Page 5 of Such a Delicious Omega

“Samuel. What’s yours?”

“Echo.”

“That’s a nice name for a delicious omega.”

“Can you bring people into the club?”

“Yes.” I wanted to slap my forehead. My only excuse for forgetting was that it was such a new thing. “I can.”

“You can. So…would you have me as your guest?”

“I’m not sure. There’s a whole process to be approved as a member, and even guests have to fill out some forms.”

Chapter Five

Echo

“Dinner? Right now?” I asked, shocked that he asked me.

“Sure. Why not? There’s a taqueria about a block over. Has the best al pastor in the city. My dad makes the best anywhere, but it’s the closest I can get around here.”

I paused to decide while he rolled up the sleeves of his black shirt revealing tattoos covering his whole arm that ended right at the cuff. If he hadn’t rolled those sleeves up, I wouldn’t have known he had any ink at all.

“Okay. I could eat.” I could eat him right up, in fact.

We walked shoulder to shoulder for the rest of the block before coming to a walkway. He pushed the button to give us the right of way and then stepped back in between me and the street. Interesting. A gentleman and hot as hell? Samuel was now on my bucket list. “What brought you to the club tonight?” he asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Would you believe it was on my bucket list?” I asked, laughing. I’d gotten a lot of flak about my list, mostly from those who didn’t know the background of why it came to be.

He snorted. “Aren’t you a little young for a bucket list? You look plenty healthy to me.”

If he kept making statements like that, I was going to ask him to skip the taco shop and offer to go with me directly to my hotel. There was something about the way he walked and talked, like he was fully in control at all times. That nothing bothered him. He was a mountain in a storm.

“Um, thanks. I wanted to make one while I was young.” I left out the part about the accident. No way I was going to trauma dump all over this guy.

“And going to a club was on your list? What would you do while you were in there? Any plans?”

I shivered as he opened the door for me to a place that, from the outside, would be somewhere I might avoid unless I was fond of food poisoning. Inside, the tiny restaurant was clean but sparsely decorated in every color imaginable. The tables were all for two and topped with tablecloths that had seen their share of spills. Still, it had a homey feel. The scents of grilled meats, fresh cilantro, tomatoes, and onions immediately made my mouth water.

“Smells amazing,” I said.

Samuel walked over to a table and pulled out a chair for me. As I sat down, he leaned over and whispered, “Sure does.”

When I looked up, he stared at me with an intensity, locking me in place. He was an alpha, that was clear, but there was more. A quiet grace and will all his own made me want to submit myself to him fully.

Never felt that before.

“Samuel, always nice to see you here. You’re having the usual?” The woman who approached us set a bowl of chips and a smaller one of pico de gallo on the table.

He smiled at the woman. “Yes, please, Salma. How are the kids? Amos?”

“Amos is on the grill tonight. The al pastor is always better when he’s here. I swear, he’s magic. And for your friend?”

We hadn’t even gotten a chance to read over the menu. I could barely make out the words since it was on the wall above the register. “I haven’t had a chance to decide. I’ll just have whatever he’s having.”

Samuel smiled. “Are you sure? It’s delicious but hot. Salma likes to test my spice palate.”

The woman giggled. Samuel. Salma. Were they related? Friends? “I do. He’s come a long way since he first walked in here.”

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