“You’ve all had your turn.” I make eye contact with each of them to remind them.
“Well, technically, I haven’t,” Drax points out. “We’ve never been on an actual date before.”
“You mean, the many times we snuck away from my brothers to get ice cream on the beach weren’t real dates?” I love riling him up, but not too much, so I give him a smile. “But fine, we can plan something. Soon. I promise.”
Drax nods, turning to open the front door to reveal a black SUV waiting. To my surprise, Orin isn’t driving. He leans against the car, tapping his foot. He’s looking sharp in crisp slacks with a black shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The first few buttons are undone, revealing his tanned torso and dark chest hair.
He checks his Rolex. “You’re late.”
“Fashionably late.” I stride forward with confidence. “There’s a difference.”
He opens the car door for me but blocks my entrance
“That dress.” His gaze darkens as it skims down my body in a deliciously dirty way, like he’s undressing me with his eyes. “You’re asking for trouble, dynamite.”
“Trouble?”
“Do you know how many alphas are going to have their eyes all over you because you look like that?”
“Let them stare.” I lift a shoulder. “Because I’m taken.”
A smirk tugs on his lips as he moves aside to let me slide into the plush backseat. The driver grunts in acknowledgement as Orin leans over me to fasten my seat belt. Usually, I’d make a wise crack about being able to do it myself, but breathing in hisscent renders me silent, clenching my thighs together. Let’s hope my super-slick-absorbent panties can last the evening.
He walks around to the other side then gets comfy in the seat next to me. “The Velvet Room.”
Although we’re in a huge car, the sizzling atmosphere causes the space to seem small, making it hard to breathe because of how good Orin smells. I’m determined to play it cool, but it’s going to be difficult to keep my hands to myself in such an enclosed area.
The low moan of a saxophone coming from the radio grabs my attention. I lean forward to speak to the driver. “Can you play something a bit more… lively?”
“Lively?” the driver repeats blankly.
“You know, music that you’d rather dance to than listen to while walking in the rain after having your heart broken.”
Orin splutters as the driver mumbles something about jazz being the music of the soul. The track switches to another song with a more upbeat tempo. It’s better, but it’s not exactly the party tunes I’ve become accustomed to when whipping through campus in a golf cart.
“I didn’t think you liked going to clubs,” I turn to face Orin, studying his strong profile.
“I don’t really.” A smile plays on his lips. “But you keep saying how much you’ve missed dancing.”
“So you do listen to what I say.” I tap my chin. “Sometimes anyway.”
“I hear a lot more than you think.” He leans in, his breath tickling my neck. “Even the things you don’t have to say out loud.”
My body responds instantly, my scent filling the vehicle. Orin’s smug expression tells me that he knows exactly what he’s doing to me. Luckily, I’m wearing plenty of scent blockers—something I’ll always do after what happened at Adler’s hockey game until my heats fall into a regular cycle.
“How did you even get tickets to this club opening?” Changing the subject is my safest bet right now. Otherwise, I’ll be on my way to slick city from another of his smoldering looks. After insulting his taste in music, I doubt the driver will want to mop a puddle off his seats. “It sounds like it was hard to get an invitation.”
He shrugs. “I have friends in high places.”
“What friends?” I tease. “You don’t exactly strike me as the social type.”
His gray eyes twinkle. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
Fuck. I re-cross my legs, the sexy glint in his eyes seeming to have an instant panty-soaking effect. I’ve always been confident in talking to guys, but there’s something about Orin’s commanding presence that gives me nervous butterflies. I’ve survived having three older brothers and being the only omega engineer in my major, yet one look from him has me turning into a teenager again. I should be able to handle one alpha.
“You look exquisite tonight.” He pulls a box out of his pants pocket. “I got you something.”
I rear back. “You bought me a gift?”
