by Arden Blair
“Because tonight Roscoe finally pushed me too far,” Toby said. There was no hesitation in his voice now. No shaking, no trembling either. “I broke and told him that I couldn’t date Justin because I was already dating someone else.”
Ryan lifted his glass to take a sip. “Solid plan. I hope it works out for you.”
“I’m glad you said that, because I need you to pick me up tomorrow night at seven.”
The rim of the glass froze against his lip. “Excuse me?”
“At first I told Uncle Roscoe you were meeting me at the restaurant, but that’s not going to fly, so I need you to pick me up at—”
“Oh, I heard you,” Ryan cut him off. “I just can’t believe it. Why would you lie and tell your great-uncle that we’re dating?”
“I fibbed and said we were going out on a date,” Toby rushed to clarify. “One. Singular. At Le Chevalier Blanc.” Toby said, as if those details made all the difference in the world. “It’s not really lying if you do it for a good cause, you know.”
Ryan shook his head even though he knew the omega couldn’t see it. “That’s not true. And it certainly doesn’t explain why you did it.”
“It wasn’t as if I wanted to,” Toby said. “I was hoping that I wouldn’t ever have to talk to you again.”
Ryan swallowed a laugh. “Well, if that’s the way you feel, then I’m surprised I was your first choice for fake boyfriend.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Toby said. “It’s just…I know I made an ass of myself at your house today. I’m painfully aware of how awkward I can be. I was hoping to avoid that kind of humiliation again. But here I am, only making it worse.”
“You’re fine,” Ryan said. “I’ve actually enjoyed the hell out of our conversations.”
It was surprising, but true.
“Does that mean you’ll do it?”
Ryan closed his eyes as he thought about it. On one hand, he hated going to town. Especially to the fancy places. The thought of white tablecloths and wine racks made him cringe.
But on the other hand, he’d get to spend the evening with Toby. Somehow the little omega was a thousand times more entertaining than anyone else he’d ever met. He was almost guaranteed to laugh his ass off, whether Toby intended to be funny or not.
“Fine,” Ryan said. “But you owe me.”
“Anything,” Toby said, far too quickly. It was obvious the omega couldn’t even imagine the types of favors Ryan liked to be repaid in.
“I take it I’m picking you up from the newspaper office,” Ryan said.
“Nope,” Toby replied. “Uncle Roscoe is stuck in a wheelchair while he recovers from his broken leg. That means he’s stuck at the house, and he wants you to come here.”
“He wants me to? Am I taking you out or your whole family?”
“He just wants to see that you’re real,” Toby answered. “I don’t think he believed me when I said that we were going out on a date.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I wonder why that might be.”
“I’m not a liar. Really.” The desperation was back in Toby’s voice. Ryan could tell it was very important to him that he believe the words he was saying. “I’ve never done anything like this. It’s just that my Uncle Roscoe has a way of bringing out the worst in people.”
Hell, the whole town of Pup’s Creek knew that was true. Ryan’s sympathy for the poor omega started to stir. Just a little. But apparently enough.
“Give me the address,” he said, and scribbled down what Toby said.
“Oh, thank you,” Toby said, his voice suddenly bright and cheery. Ryan had to admit, it was a nice sound. “I promise, this will just be a one-time thing. One dinner, and you’re free. I’ll even pay.”
“That won’t be necessary.” He had more than enough money to take the little omega there for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every night of the year if he wanted to.
“Thank you again, Ryan,” Toby said. “You won’t regret this.”
“Are you kidding me? Tomorrow evening I’ll be willingly knocking on Roscoe Martin’s door,” Ryan said. “I regret it already.”
6
Toby hadn’t been this nervous since he’d been seventeen years old and waiting for Gordon Fitzpatrick to pick him up for prom.
At least that case of nerves had been understandable. Toby had been one of the few shy kids at his private religious school. He hadn’t expected anyone to ask him to prom, least of all one of the stars of the varsity baseball team. To this day he remembered almost sweating through his tux before Gordon arrived.
