by Bonnar King
So, what was he doing wasting his life away on that old library?
There was no mention of any serious boyfriend, and even his extracurricular activities were all connected to the library. That should have made him boring, but I couldn’t forget the passion that sparked in his eyes when he fought for what he believed was right.
I knew, I just knew, that I wanted to see that same spark of passion when I started seducing him…and undressing him.
And I couldn’t wait for it.
Robin called me on the sixth day, just when I thought it was a lost cause. My reaction flipped between being irritated and being impressed, and impressed won out in the end.
“I didn’t think you’d last that long,” I admitted.
At first, he was quiet on the other line. Then he spoke. “Mr. Chambers…”
“Nick,” I reminded him.
More silence. Finally, he sighed, like he couldn’t believe he was doing this. I found it thoroughly amusing and sat back more comfortably on my chair as I waited for what he had to say.
“Nick, I have given your invitation for a date much consideration and have thought over the pros and the cons.”
I waited for the punch line in this joke, but realized that he was serious. My amusement increased as I realized how much fun it was going to be to rile him up and get him to loosen up. But of course, that depended on his answer.
“And what have you decided?” I asked.
He was silent again, and the tension I felt on the line made me think he was holding something back.
Finally, he said in a steady tone, “I’ll go out with you.”
Bingo.
That was the answer I wanted.
I smirked, trying to imagine his face and body again. It wasn’t hard, and I found my own body reacting accordingly to the image my mind procured. By God, he made me hard even when he wasn’t around.
I had to satisfy this lust as soon as I could. With him.
“You’ve made the right decision,” I assured Robin.
“Nick?”
“Yes?”
“This will be a one-time thing,” he warned, his voice cool now.
We’ll see about that.
“Hmm,” I replied instead.
“And I want to keep things strictly professional.”
Not on your life.
“Hmm,” I replied again.
“Nick…”
Unbidden, a chuckle came out of my throat. “Right. I’ll pick you up Friday after your work, Mr. Olsen.” I said the last part deliberately.
“Robin,” he replied reluctantly.
Oh, this was too much fun.
I wanted to keep him on the phone and keep listening to that cool yet smoky voice, but it was obvious he didn’t want to stay around. I cut it short and said my goodbye, knowing I’d already won this round. I still had enough time to charm his pants off on Friday, and not one omega had ever resisted me before.
I doubted he’d be the first omega to so.
A smile appeared on my lips as I read up on his file again, trying to absorb whatever information I could about him. The basics were all there, like his age and his general education, but that wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to know what his hopes, dreams, passions, hell, even what his secret fantasies were.
I wanted to know, other than hatred for my business plans, what else would make his eyes flare up so passionately.
I wanted to know where exactly I could put my mouth to make him moan out my name. Loud.
And I was going to find all that out this Friday.
5
Robin
I hadn’t been kidding when I told Nicholas that I’d given his invitation much thought and consideration. It had been all I could think about for the past few days, distracting me from work and putting my fundraising plans at a standstill. This got me annoyed enough that I ended up listing down the pros and cons of going out on a date with him.
Cons: he was an arrogant, bossy player who was used to getting what he wanted, and this date with me was probably just some ploy to soften me up and remove me from being an obstacle in his is plans. It would be pointless—and quite dangerous, because I didn’t have any experience with alphas like him. At all.
Pro: there was the sliver of a chance that I could manage to convince him to reconsider.
In the end I went for the pro, and before I knew it, I was calling him to confirm. Nicholas’ deep voice on the phone was enough to get the stirrings in my stomach back, and it made me suddenly nervous. But I pushed on and didn’t let him know, and I was pretty sure I held my own there.
God. Could I hold my own on an actual date?
“You’re looking very dressed up today,” Charles observed, eyeing me from head to toe.
I felt my cheeks going hot, and ended up pretending to be busy. I had worn a sweater over my suit in the hope that no one would notice. But Charles was suddenly in my face, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
“Don’t tell me you’ve got a hot date,” he whispered, looking so excited and scandalized. “Tell me all about it.”
“It’s not a date,” I protested softly, not wanting the others to hear. “It’s just dinner.”
“Oh, sweetie,” he cooed. “That’s totally a date. Well, good for you. Go have some fun. I know how stressed you were with your encounter with Mr. Chambers, so you totally deserve to have a good time. And you can tell me all the dirty details later.” He winked.
I blushed again. Then things got busy as our study group for that Friday came in, and I was relieved that we never got to discuss the topic again. No one knew about my date with Nicholas, and I intended to keep it that way.
Before I knew it, it was five in the afternoon and I was clocking out. I waited at the steps at the back of the library, where I said I’d meet him. While I waited, I checked my outfit again, wondering if it was appropriate enough. I wore my fanciest outfit to date—a blue suit that was tight in all the right places and brought out the color of my eyes. Still, as the car pulled up in front of me, I couldn’t help but feel nervous all over again.
It wasn’t just any car. It was a freaking limousine.
