Page 7 of Mate Match: Curtis & Jae
“Pft. As if. Besides, as I was trying to tell you, I’ve got a date of my own!”
“Where?” I tried to scan the bar.
Brady pointed to a couple just walking in. Both were large, probably alphas, from so far away it was difficult to tell, and they were clearly involved romantically. Their fingers were twined together, gold bands shone on their fingers.
“Two? Are you sure about this?”
“Absolutely! I met them through work. Enjoy your date!” He set his half empty beer on the bar and skipped away without a backwards glance to greet the newcomers with a kiss to the cheek.
The open delight and hunger the alphas—I’d decided they were both alphas—had on their faces when they saw Brady relaxed me some. Seeing how they moved around him to put him at the center made something inside me ache.
“Hey, are you Jae?” a voice cut into my thoughts.
I turned to get my first look at Curtis in the flesh. He was just as handsome as his picture. Softer somehow, like his inner kindness hadn’t translated into the photo he’d sent. Tall, with warm sepia colored skin. His hair was buzzed short and he’dclearly dressed nicely for our date with a light gray blazer over a white button up. His slacks were well tailored. He had even ensured his shoes were shiny. Deep brown eyes twinkled as he took me in. His grin on those kissable lips wavered slightly with his nerves. He looked sweet. So far, so good.
“I am. Nice to meet you, Curtis.”
Four
Curtis
Oh,shit!Jaewasgorgeous, like outta my league levels of stunning. What the fuck was he doing on a dating app when he could have his pick of any alpha out there? Looking around myself, I clocked maybe three other alphas who’d be down for taking him out if I fucked this up. I was so going to fuck this up! There was no way—
Get it together, I mentally berated myself. I stole another look at Jae and our surroundings while I tried to focus on what he was saying.
A strange feeling of possessiveness swept over me at the looks they were shooting him. He was here for me, not them, I reminded myself, so I shoved the feeling back. Sometimes my lack of self-confidence was my worst enemy. I didn’t want to scare Jae off by being an alphahole.
His pic on his dating profile hadn’t done him justice at all. Didn’t show his bright smile, beautifully clear golden tawny skin,angular features or trim body. His eyes were so dark they were almost black, they were stunning, and his dark hair was styled like in those K-dramas I’d caught Jennie watching. He honestly could have been an actor or a K-pop idol. He was certainly pretty enough.
What the hell was he doing with someone like me? While I was active in my job, I knew I was carrying a little extra around the middle. My eyes were okay. According to my sister, they were my best feature next to my mouth. I had straight white teeth. My mama made sure I got braces when I needed them. She hadn’t been there to see them removed, but I thanked her often for making me take care of my teeth.
In my line of work, renovating homes, the customer needed to see a friendly smile to set them at ease. When they gave me their homes to upgrade, they gave me their trust. I needed to look dependable because that’s what I built my brand, my reputation, on.
Seemed like it worked on Jae, too, since he beamed at me, immediately soothing my nerves. Everything would be fine if he was smiling at me like that.
“Your table is ready if you want to come over,” a server said, distracting me from my date.
Being a gentleman, I held out my arm for him. He took it, squeezing gently with another happy grin. There was a zing of electricity between us when we touched. Even over the pheromone blockers in the restaurant, I caught a trace of his enticing scent.
His touch sent a feeling of rightness over me. It felt like we’d been doing this for a while. Like this was a practiced motion between us. His hand was always meant to fit there. By the way he leaned into me as I led him to our table, he felt the same.
I pushed in his chair after he was seated, earning me a soft look and a muttered, “thank you.”
So far, so good. Like Mama always said, manners got you far in life.
“Are you as nervous as me?” I asked him as I pretended to scan the menu, too interested in looking at him instead. He just had such a captivating face! His lips held a slight pout without him seemingly trying. I wondered if they were as soft as they looked.
“Not anymore, actually.” He was gazing straight at me, studying my features just as hard as I was with his.
“Really?”
“Yeah.” He let out a low laugh. “Chatting with you on the app isn’t the same as meeting in person, I get that. It’s just I feel like I already know you, and well…” Jae blushed, the pink on his cheeks melted my heart further. I was desperate for this date to turn into more dates.
“Well?” I prompted, eager for his answer.
“I like you already. Is that weird?”
Relief flooded me. Whatever this was, it clearly wasn’t one sided. “Not at all. We’ve barely started our date and I already want more dates!”
