Chasing Clark (Maple Hart)

by Fel Fern

  Where did the time go?

  I bolted out of my apartment building and got into my car. I inputted the Maple View Hotel in my phone GPS app and started the engine.

  It took me half an hour to reach the Maple View Hotel. I found a parking spot and got out of the car.

  The place was gorgeous. Sprawling gardens surrounded a cottage-style inn in the center. I could understand why this place had to be booked months in advance for an event.

  I asked directions at the front desk and was directed to the back of the hotel. While only a few guests lingered at the wedding reception, I felt a little out of place in my casual clothes.

  I walked past empty tables and sought out my Alpha. I finally found Clark near the buffet tables. He was manning the bar.

  Clark was dressed in a button-down and long-sleeved white shirt and black jeans. He was also wearing a bow tie. Cute, I thought.

  As I got closer, I noticed he was chatting with another wedding guest. I halted in my footsteps and studied the lean, handsome, and golden-haired Omega.

  He was younger than me and was about Clark’s age. The Omega was laughing at what Clark just said. I didn’t know why I didn’t call out to Clark right away.

  An ache started in my chest. Clark and this unknown Omega looked good together. They made for a pretty picture.

  I suddenly felt like an outsider, a petty and jealous observer on the sidelines looking in. I knew I had no reason to feel that way.

  Clark was head-over-heels for me and I felt the same way but I’d always felt insecure in my skin.

  Clark was young. A hottie. He could have whoever he wanted.

  I told my mom age didn’t matter but what if I was wrong?

  I was 27 and not getting any younger. I was at a stage in my life where I wanted permanence. Stability. I wanted a mate to build a home with. Kids.

  Did Clark want the same things or did he prefer to explore and mingle around more?

  Unease settled in the pit of my stomach. I hated these feelings of uncertainty. All I wanted to do was lose myself in this date.

  Tonight was going to be magical, I knew it in my bones but sooner or later Clark and I needed to sit down. To talk about our future.

  “So, here’s my number,” the Omega was saying.

  The Omega pushed a napkin with his number written on it towards Clark. The Omega rested his hand over Clark’s muscled forearm.

  Clark frowned at him. Jealousy nipped at me. I didn’t know I was capable of feeling possessive and petty until that moment.

  Clark was mine.

  My Alpha.

  That Omega better take his grubby hands off my Clark or else he had to face my wrath. I might not look much but I could hold my own in a fight, especially when my future mate was at stake.

  My future mate?

  “I’m taken,” Clark finally said, looking the other Omega in eye.

  The Omega looked surprised but he quickly recovered. “Keep my number just in case.”

  “I’d have to refuse,” Clark said in a curt and firm voice. Clark pushed the napkin back to the Omega, who glared at him.

  “Whatever,” the other Omega muttered, then stomped away like a child who didn’t get his way.

  I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding and finally found the courage to walk up to my man. Clark looked up and seeing me, beamed.

  “Can I fix you a drink? You look like you had a rough day,” Clark said.

  “I do?” I blushed, realizing I kind of hovered in the background like some obsessed stalker while Clark dealt with that Omega. I had to fess up. “I saw what happened. Between you and that other Omega.”

  “Oh, him?” Clark shrugged. “He’s just another drunk wedding guest who thinks he can hit on the staff.”

  “You get hit on often, huh?”

  Clark studied me a little closer to my liking. I squirmed under his gaze. “You jealous?”

  “Absolutely.” The word left my mouth before I could stop myself. I had no right sounding like a jealous boyfriend right now.

  For God’s sake, we’ve only gone out once.

  “Don’t worry. The only man on my radar is you. Dusty, since you entered my life, I doubt I could be interested in anyone else.”

  “Really?”

  Clark nodded. “Drink?”

  “I’d like a beer then. Can I? Won’t you get in trouble? I mean, I’m not exactly a wedding guest.”

  Clark snorted as he took out two bottled beers from a nearby cooler. He opened them both. “Nah, it’s fine. There’s plenty of drinks leftover.”

