Page 32 of The Beta's Blind Date

“Nope,” I say. “Kissing is more intimate than people realize. You can have enjoyable sex without kissing someone, but as soon as you add kissing to the mix, then you open the door for—“

“Oh, no, I get why,” she says with a laugh and a twinkle in her eyes. She licks her lips again, those midnight eyes sparkling. “I was just wondering if that meant no oral sex, too.”

I inhale so fast I swallow my tongue and choke on my saliva. My hands white knuckle the steering wheel, and my eyes water as I struggle to breathe and clear my throat of the spit that doesn’t belong there.

Because the first thought that entered my mind after she said that was what it would be like to do that with her.Toher.

How would she taste? What sounds would she make? How would her face look as I brought her right to the edge and then pulled away, over and over again, until she begged me to let her finish? Would she writhe and roll her hips against my face, seeking more friction, forcing me to hold her in place so I could pleasure her the way I want, or would she be a good girl and hold still until I told her she could come?

She stares at me from the passenger seat, her eyes twinkling with mischief, her hand in front of her mouth to cover her smile as she waits for my answer. My dick hardens again, and thank the Goddess I am sitting and can hide it easier than when I was standing next to her on the training grounds.

“N-no. I do… I still do—that,” I say, gesturing vaguely with my hand, my eyes still watering and my voice raspy from my inhaled saliva.

She cackles at my obvious discomfort and surprise. Good thing she can’t see the station my train of thoughts pulled into because of her cheeky question. I can’t blame my wolf for that voyage into the gutter, because it was all me.

I blow out a breath, push my dirty thoughts aside, and park the car at the curb in front of Brewed Awakenings.

The small, local cafe has been a favorite of werewolves, humans, and tourists alike for as long as I can remember. We—Wesley, Nolan, Sebastian, and I—all grew up coming here often. It’s owned by our pack, and while the menu and interior decor have changed over the years to keep up with the trends, it hasn’t lost its cozy, warm atmosphere.

We get out of the car at the same time, so I rush around the hood and grab the cafe door’s handle before she can, opening it for her. She turns to look at me, her curly, messy bun almost brushing my nose as she does. The light coconut scent of whatever she uses on her hair mixes with her natural scent, feeding into that summertime nostalgia it awakens in me every time I catch a whiff.

“Holding the door open?” she asks with a raised brow. “You continue to surprise me.”

“Should I not hold it open?”

“No, go ahead. Treat me like a queen. Just know I’ll expect this level of treatment from now on whenever we see each other,” she says as she walks by me.

My wolf perks up and if he could, he’d be nodding his head and saying “Yes, dear” to her request. He’s already whipped and we’ve only known her for three days.

And he seems to be forgetting we’re rejecting her in a few weeks on the full moon.

We walk to the counter, and the stares from the handful of Crescent Lake wolves seated within the cafe itch my skin. I’m sure they find it odd, seeing me here with a female. But I ignore them and pay no attention to any of the other customers seated at the tables of various sizes and shapes.

I have nothing to be ashamed of. I’m here to have coffee and lunch with a friend. A friend who is a female.

And my mate.

“I’ll take a snickerdoodle latte, the BLT with avocado, and two each of this week’s cookies,” I say to the female at the register, cutting off my thoughts. “What would you like?” I ask, turning to Taryn.

“A white mocha and a kale salad with grilled chicken, please.”

I turn back to the cashier and hand her my card, hiding my smug smile from Taryn. She didn’t even argue with me about me paying for her food. She just let me take care of her like I’m supposed to.

Wait, what? Why do I care about that? Oh, right, because of the mate bond. Because of my wolf.

Stop planting these thoughts in my head, fur ball!I scold my wolf in my mind, jaw clenched as the cashier hands me back my card, and I shove it into my wallet.

But I force what I hope is a smile—or at least a neutral, natural look—onto my face as I turn towards my mate. I mean Taryn. Taryn. Her name is Taryn, and she’s not my mate. Or, well, not for long.

“Holding the doorandpaying for my food and coffee? You are more of a gentleman than I thought!“ she teases, placing her hand on her chest.

I clear my throat and follow her towards a table near the front windows. “I may sleep around, but I’m not a dickhead.”

She sits down with her back to the windows. “That’s not what Sebastian said.”

I groan and pinch the bridge of my nose as I sit across from her. “Despite what he claims, between the two of us, Sebastian is the real dickhead.”

“How so?”

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