Page 13 of Blizzards and Brews
She was never the type of beta to keep her words to herself and I didn’t want to rock the boat. If she had a problem with this man, she was more than capable of handling it, not that I wouldn’t have great joy in handling it for her.
“I’m going to check on her,” Ollie said from behind the bar, rushing into the back room before he could get close to our confrontation.
A few moments later, my girl stepped out of the back room with wide eyes. Her shocked laughter bubbled out of her as she sat the sampler flight on the bar.
“This is just my luck, isn’t it?” she muttered to herself as she shoved her blonde hair out of her face.
Despite her frustration, she was still gorgeous. I’d always loved Lindsay’s fire and it was starting to spark now. It would likely consume us all in its inferno by the end of this confrontation.
“I see you know each other,” I managed to say through clenched teeth. She let out a breath and nodded. I could already see she was afraid to hurt me but she would never lie.
“Spencer, they’re the men who I own this place with,” she started. “Ollie is in the back, Dustin, and Adam is the brute staring you down.” She gestured to us to show who was who and his calculating green eyes swung from one of us to the next before settling back on my beta.
“A pleasure to meet you. I’m waiting to see if I need to leave, angel,” Spencer admitted. “It’s clear that I’m walking into something more complex than everyone expected and I understand if we need to reschedule.”
I hated how unaffected he was. Now I just felt like I was being a jerk and overreacting.
She’d made it clear I didn’t have a claim over her. At least not in the way I’d wanted.
The thought had my chest aching, something I’d grown to live with as I gave her the time she needed.
Not anymore. This man was far too smooth and I knew if I didn’t go all in now, it would be over before it started.
Living without her wasn’t an option. She’d always been ours and she just had to face it now.
“No, stay,” I offered, my voice barely restrained and harsh but he just beamed at me and walked toward the bar to take a seat.
“I’ve heard good things around town about this place, and I was able to scope it out quietly last night. You have a good thing going here so far. Is this your seasonal selection in front of me, or is it your signature beers?” Spencer asked, fully in business mode. “I know we’re here to talk seasonal promotion, but if you already have a few holiday selections I’d like to know so I can complement them.”
“This is our signature, Ollie is coming with the seasonal options we have,” Lindsay explained as the doors swung open. “He’s the brewmaster with all the taste buds.”
Ollie walked over and set the other on the bar but stumbled, the beer spilling. Spencer jumped back before he froze as well, quickly coming to his senses to help my brother.
“Well, this is interesting,” he purred, as my brother’s caramel-marshmallow scent intensified. “I’m Spencer.”
“Ollie,” my omega brother whispered as he stared from her to Spencer and back again, his head swiveling continuously until she moved closer and pushed her shoulder against his. Ollie settled immediately at Lindsay’s touch and Spencer let out a slow chuckle.
“You didn’t tell me you were with a pack, Lindsay,” Spencer started but she shook her head a bit too quickly for my liking.
“We’re family, but not quite a pack,” she said quickly. That caged, panicked look was back.
She was infuriating but worth the frustration. I knew damn well she wanted this, wanted us. It was just more designation bullshit.
“She’s pack,” I said firmly, my eyes daring her to argue with me. It had slipped out and her lips parted into a gasp but she recovered quickly.
“Anyway, these are our seasonal,” Lindsay said, rushing into a quick explanation. I guess we were playing this like usual, with impressive avoidance.
Spencer chuckled but refocused on the beer, taking out a notebook as Ollie hastily wiped up his mess. The alpha’s fingers brushed over Ollie’s and there was a whisper that made my brother blush before he started tasting each one, asking all the right questions, and taking a few notes.
What the actual fuck was happening?
The tension was still hanging strong in the air as Dustin dragged me closer to the bar and shoved me in a stool several away from the other alpha, putting himself between us.
It wasn’t like I was a feral animal. I wasn’t going to attack him but now things were even more complicated than I could have imagined.
He was not just catching Lindsay’s eye, it seemed he was likely scent-matched to my brother.
There was no getting rid of this man now.