  He raised his bottle to mine. I did the same.

  “Cheers,” I said, taking a sip.

  I wasn’t fond of alcohol but I must admit, the cold beer tasted nice.

  “You’ve been bartending since morning?” I asked, curious about his work.

  Clark said it was only a part-time job but he worked plenty of shifts, I noticed. He must’ve been on his feet for hours.

  “Yeah, two weddings today,” Clark said. “I’ve got an interview with another accounting firm next week though.”

  “Ooh, congrats,” I said, happy for him.

  Clark still didn’t fit my image of my typical accountant but he seemed passionate about numbers.

  “You look nice,” Clark remarked, undoing his bowtie.

  I blushed. “Thanks. I couldn’t decide what to wear. I was almost late.”

  “Well, you’re here now. That’s all that matters. I just need to help clean up. Could you wait for me a little while longer?”

  “Sure thing. I always wanted to take a walk around this place anyway.”

  “I’ll text you when I’m done,” he said, beaming. “If you’re hungry, we have plenty of leftovers.”

  Clark scored me a plate of fancy hors d'oeuvre, so I nibbled on those while walking around the property.

  Fifteen minutes later, Clark joined me, looking out of breath. I’ve finished my snack then.

  “Ready?” He asked, hugging me close to him.

  I wished I wasn’t holding the damn plate but Clark only took it from my hands and gave me a sizzling kiss on the mouth.

  “What was that for?” I asked, secretly pleased.

  “I’ve been wanting to kiss you for ages,” he said.

  Clark left the plate with a passing waiter. We finally left the hotel premises and headed to the fair.

  9

  Clark

  “You got them all, congratulations,” said the guy in charge of the shooting stall in a flat and robotic voice.

  The guy shoved a stuffed bear into my face. I didn’t miss the warning look in his eyes, telling me to go elsewhere.

  He couldn’t afford to lose any more prizes.

  “Wait, what?” Dusty exclaimed next to me. The Omega jumped up and down when I handed the bear to him. “No one has ever won anything for me before. Who taught you how to shoot?”

  “My dad,” I explained. “He took me to the woods when I was 12, along with my brothers. My brothers weren’t interested in guns. They spent the rest of that trip goofing around.”

  “You’ve never talked about your dad before,” Dusty pointed out.

  We wove our way through the food stalls. Since Dusty was eying the cotton candy booth, I got him one.

  Watching him munch on the cotton candy while still hugging the teddy bear made this date worth it. It didn’t hurt he clutched at my arm and hadn’t let go since we entered the fair.

  “My dad’s the quiet figure in my family,” I explained. “He’s content to remain in the background and support my mom from the sidelines.”

  I knew Dusty’s dad passed away when he was young.

  “What about you? Do you have many memories of your dad?” I asked.

  “Not a lot. It was probably tough on my mom raising me alone, but she never complained. We’re close.”

  “Yeah, I’m a mama’s boy too.”

  It was a little hard having a quiet conversation in the crowded fair but we made do.<
br />
  I slid my arm over his shoulders and tugged him close. Dusty didn’t seem to mind. He finished his cotton candy and when I snuck a kiss from him, he tasted so damnably sweet.

  “I usually don’t like crowds,” Dusty admitted. “But when you invited me here, I said yes immediately. You know why?”

  “Tell me.” I urged.

  “When I’m with you, it’s like the rest of the world ceased to matter. I only see you.” Dusty was blushing so fiercely for me that it was so fucking adorable.

  I wanted to throw him over my shoulder and carry him somewhere private.

  Remember the awesome date you promised him, I reminded myself.

  The night was far from over. There were plenty of attractions to explore. There were the haunted house and the rollercoaster.

  I was a conniving asshole for picturing Dusty clinging to me as we walked inside the haunted house or Dusty gripping my hand tight as we rode the coaster.

  I was about to suggest either of these attractions but Dusty suddenly pointed to the towering Ferris wheel in the distance.

  “Clark, let’s go on that next,” he said, eyes shining with excitement.

