Playing You (Omega's Luck #3) - Claire Cullen Page 0,19

bedroom. It wasn’t until they walked in the door that Riley was forced to confront the fact that they’d be sharing a bed that night.

Brendan saw where his gaze was aimed.

“I’ll sleep on the floor,” he murmured. “Don’t sweat it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. That bed is huge. You could fit three people in it, lying like starfish, and they wouldn’t touch.”

Brendan laughed. “Alright, then. You better not be a blanket hogger.”

“Only a real blanket hogger would say that,” Riley threw back.

They set to unpacking their bags and changing for dinner. Riley took his outfit into the bathroom to change, coming out to look himself over in the mirror. Brendan slipped past him into the bathroom, leaving Riley alone to admire his reflection. He almost didn’t recognize himself. His hair was styled differently, the clothes on his back were probably worth more than his monthly salary, and there was something about his expression that made him look entirely unlike himself.

“You look great,” Brendan said from the bathroom doorway.

“I do scrub up well,” Riley agreed with a grin.

“The clothes don’t make the man, no matter what anyone says,” the alpha said softly.

Riley blinked, a warm feeling surging through him when he realized the alpha was paying him a compliment.

“So I’ll… how’s that phrase go? Pass mustard?”

Brendan barked out a laugh. “I think it’s pass muster. And you, my darling fiancé, do far more than pass.”

He held out a hand and Riley took it, letting the alpha lead him from the room. One reception down, one meal to go. As long as he didn’t think too far ahead, he wouldn’t get overwhelmed. He could handle this, and Brendan was there if he found himself struggling.

Dinner was a relaxed affair, though Riley found there’d been a change in the table settings that left him opposite Brendan but right next to Christian. The alpha aimed a few words his way but seemed conscious of Brendan’s keen gaze across from them. It didn’t stop him from ‘accidentally’ brushing against Riley’s hand when reaching for his wine glass or subtly pressing his knee to Riley’s beneath the table. Riley grew more uncomfortable as the meal wore on. His subtle attempts to put some distance between himself and the alpha seemed to go right over Christian’s head. Or, more likely, he was deliberately ignoring them.

Dinner couldn’t end too soon, and he slipped from the table and over to Brendan, lacing his fingers with the alpha’s. If Brendan was surprised by the move, he didn’t act like it.

“How about some fresh air?” he suggested. “Give the food time to settle.”

Riley nodded eagerly and let Brendan escort him outside, resisting the urge to drag the alpha away as quickly as possible.

Brendan led them away from the house and the other guests milling about outside. “Let’s check out the rose gardens. I hear they’re wonderful this time of year.”

As soon as they were out of earshot, Brendan’s hand squeezed his.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Riley told him. “Just Christian getting a little… handsy.”

Brendan regarded him with a frown, rubbing his thumb lightly over Riley’s knuckles. “I didn’t notice that. I mean, I saw him brush against you a few times, and you were looking pretty tense by the time we finished up.”

“When I said handsy, I didn’t literally mean his hands. It was his knee, his thigh, his foot.” He shuddered and tried to take his mind off it as they walked toward the roses.

Brendan’s frown deepened, the alpha looking decidedly unhappy. “Brazen of him with me sitting right there.”

“Yeah, well. All part of the job, I suppose.”

The alpha stopped walking so suddenly that Riley didn’t realize until he found himself jolted back by their joined hands.

“Brendan?”

The alpha drew him close, bringing his mouth to Riley’s ear.

“That is not part of your job description.”

“Um… okay?”

“I mean it. You don’t have to put up with an alpha being a creep to you just because he’s our person of interest. That’s not why you’re here. If Christian tries it again, you have full agency to do whatever you need to. Whether that’s walking away, switching seats, throwing a glass of champagne over him. I mean, that last one wouldn’t be my first go-to, but—”

Riley pulled back and stared at Brendan in confusion, keeping his voice low. “We’re supposed to be staying off the radar. None of that helps us not be noticed.”

“Walking away isn’t going to get you noticed. Hell, to Christian, it’ll probably seem like you’re playing hard to get.”

“But—”

“As for meals, I’ll