Alpha Theo by C.J. Primer

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Brooke

“I brought options,” Fallon breathes, pushing into my room in the squad barracks with a dress bag slung over her shoulder.

I spin around to look at her from my spot in front of the mirror, my vision fuzzy- she walked in right as I was putting in my contact lenses and I’ve only got one in. The other is perched on the tip of my index finger.

I wink my contact-less eye closed. “Let’s see em’!”

Fallon chuckles, kicking the door closed behind her and shaking her head. “Why don’t you get your other contact in first.”

I turn back to face the mirror while my sister strides over to the bed, setting down the dress bag and unzipping it. I pop my other contact lens into my eye, blinking a few times before twirling back around.

“Glad you went for the contacts on your own so I didn’t have to talk you into it,” Fallon mumbles, pulling dresses from the bag one by one and setting them out on the bed.

“I’m getting used to wearing them more,” I shrug.

And it doesn’t have anything to do with Theo telling me I looked good the other night without my glasses.

“Okay.” Fallon claps her hands together, spinning around to face me. “So I’m thinking this one…”

I watch as she reaches for a red sundress, holding it up in front of her.

“Whaddya think?”

I study it for a moment. It’s pretty- soft linen, ribbons that tie over the shoulders. It’s just not… me.

Fallon can read my expression before I say a word. She blows out a breath, tossing the red dress onto the bed and picking up a white one, holding it in front of her like the first. It’s flowy chiffon with a plunging neckline.

I scrunch my nose, shaking my head.

My sister sighs, trading the white dress for another, holding it up. This one is royal blue with a boat neck and little cap sleeves. It’s simple, elegant. Perfect.

I grin, nodding.

Fallon’s lips curve into a smile. “How’d I know you were gonna pick this one?” She chuckles, slipping it off of the hanger and handing it to me.

“Guess you know me.” I take the dress from her hands, pull my t-shirt off overhead, and shimmy out of my jeans. Start to unzip the back of the dress.

“Hold up.”

I freeze, peering over at my sister.

She’s giving me a once-over, shaking her head in disapproval. “You’re not wearing a sports bra under that dress.” She points a finger at me. “Or those panties.”

“Why not?” I scowl.

Fallon sighs, rolling her eyes and crossing the room to my dresser. She pulls open my top drawer, starts rifling through it. “Because you’re going on a date,” she groans as she rummages around.

“So? He’s not going to see my underwear.”

Fallon spins back around, tossing me a wink. “You never know.”

I roll my eyes as she thrusts a black silk bra and a matching thong in my direction.

“Yes I do,” I say as I begrudgingly take them from her and hand the dress back. “It’s our first date. Our clothes are staying on.”

I dangle the skimpy thong off of a finger. “And I really don’t want to wear this.”

“Can’t have panty lines!” Fallon chirps, striding back over to the bed to gather up the other dresses she brought.

I heave a sigh, removing my sports bra and replacing it with the one my sister picked. It’s padded and has uncomfortable underwire. Then I push my grey cotton panties down, stepping out of them and into the thong, pulling it up.

“Happy?” I ask, throwing my hands on my hips.

Fallon turns to look at me over her shoulder, then spins around with a big grin. “Sexy! If I was a guy, I’d do you.”

She tosses the blue dress to me and I snatch it out of the air, laughing.

“You know that basically means you’d do yourself.” We’re identical twins!

Fallon shrugs, feigning innocence. “What can I say? I know I’m hot.” She waggles her eyebrows.

I roll my eyes again, stepping into the dress and pulling it up my body. I stick my arms into the sleeves, spinning around so Fallon can zip me up.

She walks over, starts tugging at the zipper. “It’s all about confidence, Brookie,” she says matter-of-factly. “If you don’t think you’re hot, a guy isn’t going to, either.”

I blow out a breath. I wish I could borrow some of her confidence for the night- she’s got plenty of it to go around.

“Okay, let’s see.” She pushes at my shoulder to spin me back around.

I twirl, tugging at the hem of the dress and smoothing the front of it over my stomach and hips. It’s a respectable length, hitting a few inches above my knees.

“Perfect,” Fallon beams.

