by Aiden Bates
Sitting at that table in Sabrina’s shop in Marcellus didn’t exactly banish those thoughts. Not entirely. It did push them to the back of his mind. Cody barely noticed the food. Everything was overtone by Austin’s warm, inviting presence. They talked over the risotto, and they talked over the second course of venison medallions and squash. They talked over dessert.
How was it possible that such a beautiful, smart, industrious man had been left single for so long?
Oh. Right. The memory washed over Cody like a bucket of cold water. Austin was single because he didn’t see any benefit to him, or to any other omega, in getting claimed by an alpha.
Cody hadn’t given serious thought to claiming an omega since Mark had left him. He’d been on the road too much when he’d been younger, and then he just hadn’t. Now he both regretted and praised that in himself.
Sabrina served them dessert, and Austin praised her cooking to the skies. “I host wine tastings about once a month,” he explained. “I’ve always done them as just wine-and-cheese things, but I think it could be kind of fun to do at least some of them with some hors d’oeuvres stations. They wouldn’t need much on your part, just a few tidbits and someone to clean them up afterward. It could be good advertising for you and of course you’d also be getting paid. Does that sound like something you’d be interested in doing?”
Sabrina was more than interested in an arrangement like that. Of course she was, and it wouldn’t interfere with any weddings she did since almost no one had a big wedding reception on a Wednesday night. She agreed to send her rates over, and both men helped load her dishwasher, and then it was time to head out.
Cody wasn’t ready for the evening to end. He knew that he shouldn’t do anything, but he also knew that he was going to do it anyway. He should have known it when he got into the car to come out to Marcellus, knowing that they were going to meet up. “Hey, listen, I’m not quite ready to pack it in yet. There’s a little chain bar up in Camillus. It’s nothing fancy. I mean it’s a chain, for crying out loud. But I don’t know, you maybe want to head up there and grab a couple of beers? Just as a friendly thing, of course.”
“Of course.” Austin snorted, which Cody didn’t understand. “You know what? Let’s do it. I don’t get out of the shop on Saturdays very often. Might as well do something with it, right?”
They headed up to Camillus and hit the bar that Cody had in mind. It was a good time to hit it. The place wasn’t too crowded; they were able to get seats at a small, high table pretty easily. At the same time, there were plenty of people, and there was no danger of it becoming too intimate a meeting, nothing like a date.
A waitress came by to get their drink orders, and they settled in. “Veteran’s Day is coming up. Are you open?” Cody asked him, trying to get the conversation going again.
“I’m actually closed on Veteran’s Day.” Austin gave a self-deprecating little smile and toyed with his coaster. “Jamie served in Vietnam, and I like to give him the day off. I can’t handle the shop by myself on a day that most folks have off work, though, so I need to close. I’ll still be answering emails and the like, but the retail side will be closed. I assume you’ll be open.”
Cody sighed and rolled his neck. “Yeah, a lot of my clients, or my potential clients, have the day off. I’ve got six interviews and two client meetings lined up that day.” He shook his head. “Fun times. One of those meetings is with a mother-in-law from hell. I’m telling you, some of these people, they make changes and kick up a stink about little things just for attention, or because they’re being passive aggressive and they don’t want their kid to marry the other one. It’s bizarre. They love their kid; they should respect that kid’s choice.”
Austin shrugged. “Sometimes. Sometimes they see something in the partner that the kid doesn’t, like abusive tendencies or something. I have a friend, she lives down in Nedrow, and her mother hated her husband. Turned out that she suspected that the husband would turn out to be abusive. I don’t know if the husband ever hit her, she never said, but he was such a control freak that he actually picked her outfits out for her every day. She finally dumped him and moved back here.” He smiled at the waitress, who brought their beers back. “I know the mother too, and I can definitely see her being passive aggressive about it.”
