“Carla, what in the hell did you do?”

The real estate agent held up her hands to stop the Omega’s tirade. “Julian, I know you wanted that house, but I couldn’t turn Mr. Carwell away. He has cash upfront, and the sellers hired me to manage the sale, so I have to act in their best interests. Plus he was so handsome,” she said, turning a brilliant pink. “That blond hair… he’s like a sexy Viking! Have you met him yet?”

“That sexy Viking stole my house!” Julian paced the office of Bright Realty, grumpy after a long night of no sleep. “So that’s it then? The sale is done?”

Carla paused. “Close my office door,” she whispered.

“What?”

“Close the door and come here. But you didn’t hear this from me.”

Those words had always been like catnip to the Omega. Instantly on alert for a secret, Julian did as she said before returning to his chair.

“Ok,” she said, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial tone. “You remember the McLeods?”

“Yeah,” Julian said, leaning forward eagerly. “They used to own the house, right?”

“Right. And Mrs. McLeod put a clause in her will that said whoever buys the house has to complete at least one community service event in Bright Beach. Her daughter, the seller, is insisting that the buyer honor her request in her mother’s memory.”

Julian was touched. “That’s such a sweet… wait. So that means Sexy Viking can’t buy the house until he does a community service event?”

“You didn’t hear it from me,” Carla said, grinning mischievously. “The seller doesn’t really care either way who ends up buying it, they just want it sold eventually. And we all know how much charity work you do. If you can beat his offer, I bet they would sell it to you instead.”

Julian’s heart sank. There was no way he could compete with cash up front. He had been counting on a down payment and a nice long mortgage. “Well, he’ll have a hard time finding charity work if he doesn’t know anyone here,” Julian said.

“I… may have told him about the charity committee meeting today,” Carla said, looking guilty.

“You what?! Why?”

She ducked her head, looking guilty. “I forgot that it was the house you had wanted! And he said he was in a big hurry to buy, and I knew you have your spring event coming up.”

Julian pressed his hands to his face. “So I’m supposed to help this guy steal my dream house out from under me?”

“You could just say you don’t have anything available,” Carla said.

“I can’t do that. If I kept a single helper or dollar from going to a good cause I would feel like a jerk forever,” Julian said. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself. “I’ll think about it, I guess. Thanks for the heads up.”

“I’m sorry I can’t give you better news, but at least you know what the story is now,” she said, patting his hand. After a slight pause, the realtor tipped her head to one side, looking at him thoughtfully. “You know, Julian, we get houses coming through for sale all the time. Why do you want that one in particular? Is there something special about it?”

He felt a blush rising up his cheeks. “I’ve just always liked it,” he said, knowing it sounded silly. But it would sound a lot sillier if he explained the real reason.

Carla wasn’t the curious type, so she nodded, apparently satisfied with his answer. “It could be worse. He could have bought it already. This way you at least have a chance.” She beamed at him, her trademark cheerfulness restored.

“Yeah,” he said, smiling crookedly. “Lucky me.”

* * *

Julian didn’t have much time before the Bright Beach Charity Society meeting was set to begin, and he was still in a terrible mood. Damn that Alpha. Who did he think he was? How dare he just stroll into town like he owned the place and snatch someone’s dream away?

He dug out the binder that he used to keep all his charity-related paperwork in order. He wanted nothing more than to cancel the meeting, but today’s was important. The committee would decide on their spring event, which was only a few weeks away.

The Omega opened the tab labeled “future event ideas,” and looked down the list. Bake sale? Boring. Car wash? Did it last year. Talent show? Nah.

When he read the next item on the list, he felt a surge of glee. “Bachelor/Bachelorette Auction.” He could just picture that Alpha’s look of disgust. Even from their brief meeting last night, Julian had the sense that proud Alpha would never agree to something like this.

As a bonus, he thought the locals would get a kick out of it. And the spring event was for a great cause: building a special children’s wing in the little local clinic.

And maybe, just maybe, he could still make his dream come true.

* * *

The Charity Society meeting was held in the party room of Red Parrot tiki bar. As chairman of the organization, Julian arrived half an hour early to get things set up. He had just finished putting copies of the meeting plan at every place when the door swung open. Julian looked up, and his greeting died on his lips.

It was the blond Alpha from last night.

He looked startled when he saw Julian. “Is this the charity meeting?”

“It is, but it doesn’t start for another twenty minutes.”

“Is that so? Well, I like to be early.” The Alpha leaned against the doorframe, looking around and taking in the tiki decor with an expression of slight disbelief.

