Page 16 of My Unhinged Alphas
“It’s better that way,” he says smoothly. “Less… interruption.”
Interruption of what?
I pick up my phone under the table and glance at it briefly. Three messages from Jess.
Jess:Can’t find him anywhere.
Jess:That’s weird.
Jess:Send me his pic again.
A flicker of unease moves through me.
I look up.
He’s watching me. Not even pretending not to.
Not annoyed. Just watching.
“You look tense,” he says gently. “You don’t trust easily, do you?”
“I work in customer service,” I reply. “Trust is a luxury.”
He smiles at that, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. He reaches across the table, not touching me, just close enough that I feel the proximity. “You can relax,” he says quietly.
“I am relaxed.”
He smiles. “You’re not.”
The room feels warmer. Or maybe that’s just the wine.
My head feels a little heavier than it did a few minutes ago. That’s probably the alcohol.
I smile politely, already deciding there won’t be a second date. In fact, if this keeps getting stranger, I might not even finish the first one.
The harbor lights outside blur slightly when I glance toward the window.
Strange.
“I should probably head out soon,” I say, setting my glass down. “Early shift.”
He tilts his head. “Already?” The word stretches longer than it needs to.
“I don’t usually do spontaneous weeknight harbor luxury,” I say lightly. “I might not survive it.”
He chuckles. “You’re safe,” he says again.
Safe. There’s that word.
My pulse stutters. The room tilts almost imperceptibly. The edge of the table feels farther away than it should.
Okay. That’s new.
I blink hard. “Did you—” I start, then stop because my tongue feels slightly thick.
He’s still smiling, but now it’s softer. Satisfied.
“You okay?” he asks, voice lowering.