Not to mention that had been a real date. Not like whatever the hell he was waiting around for now.
Toby glanced at the clock hanging in the front hallway.
Six fifty-eight.
“Why are you so worried?” Roscoe asked from his wheelchair in the next room over. The man wasn’t even looking at him. He had no way of knowing that Toby couldn’t keep his eyes off the clock.
But his great-uncle had always had a nose for anxiety—he’d practically built his newspaper on it—and God knew, Toby practically reeked of the emotion right now.
“I’m not worried,” Toby said, but he didn’t sound convincing. Not even to his own ears.
Roscoe laughed. “Of course, you’re not. Why would you be? Either this date of yours is coming, or he’s not.”
Toby read the subtext clear as day. Either he’s coming, or you made this whole thing up.
The only thing his great-uncle hadn’t considered was that it was both.
Of course, it would be beyond embarrassing if Ryan didn’t show. The alpha certainly was cutting it close. He only had two minutes before he was officially late.
And what the hell was he going to do if the alpha did stand him up? Roscoe would never let him live that down. Knowing his great-uncle, it would probably be his last words on his death bed.
I knew you made the whole date thing up…
Though, technically, could you even be stood up for a fake date? It wasn’t the sort of thing that Toby had ever thought about, but it seemed this trip to Pup’s Creek was introducing him to all kinds of new experiences.
Six fifty-nine.
That was it. He wasn’t coming. A rush of cold certainty surged through Toby’s veins. He was never going to live this down. Never ev—
Ding dong.
Toby’s head snapped up at the chime of the doorbell sounding through the hall. He glanced over at the clock.
Seven o’clock exactly.
Well, the tracker was punctual. He had to give him that.
“Well, imagine that,” Roscoe said. He was already rolling in from the living into the hallway. “The mystery man showed up after all.”
“His name is Ryan, Uncle,” Toby said.
“Ryan.” Roscoe winced like the name itself tasted sour. He shook his head. “I don’t know anyone named Ryan who lives in the woods, and I know everyone in this town. Everyone.”
Toby let Roscoe reach up and open the door. It was easier than fighting the old man. Besides, he knew that his great-uncle wasn’t going to be satisfied until he saw Ryan for himself.
Toby stayed a few steps back as Roscoe rolled back with door and looked out on the porch. The yellow light above the door pooled on the front step, bathing Ryan in warm light.
Holy crap, the man somehow looked even more gorgeous at night.
And just like that, Toby realized that this really was a terrible decision. A godawful one. He didn’t dare take a step forward. He knew what was waiting for him if he did. Another cloud of the alpha’s scent.
The same scent that had made him act like a blathering idiot last time. There was no way in hell he was going to do that again.
At least not in front of Uncle Roscoe.
Speaking of Uncle Roscoe, he cocked his head to the side as he looked Ryan up and down, a skeptical expression showing clearly on his face.
“I don’t know you,” he said.
Ryan let out a deep laugh. “
That’s a hell of a way to say good evening.”
Roscoe wasn’t shaken. But when was he ever? “I was just telling my great-nephew that I know everyone in this town.”
Ryan shrugged. “Well, I know you, Roscoe Martin. Which I guess makes you the famous one here. I’ve been reading your paper for years now.”
Roscoe’s eyes narrowed. “There’s no Ryan Homewood on our subscription list.”
“Uncle,” Toby tried to stop him, even though he knew better. There was no stopping Roscoe when he thought he was sniffing out a story.
“It’s okay, Toby,” Ryan said before turning his attention back to the old man in the wheelchair. “That’s because I buy my copy down at the hardware store like most of the alphas in town.”
“Never seen you there,” Roscoe said. “And I spend just about every day down there with my partner, Bailey.”
Ryan nodded. “So, I’ve heard. But I go early, right after sunup, so I guess we miss each other.”
