Blizzards and Brews (Holiday Hollow Omegaverse)

Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Spencer

H oliday Hollow was a fun, small town. Not quite what I had expected when I traveled down here for work, but I was pleasantly surprised nonetheless.

Although, I did have to say that it took me a moment to realize that people were genuinely being nice and kind to me because that’s who they were and not because they needed something.

Coming from the city, there was usually some kind of ulterior motive. I wouldn’t say it had left me jaded, but it had left me…let’s say, assertive.

I wasn’t afraid to speak my mind or say what I wanted, and when you were a six foot five alpha who was as thick as a tree trunk, that tended to go one of two ways. You either liked me or you didn’t, there was no in between.

An easygoing acoustic set pumped through the swinging open door of the brewpub I had settled my sights on. The name Holiday Brews was lit up across the front in old-fashioned lights and from the amount of people that were here on a Tuesday evening, it seemed to be doing pretty well.

I took a seat at the rich mahogany counter, acknowledging the head nod from the bartender before she turned the corner and my breath caught. Her proximity next to me let me catch her scent.

The faint hint of iris and amber filled my lungs, a mere kiss on the air, but it had me instantly hardening as I struggled with my control.

Never in my life had I experienced such a visceral reaction from someone, and I was eager to find out every little thing I could about the blonde beta who walked around this place like she owned it. The confidence in her steps was sexy as fuck.

The bartender came over, and I quickly ordered a flight of their on-tap local drafts, before I went back to my stalking–I mean admiring.

It wasn’t long before I realized that she worked here, greeting people like long-lost friends, and even taking over for the bartender as the night wound down and the crowd dwindled.

I’d been nursing my beers and taking everything in, and I had to admit they knew what they were doing. The fact that my mystery woman was a part of that was just another check mark on all the reasons I should propose to her right now.

I had a cock ring in my bag in the car. She didn’t seem like the jewelry type but I was sure I could deliver in other ways.

Watching her work was like a peek behind the curtain. I quickly figured out she was right handed, was a hard worker, and had a smile that could turn heads. Yet, she seemed completely unaware. That or she didn’t care. Each time someone sent her a flirty smile she was already moving on to the next. Her teasing words and laughter filled the space, standing out to me in a sea of voices.

“Are you going to stare at me all night or are you going to talk to me?” she finally asked, coming down to the end of the bar where I was sitting. She gave me a smirk as she cleared the mini glasses I was finished with.

I grinned. “Can’t I do both?”

“You can,” she said with a saucy wink. “But it remains to be seen if you can do both well. ” She had my kind of fire and I found myself leaning closer to her, desperate for another breath of her scent.

“I guess that depends on if you’re afraid of the wilderness, angel.”

She laughed, and I immediately wanted her to do it again. “You may be a bear of a man, but that wouldn’t stop me from getting any honey.”

I wanted her honey. On my tongue, on my face. Dripping down my beard.

“I have a feeling little would stop you from getting what you want,” I said, not liking the brief flash of something else in her eye.

“And what is it you think I want?”

“Well, for tonight? I’m thinking that you want a smooth closing shift, a nice meal, and then a really, really good fucking.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Are you always this straightforward?”

“When I know what I want? Yes.”

“And you’ve decided that you want me?”

I licked my lips, taking a second to look her up and down. “I don’t just want you, angel. I need you.”

Her eyes darkened as they assessed me. She took a breath to steady herself and glanced down the bar as if to check and see if her boss heard. Finally when she looked back at me I knew she’d made her decision. There was pure sex in that gaze. She was all in.

Thank fuck.

“There’s a place we can stop for food on the way to your place,” she said, being just as direct as I was.

“I’ll stick around until closing,” I said, nodding once before she was off again. In her wake was another wave of her mouth-watering scent. Something else hung in the air, it was subtle like it had long faded, but bold enough I could pick it out of the rest. The caramel and marshmallow was warm and sweet, like sticky marshmallows and caramel coffee, it complemented the fresh, earthy scents the beta gave off. That was a mystery for another day.

Right now, I had other plans.

My eyes followed her as she moved around the room and popped behind the bar. The workers here had a sort of dance of their own. Just watching the way they moved in perfect synchronization, sharing smiles and jokes as they passed one another, told me they had a history.

If she was flirting with me and making plans, that was at least platonic. It didn’t matter much either way.

She was mine.

My tongue darted out, wetting my lips, as she bent over to wipe a table. As if she could feel my eyes studying the perfect swell of her ass, she glanced back and gave me a wink, putting extra effort into shimmying as she cleaned the tables one by one.

Fuck, I was hard as a rock and this was not helping.

Soon enough I was the last customer left after they helped a drunk old man to the door. The bartender didn’t come back right away and I wondered if he went as far as helping the drunken man home.

Holiday Hollow was definitely different.

“We have to lock up. Meet me outside in twenty,” the beta said as she came up to take the last glass from in front of me. “Name’s Lindsay, by the way.”

“Don’t stand me up, angel,” I said, giving her my best heated look as I ignored her given name for my preferred one.

Her breath caught and her eyes fluttered closed at the pheromones I was putting out. She didn’t act like she was affected by my scent at any point before this and I wondered if it was that or lust that had caused this reaction.

Leaving her on the edge of desire I stood and took my leave. I didn’t look back until I’d reached the door, turning long enough to give her a wink before leaving the bar behind.

It was a chilly night and I was thankful for the thick, wool peacoat I had on. I popped the collar up to ward off the cold as I leaned against the brick of the building.

Holiday Hollow was quiet this time of night, peaceful.

The city was never this silent. There was always the background noise of cars on the road, sirens, music from the clubs that didn’t close until right before dawn, and the shouting of voices out having a good time.

Here, there was a steady rustling of wind on the barren winter trees. Even the soft buzz of the lights fell away as they shut them off for the night.

I took a deep breath and couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my lips. I’d come here to find contracts and make a deal, but it seemed there was a lot more than I bargained for.

Not that I was complaining.

I was the type of alpha who knew what he wanted. Once I changed my mind about something, that was it. I may have only been in Holiday Hollow for half a day but I was already preparing myself to stay.

That beta was mine.

And if this was her home, then it was soon to be mine as well.

I heard the back door slam open and the clink of the dumpster before the front door opened and my girl slipped out, locking it behind her.

She glanced the opposite way before turning toward me. Her eyes lit up and damn if that didn’t send a jolt of warmth through my chest.

“You waited,” she said as if she wasn’t sure I would.

“I’m not the type to lie,” I said as I pulled her in close. My nose hit her hair and I breathed in deep, my cock hardening into stone. “You smell amazing.”

“So do you,” she said in a husky voice that had me tightening my hold. “What do you say to eating after?”

“I’ll make the wait worthwhile. I need you to have energy,” I countered, leading her to the only building still lit up this late.

She let out a huff of annoyance but didn’t argue. My hand slipped from around her shoulders down to her ass and I squeezed a handful. She let out a squeak and glared at me but I just chuckled, completely unrepentant.

“Just giving myself a little taste of what’s to come,” I defended as I held the door open for her.

The diner was dead and I was a bit shocked it was even open this late. We found a booth in the back and I pulled her into the same side with me before she could take the other seat.

A wave of her scent thickened in the air and I grinned, loving that she was turned on when I manhandled her. That meant I wouldn’t have to hold back on her. Good. There was no way I could with the scent of her and sex in the air.

Maybe I shouldn’t have fed her first.

My protective side protested and I distracted myself with picking something off of the menu. This was about to be the longest dinner of my life.

But like I told her, it would be worth the wait.