Page 9 of Take Two (Valleywood: Season Three)
Chapter 9
Phobos
Declan refused to let me pick him up, and I didn’t blame him. He wanted an escape route. But I was a pretty old-fashioned guy. I mean, it was only natural considering my age. I didn’t want this date as merely an apology for my inappropriate behavior. I wanted to wine and dine him. To get to know him better, make him laugh. I wanted Declan to have a good time, and ultimately, I wanted to see him again.
I wanted to date him.
The realization surprised me more than I was willing to admit. It had me willing to bend my old-fashioned habits to meet him halfway. If driving himself made him feel more comfortable, then so be it.
We texted a few times leading up to the date, and we ended up settling on going to a movie. There was no pressure to hold a conversation, no awkward eye contact that way. It was Sunday, the only day his bar was closed to patrons, though the theater parking lot was packed.
I stood outside the theater, welcoming the chill. My body felt a little feverish. I hoped I wasn’t coming down with something. I’d never been human, had never had to deal with a cold or flu before, but maybe when Apate took my powers, it had also left me vulnerable to illness.
So far, my life hadn’t changed all that much with the loss of power. I mean, I had to drive everywhere since I couldn’t fly, and I no longer had extra-strong senses. Just as well I wasn’t overwhelmed at the smell when I burned my dinner. I’d even picked up a pair of magnifying glasses from the pharmacy because I couldn’t see as clearly when I read a book, but likewise, my acting abilities apparently hadn’t gotten any better either.
I’d just become weaker. More human . And I was really starting to think this deal I’d made was a sham.
A prickling sensation down my spine had me standing taller. My eyes tracked a rusty car pulling into the lot, and even though I couldn’t see the driver clearly, I knew with absolute certainty that it was Declan. There was something about him that snagged on my insides, making it impossible to let him go.
His eyes found me straight away when he got out of the car, and he made his way over to me slowly, hands tucked into his pockets, shoulders hunched. He looked good and smelled even better, his scent wrapping around me as he stepped up in front of me. Even as built as he was, he was still a few inches shorter than me, and he tipped his chin back to look up at me.
“Hey, have you been waiting long?” he asked, his eyes skittering away then back, as if he couldn’t help himself.
I preened a little under his scrutiny. I knew I looked good, in my tight jeans that hugged my ass and muscular thighs just right. “No, just a few minutes. Shall we go in?”
I let him pick what movie we saw, and while I’d been expecting a typical date-night movie, some rom-com I would promptly forget, he’d surprised me by picking an action film I was excited to see. “Is that okay?” he asked, watching my face carefully.
“Yeah, it’s perfect. Am I allowed to buy your ticket?” Since he was a modern omega, I felt like I had to ask. I didn’t want him thinking I was going to hold it over him later, expecting him to pay me back in sexual favors.
He smirked. “Yeah, I think you can afford it. I might even let you splurge on a large popcorn for us to share.”
“Okay, but only if we can get extra butter.”
“Is there any other way?” he said, grinning wide. His smile, sudden and blinding, left me stunned. It wasn’t until I started to get a little lightheaded that I even remembered to breathe again.
I found myself relaxing as we stood in line for tickets, then snacks. While we might’ve started off on the wrong foot, I soon found that we had a lot of common ground. We had the same taste in movies and food, then while we were watching the trailers, the conversation flowed from one topic to the next. By the time the lights dimmed, I felt confident enough to prop my arm on the armrest between us, hoping he might want to take my hand.
The movie was full of explosions and gunfire, and while I’d been really excited to see it, I found myself more enthralled by watching Declan instead. His face was so expressive, his eyes lit up from the screen.
A few times, our fingers brushed together when we both reached for popcorn at the same time, our skin greasy with butter and salt, and the touches began to linger. When I licked my fingers, I imagined I could taste him. By the end of the film, my cock was aching. I wondered, was he at all affected by me?
The lights came up, and we shared a look, and maybe I was imagining things, but it almost seemed like he was reluctant for the date to be over. Hoping that was the case, I said, “Can I treat you to a cup of coffee?”
He pursed his lips. “It’s awfully late for coffee, but… maybe some pie?”
My stomach gave a dangerous flip, making me feel borderline queasy. “Yeah, that sounds great.”
There was a small 24-hour diner just down the street from his place called Nellie’s, so we drove our separate cars there and met inside. It was your typical diner, with Formica tabletops, vinyl benches, a checkerboard floor, and a row of stools at an eat-at counter. There were old black-and-white pictures framed on the walls, of a bygone era in Valleywood history. I wasn’t even a little surprised that the woman behind the counter with her graying blond hair in a bun knew Declan by name.
“Come here often?” I teased with an arched brow.
He just shrugged. “What can I say? They have great pie.”
To prove that fact, he ordered a slice of four different kinds for us to share. Cherry, apple pecan, spiced raisin, and strawberry rhubarb.
