Page 30 of Two For the Show
I am glad I still have some suppressants in my system, even though I didn’t take one today. Otherwise, my scent would be noticeably spiking, because I can feel the slick that gathers between my thighs at the memory. I can’t get the sight of him stroking his cock out of my mind.
Dario coughs, startling me out of my naughty daydreams. Does he know what I was thinking about?
If he does, he doesn’t let on, looking at me with a smile so massive that it takes up most of his face. When he turns his head to grab his beer, I notice he’s got hollow black plugs in his ears.
“Did that hurt?” I ask, pointing at them.
“Uh, I guess? I mean, I did it gradually enough that it wasn’t too bad. More uncomfortable than anything.” He pops the plug out and pulls at the empty lobe. “I’ve been this size for ages, though.”
“Any particular reason for it?” I push my plate away, stuffed so full of tacos and sopapillas that I feel like I need to unbutton my pants.
Dario shrugs as he slides the plug back in. “I thought they looked cool, and I felt it was less self-destructive than cigarettes, which admittedly also looked really cool.”
I can’t hold back my laughter. “Finally, someone else says it! I know there were all those ads about how smoking isn’t cool, but there is a reason why the hot bad boys in the old movies smoked. It does look cool!”
His exaggerated gasp has me giggling. “Only I can say that! You can’t say that! You’re a doctor!” He balls up a napkin and tosses it at me. “I should get your medical license taken away.”
I take a sip of my water before propping my chin on my hand. “The illness and disease they cause? Literally the opposite of cool. The smell? Awful. And they’re so addictive. But that doesn’t change the fact that someone with plush lips pulling one away slowly is like peak coolness. Especially in a black and white movie.”
“Nope, don’t try to backtrack now.” He stands up, holding one arm wide while using his beer bottle like a microphone. “You heard that right, everyone, Dr. Alex Shields is on record saying she thinks smoking is cool!”
I jump to my feet, snatching the bottle from him. “The gentleman is misrepresenting the situation!” I say to the imaginary crowd. “Cigarettes? Gross. Never touch them. They’re the worst. But the way someone drags one from their lips as they look at you from across the room?” I fan myself. “Hot.”
Dario takes the beer from me and crosses the room, propping himself up on the wall. He pulls the bottle to his mouth and takes a slow pull of it, tongue darting out to lick his lips as he pulls it away.
“See?” I say softly, my heart pounding in my chest. “Hot.”
The Alpha’s smile transforms into something almostpredatory as he stalks toward me. I back up as he approaches, my thighs eventually hitting the table. He leans around me and places the beer bottle down behind me, and then cages me in with his arms.
He’s so close, that I can see the dark stubble that barely ghosts on his cheeks, and that his nose has a little bump in the middle of it.
“It’s not the smoking you find attractive. It’s the act of someone drawing attention to their lips.” His voice is husky, and I shiver at the tone. “And it doesn’t hurt if you’re attracted to the person.”
It’s an effort to keep my voice steady, to keep my hands to myself. “You think I’m attracted to you?”
“Mmm, I do.” He leans forward, brushing his cheek against mine. “And it’s definitely not one-sided. You are fucking gorgeous. It’s killing me to keep my hands off of you.” I blush and try to duck my eyes, but he snags me by the chin. “Don’t do that, Alex. Don’t hide from me.”
“Okay,” I say on an exhale.
A moment of pure vulnerability flashes across Dario’s face before he takes a half step back. “This is too fast, right?”
I blink several times, having to reorient myself now that he’s a little farther away. I can tell the suppressants are starting to work their way out of my system because I can pick up more nuances of his scent, like how the candied apple has soured a little.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m not the intense one. That’s Dexter. I’m supposed to be the light, funny one. The one that gradually eases you into this dynamic. I don’t want to mess this up, Alex. I don’t want to scare you away or make you think I’m not in this for real and that I only want you physically.”
“I would never think that.” I reach for him, cupping his cheek with my palm.
“But we don’t know each other that well,” he says forlornly. “And all I can think about is kissing you, feeling your body pressed against mine. What does that say about me?”
I can’t smother the chuckle that bubbles up in me. “It says you’re an Alpha who is around his scent matched Omega. We are biologically programmed to be drawn to each other.”
“Then why does it feel like you’re not having the same reaction to me?”
For a moment, I can see the scared kid, who just needed some love and attention after a traumatic event. His desire to be wanted, the longing to have a place that felt like home.
The one who has always put someone else’s needs in front of his own.
