Page 17 of Broken Alpha (Unwanted #1)

Luke

E ven the differences between the designations are visible in the types of condoms you can buy.

Betas have access to fancy condoms that are ‘ribbed for their pleasure’ and ‘ultra-thin, barely there’ or ‘additional lubricant’ to spice things up a little.

Alpha condoms come only one way, with a slight difference and no extra lubricant or ribbing.

Regardless of designation, all condoms come in the standard sizes of small, medium, large, and extra large; however, Alpha condoms were designed with extra latex around the base to accommodate the swelling of a knot.

The size of the condom correlates with the size of your knot at full swell, and I have never measured something that never existed until now.

Large seemed to be the standard for Alphas of my proportioned size, but as a dominant, that meant my knot was bigger.

Unable to decide, I grabbed a box of twelve in a large and an extra large, just to be safe.

I checked my watch as I got in the car, and nerves rattled through me when I realized it was almost time to pick up Aidyn.

I hadn’t gone on a date in years and wanted this to be perfect.

Aidyn was right; sex didn’t have to be on the table, and I was okay with that.

I just wanted to show him a good time and treasure him the way an Omega should be treasured.

The way I wanted my Omega to be treasured.

I sent Aidyn a text, notifying him that I was down the street and should be there in under five minutes, only to find him outside his apartment.

He was dressed in a pair of dark navy jeans, gray shoes, and a gray sweater that zipped up at the breast. He had layered it over what appeared to be a cream-colored button-up.

His hair was pushed back like he had run his hands through it with some product to give it a casual yet styled look, and the light in his eyes, when he spotted my car, made my heart melt. Fuck, he looked amazing.

I hadn’t done so badly myself, pairing black jeans with black ankle boots and a forest green sweater that reminded me of the color in his eyes.

He climbed into my car, and I couldn’t help but lean over, kissing him in greeting.

He deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue into my mouth, exploring my taste until I groaned.

When he pulled away, I was breathless and hard as hell, and he had a large, smug grin on his face.

“Careful, or I’ll spank that smug look off you,” I mumbled, putting the car into gear.

“My safe word is tea,” he teased back, and my cock throbbed at the challenge.

“Why tea?” I knew he was joking, but I was curious if there was some truth behind it.

“It’s what you smell like. Citrus and honey, like a comforting cup of tea.”

I was his safe word? Lord, give me strength! I gave him a side eye as I turned onto the main street, making a show of palming my cock to readjust it and noticing Aidyn watching the movement, his eyes transfixed on my crotch and the noticeable swell there.

“You get to choose how tonight goes,” I said, pretending as if I didn’t want to find a hotel or take him back to my place and sink into him immediately. At least I have the condoms for that now. “Fancy date or not-so-fancy date.”

Aidyn grinned as he thought about it. “And you have plans regardless of what I choose on such short notice?”

“Yep!”

“Less fancy then. I’m not a big fancy person, not someone to go all out for.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” I mused, turning to ensure I could switch lanes safely, and headed to our first destination.

I pulled into a local revolving sushi restaurant that I frequented often.

I loved this place. The little dishes of fish and rolls moved along a conveyor belt, each plate a different color that correlated with the price of the dish based on the quality of the fish and the amount of food.

Anything Asian is a comfort cuisine for me.

If it’s not breakfast food, it’s probably Asian.

If I’m having a bad day, I’ll order from a local Chinese or Korean place for a fix, but if I’m having a really bad day, then I’ll get sushi.

Something special? I’ll get sushi. Want to spend time with someone special?

Sushi. Suffice to say, I’m in a constant state of craving sushi.

After discussing it with Aidyn, we decided that there was no reason for two people to take up a booth, and we were escorted toward the bar in the corner.

It was somewhat early, with most people still getting off work, so the restaurant wasn’t very busy, allowing us to converse without difficulty.

Once we sat down and ordered our drinks, I couldn’t help but grin when he requested a set of children's chopsticks.

“I have tried several times to master the skill,” he explained.

“I’ve even watched videos on how to teach kids how to use them, and nothing.