I step past her to get a glimpse of myself in the mirror, and she’s right- it’s perfect. Form fitted, yet conservative. Simple, yet elegant. A perfect first date dress.

“Now what do you want to do with your hair?” she asks, stepping up behind me and sweeping my hair into her hands. She brings it up behind my head. “Ponytail? Bun? Half up?”

I scrunch my nose, staring at my reflection. “What do you think?”

“How about like a low side bun?” Fallon twists my hair, demonstrating.

“Sure, sounds good.”

I grab some bobby pins off of my dresser and hand them back to her.

“So, are you excited?” she asks as she gets to work on my hair.

“Yeah. A little nervous, though. I mean… what if we don’t have anything to talk about?”

“I’ve got no advice for ya, sis,” Fallon laughs. “Gray and I didn’t really date. We just started hooking up, and you know how well that went.”

I laugh along with her, watching her in the mirror. “Hey, it worked out for you in the end.”

She throws her eyes wide. “Thank god! But I was freaking out right up until that mate bond snapped in.”

“Yeah, about that…” I sigh. “Were there signs or anything before the fated bond clicked? I’d really hate to get invested in this thing with Connor and have it blow up next full moon.”

Fallon sticks one last pin in my hair, stepping back to take a look.

“I mean I didn’t date anyone before Gray, he was basically my first everything. But I think there were signs. We couldn’t stay away from each other, and every time he touched me it was legit fireworks.” She gestures to my hair. “Whaddya think?”

I twist my neck around, looking at my hair from a few different angles. I smile, nodding. “Looks great.”

“Makeup?”

I heave another sigh. “If you insist.”

Fallon smiles brightly, taking my hand and leading me over to the bed. I sink down on the edge of it while she reaches into the bottom of the dress bag, retrieving a small pouch containing her makeup.

“Not too much, please,” I say through gritted teeth.

She laughs, unzipping the pouch and pulling out a few things. Mascara, eyeliner, bronzer, lipstick. “I’ll keep it simple. Classy.”

I hold still while Fallon sinks down on the bed beside me and gets to work.

“You think Connor could be your mate?”

“Dunno,” I mumble, closing my eyes so she can apply the eyeliner. “Crazier things have happened. I mean, you liked Gray and he wound up being your mate.”

“True.” She finishes one eye and switches to the other. “Just pay attention to how you feel around him. Listen to your wolf. Mine freaked out whenever I was around Gray.”

I stifle a laugh, trying to remain still. “My wolf isn’t a very good judge of character.”

“Yeah, your wolf’s a little crazy,” Fallon agrees.

We’ve always joked about how our wolves must have been switched at birth- Fallon’s wolf is calm, easy to control, while mine is wily as heck.

“She’s a big fan of Theo,” I murmur.

“Oof. Maybe don’t listen to your wolf, then.”

We both giggle. I hear Fallon click the top back on the eyeliner and I open my eyes, blinking a few times.

She grabs for the tube of mascara next, screwing it open. “Is he still bugging you at the unit?”

“Nah.”

Fallon holds up the mascara wand and I blink into it to cover my lashes.

“We’ve actually become friends, kinda.”

Fallon stops, leaning back, studying me suspiciously. “You and Theo? Friends?”

I chuckle. “Trust me, I know how it sounds.”

She gets back to work with the mascara, applying it to the lashes of my other eye.

“I don’t have to tell you to be careful around him, right?”

“No,” I scoff. “We’re just friends.”

“Ohhhkay,” Fallon breathes, pulling back the mascara wand and screwing it into the tube. “As long as that childhood crush isn’t coming back.”

I roll my eyes, shaking my head.

Fallon applies the bronzer to my face next, then the lipstick. She holds up a little mirror in front of me after she’s finished and I nod in approval. The makeup is simple, pretty. Exactly what I wanted.

She throws her makeup back into the pouch and zips it up, rising to stand. “Now for the shoes…”

“I thought I’d just wear my chucks,” I tease, and Fallon gives me a huge eyeroll as she digs in the bottom of her dress bag again.

She pulls out a pair of nude pumps, thrusting them in my direction.

I groan. “You know how I hate heels.”

“Just put them on.”

I do. Once I slide my feet into the pumps, I stand and turn to face the mirror, giving myself a once-over.

