6. Steve

Leo is beautiful when he laughs. He's beautiful all of the time, obviously. But watching him lean his head back, his eyes full of pure joy and his dimples popping, is like watching one of those slow-motion parts of a movie. I've never seen anything or anyone who was so gorgeous, they made time stop like that before. It feels more like one of Henry's fantastical campaigns than real life.

That might also be because of Leo's scent. It's intoxicating. I want to lean over and suck on his neck. That is not normal. I should not do it.

If we don't get out of this car soon, I might.

"Where are we going?" I ask again.

"How about a hotel?" he suggests.

Leo wants to take me to a hotel? Does that mean what I think it does?

"I should tell you that I am terrible at casual sex. You know, in case that's what's about to happen. I fall in love with every omega I sleep with, which sounds romantic, but it's not. I become needy and overly affectionate, like an aggressively cuddly lap dog."

"Good to know." His lips slide into a smile that makes his dimples reappear on his cheeks. I've seen that smile before in his movies. It's absolutely adorable. I can't believe I'm seeing it in person.

That's why I almost plow into the security guard's little office by the gate. I swerve to the right just in time. The guard waves us through, clearly alarmed by my driving.

"You are way too attractive to be matched to me," I say.

He shrugs. "Don't sell yourself short. I think you're very attractive."

My brain cannot compute Leo Sanders thinking I'm attractive. It also cannot compute going to a hotel with him.

This can't be real.

"You could date anyone. You could even date Batman," I say, before I stop and consider how ridiculous that sounds. "I mean you could date the guy who plays Batman in the movies. He's huge and has a ridiculous number of defined muscles in his abdomen. It's not even a six pack or an eight pack. It's like a ten pack or a twelve pack. My friend Griff thinks that he's had some of those muscles injected. There's this jelly-like substance that body builders sometimes use to make their abs look more muscley."

Too late, I realize I've turned my first conversation with my match into a monologue about Batman's abs.

"As tempting as Batman's fake twelve-pack may be, he's already married," Leo reminds me. "I met his husband on the set of ‘On My Own.' They're a cute couple."

Leo has met Batman. Of course he's met Batman. I've seen "On My Own."

What is wrong with me? Have I inherited my alpha father's habit of bringing up superheroes into every conversation?

"Sorry. I'm not really trying to pawn you off on a married actor." I reach out and place my hand on his, which is supposed to be comforting, friendly gesture. But he takes in a sharp breath, his nostrils flaring. His scent rushes at me and, for a moment, I forget we're strangers who met only minutes ago. I forget everything except how badly I need to suck on his neck. I lean toward him, turning my head and sliding my hand along his jaw to get a proper grip on him.

Just before my lips make contact with his skin, I stop. We're on the freeway. I'm driving one-handed and not paying attention to the road at all. This isn't safe. And he's arching his neck toward me, even though we're swerving into the next lane. Clearly, he's as affected by my pheromones as I am by his.

I grit my teeth and release him. "The agency mentioned that we shouldn't be in an enclosed space together. This is probably why."

Leo pushes the button to roll down his window. We're going fast enough that the air blowing into the car is uncomfortably loud, but it clears my head.

"We need to get to a hotel," he says.

"But if we go to a hotel room…" How do I delicately say that I'll bend him over the bed and fuck him the second we're alone in a bedroom together? "Things will happen. Sexual things."

"Then where should we go?" he asks.

The agency suggested meeting outside or in front of other people, which was the initial plan. But I can't take Leo to the park or some other public outdoor space. People will stare at him, and we left his house to get away from all that.

"We can go to my apartment," I say. "I have this private outdoor space on the roof of my building."

"Okay," Leo says. "Where is it?"

"Um, not far from here." I make a jerky turn into the next lane to take the upcoming exit.

"Do you always drive like you're in a melodramatic car chase film?" Leo teases.

"Only when I have movie stars in my car," I tease back.

My stomach flips a little because witty banter is my love language. If Leo is funny, in addition to being gorgeous and smelling good, I have no hope. I'll be madly in love with him way before it's socially acceptable. The whole situation will be embarrassing.

I take a few more turns before we reach the historic district of Sutton City where stately red brick buildings stand tall on either side of the road. Each apartment has big, long windows and ornate designs carved into the plaster outlining the roof. The first time I walked through this area of the city, it felt like traveling back in time. Even as a kid, I knew I wanted to live here. I could have easily purchased a whole house in another part of the city for the same price as the rent, but it wouldn't be the same.

Sometimes you just know where you belong.

I slow down when we get to my apartment and park as smoothly as possible so Leo doesn't feel like he's in a Hollywood car chase anymore.

"You live here?" he asks.

"Yes. This is it."

He takes in the curved cement steps up to the entrance and the dark green moss covering the brick between the second and third floors. "It's enchanting."

"Thank you."

He climbs out of the passenger's seat before I turn off the car, which is probably for the best. If we linger, we'll probably end up making out in the front seat of my car.

I stare at his ass as he walks toward the stairs. It's small and round and hugged perfectly by his jeans. I wish I could cup it with my hands—maybe slip my hand between his legs.

Damn it. I need to get my mind out of the gutter. I scramble out of the car and follow him up the front steps to my door. Unfortunately, he's a few steps ahead of me, which means his ass is right in front of my face.

"You doing okay there?" he says, flashing me a mischievous smile.

My cheeks grow hot. "Sorry."

"It's okay. Look all you want." He wiggles his hips, that mischievous smile still spread across his face. I can't help but smile back.

Leo is fun. I shouldn't be surprised. In most of his films he plays happy, flirty characters who spend the whole movie joking around or trying to lure another character into bed. Maybe he gets those kinds of roles because acting that way comes naturally to him.

I toss him my keys. He catches them and considers me skeptically. "Do you not want to go inside?"

"We shouldn't go inside at the same time," I say. "The small key opens the front door. Go up two flights of stairs and through my office. You'll have to climb up a ladder to get access to the roof. I'll wait a few minutes and follow behind you."

He looks back at me one last time before opening the door. The connection between us is wild, even outside and from a distance. What will it be like to touch him when I finally can? Or to kiss him? What will it feel like to be inside him with his scent and body wrapped around me?

Leo slips into my house, leaving me on the front steps with an erection and a head full of fantasies.