Page 22 of Mate Match: Curtis & Jae
“Is it okay if I run upstairs with this?” I asked, brandishing the sweet plant. The hydrangea was flowering with bright pink blooms. Curtis was so thoughtful! Even the pot was pretty, painted in my favorite shade of blue.
“Of course. We’ve got plenty of time.”
I kissed him on the cheek once more and hopped out of the truck. Taking the stairs at a fast clip, I soon got to my apartment. Percy was delighted to see me return after such a short time away. He was furious when he realized I wasn’t staying. I placed the plant on my windowsill, kissed my cat on his furry head, and dashed outside once more. I’d make it up to Percy later.
“You didn’t have to run!” Curtis chuckled when I returned, sweating slightly. He turned the AC in the truck up, washing us in cooler air.
“Didn’t want to make us late.”
“I promise, we’ve got plenty of time.” Curtis eased us out into the early evening traffic. He drove with a competence that was sexy. His hands held the steering wheel in a loose grip, though I knew he had complete control of his truck. I felt safe in his care, at complete odds with how Hwan drove. Really, I should stop comparing these two alphas, it was silly. They were like night and day with how differently they acted.
Rather than distract him while driving, I sat enjoying the music, some random pop station, so when Curtis spoke again, I jumped. “Fair warning,” he flashed me a dimpled grin, “Grace recommended this movie. If it sucks, we have to blame her.”
“Grace is one of your crew, right?”
“Yeah. I’ve got a couple of women on payroll, none of them work in the office. Honestly, they work so damn hard, they’re worth their weight in gold. Grace is an omega.”
“Really?” I couldn’t keep the surprise out of my voice.
Curtis’ smile grew. “I’ve actually got a few omegas in the crew. My best friend, Marty, is an omega and a single dad. He runs his own team.”
“Wow!” I could sense this was a point of pride for him. “I’m looking forward to meeting them, eventually. Your crew, I mean, if this—”
“I can’t wait to introduce you to my friends and my crew. The people I work with are awesome, I’m very lucky. What about you? You said you’re freelance, but you have a publisher you work with?”
“Oh!” I said, startled at the change of subject and the easy way he announced wanting to let me meet his friends. I felt my cheeks heat. “Right. Yeah, my best friend, Brady, works at the main publisher I do work with, though there are a couple I can rely on contracts for.”
“Is it stressful being freelance?”
“Yes, and also no. Like me, I bet you have times when it’s quieter and that can be worrying.” Curtis nodded while pulling into a space. He put his arm on the back of my seat to reverse. Why was that sexy? I wanted to lick him. His pheromones buzzed around me, leaving me with a tingling sensation low in my gut. “Usually I’m lucky and have people queuing up to work with me.” A bit of a brag, but I’d worked damn hard to get where I had. “I take commissions as well, and there is a waiting list.”
“Impressive.” He parked and switched off the engine, turning his body towards me automatically.
“I wouldn’t—” I began dismissively, except I was interrupted.
Curtis took my hand, rubbing lightly calloused fingers over my palm. I shivered. If he kept it up, we were going to miss the movie. “It is, Jae. You’ve got people waiting for your art. That’s a big deal.”
Simple words with a lasting effect. For the first time in forever, I felt important.
Curtis didn’t let me pay for the tickets. I tried, okay, but he insisted he get them this time. He did let me buy the snacks, though. Except he only wanted popcorn to share and a bottle of water. I saw him looking at some candy and picked it up, sure he wouldn’t. Despite my assurances about his weight, he seemed reluctant to eat all that much around me. I’d work on his confidence, I promised to myself. My new boyfriend was irresistible, and he needed to know it.
The movie was a fairly decent rom com. It was the perfect excuse to cuddle up to Curtis and just be for a while. We laughed together, held hands, and even snuck in a kiss or two in the dark of the theater. I even got Curtis to eat some of the candy. The smiles he gave me lit me up inside.
After it ended, we stood awkwardly together in the parking lot. I didn’t want our date to be over just quite then, though I knew Curtis probably had another early start.
“Invite me over to your place,” I finally said, breaking the tension. “I’ll take a cab or something home.”
“Or you could stay the night.” His eyes twinkled with amusement.
“Or that. Invite me.”
Curtis chuckled. “Okay, Jae, would you like to come over to my house?”
“Yes, I would.” I went onto my tiptoes to kiss him. It was slow and sweet, a tease of what was to come. When it broke, we bothgrinned. “I’d invite you to mine, but it’s a mess because I’ve been sketching these changes the publisher wants on my book.”
“Right, you said. What are they asking for?” He opened my door for me and closed it when I was seated. Under his care, I felt like a treasure.
I explained the alterations while Curtis drove us back to his house. Once in his spot, we lingered in the truck for a moment, nerves rushing in.
