Page 78 of Bound By Pain
The Cellar is a restaurant we discovered in New Jersey a few years ago when we were meeting up for dinner. It’s a local farm-to-table steakhouse that serves one hell of a meat cut. Everything we’ve ever gotten from there was incredibly well-seasoned, and worth the high prices.
The gray brick building holds an artsy black metal barrel with the restaurant’s logo molded inside. Inside, you’ll find the samevibe. Wood grain tables, leather seats, and black metal fixtures. A long bar runs along one side of the room, with a display of local and imported alcohols.
I slide onto a seat across from Creed and order a soda. He gets a beer, limiting himself to one while we are technically on the clock. We both scan the menu to see what new or seasonal options there are, but we end up ordering the same medium-rare steak with a bourbon-garlic cream sauce drizzled over top.
“We should bring Bea here,” he comments, sipping his beer. “She’d love this place.”
Our Omega loves food almost as much as her best friend does, so he’s absolutely right she would enjoy the hell out of this place. “Tell me when.”
Creed eyes me for a moment and nods. Much like my mate, I’m sure he and her other matches also assume I am going to back out or change my mind about pursuing the connection between me and Bea.
I won’t give up now. Not after I have had a taste of what the future could be like with Bea at my side.
My phone rings halfway through our meal. Dromir’s name flashes on my screen, and I scowl at it.
“Ferguson.”
“Hello, Lex. Listen, the lawyers called, and they need you on the stand tomorrow. I’ve let Porter know so he won’t have to pull you from an assignment last minute. I’ll text you the details.”
Fucking great. You’d think the Montgomery trial would be an easy win when we have video footage proving the Pastor assaulted his Omega daughter, planned to harvest her scent glands illegally, and was working with the doctor to put anti-bark effects into Harrison Pharmaceutical’s birth control and suppressants. Of course, it can’t be that simple. The assholes representing the Pastor have to drag this out as far as possible to salvage what remains of his reputation.
“Bad news?”
Glaring at Creed, I stuff my mouth with roasted potatoes and steak, chewing aggressively. He just shakes his head and finishes the rest of his meal.
“You and our Omega are going to be fun to be around when the two of you butt heads.”
CHAPTER 33
My head isn’tin my work, and everyone knows it. Today marked the end of Omen’s birth father’s criminal trial. Hopefully, he will be sentenced for the horrifying crimes he has committed. I still shudder remembering the sound of his fists hitting her body when their confrontation was live-streamed last summer.
Giving up the pretense of accomplishing anything, I wander down the hall to knock on Shiloh’s door. He’s on the phone, but waves me in. When I walk toward the comfy couch on the opposite side of the room, he scowls and points to his lap.
The way this Alpha has gone from pushing me away at every turn to demanding my presence is jarring. And hot as fuck. There is nothing hotter than a groveling Alpha begging for his Omega’s attention.
Slipping onto his lap, I relax my head against his shoulder. The warm white sand and amber scent settle the restless energy buzzing beneath my skin. My worry about Omen doesn’t go away completely, but it feels more manageable.
His call ends, and he hangs up the receiver, leaning back in his chair to look at me.
“Going to repeat the last time we were alone in your office?” I joke, the faintest hint of my perfume flitting through the air.
Heat fills his eyes, but he shakes his head. “As tempting as that offer is, loss of control isn’t what you need today.”
Raising a brow, I silently urge him to continue. Despite how tumultuous our relationship has been, he has always anticipated my needs before I can voice them. Some innate instincts his Alpha can understand that the others cannot.
“You need a distraction.”
Pressing a small kiss to my lips, he helps me stand. I follow him out the door, waving to Jane as he tells her we are leaving for the day. She beams at us, giving me a quick thumbs up when he isn’t looking. Heat floods my cheeks at the Beta woman’s excited support of what she believes is us leaving to hook up, but I just laugh it off.
Shiloh is quiet, humming along to the music during the short drive to his apartment building. Excitement flutters in my stomach as we walk inside. It’s odd to get my own keycard and access to the building. I practically lived here for two months and didn’t get one. I guess making the move permanent changes things.
The changes are immediately noticeable as soon as the elevator stops on Shiloh’s floor. Where another apartment door sat at the opposite end of the hall, a blank wall is now put in its place.
My eyes are wide as he leads me into his penthouse. This portion of the building looks the same. A large living area next toan open kitchen. The staircase leading down to the lower floor is new, though.
“I will take you on a full tour later,” Shiloh tells me, squeezing my hand. I let him lead me up the small staircase to the left, toward the guest room I had previously stayed in. When he opens the door, my jaw drops. Gone is the small, neutral space.
“This is…” I can’t find the words to express how incredible the massive bedroom is. It takes up the entire upper level. Soft pink walls sparkle in the afternoon sun, the glitter in the paint catching the light perfectly through the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows to our right.
