Page 26 of The Rogues

I freeze as confusion takes over. The girls all have keys, and the staff wouldn’t bother us this late unless it was an emergency.

My heart pumps, anxiety flooding back into my body at the idea that something might have happened. My phone stays silent as I pull it out, no notifications to alert me to any danger, so I veer towards the door cautiously, trying to convince myself that nothing is wrong and it’s just Tom or someone checking in since it was the first night.

But when I open it, it’s not Tom.

It’s Jamie.

The beta stands there with two giant paper bags at his sides, his dual-toned hair halfway pulled up so the blond flashes underneath.

Jamie bites his bottom lip. “Hi.”

“Hi.” I arch a brow at him, confused but intrigued. “What can I do for you?”

“Well, I, um…” He trails off, looking nervous. His orchid scent is calming as it pokes through the doorway. “As you can see, I ordered too much food.”

My eyes flash toward the bags again, finally processing just how large they are. I mean, they are comically big.

“You don’t say,” I deadpan. “I’m not sure how you did that.”

Jamie’s lips twitch. “Being irresponsible, I guess. But I thought, maybe… we could eat together.”

“What kind of food is it?” I ask.

“Japanese.”

My stomach rumbles again. “Come on in.”

He makes his way inside, bashful and happy all at once. The more his scent spreads, the more grateful I am that he is a beta. If the girls were to come back to smell him, I don’t know how I would explain that. I give a silent thanks to the universe for its weird rules and turn to him. “You can put them on the counter. Your arms must hurt.”

“My arms are used to it,” he comments, pulling them up to place the bags on the granite. His muscles bulge slightly, and I find myself staring, completely entranced by them. “There is a place the guys and I always go to when we’re here, so I thought maybe you’d like to try it.”

I pull my gaze from his biceps to see he’s already looking at me, his cheeks flushed as his lip quirks. “If you don’t like it, I’m sure there are better places. Better things. What’s your poison? Sushi, ramen. There are a few bento boxes.”

“You ordered a few bento boxes?” I ask as I sit on the stool. “How did you order too much food again? Did the guys not want their portions?”

Jamie looks at me, inquisition flashing in his eyes. “I thought you found me out, but maybe not. I ordered a little bit of everything, because I didn’t know what you would like.”

“What do you mean?”

He sits on the stool beside me and meets my gaze. “I wanted to see you.”

My stomach doesn’t just flip—it fucking tumbles. “Oh!” I look at the items again, seeing the gesture with new eyes. “Oh, so you didn’t order too much? You ordered this much…. on purpose?”

Jamie nods. “I wanted to eat with you. I figured that wouldn’t happen if I ordered something you didn’t like.”

Oh, fuck. I didn’t read between the lines at all. A hot, embarrassed feeling falls over me. “I must look really gullible.”

“No, not at all,” he reassures me, kindness flashing in his greenish-brown eyes. “I just felt silly, but I should have been straightforward with you.”

Maybe, but it still doesn’t take away from the gesture. I mean, the counter is full, and I realize he really did take figuring out my personal preference into account. The courtesy causes me to smile.

I grab the first container of sushi I can find. “I like everything you got. But sushi is my favorite. Sashimi and inari specifically, with lots of eel sauce.”

He smiles big. “Well, I got extra of all the sauces, too.” He pulls out the bag of sauces and I practically melt.

“My knight of shining sushi,” I mutter, taking the eel sauces from the bag. There’s like ten of them, but it’s perfect in so many ways.

A comfortable silence settles over us as we dig in. I practically engulf the first sushi roll; the tuna with the spicy mayo and eel sauce is actual heaven after all my hours of accidental fasting. Jamie’s ramen smells delicious and savory, the bowl full of soaked noodles and narutomaki.