Eyes widening, I eased in and found that Nicholas wasn’t there. The driver said he had an emergency meeting and that we would just meet up at the restaurant, and for some reason that made me sigh in relief. I guess I needed time to prepare myself. There was a bottle of champagne and a box of Swiss chocolates for me inside the vehicle, but I refrained myself from eating.
Half an hour later, we were already in the city and the driver pulled up in front of a very tall building. I wasn’t surprised when I got out and saw the name at the front: Chambers Luxuries. Was this where he stayed here? Was he taking me to his room?
My questions were answered when the driver ushered me to the main receptionist, and a concierge took me to the elevator and pressed the button for the top-most floor. I automatically assumed I’d be taken to the penthouse suite, and I already had a speech prepared to roast Nicholas for being so forward on the first date.
But I wasn’t taken to a penthouse suite. Instead, I was taken to the rooftop, where there was a table surrounded by candles and an elaborate plate and chair setup.
Beside one of the chairs was Nicholas, looking so handsome in a charcoal gray suit shirt and black pants that fit him to a tee. I held my breath as I looked him over, still not over the dangerous, alpha aura he oozed. He had a rose in his hand, and those gray eyes were focused on me as I approached him.
“Hi,” I said, clearing my throat. He gave me the rose, which I realized was blue—the same blue as my eyes. Amazed, I stared at him. “This is beautiful.”
He smirked. He didn’t say anything, merely directed me to a chair where I was to sit down. A waiter came and poured some red wine on a glass for each of us, and Nicholas then said that the food would be brought to us in no time. Then he was quiet again, his eyes lazily drifting down from my head to my foot. He had such an appreciative look about him that I could
n’t help getting nervous again.
“Stop fidgeting,” he admonished lightly. “You’re absolutely stunning.”
My fingers froze on my suit. My eyes shot up. His gaze was frozen on my fingers, and something that was almost like heat flared in his gaze that it took my breath away.
Before I could analyze it further, the waiter arrived again. I watched in awe as food decorated so wonderfully was placed in front of me, the savory smell permeating the air. My mouth watered, and before I knew it, we were digging in.
Perhaps that was the icebreaker we needed. We got to talking as we ate, with me asking questions about the menu and the place, and Nicholas answering as best as he could. It surprised me a lot that the alpha was well-read, and it challenged me enough to bring up obscure authors and books and being amazed at the fact that Nicholas knew most of them. Fine, so he really wasn’t dumb. My thoughts drifted and regrouped as I tried to think how I was going to bring up the library.
But he was the one who brought it up first—or rather, he brought up a topic related to it.
“Why are you a librarian?” he asked.
I blinked at the question. Not many people asked me that, especially in my hometown where people knew me since I was a kid and already knew I had a huge passion for books. I gathered my thoughts.
“I enjoy doing it,” I said. “I get to read books, I get to teach people who want to learn, and I get to help out the community in finding what books trigger their passion in life.”
“So, it’s your biggest dream in life?”
“My biggest dream would be to have a bookstore of my own. Something small, and people don’t have to pay for the books they want. They can exchange for it instead.”
A coffee shop beside the bookstore would be nice, too. I smiled as I remembered myself bringing coffee to my co-workers and how much they loved it. Then the smile disappeared when I realized that in two months’ time, we would no longer be working together.
I turned to look at Nicholas, who was still watching me intensely.
“Nick, what’s your biggest dream?”
He seemed to contemplate it. Then he shrugged. “I used to dream about owning a building and creating more buildings where people could live comfortably. I lived in a trailer park when I was a kid, then the back alley of restaurant when I was a teenager. Foster homes after that. I wanted to live in luxury. I made it happen.”
It surprised me that he would be so honest about where he came from, when so many would have been ashamed of it. This was probably why apart from the luxury homes, Nick ran a couple of free homes for street children across the states—it all made sense now. A sense of admiration fluttered inside me that he would make it this far and not forget his roots.
Dessert came and went, a sinfully delectable chocolate cake that melted my senses. I found myself enjoying the alpha and my time with him, realizing we liked some of the same things and were complete opposites in others. He wasn’t as cold as I initially thought, and it gave me hope.
Night fell, and he took me to the edge of the rooftop. The city lights and the stars above were amazing from where we were standing, and I found that I could live in this exact spot forever.
Nicholas further surprised me when he took me back to the limousine instead of to wherever he lived in this building. But then again, maybe he was just not interested in me that way, and the heat I saw in his eyes earlier was just me imagining things.
I was pretty chatty in the car, thanks to the red wine. But I was very serious when I leaned forward and gave him an earnest look.
“The library is a very important place,” I said.
He nodded. “I figured that already.”
“Will you not destroy the library anymore?” I pleaded.
I waited in suspense as he looked at me pensively. Then, much to my dismay, he shook his head. “I’m sorry, Robin. I never usually say sorry, but here we go. That doesn’t mean I’m backing out of my business plan, though.”