“That’s a good point, I guess.” Cody grimaced. He didn’t want to think about any of his clients, or their partners, getting abusive. The thought made him feel dirty, like he was somehow responsible. Which was ridiculous; they’d get married with or without him. “Listen, have you thought about bringing on another employee maybe? They don’t even have to be full time, but they could be there part time. It would free you up a little bit, let you have more of a social life.”
Austin smirked at him. “Aw, shucks, Cody. You do care after all.” He batted his eyelashes and folded his hands on the side of his face, like a lovesick teen.
Cody’s face got hot. “That’s not what I—I mean—”
Austin threw his head back and laughed. “I know. Your virtue is very safe with me, Cody. You’ve made your feelings, or lack thereof, perfectly clear. And like you heard me telling my charming brother, I’m not interested in hitching myself to any alphas over the long term. It’s just so much fun to see you turn that shade of red, I could hardly resist. I mean look at you, Cody.”
Cody glared, but there wasn’t any heat in it. “Damn it.”
Austin leaned back and clapped his hands, still laughing. “See? That right there, that’s what I meant.”
“You can’t really mean that, though.” Cody shook his head. “I mean yeah, you ran, but now your brother’s here and in your face again. I mean he’s your brother, right? How long can you hold out against him?” He sipped from his beer, hoping that it hid any non-neutral expression on his face.
Austin’s body went perfectly still, and his vulpine hazel eyes went flat. “Until the end of time, if need be. Why would I ever give up the shop after I’d put so much money into it? That don’t make a lick of sense. The shop, my house—which is decorated the way I like, not the way Kirby Freaking Lloyd likes, thank you very much—and the town? No way. Nothing doing.”
Cody frowned. “Okay, but is that what they really want from you? You’re right, it wouldn’t make any sense. The wine shop is doing amazingly well. You’d be a fool to walk away from that.”
“They think I’m just ‘bad at math.’” Austin straightened his back. “And yeah. Any alpha would want that.”
“What if you found one that didn’t?” Cody wasn’t sure why he was pressing the issue. It was probably that same instinct that drove him, in childhood, to probe at loose teeth. “What if you found an alpha who wanted to have a claim with you, but who loved you the way you are? Like, independent and everything.”
“Then I’d truly have gone through the looking glass, wouldn’t I?” Austin laughed. “Tell me, Cody, where would I find such a unicorn? I’ve dated alphas, if you can call it that, who said exactly that. Next thing you know they want a claim, they want babies, they want you at home with babies and in the kitchen and everything, and they raise holy hell when you tell them to go to hell. ‘Oh, I’ve put how many months into this and now you owe me!’” He snorted and shook his head. “I’ll pass, thank you.”
“Ouch. You’ve never met an alpha you’d let claim you?”
Austin opened his mouth, and then he closed it again. He narrowed his eyes until they were only little slits in his beautiful face. “Why do you care? We have a business arrangement. We’re friendly. Why do my feelings toward claiming and babies affect you at all?”
Cody chuckled and looked down at his beer. “That’s a good question. I have no idea. I wonder if it’s just because what you’re telling me goes against everything I’ve ever been told about omegas. Or maybe it’s just because I feel like you’ve only ever met lousy alphas and I feel like you’re judging us all on that.”
Austin grinned and sipped from his beer. “Yeah, maybe. There might
be an alpha out there who doesn’t want what every other alpha I’ve met has wanted, but you get to a point in your life when you eventually ask yourself, ‘Do I keep looking, and what do I get if I do?’ Have you ever met an alpha who doesn’t want kids?”
“Well, no.” Cody frowned.
Austin smacked the table once, like Cody had just made his point for him. “There you go then. I’m happy with my life, Cody. I like it. I’m a happy guy. I’m not a hermit. I’m not even celibate. I just don’t want the nasty stuff that goes along with a claim. That’s all.” He spread his hands out wide on the table. “So. Weddings. Who gets married in the middle of the winter up here, anyway?”
Cody laughed at that. He didn’t mind the change of subject. Austin’s points had been hitting a little too close to home. “I will admit that this isn’t my busiest time of year. Well, that’s not exactly true. A wedding is a project that can stretch out for eighteen months, depending on the families. I’m in meetings all the time, even if we’re not doing the real nitty-gritty unpleasant stuff until the weather gets better.”
