“You had no right to treat me the way you did, just because I was nervous. It’snormalto get nervous on a first date, never mind your first interspecies date.” He stabbed his finger at Keld’s chest again. “Even if that was how you felt, you could have just told me you weren’t interested in a second date. Instead, you told me I looked like a corneredrat—”
Keld’s hands flashed out, so quickly they were a blur. His fingers wrapped around Grayson’s wrist and his other hand hitthe brick wall at the side of Grayson’s head. Before he could comprehend what had just happened, Keld’s lips were on his.
Grayson stood frozen in shock for a few moments. Then he was kissing the Mer back. Their mouths mingled with something like urgency or unspent tension. Grayson’s tongue brushed Keld’s, and the Alpha deepened the kiss. An explosion of rich earth and fresh grass clouded the air around them, soaking into Grayson’s lungs and spurring a visceral reaction from his body.
All at once, Grayson’s senses came crashing back. He shoved Keld away with his free hand and yelled, “What the hell are you doing?”
Keld’s eyes glittered with mirth, his mouth curled in a smile. “You’re tempting when you’re mad.”
Grayson gaped at him. “What happened to ‘shaking rat’?”
Keld released Grayson’s captive wrist and traced his fingers along his arm. “Not shaking now, are you?”
Both of Grayson’s heads were demanding two very different things. His cock strained against his scrub pants, while his mind raced with irritation and indignation.
“Don’t touch me,” he snapped.
Keld’s fingertips vanished at once. With one last furious look, Grayson stormed back into the pub.
Chapter 12
Keld
Keld watched the metal door bang shut, leaving him alone in the alleyway. He probably shouldn’t have done that. But Grayson had kissed him back. The scent of sweet flowers hung in the air as evidence, like sugar-spun petals.
Keld suppressed a smile. He could already tell that getting under Grayson’s skin was going to be a lot of fun. He took a few minutes to compose himself—thinking very hard about corporate taxes and spreadsheets—before returning to his table.
“What happened?” Zasia demanded. She wrinkled her nose. “Gods, I can smell you from here.”
Keld shrugged. “He yelled at me, I kissed him, he kissed me back, then ran off.”
Loriun gaped at him. “Youkissedhim? What in Turys’s depths possessed you to do that?”
“He’s much more attractive when he’s pissed off.” Keld grinned.
“That’s fucked up,” Eksal said, reaching for a fried kelp chip. “But I get it.”
“Same,” Zasia said. “Omegas are cute when they’re mad.” She took another piece of fermented skate. Keld could see the moment it hit her bloodstream by the slow sinking in her fins.
Loriun looked at his employees, thunderstruck. “Do all of you intentionally irritate Omegas for fun? Am I the weird one here?”
Keld rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell me you don’t poke fun at Beau to get a reaction once in a while.”
“I—” Loriun paused, brows furrowing. “Okay. Fair point. But I’m mated to Beau. You had one bad date with Jason.”
“Grayson.”
“Whatever.”
Keld puffed out a breath. “I know, you’re right. I’ll wait for him to kiss me next time.”
Eksal scoffed. “You really think there’s going to be a next time?”
“I’d put money on it,” Keld said, lounging back and stealing a glance at the bar. Grayson was knocking back a drink with alarming speed. The back of his neck and ears were red. Keld smirked as he turned back. “Bet I can get him to kiss me tonight.”
“Careful,” Eksal said. “If your ego gets any bigger, you might not be able to carry it out the door.”
Keld flicked a kelp chip at him. The platter ofhongeowas nearly gone, and Eksal was practically radiating ammonia.
