Page 35 of Trick or Heat

“But it doesn’t say how much it costs. Is it a sixteen-dollar steak or a seventy-dollar steak?”

A frustrated huff escapes me and DJ chuckles, resting a hand on my leg. “Don’t worry about the price. We want to spoil you, so let us.”

I bite my lip. I do like the idea of the chimichurri sauce it comes with.

Raivat’s eyes trail over me with an observant gleam. “You’re not used to letting anyone take care of you,” he comments.

My cheeks heat up slightly and I nod. “I’ve never seen a point.”

“You’re an omega,” DJ says softly. “The point is to give yourself what you need, even if it seems pointless. That’s what we are for, to take care of you. To cherish you. To give you everything you could possibly need, no matter how small it seems.”

The usually unserious alpha beside me is anything but as he says those words. He’s straight-faced, sober. There’s nothing in his demeanor that tells me he is joking or doesn’t mean what he says.

It’s true that I haven’t let anyone take care of me. Alphas that helped me with past heats, they came and left. It was easy not getting attached, especially since I wasn’t ready to fully accept a pack that wouldn’t include Elsie.

Instead of listening to my omega instincts, I’ve put them aside. I took care of Elsie. I felt good whenever I did, but I haven’t let anyone do the same for me. Maybe it’s time that I finally accept that part of myself.

I swallow, my throat suddenly dry. I reach for my water and take a sip, my brows scrunching.

“Well… then I’d like a mojito,” I declare.

“Then you’ll get one. Or three,” Raivat says, looking around the dining room for the waiter.

DJ’s hand squeezes my thigh firmly, the movement causing an electric shock up my thigh and right to my cock. When I look at him, his lips are curved and his focus is on me.

“Good boy,” he whispers, and my stomach pools with liquid fire.

I end up getting the steak, and the chimichurri sauce is just as amazing as I thought it would be. I have two mojitos and the alphas also persuade me to share the four-layer chocolate cake with them. It’s the size of my head and I enjoy every single bite.

By the end of dinner, I feel like I could burst from all the amazing food.

The waiter eventually gives us the check, which Raivat pointedly won’t let me see, and DJ tips the beta directly.

“Oh, the alpha has manners,” I joke once the waiter leaves the table.

DJ laughs. “Yes, I do. I was raised by my mom and grandmother.”

I raise a brow. “Just your mom and grandmother?”

He nods. “My mother is a corporate woman. She loved climbing up the ladder at her firm, but she was missing something. When she decided to go with sperm donation, my grandmother was so excited about having a grandchild that she offered to help raise me. It’s always been the three of us.”

I find my features softening. “They sound like strong women.”

“They are,” he agrees. “And I’ve never felt like anything was missing, that’s how wonderfully they worked together.” He takes a sip from his glass and returns his attention to me. “You were raised by a single mother, too, right?”

I nod. “Yeah. She’s amazing. I also never really felt like I needed anything else. Up until Elsie, my mother was my best friend. She worked a lot, but that’s to be expected.”

“Don’t I know it.” DJ chuckles. “I’d like to see our moms interact. That would be a cool sight.”

On our way out of the restaurant, Raivat’s hand guides me, touching the small of my back. It sends goosebumps over my skin that have nothing to do with the winter night air.

“Do you want to come over for a night cap?” he asks me, his voice a raspy husk next to my ear.

Despite the shiver it sends up my spine, I scoff. “Trying to get into my pants, Alpha?”

His lips curve up. “Of course, but I just meant to hang out a little bit longer.”

“We got a new game, thought maybe you’d want to play it with us,” DJ adds.