Page 12 of Swipe Right on the Alpha
“Hot date?” Aiden teased, though there was a hint of insecurity behind the joke.
Dylan’s head snapped up. “No! Nothing like that. It’s just… full moon night. I have… family obligations.”
“On the full moon?” Aiden raised an eyebrow. “What are you, some kind of werewolf?”
The joke fell flat as Dylan froze, an unreadable expression crossing his face before he forced a laugh. “Family tradition. Monthly gathering. Nothing interesting.”
He’s definitely hiding something,Aiden thought, curiosity piqued.Some weird cult? Secret society? Whatever it is, it’s connected to the full moon.
At the door, Dylan pulled him in for a kiss that started gentle but quickly deepened, his hands possessive as they gripped Aiden’s hips.
“When can I see you again?” Dylan asked when they finally separated, both breathing heavily.
“Eager much?” Aiden teased, though he felt the same urgency. “I’m free Tuesday night if you want to come to the city? See how the other half lives?”
Dylan nodded, though he looked less enthusiastic about urban adventures. “Tuesday,” he agreed. “Text me your address.”
As Aiden drove away, he glanced in his rearview mirror to see Dylan standing on the porch, watching until the car disappeared from view. Something warm and unfamiliar bloomed in Aiden’s chest at the sight.
His phone, neglected since the previous evening, buzzed with numerous notifications—comments, DMs, his agent asking where the promised content was. Aiden found himself uncharacteristically reluctant to dive back into his online life.
Instead, he composed a single, cryptic post as he stopped for gas:
“Sometimes the most unexpected connections happen when you download the wrong app. Mountain Man update: he cooks, his cabin is straight out of Architectural Digest, and some stories are too good to share. #DateNight #MysteriousMountainMan #MoreToThisStory”
The comments section exploded immediately:
“DETAILS NOW!!!”
“Did you finally find a good one???”
“If you’re not going to share him, at least share what he did to put that smile on your face!”
For the first time in his influencer career, Aiden was content to let his followers speculate without correction. Some experiences, he was discovering, were too meaningful to transform into content.
Chapter 7
“Should influencers date their followers? Hard no from me, but let me know your thoughts in the comments!” Aiden finished his weekly Q&A session with a practiced smile before ending the Instagram live.
The moment the camera stopped recording, he dropped the cheerful expression, rubbing his temples against the headache brewing there. Three sponsorship deadlines, two pending brand collaboration negotiations, and an inbox full of unanswered messages had him questioning his career choices this morning.
His phone pinged with a text, and Aiden felt the tension instantly ease when he saw Dylan’s name.
DYLAN: Still good for tonight? Theo is unreasonably excited to meet you.
Aiden smiled, warmth replacing his earlier stress. In the month they’d been dating, Dylan had mentioned his friend Theo often but seemed strangely reluctant to introduce Aiden to his social circle. Tonight would be the first time Aiden was meeting any of Dylan’s “pack” as he sometimes oddly referred to his friends.
AIDEN: Wouldn’t miss it. Should I bring anything?
DYLAN: Just yourself. Theo’s handling the food. He’s showing off.
AIDEN: Should I be intimidated?
DYLAN: He’s harmless. Mostly. Just ignore any embarrassing stories.
AIDEN: Now I’m DEFINITELY asking for embarrassing stories.
Dylan’s response was delayed enough that Aiden had already started getting ready when it came through.
