Lucian noticed that Kyle had recovered from his earlier disappointment much faster than he had expected.
The omega's eyes were back to their bright ocean blue hue and his posture was confident.
Lucian was now at ease as they waited for their food to arrive.
He thought he had done a pretty good job at letting down the omega gently and he felt so proud of himself as they sat in a companionable silence.
Unknown to him, Kyle was meticulously plotting ways on how to capture his heart!
A small secret smirk danced on Kyle's lips as he watched the Alpha that was seated opposite from him, blissfully oblivious to the seduction and temptation that were coming his way.
Once they had finished dinner, Lucian was the perfect gentleman.
He politely offered to escort Kyle to his car, something that the omega saw as an opportunity to start his conquest.
"You were pleasant company this evening." Lucian admitted honestly, finding the straightforward omega quite refreshing.
"You as well." Kyle smiled as he moved an inch closer to the alpha that was walking beside him.
They waited together for a couple of minutes until Kyle's car pulled up in front of them.
"Good bye, Kyle." Lucian said his farewell, preparing to turn away and probably never see the omega again.
Kyle knew if he easily let Lucian walk away, he was mostly likely not going to see him anytime soon.
He quickly thought of a way to stay in touch with Lucian and the idea in his mind sounded quite bold when compared to his usual approach.
Kyle nervously bit down on his lower lip as his hand tugged on Lucian's sleeve in a familiar grip.
That had the Alpha's attention and Lucian slowly turned to face him, their eyes meeting in an unfathomable gaze.
The alpha patiently waited for him to speak and Kyle's ears burned as he slowly averted his gaze from Lucian's, feeling a little guilty for the request he was about to make.
"May I have your phone number?" Kyle requested, his voice neutral as his eyes met Lucian's calm ashen grey ones.
The alpha was thoughtfully silent as he looked down at the omega whose intentions were now unclear.
"Why?" Lucian's voice was guarded and Kyle flinched slightly, afraid that he might have come on a little too strong.
Anyway, he was beyond hiding the fact that he wanted to stay in touch with the alpha that was clearly nonchalant to prolong their interaction.
"So that I may call you when I arrive home safely." Kyle smiled softly, knowing that Lucian had a caring side to his calm and nearly indifferent personality.
The omega's statement eased Lucian's tense shoulders as he inwardly scolded himself for overthinking the omega's request.
Kyle was just being responsible.
"Sure." Lucian agreed to Kyle's request as he subtly pulled his hand away from the omega that was still holding onto his sleeve.
Kyle noticed the small action and tried not to be disheartened by it as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
His small hand tactically brushed against Lucian's while he handed the Alpha's his phone.
The brief skin to skin contact caused Lucian to momentarily freeze in awareness but as he looked at Kyle's passively innocent face, he decided to brush it off as an accident as he hurriedly typed his phone number.
"Thank you. I will call." Kyle waved casually as he eventually walked away from Lucian, a small part of him glad that he now had a way to contact the Alpha.
He counted it as progress even though the rate was painfully slow for his liking.
Lucian stood unmoving for a while as he watched the sleek black car disappear from sight.
His gut feeling told him to be much more alert when it came to Kyle and he sighed softly, dialing his driver to come and pick him up as his thoughts involuntarily drifted to his mate.
He was worried about Jace and he couldn't dull the ache to see him again.
For a brief moment, Lucian wished he could be able to reach out and know how his mate was doing even though it made him feel like he was a lovesick puppy, yearning for someone that hated him.
....
Jace blinked, conflicted on how to react as he looked at the photos had been sent to him.
In the photos, Lucian was standing quite close to a good looking Omega and the way they stood facing each other seemed to be quite casual and possibly intimate.
The height difference was perfect and Jace's jaw tightened as he noticed how the omega was holding onto his mate's sleeve.
Lucian was clearly busy and that infuriated him.
A strange jealousy and possessiveness turned his mouth bitter as he thought of his alpha mate in someone's arms.
Jace nearly regretted hiring the discreet photographer to have Lucian's every public appearance monitored because the results he had received were effortlessly messing with his emotions.
"You look pretty jealous." Axel that was standing beside him noted carefully as he peaked at the photos his friend was holding in a death grip.
"Jealous? I am not jealous of him spending time with other people. He can do whatever the hell he wants." Jace grimaced when his voice sounded like he was trying to convince himself that he was unbothered by his mate's actions.
Axel shot him a look that made him aware of the fact that he didn't sound so convincing.
Jace let out a long frustrated sigh as he threw the photos in his hand on the nearby sofa.
"Fine, I am jealous. He is MY mate and I don't like the fact that he is so comfortable around another man." Jace's voice was a rough and possessive grumble as he looked at his friend, his forest green eyes flickering with a faint trace of vulnerability.
Axel patted his shoulder in a comforting gesture.
"I don't like that I am getting so affected by his actions. I hate him so much but somehow, I care. I....I don't want to see him with someone else." Jace's voice was conflicted.