Julian flashed him his sweetest smile. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that coming early isn’t always a virtue, Mr. Carwell?”

The Alpha’s eyebrows shot up, and he chuckled. “I see you figured out who I am. News does travel fast in a little town. And you must be Julian. The real estate lady told me about you.” He turned that inquisitive gaze on the Omega.

Julian had always privately thought Carla was kind of a ditz, but now that he saw Eric up close, he realized her description of the Alpha as a “Sexy Viking” was definitely accurate. He had wheat-blond hair, ice blue eyes, and a close-cropped beard. And the bad habit he seemed to have of sailing into town and taking other people’s stuff. Of course, being handsome didn’t make him any less of a jerk.

“She told me about you too,” Julian replied. “And how you’re volunteering because you have to.”

Eric shrugged, apparently unbothered by Julian’s accusation. “I’m willing to do a lot to get what I want.” He smiled slightly as he said it, which sent a little shiver up Julian’s spine. He cursed himself silently. Luckily, the Alpha didn’t seem to notice. “And if it’s for a good cause, it’s not the end of the world,” he said.

Now was the time to send him packing. “I’m so glad to hear that you’re so open-minded,” Julian said, using his overly-sweet tone. “Because I know you’ll fetch a high bid on our stage.”

The Alpha blinked. “On your what now?”

“Oh, didn’t Carla tell you?” Julian asked. “The theme for the spring event is a Bachelor Auction. You are single, aren’t you?”

Eric stared at him like he was trying to decide if the Omega was serious. Julian just smiled sweetly. “Don’t worry,” he said. “It’s just for one date. How bad can it be?”

To his surprise, the Alpha threw back his head and laughed. “I’m up for it, as long as you don’t bid on me. I think you would take me on a romantic date to the pier and then shove me off it,” he said, chuckling.

“Trust me, Mr. Carwell, there is zero chance of that,” Julian shot back. He was irritated that his plan hadn’t worked. Well, there was still time. Plenty could happen between now and the event.

The door swung open again, and Gabe entered. The other Omega glanced from Julian to the Alpha, his eyebrows raising slightly. “Am I interrupting something?”

“No, come on in,” Julian said quickly. “Mr. Carwell here came too early. I guess it happens to everyone sometimes.”

“I believe we’ve met before,” the Alpha said, ignoring Julian’s little joke.

Gabe smiled. “Oh, of course! You’re the developer who built my gym. It’s nice to see you again.”

To Julian’s irritation, Eric gave Gabe a genuine smile. “Likewise. I hear you’re doing very well with it. Congratulations.”

Luckily, the other members of the committee began to trickle in, and Julian settled into his accustomed role: being in charge.

* * *

To Julian’s surprise, Eric had been respectfully quiet during the meeting and answered politely when someone spoke to him. What kind of Alpha was this anyway? Julian had tried his best to just ignore him and focus on running the meeting. Luckily, everyone loved the bachelor auction idea, and soon he was immersed in the details and budget concerns.

After it was all over, Eric slipped out of the room without so much as a backwards glance. The rest of the group lingered for a few minutes chatting and catching up, but finally it was down to Julian and Gabe.

The Omega slumped into a chair with a huge sigh. “Thank goodness that’s over. Isn’t he awful?”

Gabe looked up from the empty glasses he was collecting. “Who? Eric? He was…” he began, but then caught the look on Julian’s face. “Oh, yeah, he was super annoying.” Gabe paused tactfully. “Why do we hate him?” he asked.

“We hate him because he’s buying the house I’ve been saving for, and he’s going to knock it over and build some ugly condos,” Julian said. Even saying it out loud made his heart hurt.

Gabe gasped. “No! He can’t do that. I know how much you love that house. Is the deal done?”

“Not quite.” Julian quickly explained the situation to Gabe, who looked determined.

“We’ll figure something out. I’ll talk to Logan when I get home and see if he has any ideas.”

Julian smiled. “How’s Logan doing?”

The other Omega practically glowed at the mention of his husband. “He’s good. He’s home watching Cash, but he wants to be a part of the charity event too. If you don’t mind, we decided we would alternate coming to the meetings and just fill the other in so we can both be involved.”

“That’s fine with me. I’m just happy that you’re both interested.” He smiled at Gabe. “You’re lucky you snagged the only good Alpha in the world.”

“That is so not true,” Gabe protested. “I know there’s someone out there for you too, Julian.”

“I’m not in any hurry,” Julian said dismissively. “Anyway. Thanks for coming tonight. I think this auction will be a success.”

Gabe gave him a quick hug. “Don’t worry. You’re meant to have that house. We’ll figure out a way.”