Pulling away from Kaden was hard. Almost as hard as my dick. I gave my head a little shake to clear it and smoothed out the front of my shirt, trying to regain my composure. With a curt smile, I opened up the car door and Kaden climbed inside, just as off-balance as I was. I dropped into the driver’s seat and took a deep breath as I started up the engine.

That was a mistake.

The pheromones filling the car were enough to make me almost climb over the seat and knot him right there. Fuck, he smelled good. I had to crank up the AC to try to drown out some of the intoxicating aroma.

“So, um, where are we going?” Kaden was clasping and unclasping his hands in his lap as if trying to figure out what to do with them.

Without thinking better of it, I reached over and placed my large palm over both of his, holding them in place as I backed out of the parking lot. “Are you hungry?”

“I haven’t eaten, if that’s what you’re asking.”

I turned to him and grinned. “I was asking if you were hungry, but I’ll take that as a yes.”

Kaden shrugged and let out a frustrated sigh. “I could skip food if you wanted to just go back to your place…”

This omega would be the death of me. As desperately as I wanted to throw him over any available surface and knot him once again, something in my belly told me I needed to slow things down. We already knew there was physical chemistry between us, but I wouldn’t have even known his last name if it weren’t for the application his brother filled out when he entered the contest. “How about we get some lunch first and see how things go from there?”

“Oh…” Kaden said quietly then shifted away from me, dislodging his hands from under mine and crossing them over his chest.

I turned to him, expecting to see some disappointment and the same pent-up energy I was feeling, but he was facing the side window. All I could see was his shoulder and the back of his head. “Hey,” I whispered. “Look at me.”

His head shook mInutely and he kept his gaze averted.

Nope. Not gonna happen. I reached for the back of his head, firmly covering his neck with my palm and gently turning it so I could see his face. I pulled over to the side of the road and my heart almost broke when I saw the hurt in Kaden’s eyes. “What’s wrong?” I rubbed behind his ear with my thumb, trying to soothe him but not understanding why he was suddenly so upset.

“It’s okay, you know. I understand.” His voice cracked, but he held my gaze, obviously forcing himself to be stronger than he felt.

“Good, then maybe you can explain to me what’s happening right now.” I released my seatbelt and turned so I was facing him. My eyes shifted back and forth between his, trying to understand what I did to upset him.

Kaden opened his mouth to speak, but then smacked his lips together tightly as if holding back whatever was on the tip of his tongue.

“Sweetheart, please. Tell me what’s wrong. If I did something, I didn’t mean to.”

He exhaled and relaxed his shoulders, staring up at the ceiling of my car. “I get it if you’re not as interested in the light of day. I’m sorry if I came on too strong. I was just surprised to see you here. But, you know, it’s cool if you’re having second thoughts.”

Was he being serious? I slid my other hand around the side of his neck, brushing my thumb over his lips before letting it settle on his jaw. “I don’t know what gave you the idea that I’m not interested. Maybe it was me pushing you up against the car, or that my cock was about to break out of my jeans from the second I saw you, but I haven’t changed my mind. In fact, seeing you just confirms what my mind has been telling me all weekend. I want to get to know you better.”

“You do?” The rejection that was in his features just a moment earlier was gone and replaced with hope. “Really?”

I leaned forward to brush my lips against his before speaking against his mouth. “Yes, really. So how about some pancakes for lunch? It’s kind of one of my quirks.”

“Okay.” Kaden’s stomach rumbled and he smiled shyly. “That’s nerves as much as it is hunger.”

I rested my forehead against his and held him in place by the back of his neck. “You have nothing to be nervous about with me, sweetheart. I promise.”

The diner I like to hit after long nights wasn’t busy when we arrived. Carmen waved from the register when she saw me step inside then gestured to the open dining room. “Come on in, hon. Sit anywhere.”

With my hand nestled in the small of Kaden’s back, I guided him to a corner booth and slid into the seat across from him. Carmen came by with glasses of water and menus just seconds after we were seated. “Do you boys need a few minutes to look at the menu?”

I always order the same thing, but Kaden had just opened his menu and looked up at me with worried eyes. “Yeah, Carmen. A few minutes would be great. And can I get a cup of coffee when you come back?” I looked over at Kaden, and he was studying is menu intently. I gently nudged the side of his foot with mine to get his attention.

He gasped and looked up at me. “Sorry, what?”

“Would you like a cup of coffee?”

It took him a second to catch up to the conversation before he nodded his head. “Yes, please.” He turned to Carmen with an apologetic smile. “With cream and sugar, please.”

“You got it, sweets. I’ll be right back.”

Kaden turned back to his menu, his leg bouncing and making his whole body gently shake. I didn’t know why Kaden was still so nervous around me, but I didn’t like it. I wanted him to be comfortable and open up to me, not be afraid of every word that came out of his mouth. Partly because I wanted to see if it would help him calm down, but mostly because I really wanted to touch him, I reached across the table and opened my hand, inviting him to join his with mine.

Kaden’s eyes zoomed in on my outstretched fingers, and he slowly lifted his arm, sliding it across the table until our fingertips were touching. His eyes flicked up to mine, and I raised an eyebrow, challenging him to close the gap between us. Without tearing his eyes away from mine, he pressed his soft palm over mine until our fingers were interlocked in the center of the table.

I smiled and relaxed my shoulders at the same time Kaden let out a satisfied sigh. With my thumb brushing across the top of his finger, I nodded toward his menu. “Anything sound good?”

“It all sounds good. Do you have any recommendations?”

“I usually get the banana cream pancakes, but everything’s good here.”

Kaden practically swooned. “God, that sounds so good. Is it weird if I order that too?”

I laughed out loud at his concern. “Not at all. You can order anything you want.”

He closed the menu with his free hand just as Carmen came back with a carafe of coffee and a dish with sugar and creamer. “All right, boys. Are you ready to order?”

I glanced at Kaden and he nodded, giving me the go ahead to order. “We’ll both have banana cream pancakes.”

She jotted down a note then turned back to me. “Bacon or sausage?”

“Both.”

“Eggs or hash browns?”

Kaden just shrugged.

“Both.”

“Anything else?” She looked from me to Kaden.

He just shook his head.

“I think we’re good for now. Thanks, Carmen.”

When I turned back to Kaden, he was staring at our joined hands. I didn’t realize I was drawing the infinity symbol with my thumb across his soft skin, and I felt a little self-conscious about it. I hoped he just assumed it was the number eight.

I didn’t want to scare him away.

Again.