They finished their beers. Cody wanted to get another round. He wanted the night to keep going, to never end, but he knew that he couldn’t do that. It was bad enough that he’d let himself ask all of those awkward questions of Austin. They paid their check instead and headed out to the parking lot.
“I had a good time tonight, Cody.” Austin gave him a little smile. “Like I said, Saturdays are days when I don’t get out much. Thanks for helping me to make the most of it.”
Austin turned towards him, sticking out a hand to shake, as if he was going to say goodnight. Cody took it, shaking firmly, fully intending to let go. But out in the biting chill of a Syracuse winter Austin’s sun-warmed grape scent was overpowering. Cody needed that warmth, that heat. His instincts took over. He pulled Austin toward him. He grabbed Austin’s face, cradling it in his hands, and brought it down to meet his own. Without thinking about it, without pausing to let his brain point out all of the different reasons why it was a terrible idea, he touched his lips to Austin’s.
Austin had been surprised by the gesture. Cody had no doubts about that. Once his brain had caught up with events, though, he didn’t struggle or even resist. No, he put those delicate hands of his right onto Cody’s hips and threw himself into the kiss. He opened his mouth readily, sucking on Cody’s bottom lip while Cody stroked his tan cheek with his thumb.
Austin tasted like beer, of course, hops and barley and malt combining with the aftertaste of Sabrina’s magnificent cooking and a delightful note underneath it all that Cory couldn’t quite identify. He pulled back just a little, wanting to breathe in that delicious scent all by itself.
Austin carded his long, slender fingers through Cody’s hair. “That was unexpected,” he said in an oddly soft voice. “Pleasant, don’t get me wrong. Just unexpected.”
His words pulled Cody out of his lust and hormone-fueled haze. “Oh my god.” He clapped his hands over his mouth. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”
Austin’s hazel eyes tightened at the corners. “Of course not. Anyway, y’all have a good night.” He got into his car, some kind of sedan, and headed out. Cody thought he heard the wheels squeak on his way out to the road.
Cody slid behind the wheel of his Jeep. He turned the car on, but he didn’t put it into gear. He didn’t even put his seat belt on. What had he been thinking?
He knew the answer already. He hadn’t been thinking. He’d just reacted. That scent, that face, that body, that smile; they’d all pulled him in and switched off his higher brain functions. He’d done something incredibly stupid, and now he was going to have to pay the price.
He wondered what that price was going to be. There was only one way to figure out the answer, and that was time.
He put the car into gear and headed east, back toward Syracuse.
Chapter Four – Contents
Austin woke up when his alarm went off, and he stared at the ceiling for a little while. He’d tried not to think about the kiss when he got home last night. He’d tried not to think about much of anything. He’d sat up late watching HGTV from his empty king-sized bed and focused, very hard, on the renovations of beachfront properties in places he’d never get to visit.
That morning, though, he found he couldn’t focus on anything but the kiss. Maybe if he let himself think about it, let himself feel his feels or whatever, he’d get it all out of his system and find a way to go on with his day. It had only been a kiss, for crying out loud. It shouldn’t have been that much of a big deal.
Oh my God. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. Would the kiss have hit him that hard if Cody hadn’t added in those words at the end? Would he still be lying here feeling like his ribs were bruised if Cody hadn’t said anything?
Up until Cody had uttered those words, and clamped his hands over his mouth like Austin had given him some kind of omega plague, it had been an incredible kiss. Austin had never been kissed quite like that. All he could do, all he’d wanted to do, was to open up to the Manhattanite and let him take what he wanted. If it was a kiss, Austin would give him the best kiss of his life. If Cody had asked for more, Austin/. would have yielded it all.
All except a claim, of course.
