Page 71 of Rocked By the Alpha
“Against everything, I guess. I’d just found out I was an Omega and my body started doing all this weird shit I couldn’t control and I just went a bit crazy there for a few years. Somehow it landed me in a band with Nat and Tanya.”
“I’m going to need more details about this story. I want to hear about all the crazy stuff.” He squeezes her ass.
“Another time.”
“Threesome?”
She shrugs.
“Slept with a girl?”
She shrugs again.
“Public sex?”
“I seem to remember we did that the other night.”
“Sounds like you were just your average teenager. We all do wild shit at that age.”
She snorts. “My brother didn’t. I am the huge disappointment. He is the golden boy who can do no wrong.”
“Sounds like this dinner is going to be real fun,” he mutters.
“I never promised it would be fun.” She sighs. “We show up, I do my daughterly duty, and we get the hell out of there.”
“Whatever you want.”
* * *
Should he have worn a tie? As he walks into the private room of the restaurant and looks around, he thinks he probably should have. But fuck it, he hasn’t worn a tie since high school. He isn’t even going to wear one to Ash and Layla’s wedding.
But he’s definitely going to stand out in this company. He understands now why Ruby’s opted for a long sleeved top and a respectively lengthed skirt, keeping her tattoos covered and not revealing too much skin. Whereas here he is in his open shirt with his sleeves rolled up showing several of his inks.
It’s not unusual for people to stop and stare at him when he walks into a room — that’s been happening for years — but he isn’t used to the looks he gets this evening. No, this isn’t the usual looks of adoration or surprise. These looks are ones of curiosity at best, disapproval at worst. Something else he’s not experienced since high school.
A tall slim woman, immaculately dressed with her hair blow-dried around her long face, weaves herself through the people standing around with champagne glasses in their hands and approaches them.
“You’re late,” she hisses to Ruby as she bends down to kiss the air by her cheek.
“That’s my fault, Mrs Bloom. I’m sorry.”
She straightens and her eyes flick over him rapidly as she holds out her hand. “You must be Ruby’s new friend?”
“This is West, Mom,” Ruby says as he takes the older woman’s hand and shakes it, her large diamond ring cutting into his thumb.
“Your father’s been waiting for you. He wants to make a toast before dinner.”
She hurries them into the small group of other guests, pointing at two waiting flutes of bubbly. He scoops them up, handing one to Ruby and taking a big swig from the other. He suspects he’s going to need a few drinks in him tonight. He feels more nervous than he would care to admit. It’s just two people, hardly a sell-out crowd at Madison Square Gardens. Yet, he wants to make a good impression. Doesn’t he always when it comes to this Omega?
Ruby’s mom collects her own glass and dinks a knife against the rim, the ringing sound silencing the others in the room. An older man with clipped grey hair and expensive glasses coughs loudly, his gaze landing on Ruby. Her dad.
“Now my daughter has finally arrived, we can start the celebrations.”
West glances at his watch. They’re only 15 minutes late. Ruby shuffles on her feet beside him and he rests his hand on the small of her back.
Mr Bloom begins a long speech. It’s witty and intelligent but far too long and while it appears to delight his wife, who smiles and blushes obligingly at his words, West’s feet ache and he’s already finished his glass of alcohol.
He wiggles his toes in his boots and rolls his neck, then allows his gaze to swim around the room as his right hand traces circles above the Omega’s ass. She reaches up and removes his hand letting it fall between them, not taking her eyes off her dad.