Growing up, I spent a lot of time at my grandparents’ house.

My grandfather was a carpenter by hobby, something he picked up in high school, he said.

My grandmother often made veggie stir-fry because it was quick and easy, and she used the vegetables in their garden.

He once crafted a set of chopsticks for me, gluing two pieces of wood to a clothespin.

I loved that set. Sadly, it got lost when they had to move into a care home.

I would use a fork, but you can’t really do that with sushi. ”

He shrugged, reaching up to the conveyor belt, and choosing a plate with a look of excitement.

It was an odd choice, and I tilted my head in confusion.

On a bed of rice, wrapped in a belt of seaweed, sat a spongy yellow substance, and in all my years of eating sushi, I had no idea what on earth it was.

He found the eel sauce that was on the bar next to the soy sauce and drizzled it across the yellow sponge.

“What on earth?”

“Try it,” he said, picking up one of the pieces with his child-sticks and cupping a hand under it to catch anything that may fall.

I looked at him curiously before leaning in and taking the item into my mouth.

My brain couldn’t make sense of what I was eating.

First, the yellow product was cold, while the rice was warm.

It had a spongy yet fluffy texture, its sweet flavor enhanced by the eel sauce, and yet the flavor was also familiar in a way I couldn’t place.

“Like it?” he asked hesitantly. I nodded, looking around for more and seeing that it was a ways off.

I’d make sure to grab a plate when it came back around.

“It’s Tomago. Basically, it's a Japanese rolled sweet omelet. Every place makes it slightly different, but it’s just seasoned beaten egg.

My favorite kind is made with sake. It’s one of my favorite things to get when I get sushi, even though it’s not actually sushi.

I attempted to make it at home a few times but always failed, so I gave up.

If I can find blocks of it at Asian-international markets, I’ll snag a few blocks and force myself to cut it up so that I’m not just munching into it.

Erik leaves them alone because he thinks it’s cheese, and he’s lactose intolerant. ”

While I know Harllow didn’t stand a chance, not with me in the picture, I still didn’t like the idea that someone living with Aidyn was also in love with him and could only smile as Aidyn mentioned his roommate.

I wonder if Aidyn knew how Harllow felt, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask because, honestly, I didn’t want to know the answer.

But at the same time, Aidyn was here with me, so the answer was meaningless.

When our stomachs had become exotic aquariums and were too full to add more, we stacked our plates up by color, ranging from least expensive to most expensive according to the charts they had posted, and I paid the bill before Aidyn had a chance to reach for the clipboard.

He wrinkled his nose at me, and I smirked as I signed the receipt, and we left the restaurant.

The sun was beginning to set as we made our way back to the car, painting the sky in shades of purples, pinks, and oranges.

Unlocking the back driver-side door, I grabbed the bouquet I had picked up earlier, instantly nervous as I awkwardly handed them to Aidyn.

Growing up, my parents always told me to bring flowers to the person you were interested in, and I had debated a great deal on whether or not I should purchase them.

Aidyn stared at the flowers as he got into the passenger seat.

They weren’t anything special, just a mixture of white flowers that I didn’t know the name of, with a few blue daisies placed for a pop of color.

Moving to the driver’s seat, my brain was rather unkind to me, insisting that he hated them and that it was weird to give another man flowers.

“It’s okay if you hate them. I didn’t know if you liked —”

“I once read that the only time a man receives flowers is at his funeral, and they don’t even get to enjoy them.

I remember thinking how accurate and depressing that statement was, having never received flowers myself.

Men don’t really give each other flowers, so I simply wasn’t expecting them.

They’re beautiful.” He reached for a daisy, pulling it out by the stem and breaking off a part to shorten it before tucking it behind his left ear and smiling at me.

“Blue daisies are actually my favorite flower. Thank you.”

“You look beautiful,” I said softly, touching the petals lightly to avoid ruining them. My heart swelled with affection as he blushed at my compliment. I loved watching him react to me as if no one had complimented him or cherished him before. “B or C?”

“What?” Aidyn asked, suddenly confused.

“Pick a letter. B or C.”

“B?”