  “Sure, why not?” Riding the Ferris wheel with Dusty sounded romantic.

  As we were making our way to the ride, I spotted a familiar face in the crowd. I halted. It was Simon. He was with someone new, not the guy in the picture Nestor sent me awhile ago. I couldn’t believe I was in a funk for so many weeks over Simon.

  “Clark?” Dusty asked, bringing me back to reality. He followed my gaze. “Did you recognize someone?”

  “No one important,” I answered.

  Simon saw me too. He blinked at me. I was still holding Dusty close to me. The old me would’ve rubbed the fact I was with someone else.

  Simon didn’t hold a candle to Dusty. Dusty was sweet, thoughtful, and caring. He had so many qualities Simon didn’t.

  I only nodded to Simon, because it was the mature and adult thing to do. Simon looked puzzled as I led Dusty towards the queue to the Ferris wheel.

  I thought I would feel petty and vindictive. I wanted to shout to the rooftops, to Simon that I finally got over him, that he was only a stepping stone so I could finally meet my true soul mate.

  I didn’t. I felt at peace. Content.

  “Hey, Clark. Clark!” A familiar voice yelled.

  I cringed, seeing my older brother Gideon running towards Dusty and me. Gideon was tugging along his reluctant and enormous Alpha of a mate, Garth, who was cradling their daughter protectively against his massive chest.

  “Who’s that?” Dusty asked.

  “My brother,” I said with a sigh.

  I was hoping not to run into any member of my family tonight but given how we were so big and close, it was inevitable I’d bump into someone I knew.

  “Clark, hey. I didn’t realize you were going to the fair,” Gideon said, slightly out of breath.

  Garth grunted to me, his way of saying hello. Before meeting my brother, Garth used to be a recluse who lived all alone on his mountain.

  I knew Garth still didn’t like being around people although he was slowly warming up to our family. I wondered how Gideon managed to convince Garth to go the fair.

  I noticed Gideon was curiously looking at Dusty, who suddenly seemed timid and shy.

  I made the introductions. “Gideon, Garth, this is my date, Dusty. Dusty this is my brother and his mate, Garth. The baby in Garth’s arms is my niece, Jenny.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Dusty murmured.

  “Oh my God. I knew I’ve heard that name before. Mom fixed you guys on a blind date together, didn’t she?” Gideon asked.

  Seeing Dusty looking nervous, I glowered at my brother. Sometimes, my brother had zero tact.

  “So, you guys are officially together now?” Gideon pressed.

  “Gideon, I think they want to be alone.” Thank God for Garth’s observational skills.

  Gideon ignored Garth completely and suddenly took Dusty’s hands in his. Dusty dropped the stuffed bear in the process but I managed to stoop down and catch it before it got dirty.

  “So, is Clark bringing you to the family barbecue this weekend?” Clark asked Dusty.

  “A barbecue?” Dusty asked, looking a little overwhelmed.

  “I was going to ask him by the end of tonight,” I grumbled.

  “Oh, oops. Well, I hope you come to the barbecue, Dusty,” Gideon said with a smile.

  Garth and Gideon finally left us to our devices.

  The queue to the Ferris wheel had gotten longer if that was possible, but I didn’t mind jostling with the rest of the crowd too much.

  I had Dusty next to me. Dusty had been initially shy at the start of the date but it seemed he felt more comfortable around me.

  We indulged in light-hearted conversation to pass away the time. Dusty asked about my family and I asked him about his job.

  “Do you want to come to the Bright family barbecue with me?” I asked out of the blue.

  There were only two more couples ahead of us in the queue. Finally, my much-awaited alone time with Dusty had arrived.

  “You don’t want me there?” He asked.

  Before he misunderstood, I stole a quick kiss from his lips. God, I loved making him blush.

  “Of course I do, but early warning? My family’s going to be a pain in the ass.”

  “Your brother and his Alpha seemed nice. Oh, and their daughter’s so adorable.”

  I noticed Dusty’s entire face lit up when he mentioned Jenny.

  “You want kids?” I asked only to realize how reckless and presumptuous the question seemed.

