Page 32 of Into the Fire: Before

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?”

TheSpireLoungewasthe 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 thatthe 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.”

His observation took me aback—literally. I leaned back in my chair, looking down at my hands in my lap. My stomach churned.

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