“My work here is done.” Fallon swats my butt. “Go get him, girl! Let him see that thong!”

I shake my head, cheeks flushing. “My dress is staying on, Fal. If things go well, the most he’s getting is a goodnight kiss.”

Fallon starts making kissy faces, taunting me. I laugh, shoving her away.

“What if things go really well, though?” she asks, waggling her eyebrows.

I roll my eyes again. “If things go really well, I’ll ask if we can both stay here for the full moon, see if we’re mates.”

She folds her arms, sticking her bottom lip out in a pout. “You’re no fun.”

I wasn’t that interested in finding my fated mate until my twin found hers. Every time I see her with Gray- see how devoted they are to one another, the love between them- I can’t help but want something like that for myself. It seems like Connor and I are a lot alike, so it’s not a stretch to think that we could be mates. And wouldn’t it be amazing to be fated to someone I already like?

The cruel twist of it all is that there’s no way of knowing if we’re fated mates unless we’re in proximity of one another under the full moon. So I could date him, fall for him, and we wouldn’t know if we were actually fated until the moon confirmed it.

And if we aren’t fated mates, could I really keep dating him? It seems like a colossal waste of time if my mate’s still out there, waiting. Seems like a recipe for heartbreak.

“Alright, I’m gonna go,” Fallon sighs, gathering up her things and stuffing them back into the dress bag.

“Thanks for your help,” I say, checking myself out in the mirror again.

“No problem.” Fallon tosses the dress bag over her shoulder, grinning. “Good luck tonight. Love you.”

I smile, reaching out to give her hand a squeeze. “No matter what.”

~

Connor knocks on my door at exactly seven o’clock to pick me up for our date.

Gotta love a guy that’s on time!

He’s wearing a dress shirt and a tie, looking so darn cute that I immediately go in for a hug. He’s a little stiff, but he returns it, then steps back and drags a hand down through his shaggy hair.

“You look really pretty,” he says, fidgeting a little.

So cute.

“Thanks,” I smile. “You look nice, too.”

Connor blushes, smiling back. “You ready to go?”

I nod, grabbing my clutch off of my dresser and locking the door behind me.

I’m pleasantly surprised when Connor leads me around the side of the complex to the parking lot. I was expecting to walk to Goldenleaf in these dang heels- I had no idea that he had a car. It’s an older model Camry, clean and comfortable. We climb inside and the ride to the restaurant is a little awkward because we’re both quiet, nervous.

“Got any tunes?” I ask, eyeing the radio.

Connor leans forward, pressing a button to turn it on.

I hear a familiar song playing and I can’t help but giggle at the irony. It’s ‘Under Pressure’ by David Bowie and Queen- and it fits perfectly with the mood right now; the pressure that we’re both obviously feeling for this first date.

“Okay, that’s too ironic.” I glance over at Connor, grinning.

“Huh?”

“This song!”

Connor shakes his head, eyes trained on the road. “Never heard it before.”

“What?! You’ve gotta be kidding me. It’s a classic! David Bowie, Freddie Mercury…”

He just shrugs. “Never heard of those guys.”

My jaw goes slack. “You’ve never heard of Freddie Mercury?! The frontman from Queen?!”

He shakes his head again.

“Oh my gosh, you’re missing out. Queen is iconic!” I gush. “I’ve got a playlist of their best songs, I’ll have to send it to you!”

Connor scrunches his nose. “Nah, you don’t have to do that. I’m not really into this old-school music.”

His response takes the wind out of my sails.

“Oh. Okay.”

I slump back in my seat.

We’re silent for the rest of the ride.

Connor pulls up to the restaurant, parks, and comes around to open the passenger side door for me. Such a gentleman. It almost redeems him for shutting me down when I tried to connect with him about music. I’m sure he didn’t mean to be rude- he’s probably just nervous like I am. I’m all for second chances, so I mentally wipe the slate clean as we walk into the restaurant.

Bella Vita is a cute little place, with dim lighting and circular tables with red and white checkered tablecloths. Soft instrumental music plays as the waiter leads us to our table- even though the restaurant is pretty empty on a Monday night, Connor was thoughtful enough to make a reservation.

