clear head tonight, except that was going to be harder than he expected. The moment he walked out of the shop and saw Joe standing by his beat-up car, his heart raced a little faster.
The Omega wolf in him woke, interested and curious.
Joe lifted his hand for a wave. That arrogant grin was back on Joe’s face. Scratch that—his very tempting mouth. West wondered how it would feel, having Joe’s lips pressed against his. He shook his head.
This was the real danger. Joe had a way of making him forget why he didn’t want a mate in the first place.
“Your pumpkin carriage awaits,” Joe said, opening the car door.
West couldn’t help himself. A laugh slipped out. Fuck, but Joe was charming. He slipped in. Joe got in the driver’s seat.
“Where are you taking me?” West asked.
“It’s a surprise.”
“Seriously?” West asked, skeptical.
“Don’t worry. I don’t plan on taking you to somewhere strange and keeping you as my sex slave in my secret dungeon.”
“I know you won’t,” West answered, offended.
“Hey, it was a joke. Relax, West. You’re so tense. If you’d let me, I’d give you a message. I’m good at giving them.”
“To who, to your lovers?” West asked.
“Do I detect a note of jealousy in your voice, Omega?”
“No way.”
The Alpha didn’t need to sound so pleased about West being jealous. Damn. This guy was seriously bad news.
West could call it off, but Harper’s words haunted him. West did deserve to have a good time. He simply couldn’t back off now, simply because he was terrified. Scared of the heat that would eventually ignite between Joe and he.
For all his bullshit about things never working between Joe and him, West knew his wolf wanted Joe as badly as the Alpha wanted him.
Lust was one thing, but this was something else.
Once Joe put those sinful lips on him, those rough but gentle hands on his body, West knew it wouldn’t be long before Joe owned his body.
Once Joe accomplished that, his heart wouldn’t be far.
West knew, because personal experience taught him he had a weakness for bad boys.
To be fair, Joe had been a gentleman all this while. Underneath that sweet guy person though, Joe was still an Alpha who liked things rough in the bedroom. Under the right man, West would love to submit—that meant opening up his heart again.
Never again. He repeated those words over again each time he dated a new guy. In the end, all those shifters saw him as nothing more than an Omega only useful for breeding. An object.
He didn’t know where Joe was taking him. They passed by the main streets that housed most of the town’s restaurants. West nearly expected Joe to take him to a familiar tourist trap, surprised when Joe pulled into the lot of Mel’s Grill and Bar.
Mel’s was a local favorite—a place tourists generally didn’t know about.
“You had help,” West pointed out as Joe parked the car.
“Guilty as charged, courtesy of Mrs. Berry from the MapleLeaf.”
West blinked. “That old witch?”
Mrs. Berry was one of the oldest residents in the town. When West meant old, he meant centuries. On most days, Mrs. Berry was nice, like everyone’s favorite kind grandmother. When someone provoked the old immortal, she was downright terrifying. Even the Alpha of West’s former pack feared her.
“Yup. She wished me luck and all. I think she likes me, so you better make your move soon.” Joe gave him a wink before getting out of the car.
West tailed after Joe, stunned. So the Alpha could charm Mrs. Berry too.
It seemed Mrs. Berry told Joe to make a reservation too, because the waitress led them to a private booth in the back. The view faced the car park. They settled down.
“What will it be, gentlemen?” the waitress asked.
“What’s good here?” Joe directed the question to West, looking at the plastic menu.
“Are you allergic to anything?”
Joe chuckled. “Hah. No. That’Don’t tell me you’re a vegan werewolf or something like that.”
“What if I am?” West challenged.
“Then I’ve screwed up. We can go someplace else.” Joe closed the menu.
“I was joking,” West said quickly.
Joe beamed. “So you know how to make jokes too.”
West pretended to study his menu with scrutiny. “The honey-baked ribs here are amazing, the steaks are great too.”
“We can share,” Joe suggested.
“Only couples who’ve been together for quite some kind share,” West pointed out.
Joe pretended to look hurt.
“Fine,” West snapped.
Eating ribs was messy work. Damn.
Joe didn’t seem to care though. The big Alpha devoured everything in sight and ordered seconds. West marveled at Joe’s appetite.
“How do you not get fat?” West asked, envious.
“I work out. Breaking bones is tiring work.”
The last point didn’t sound like a joke.
“I know who you are,” West finally said softly. “I took a peek at your license back at the clinic. Sorry.”
Joe put his knife and fork down. Suddenly, the Alpha looked more intense, serious.
Now, West preferred Joe’s light and teasing side.