“Hmmm…”
Roscoe let the sound stretch out. Long enough for Toby to push past him and head out the door.
“Okay, Uncle. Thanks for that,” he said. “Everyone knows there’s no more romantic way to start a date than with an interrogation.”
Toby starting walking toward the driveway, not waiting for Ryan or Roscoe to finish their conversation. That meant he was halfway down the stairs when his great-uncle called out to him.
“Be back by ten,” he yelled out.
“I’m a grown omega, Uncle,” Toby reminded him.
“Ten,” Roscoe’s voice followed him down the driveway. “And not a minute later.”
Toby strode toward the big unfamiliar truck parked in the street. Even though it looked to be on the newer side, there were mud splatters around the wheel wells and the bottom of the doors. This wasn’t one of those trucks that was for show. This was the real deal.
Toby was too impatient to see if Ryan was going to open the door for him. All he wanted right now was to be away from his infuriating great-uncle. He flung open the door of the truck and climbed inside. A moment later, Ryan got in on the driver’s side.
Toby didn’t have the guts to look over at him. Sure, there was the shame of creating this whole ruse, but it was only intensified by knowing that his instinctive reaction to Ryan was all too real.
“Well, that was interesting,” Ryan said.
“I’m sorry,” Toby said.
“For Roscoe?”
“For all of this,” he said. “I’d tell you that you didn’t have to go through with it, but the terrible truth is, knowing my great-uncle, he’s probably got at least one spy down at Le Chevalier Blanc waiting to see if we actually show up.”
“Really?” Ryan laughed. He slid the keys in and started up the engine. “I’ve never been on a covert date before.”
“This really isn’t a date,” Toby was quick to say.
“No?” Ryan joked, as he started to back up out of the driveway. “What a shame. Sure as hell feels like one to me.”
7
“You could at least pretend to be having a good time.”
“I am,” Toby said without looking up from his dinner plate.
Ryan had been looking at the top of the omega’s head for the last forty-five minutes at least—on the car ride through town, through the salad course, and now during the entrees.
It should have made for a terrible date. Should have, but it wasn’t. If anything, Toby’s silence was intriguing.
Maybe it was because he instinctually knew that Toby wasn’t trying to give him the brush-off. Anyone with eyes—and a nose—could tell that the omega was into him. So it had to be something else. The interesting part was figuring out what that might be.
Maybe he was lost in thought, ruminating on the repercussions of his lies. Maybe he was worried about what his uncle and the rest of his family would think of this date. Or maybe he was afraid.
Ryan didn’t think Toby was afraid of him, at least not physically. But his attraction to him as an alpha? Well, that was another story. It was obvious from his scent that the omega was barely able to hold back his desire. It was a heady realization.
He’d never been with anyone who’d had trouble resisting his sexual attraction. It wasn’t unheard of—hell, the restaurant they were in had a heat room just for that very purpose.
The truth was, he’d been careful to make sure that it hadn’t. After all, that level of attraction to someone went beyond purely physical. It wasn’t just chemistry and pheromones. Overpowering attraction had a compatibility component that went beyond simple biology.
The trouble was, compatibility led to commitment. Commitment led to mating. Mating led to families and all the other shit Ryan was more than happy to stay away from.
Ryan more interested in bedgames than emotional attachment. Playing with erotic power could be a fun way to spend an evening, but it had always been just that—playing.
Of course, that didn’t mean he couldn’t have any fun with the distracted omega sitting in front of him.
“I thought you needed to put on a convincing show for Roscoe,” Ryan said.
Toby nodded listlessly. “True. It’s just…”
Ryan leaned in as the omega’s words petered out. “It’s just what?” He prompted.
Toby looked up. His blue eyes seemed even brighter than before. Ryan could see shame in there, sure, but there was something more. The shining spark of swallowed-down desire.
Primal instinct surged at the sight of it. It was one thing to wonder what was going on in Toby’s mind. It was another thing to see it clear as day in the little omega’s eyes.