The waiter pulls my chair out for me, but I bet Connor would’ve if given the chance. The boy’s got manners. I slide into my seat, waiting for him to take his across from me. There’s a little votive on the table with a tealight candle burning and a single red rose in a vase. Classy, romantic. Great first date vibes.

The date’s nice. The conversation is a little bit stiff, but I write it off as first date jitters. I drone on about the program that I’m working on and Connor listens politely, acts like he cares. I feign interest in his story about an ‘epic takedown’ on the practice field. He’s pleasant to be around, easy and uncomplicated. And so darn sweet. He orders dessert, picks up the tab. Holds my hand to walk me out of the restaurant.

He opens the car door for me again- a little gesture that I really appreciate. Drives nice and slow back to the complex. He doesn’t turn on the radio on our ride home, and I don’t ask- we just chat about the weather, his patrol assignments, and our plans for the week. It feels good, comfortable.

As we pull into the parking lot at the squad complex, though, I start getting a little nervous again. Will there be a goodnight kiss? I wring my hands in my lap, glancing over at him. Connor, with his shaggy hair and boyish good looks. Connor, who put on a tie and held the door for me. He really is a good guy, a nice guy. I hope he goes for the kiss.

I half expect him to do it in the parking lot, since it’s the only place around the squad complex where we’d have some semblance of privacy. I try to listen to my wolf, like Fallon said, and she actually perks up for a moment when I get out of the car- but Connor doesn’t kiss me. Instead, he takes my hand and we walk around the building, through the gate, into the barracks. My wolf goes back into hiding.

He walks me to my door, and I fumble in my clutch for my keys, waiting for him to make a move. He’s just standing across from me awkwardly, shuffling his feet a little bit as I retrieve my keys. The hallway of the squad dorms doesn’t strike me as the most romantic place for a first kiss, but I guess that beggars can’t be choosers.

“This was fun,” I say, offering him a smile.

He peers at me through his shaggy bangs, the corner of his mouth turning up into a smile. “Yeah, definitely. We should uh… do it again sometime?”

I nod enthusiastically. “Definitely.”

We just look at each other, fidgeting awkwardly. Is he gonna kiss me or not?!

I blow out a breath, turning to slide my key into the door. I push it open, take a little step inside, and turn back around. “Thanks again for dinner. I’m really glad we did this.”

Connor takes a cautious step toward me, so he’s standing halfway in the doorway. “Me too.”

I smile. He smiles. I blush.

Man, this is awkward.

“Well, uh… goodnight,” Connor breathes, staring at me longingly.

I wet my lips with my tongue, trying to give him the signal. Lean a little closer.

“Goodni…”

He cuts me off by pressing his lips against mine.

Holy crap! This is happening!

My eyes fly wide in surprise, but I quickly slam them closed, bringing a hand up to touch his jaw to show him that I’m on board with this. I pout my lips, gently parting them to kiss him back.

It’s… not how I thought it would be. It’s clumsy and awkward and… oh good lord, he’s trying to dart his tongue into my mouth like a snake! I tilt my head, try to open my mouth a little bit more, massage his tongue with mine softly.

He’s not responsive to my efforts. He just keeps flicking his tongue in and out of my mouth like a dang lizard, sucking my lips like a goldfish, slobbering like a saint bernard. Ugh! Is this really what kissing is like?! Why the heck do people enjoy this?!

Just as quickly as it started, it ends- Connor pulls away, wipes at his mouth with a sleeve. Gives me a goofy, lopsided grin. I stare at him, catching my breath.

I force a smile. “Goodnight, Connor. Thanks again for the date. It was really… nice.”

Connor blushes, pushing his bangs out of his eyes with his fingertips. “Yeah, anytime. Goodnight.”

He gives me a little wave, turns, and starts down the hallway.

I watch after him, blinking, then take a step back and close the door.

What the heck was that?!

I cross the room to my bed, kicking off my heels before flopping down on it. Then I start combing over the evening in my mind, picking apart every detail.

The date was nice, but I’m so… disappointed. I looked forward to that kiss all night, expected it to be magical. I expected there to be fireworks, dangit! Instead, it was messy, clumsy, lackluster.

There was no chemistry between us. No… spark.