We settled into a booth at the back and slid all the way in, leaving him the choice of a spot beside me. While I was disappointed at first that he sat across from me, I quickly enjoyed it all the more because not only could I stare into his beautiful eyes, but also because I felt one of his legs bump against mine beneath the table, and he didn’t pull away.
“So… have you been to any more auditions?” he asked, digging his fork into the cherry pie first.
I couldn’t help the burn of my blush. “No…” I nibbled on my bottom lip, struggling with the urge to tell him all my secrets. I wanted him to like me, and I figured that meant impressing him, but also… that was an important part of being in a relationship, right? Making yourself vulnerable to someone? “Can I tell you something?” I finally asked, trying some strawberry rhubarb pie, letting the sweet-tart combination be my main focus.
His gray eyes flashed with something I couldn’t discern, but he said, “Of course. I wish you would.” His lips tipped up at the corner. “You’re a bit of a mystery to me.”
I smiled, but it was strained. “I’m not very good at acting. And honestly, I don’t think I like it very much. The constant rejections are a bit disheartening.”
Declan seemed surprised and propped his elbow on the table beside one of the plates, his chin in his hand. “Then why would you do it?”
I cringed. “You’re going to think I’m stupid.”
He huffed a laugh. “So far, I’ve seen you get fall-down drunk, witnessed your disaster of a house, followed by watching you embarrass yourself in front of your family. If I was going to think you’re stupid, I already would.”
His honesty made me laugh. “Okay, fair enough. Well, I like the way it makes me feel when people adore me. I guess I figured if I got famous as an actor…” I shrugged, embarrassed. When I said it out loud, it sounded really shallow.
Declan, though, didn’t laugh at me. He nodded, and after a moment of thought said, “Unpopular opinion, but I don’t think actors have earned that level of adoration. Entertaining people is great, but there are more altruistic ways you could earn it. It’s obvious you don’t need the money, so why not find something you enjoy instead? Why not try volunteering at the children’s hospital? I’d bet you could dress up in those superhero tights and cape of yours and go help out, and they will never reject you. Plus, the kids would absolutely adore you.”
“Huh.” I thought that over, and I didn’t hate the idea. Kids were a special kind of human, innocent and pure, and the thought of being the target of their devotion made me warm. “I think that’s a great job for me to try.”
Declan graced me with another of those beaming smiles that made my insides heat.
We finished our pie and mugs of tea, but the closer we got to the end of our date, the more my nerves seemed to fray. My stomach twisted, my skin flushed warmer. I’d never felt this nervous in my life.
Since he lived so close, he’d simply parked his car behind the bar and walked over. And even though my car was right out front of the diner, I fell into step beside him on the sidewalk, opting to walk him home.
As a god of fear, everyone had been afraid of me, imbuing me with unbelievable power, but this… as understated as it was, it was so much better. Being able to get close to someone, to Declan specifically.
“I had a really nice time,” he said as we arrived at the front door of The Wolf’s Den. His apartment was upstairs, through a door at the back of the bar.
“Try not to sound so surprised,” I teased. “Would you say you had such a good time that you could stand to see me again?”
He fought to keep his smile down and lost. “Yeah, I think that would be all right.”
This was the moment of decision. Should I kiss him good night? Did he want me to? Before the pause between us could get awkward, Declan muttered, “Fuck it,” and gripped me by the front of my shirt and dragged me down with surprising force.
I allowed him to pull me in, my lips colliding with his in a clash of lips, tongue, and teeth. What should’ve been a chaste first kiss escalated quickly into make-out territory. He dug his fingers into my hair, moaning into my mouth, and I swept my tongue through his, getting my first true taste of him. It was intoxicating.
“Your skin is so warm,” he murmured, pressing kisses along my jaw, his beard adding a new level of texture as it tickled my neck.
My hands seemed to have a mind of their own as I pulled the shirt out from the back of his pants, searching for skin. I could’ve gone up, tracing the muscles of his back, but instead, I opted to go down , under the denim of his jeans, inside the elastic waistband of his underwear, to grab a handful of his ass. Gods, he was slick along the crease of his cheeks, teasing me with the promise of his tight entrance. He bucked his hips against me, pressing his hard length to mine.
“Come inside with me,” he panted against my throat as he nipped his way across the sensitive skin.
Nice, proper old-fashioned men would wait for the third date at the very least before sex, but my brain was going through some serious calculations. The first night we met could’ve been classified as going out for drinks, and dinner with my parents, disaster though it was, was absolutely a date. That would make this the third!
I found myself nodding hard. “Yeah, okay. Please.”
We stumbled through the front door to the bar, intending to head upstairs to his apartment, but before we could get that far, a deep, angry voice interrupted us.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Declan’s whole body went rigid, and even with my weakened hearing, I caught the sound of his teeth grinding together. “Hello, Father.”