Maybe that was the reason for Cody’s weirdness. Austin knew that Cody wasn’t sold on Austin not being willing to endure a claim. Maybe he was afraid that Austin would try to trick him or trap him into a permanent tie. The thought was absurd, of course, but alphas got a lot of weird ideas when it came to mating and the like.
Austin couldn’t do anything to change what had happened. Cody had initiated the encounter. He’d just reached out and grabbed. Sure, Austin could have fought him, but he refused to feel bad about not having done so. Cody was hot, they hadn’t done anything but kiss, and the act of grabbing Austin and forcing a kiss onto him meant consent as far as Austin was concerned. They were both sober.
All that Austin could really do was to throw his hands up and prove his detachment. Cody didn’t want any omegas to get attached to him, and Austin didn’t want to be attached, so it should work out.
Of course, not wanting to be attached and not being attached were two very different things. Austin had gotten a taste, a very small taste, of the pleasure that Cody could provide. He wanted more. He wanted to feel that talented tongue in so many more ways than just licking its way into his mouth.
He grabbed some coffee and headed in to the shop. Jamie was already there, and Austin didn’t insult him by counting last night’s till in front of him.
Sunday was a short day. The store closed at five, and both Austin and Jamie had plenty of customers to deal with to get them through the long hours. Austin didn’t have time to think about Cody’s kiss or the aftermath. In the lulls between customers he had to look over Sabrina’s price list and try to iron out dates for the next wine tasting with her. By the time closing time rolled around Austin was exhausted, as was Jamie, but Austin didn’t feel up to going home just yet. He decided to treat Jamie to dinner at one of the restaurants in town, just because he didn’t want to be alone with his thoughts yet.
Monday was a solo day at the shop, and of course that was the day that Adrian and Kirby chose to stop by for another fun confrontation. “Don’t you guys have important investment banking jobs to get back to?” Austin asked them, barely even looking up from his laptop. He’d just gotten a new request and menu from Blue Bells—not even from Cody, just something generic from Blue Bells with nothing personal about it any way. Subtle, Cody. Very subtle. Because you didn’t convey enough information when you said “I didn’t mean to do that.”
“We’ve been working remotely.” Adrian waved a hand. “It’s not easy, and I’m pretty sure that it’s costing us both money, but we’re not leaving until we get what we came here for.”
“I think you’re going to have to be content with one of our lovely parting gifts, Adrian. A lovely Priorat and maybe a Christmas card on an an
nual basis, what do you say?” Austin glanced back at the screen and typed out a brief, formal acceptance of the order. He’d pull the bottles later, after he’d chased the two alphas out of the store and locked up behind them.
“Quit screwing around, Austin. You’ve dragged it out for long enough and now you’re costing us both real money and possibly hurting our careers. Are you really that selfish?” Adrian leaned up against the counter, but pulled back. “Is that a wine stain?”
“A lady wanted to try a bottle of one of the reds. Some spilled during the pour.” Austin made no move toward the spot.
“Oh my god. You were going to let your own brother put his arm in a wine stain.” Adrian’s lip curled. “How much of a monster are you?”
“You want to hand me over to someone you know I don’t want, so he can force himself on me and rape me, and you call me a monster?” Adrian raised his eyebrow.
Kirby paled. “Did you just call me a rapist?”
“I don’t know, Kirby. Are you planning to force yourself on me, knowing that I’m not willing to have sex with you?” Austin looked up at the ceiling. “That’s a pretty textbook definition. Call a lawyer. Look it up.”
“Oh for Christ’s sake, Austin, it doesn’t count. He’s your alpha, he has the right to touch you.” Adrian stared at the spot of wine out the counter.
“He’s not my alpha. I’ve rejected him. Over and over. I still reject him. Am I not speaking English? The answer is no. The answer is going to continue to be no. And if he overpowers me and forces me, I’ll kill him. How’s that for no?” Austin grabbed at his cell phone. “I don’t know how to be any clearer here, guys. I’d have been happy to have a reunion with my brother. I’d have loved to have met my niece and nephew at some point. But all of this? I’m ready to take out an order of protection here.”