  I once asked Simon that but he told me off and said he wasn’t ready to have children. Dusty wasn’t as immature as Simon. Dusty struck me as someone who knew what he wanted.

  “I do.” Dusty hesitated. “I didn’t want kids in the past. Back in my early twenties, I didn’t want to be weighed down by a demanding mate or kids. As I got older, I started dreaming of living in a big house with my Alpha and our noisy kids running around.”

  I grew up in a big family. I knew how much grief my brothers and I have given our parents, aunts, and uncles but there was always a sense of community.

  Even if I screwed up and made a bad decision, my family would always have my back.

  “What about you?” Dusty suddenly asked.

  It was our turn now and we took our seats on a brightly painted passenger car. The fair attendant lowered the bar.

  “I want them, too,” I told Dusty, looking him in the eye. “One of my friends, Wayne, said something to me once. Wayne’s the father and mate to my cousin Denver. He was raised in foster care but Wayne said he was never lonely growing up because he was always around us. I never want any child of ours to ever feel alone.”

  Any child of ours.

  Crap.

  Did I just say those words?

  Now Dusty had fallen alarmingly silent. Worried I scared him, I reached for his cold hands and warmed them up with my big fingers.

  I thought I had this date in the bag but maybe I was wrong.

  Sheesh.

  Why the hell did I have to open my big mouth?

  10

  Dusty

  Clark wanted kids. Plural. I wanted to do a little happy dance, except we were locked down in the compartment.

  The space in the cabin was tiny and our shoulders were touching. I liked that. A lot. The cool night air whipped at our faces.

  I looked all around us, delighted as we went higher. I could see the rest of the fair.

  I remembered being 12. My mom took me to a fair just like this one. She was tired from her shift at the diner but because I whined and begged, she finally took me.

  It was a magical experience, just like tonight. I hugged the stuffed bear Clark won for me against my chest.

  Clark had gone quiet, I realized.

  “Clark?” I asked.

  “Sorry, I was just wondering if I scared you off.”

&
nbsp; “What? No. It’s the exact opposite. I was worried that because of our age differences, you weren’t ready to have kids.” Heat crept to my cheeks and neck. Now I was embarrassed. “Sorry. I’m thinking too far ahead.”

  “I don’t mind.” Clark tucked a finger under my chin, forcing me to look at him.

  My breath caught as he lowered his mouth to mine. Unlike the quick kiss earlier, Clark kissed me rough and deep.

  Hunger rose inside of me. My pants felt unbelievably tight.

  I parted my lips wider only for Clark to thrust his tongue down my throat. Just like that, I forgot where we were.

  The noise of the crowd below, the cold night, the bright lights in the background—all of it faded away from my line of sight. The only thing that mattered was Clark and me.

  When Clark released my mouth, he left me panting, hungry for more.

  “Listen, Dusty. I know we’ve only gone out on two dates but I know you’re the one for me,” Clark said.

  His words should’ve overwhelmed me, scared me a little but they didn’t. I felt the same way.

  “I like you, too. A lot,” I whispered. “You’ve been the only thing on my mind over the past three days.”

  Clark flashed me a lofty and arrogant smile that only made him look even more handsome under the kiss of the moonlight. “Good.”

  I nudged him sharply in the shoulder. A laugh escaped me. Clark narrowed his eyes but I couldn’t stop myself.

  “Sorry,” I said after a few moments. “Sometimes, I admire your confidence.”

  “Hmm. Is that the only thing you admire about me?” Clark asked, resting one big hand over my thigh.

  I used the stuffed bear to hide my erection but Clark, I noticed, didn’t bother hiding his hard-on for me.

  “No,” I finally said.

  Sitting so close to him in this ride was amazing but now, I wanted to be transported somewhere private.

  Would I appear too needy, too desperate if I begged Clark to take me back to my place or his?

  “What are you thinking about?” He asked, trailing his fingers down my arm.

  Damn the safety bar for keeping us secure and safe. I wanted to run my hands all over his hard and muscled body.