I frowned. He smiled in amusement.
“You realize how you look when you do that?” he asked.
I shook my head—and then I froze when his thumb brushed my lower lip and eased me into a smile.
“That’s better,” he murmured.
Tingles erupted down my spine at the single touch, and my mind went into full alert at the realization that he was trying to charm me. I looked up—big mistake again, because his gaze pinned me in place, smoldering and handsome.
His head moved forward. I knew I should be moving away, but I couldn’t.
His lips brushed mine—gentle, soft, waiting.
It was like I was possessed as I opened my mouth for him. It was all the invitation he needed as he sank into the kiss. Gentle became sensual, and I found myself sliding in. Then he used his hand to pull me closer by the neck, used his tongue to taste me and cajole me.
I gave myself into the kiss, feeling it burn me from the inside out. He was skilled and thoughtful at the same time, allowing my tongue to experiment on its own before proceeding to suck on it with an intensity that had me throbbing between my legs. All thoughts flew out of my head, to be replaced by a blankness that was simmering in heat and coated with a passion that I’d never experienced before. I wanted to move closer, wanted his mouth and those big hands sliding all over my skin.
I wanted to touch him everywhere.
It was enough to alarm me. Within seconds I was pulling out of his arms, breathing so hard that my body trembled. Shock and tingles spread everywhere as I realized the limousine had already stopped in front of the library, and my shirt was already pulled up. Nicholas’ hair was also messed up from my hands, and his mouth was swollen.
Gray eyes pierced mine, the lust in them undeniable now.
I’d been wrong about his desire. He did want me.
I swallowed. Then I nodded my head, trying to regain my sanity. “I’m not done trying to convince you to give up on the library.”
Then I was escaping from the limousine and walking out of sight, trying to get my body to stop from shaking.
I had kissed before and had been kissed thoroughly, but never like that—and certainly never with an alpha who was about to eat me alive. It made something in me respond so fiercely. At the same time, it made something in me want to run far, far away. He was a walking temptation, and I couldn’t afford to be tempted. Not now.
But I couldn’t back out yet, not when the battle wasn’t over yet.
This was going to be complicated.
6
Nicholas
Robin reluctantly agreed to a second date, and I couldn’t have been more relieved—and more impatient than ever.
Perhaps it would have been fine had I gotten somewhere with him on that first date. Sure, there was a surprisingly great exchange of conversation between us, cementing the fact that he really was too smart for his own good. Then there was the way he appealed to the side of me that I didn’t know still existed, softening me just enough to be honest with him about where I came from. I was never this open with anyone, but something about Robin made me feel so at ease, and opening up to him felt completely natural.
Then there was the kiss that threatened to take away the control I had carefully weaved for years.
It didn’t go anywhere from that kiss, but it might as well have for how hard I’d gotten and how badly I wanted to screw his brains out, right there inside the limousine. My suspicion was correct: there was so much passion hidden beneath Robin’s formal, polite façade, and it only made him all the more enticing.
This time, I didn’t want to just stop at fine dining and a kiss. I wanted to take him somewhere special, and I knew just the place.
We set the date for a Saturday morning, and I asked him to bring an extra pair of clothes, including a swimming trunks. It amused me to no end how he protested over the phone before I finally told him we were going camping—or rather, my version of camping. I had my driver pick him up via limousine again, one that drove him straight to ano
ther one of my penthouses.
Robin’s eyes widened when he saw me standing beside a helicopter on the rooftop, and I could see nerves and excitement on his beautiful face. By the time we were up in the air, the nerves were gone as I watched him take in the sight below in awe.
The luxury resort we went to was owned by a friend of mine, a private place that I rented out for the day. There we set up a picnic basket, then changed into our swimwear and swam in the pool that overlooked the beach. It was fantastic and intimate at the same time.
And Robin’s body in a swimming trunks? It was more than fantastic. He owned a rather fitting black pair of swim trunks, and the way they hugged his tight bubble butt had my erection up for the rest of the day.
Again, the conversation flowed, with Robin bringing up the library from time to time and me distracting him as much as I could. He was initially stiff at first, just like on the first date, but soon he warmed up enough to open up to me about the things that made him excited other than books.
To my surprise, Robin admitted that he liked adventures, but was scared and wary of trying out new things at the risk of failing. I mentally noted it down for reference later, but for now, all I could do was stare at his mouth as it moved, and the sparkle in his eyes when he talked about something he liked.
And then I couldn’t help it anymore—I pulled him closer right there in the pool, consequences be damned. Then I backed him into the corner gently and kissed him passionately, trying to recapture the feeling of our first kiss.
It felt like coming home, something that staggered me. I had never felt this way about anyone over a mere kiss, and I couldn’t get enough. Robin tasted like the chocolates we had and minty toothpaste, and the combination was intoxicating. I reveled in the way he responded to my kisses easily, frozen at first but melting bit by bit until he was completely relaxed in my arms.