Ryan’s cock swelled against the constraints of his jeans.
Damn, the little omega turned him on. It had to be his innocence. It was a potent aphrodisiac. Ryan longed to wrap his arms around him, kiss him hard, and…well, do anything he damned well pleased. He could have Toby begging for his knot in no time. He knew it.
“It’s just that I’ve never been good with awkward situations,” Toby said.
Ryan gave a laugh. “Is anyone? Isn’t that why they’re awkward?”
Toby tilted his head down again, but not before Ryan caught a smile lifting his lips, and a blush rising on his cheeks. “Well, you seem to be doing fine.”
Ryan shrugged. “That’s because I don’t feel weird about any of this.”
Toby peeked up from under his brow. “You don’t?”
Ryan shook his head. “I mean it’s definitely the strangest first date that I’ve ever had, but it’s not the worst.”
“That’s because it’s not really a date.”
Ryan cocked his head to the side. “You keep saying that. But here we are in a fancy restaurant. You’re all dressed up. There are flowers on the table,” he said. “Certainly looks like a date to me.”
“Yeah, well, looks can be deceiving.” But he stopped staring into his plate and studied the floral arrangement instead.
Ryan looked across the table for a long moment. He picked up his wine glass and took a long sip as he studied the omega’s face. He was cute. Sweet, even. Not classically gorgeous, but Ryan had never been one for refined features. He liked softness, and Toby certainly had that.
“Don’t you want it to be real?” Ryan asked.
The blush that lit up Toby’s cheeks nearly set Ryan's blood on fire. His wanting scent travelled across the table in a heartbeat. He didn’t need to hear Toby’s answer to know exactly what he wanted.
“Nothing in my life is about what I want,” the omega said. “There’s only what needs to happen.”
Funny. Ryan had a pretty good idea that what Toby wanted and what he needed were the exact same thing.
Still, it was the first insightful sentence that the omega had said all night, and he jumped on it.
“Tell me more,” Ryan said. His voice was steady and low. Though he sounded pleasant enough, the sentence wasn’t a request. He waited to see how the omega would react to his low-key comman
d.
For a moment, Toby hesitated, but a second later he complied. “I didn’t want to come out to Pup’s Creek. I don’t want to stay here taking care of Roscoe for two months. I sure as hell don’t want to marry Justin.”
Ryan leaned back in his chair and took another sip of wine. “So why did you come out here?”
“Because there was no other choice,” Toby answered for himself. “My parents told me to come, so I did. Nobody else was going to do it.”
Toby’s lips pressed together tight. He eyed the full glass of red wine in front of him, the one he hadn’t touched since it had been poured for him. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed it. He downed the contents in one swallow.
“It’s just like how everyone assumes I’m going to marry Justin,” he continued after his dose of liquid fortification. “It’s like it’s been decreed. It doesn’t matter what we want. There’s only what everyone else expects of us.”
So, that was what was going on here. An omega who had lived under his family’s thumb for way too long. He probably had a lot of repressed emotions and urges. A lot inside of hidden wants and desires that he’d caged up.
And Ryan was very good at setting those free.
“I don’t think that’s totally true,” Ryan said. “After all, you wanted to go out to dinner with me, and I bet no one saw that coming.”
A satisfied smile spread across Toby’s face. “No, I bet they didn’t.” A second later, his smile faded. “Too bad this is all a lie.”
“Not if we don’t want it to be,” Ryan said. He leaned over and poured Toby another glass of wine.
The omega glanced down at the floor, a blush lighting up his cheeks. Apparently, it was too much to hope that a little red wine was enough to knock Toby’s shame away, but at least it was a start.
Ryan took another few bites of his steak and let the lighter atmosphere fall fully across the table.
“Sounds like your family is pretty old fashioned,” he said after a few moments had passed.
Toby gave a noncommittal shrug, but his unhappy expression let Ryan know he was right. “They’re big believers in traditional omega roles.”