I set my phone back down to flip the bacon, only for it to rattle against the counter as it rings with an incoming call from Nadine. I roll my eyes and put the phone on do not disturb. I love my sister, but I need a little longer to be in this moment. I need to know what happens next before she pesters me for details.
“Mmm, something smells good.”
I look up from my phone to see a mussed, sleepy Archer emerging from the nest. His pajama pants are slung low on his narrow hips, revealing the sliver of stomach and thin trail of dark hair that I’ve traced from his belly button down to his…
I can’t seriously be getting turned on again. I thought my dick would be out of commission for at least one full business week.
Archer smiles, shy and sweet as he notices me checking him out.
God, is it possible he got even more handsome in the hour since I left the nest to let him nap? My fingers twitch, wanting to reach out and pull him against me.
“I’m making breakfast.” I glance at the clock. “Or uh, brunch. Figured you must be starving after…”
Archer nods. “I am. I woke up because my stomach was growling and followed my nose out here. Didn’t expect to find you by the stove, looking like an omega’s wet dream.”
I let out a startled huff, and Archer laughs. “Or maybe that’s just my dream. A big, sexy alpha in his boxers, cooking me breakfast meats.”
“There’s French toast casserole in the oven, too.” I should’ve told him that his whole sleepy omega look was my dream,but I’m chronically unsmooth so it’d probably have seemed awkward.
“Don’t say things like that,” Archer says with a soft groan, moving closer.
“Why not?” I ask, heart pumping faster as he reaches out and places a hand on my shoulder.
He grins. “Because I’ll fall in love with you.” It’s said teasingly, but there’s a flicker of vulnerability in his eyes that surprises me. “I’m a sucker for a partner that cooks,” he adds softly.
“I love to cook.” It’s a struggle not to let my voice betray how hopeful his words make me.
He nods, and I notice his hand is trembling a little as he slides it up to my shoulder.
I reach up and take it in mine, squeezing his hand reassuringly and pressing a kiss to it. His eyelashes flutter, and he releases a shaky breath. “Are you as fucking nervous about this as I am?” I murmur, praying I’m not misreading him.
The relief that washes over Archer’s face has me melting for him. “Yes. I don’t want to screw things up. I don’t know what to expect now that the heat is over…What happens next…”
It takes everything in me not to turn the question back on him and ask him what he wants in an effort to protect myself from being hurt. “Do you want me to tell you what I’d like to happen next?”
Archer nods eagerly. “Please.”
I swallow against the lump of emotion and worry in my throat. “I want to keep seeing you and Ruby. I want to court you both. I want to learn everything there is to know about you; however long it takes. I want to be your alpha.”
Archer’s eyes are wide, but I don’t let myself backtrack. “You don’t know me and I don’t know you, and honestly if you’d told me a week ago that I’d be head-over-heels for two omegas I justmet, I’d have thought you were crazy.” He chuckles at that, a warm smile lighting up his face. “But, as bizarre as it sounds, I know what my soul is telling me. It’s saying that you’re both mine, and I’ll do anything I can to prove to you I can be worthy of being your alpha.”
There’s a stomach-churning moment of silence as Archer gazes up at me, his eyes filled with unshed tears. “Beau, is it okay if I kiss you?”
I nod, tears welling in my eyes too. Archer wraps his hands behind my neck, and I slide mine around his waist, and we both cautiously close the distance, like it’s our first kiss. And maybe it is, because it’s the first one where we both know for certain that it’s not happening because of heat hormones.
It’s the sweetest kiss of my life, his lips against mine seeming like a soft agreement to everything I’ve said. Which he confirms when he pulls back a little and smiles at me. “I want all of that. We can go at whatever pace feels right, but I’m…” His smile grows and he strokes my cheek. “I’m not scared. I’m ready to go all in.”
I can’t keep the tears back. They slide down and wet my beard as I grin back at him. “Yeah?”
He kisses me again, soft and brief, but no less wonderful. “Yeah. Maybe we can start with a date? I’m a little jealous that you and Ruby got to have the whole romantic V-day dinner, while I was stuck with that creep.”
A small growl rumbles out of me at the mention of his awful date, and I cough to cover it, but Archer laughs. “I’ll take you on a date. As many dates as you want.”
He nods, eyes sparkling with happiness. “Perfect. I’m sure Ruby will want more, too.”
My stomach clenches, worry returning. “You think?”
There’s no hesitation in Archer’s reply. “Yes.”
