He was so dang handsome.
Still, I tried not to show how flustered I was. I had to be a good host.
“I could eat,” Frederick admitted. “I brought supplies, but nothing of real substance. Just snacks and water and stuff.”
“You like omelets?” I asked. I flicked the gas burner button and it hissed and clicked, sparking to vibrant orange life in seconds.
“I love them.” Frederick gave me a shy smile, his fingers kneading at the nape of his neck again. I began to wonder if that was something he did when he was nervous. I couldn't blame him. He'd been through a lot today and now he was in a stranger's home—an alpha stranger, no less. He hadn't said as much but I figured he was an omega. He had that lithe body type and that telltale floral scent that was so mesmerizing.
“You're safe here, y'know," I said gently, hoping it was enough to calm him down.
Frederick’s eyes widened behind the lenses of his glasses. He licked his lips, his smile steady but cautious. His shoulders straightened as if he had something to prove, which I found endearing.
Little city omegas like him were adorable, but Frederick was something else entirely. He lit a spark in me that I was trying my damnedest not to kindle. He was a guest, not a suitor.
“Oh, erm, I'm not anxious," Frederick said in the worst lie I'd ever heard.
I laughed, cracking eggs into a bowl and looking at him while I stirred them with a whisk. “I'll take yer word for it. Ham and cheese?”
“Pardon?”
I pointed to the frothy, yellow egg mixture. “In your omelet. Do you like them?"
Frederick’s lips parted. “Oh, uh. Yes. Whatever you have on hand is fine with me. I'm not fussy."
He was a little jittery, but he was polite. I liked that about him. Hopefully he'd relax in time.
“Sorry if I'm not the best host. I don't get much company 'round here,” I admitted.
“You're not a bad host at all," Frederick blurted out faster than either of us expected. As I blinked at him in pleased surprise, he rubbed his palms against the thighs of his pants. “And I mean, it's not hard to see why. It’s pretty remote. I didn't see a single neighbor on the way here."
I smiled, pouring the egg concoction with its ingredients into the pan. Then I turned the heat down, covered it with a translucent lid and let it get to simmering. Now that the hard part of cooking was out of the way, I turned to face Frederick, who was much easier on the eyes than egg goop.
Frederick’s smile faded. “Listen, Jake, I’m sorry to be a burden on you—”
I clicked my tongue, interrupting that nonsense. “Naw, you’re no burden to me. I like living in the wilderness, sure. But I like your company too.”
A tinge of pink danced under Frederick's glasses. I don't think he was expecting that.
"I figured you were some desert loner who despises trespassers," Frederick said, sounding a bit embarrassed.
I chuckled. "If I was, I wouldn't have invited you into my home, would I?"
Frederick glanced down at the horse-themed place mat in front of him. "That's true." Then he arched a suspicious yet playful brow at me. "And just to be sure, you're not a serial killer cowboy or anything, are you?"
That made me bust a gut laughing. By the time my fit passed, Frederick's face was bright pink.
"What?" he asked, crossing his arms. "It's a valid question!"
"You ain't wrong about that," I said breathlessly, wiping a tear. "To answer it, no, Frederick. I ain't a—what was it you said? Serial killer cowboy?"
"Yes," he mumbled, cheeks flushed red.
"You gotta watch less horror movies and more Westerns," I teased.
"Trust me, I got plenty of those," he mumbled.
"What was that?"
