Minutes pass as I wander the aisles, unable to choose.
This one’s beautiful. So is that one. I’m going crazy. The colors are attacking my senses. I squeeze my eyes shut, but when I open them again, I see Snow in the distance, leaning unfazed against the cart, watching me with narrowed eyes.
It’s almost like he’s reading my thoughts again, like he knows I’m overwhelmed. I can tell he’s considering something, and then…
He walks slowly toward a display: a deep violet set with cushions in purples, lilacs, and fuchsias.
What gets me is how he does it, so casually. He pauses by a pillow, lifts his hand, and brushes the fabric with his fingertips. Just a light touch, like it’s nothing. Like he’s not trying to suggest anything, just randomly testing the softness. Then he drifts away again, gaze fixed somewhere down the aisle.
I move closer to the set he touched. Maybe I should do the opposite, just to prove a point. Why should an alpha have any say in nesting? Nesting is for omegas, period.
But… the truth is, I really like this set. Of all the ones I’ve seen, this one feels the most harmonious. The pillows shift in a gentle gradient, from deep plum, almost beet-colored, up through soft lilac, with all the shades in between.
I run my hands over them, confirming it with my body. They’re so comforting. The shawls that come with the set are patterned with gorgeous floral designs. Thin golden threads are woven through the fabric. I lift the edge to my eyes. The motif winds like a secret garden.
A quiet sigh escapes me. I can’t deny it: this resonates with me. Blood rushes to my cheeks as I realize Snow somehow pointed me toward the exact set that feels likemine.
How the hell did he know?
I glance at him carefully and catch him watching me. Our eyes meet, and it’s like a spark arcs between us. Heat flares through me, and Fate, to make things worse, I feel my disobedient cock acting up again. What the hell is wrong with me? It’s gotten way too defiant. Damn it.
I clutch the pillow tighter, my breath quickening, as there’s something undeniably erotic in this strange moment between us. The air feels charged, pulsing hot around us.
With my face burning, I scoop up the pillows and start piling them into the cart, trying to angle myself so he won’t see my erection. But then Snow closes the distance in three easy strides.
It’s insane, but my pulse races as I watch his hand glide over one of the cushions, and my mind betrays me, imagining it’s my skin he’s stroking.
I start stuffing more things into the cart, using it like a wall to hide behind.
And then it hits me with a shock, spoiling the excitement of the moment… I don’t even have any money!
What is my financial situation? Maybe I used to have a bank account, but I’d need a phone to access it. And I don’t even own one. I don’t have a card either. What the hell am I supposed to do?
I freeze, stiff and panicked, staring at Snow. My lips start to tremble.
His pale-violet eyes study my face. He knows! Incredible.
Can he really read my mind?
"It’s fine, Summer," he says, calm as ever, "Let me buy it for you. As a gift."
Heat floods my cheeks even harder. Because in our society, there’s onlyonesituation where an alpha buys nesting supplies for an omega…
It’s always a declaration of interest.
And not the casual kind. Casual would be complimenting my nest. Buying materials? That’s another level entirely. There’s no neutral ground where this is acceptable. No omega would ever accept it, no alpha would ever suggest it. Normally he’d say something like,"I’ll lend you the money."That would be appropriate.
But no. He’s buying it for me. Buying! A gift. He makes sure to emphasize it.
I stare at him like a deer in the headlights, while he doesn’t break eye contact with me.
And then it hits me. It’s not for show. The attraction I feel is reciprocated.
Snowisalso genuinely interested in me.
I swallow hard, though I wish I could say something, maybe protest… or maybe not protest at all. Perhaps just thank him and accept the gift? But my nerves choke my throat, making it impossible to get out anything more. Then… Fate!
My body answers for me.
