Page 74 of The Beta's Blind Date

Not quite true. I realized who Imogen was when he introduced all his friends to Blake and me. I remembered her name from our first date. Her presence may have prompted my forwardness at the table, but it’s clear she has no lingering hunger for him.

He blows out a breath, releasing me from his grasp and stabbing his fingers into his hair. I hug my body against the emptiness he leaves behind, keeping as much of his warmth on me as I can.

“Goddess, Taryn, you damn near gave me a heart attack.” He gives a dry laugh and shakes his head, pacing in front of me. “I’m not very good with words. Or talking to people about… feelings. But what I’m trying to say—and not doing a very good job of saying—is I respect you. I value you.”

“As a friend.”

He freezes, his jaw tightens, and his eyes darken, but he doesn’t deny it. My heart clenches. His mouth opens and then closes again as he searches for something to say, but I step up to him and cover his lips with my finger before he can speak. “It’s all right,” I say. “I understand. I don’t know why I’m surprised. You’re not the first male who is unwilling to give me what I want.”

I turn and walk away, but he grabs me and tugs me back in, closer this time, his eyes darker. “Don’t compare me to him,” he growls, scanning my face, his fingers gripping into my hips, yanking them flush against his.

I grab his biceps to brace myself. “Then be different. Prove me wrong.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do.”

“How? Why?”

“I haven’t touched or even looked at another female since I met you. You’re all I think about. You’re everywhere, in everything I do. You’re—” His nostrils flare and he clenches his jaw again, dropping his chin to his chest. When he raises it, when his eyes find mine, they’re simmering with desire, so hot it burns my skin. His voice when he speaks is tight, low, and raspy, but I hear him all the same. “I want you.”

I raise my brow. “So you can scratch an itch?”

“No!” He groans and rubs a hand over his face. “Goddess, no. It’s not that at all.”

“Then what is it?”

I’m pushing him, but I’m not letting him off the hook. He needs to be direct. No more skirting around it, no more claiming bullshit reasons for saying I’m his girl. I’m going to get the truth out of him. Find out what he wants from me. Even if that truth hurts me.

He stares at the ceiling, biting his lip and taking deep breaths before he looks at me again. “I don’t know how to do this,” he says, gesturing between us. “Feelings, confessions, sharing my heart—this is all uncharted territory for me.”

“I know,” I reply, rubbing his upper arm.

His hands cup my cheeks, and he leans his face closer. “I don’t want to mess things up. I don’t want to ruin everything. But… I want to try. I just don’t know where to go from here. I don’t know how to do this,” he repeats, his shoulders dropping in defeat.

I relax against him, an immense weight lifted off my shoulders as he confirms this hasn’t all been one-sided. That he’s been just as tied up in knots as I have been. Maybe even more. Our arms wrap around each other, and I snuggle into his chest again, right back where I was before we started this conversation.

“There’s no need to rush things,” I say, my voice muffled by his shirt. “We can just… explore whatever this is between us. Nurture it. One step at a time. Day by day. We can worry about the rest later.”

“Okay… okay.” He nods, his chin brushing against my head. “Baby steps. I can do baby steps.”

“I’m not playing games, though, Reid. You’re either in and making a genuine effort, or you’re not. Any hesitation on your end, and I’m out.”

“No games, Taryn. I’m all in on this. I promise.”

I lift my head to look at him, and I’m met with the same smoldering stare from before, burning with intensity and sincerity. It melts my insides, turning me to putty in his arms, and I thank Selene his grip on me is tight enough that I can’t move.

I reach for his face, and his stubble scratches my palm as my thumb strokes his cheekbone. My heart aches for more, pushing me to lean forward and press my lips to his, but I don’t. He promised me baby steps, and I intend to hold true to that too. This is all new to him, and I can’t scare him off by being too intense and jumping too far too fast.

“Are you ready for baby step number one?” I ask, my lips curling into a smile.

He tilts his head to the side as the intro to “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back” plays, and I spy Nolan out of the corner of my eye, guitar in hand in front of a mic stand, playing with the band and ready to sing.

“What’s baby step number one?” he asks.

I step back, taking his hand in mine and pulling the curtain aside so we can join the group again, my smile growing. “You said you’d be able to keep up with me all night,” I taunt. “I’m still waiting to see proof of that, Beta.”

I bite my lip and drop his hand, darting and weaving through the crowd to our friends as Nolan starts singing. Reid is fast, though, and he catches me in no time, those powerful hands snagging me and sliding over my stomach to hold me to him. He moves, dancing with me, that impressive chest embracing me and protecting me. His head dips to my neck, his lips brushing it as he smiles.

“Don’t worry, Cadet. I’ll always be able to keep up with you.”

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