“Whatever you want, the answer is yes,” Gabe promised, grinning at Genesis as she set down his plate. “Unless you want to leave, then the answer is yes but please don’t.”
Genesis let out another one of her husky little laughs, and Luke relaxed his fists. Leave it to the kid to say the hard thing ina soft way. He was so much better at this shit than Luke was. And so was Lando, for that matter.
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” Genesis joked as she sat down with her own plate. “Dig in. This was a fun new recipe, and I’m hoping I got it right. I figured you’d be able to tell me how close I got to authentic Italian, Orlando.”
Lando looked down at his plate as if noticing the food for the first time. Luke hadn’t actually looked at the meal either. It was a square-cut pasta covered in creamy sauce and topped with what looked like fresh Romano cheese. It smelled delicious. Luke’s stomach rumbled.
“Cacio e Pepe,” Orlando said, smiling a wide smile that made him look a decade younger. “My nonna used to make this all the time. It’s deceptively simple but tastes wonderful. How thoughtful of you.”
A pulse of—something—through the bond made Luke’s chest ache. There had been similar bursts of sensation all week, and Luke knew that they always happened when his packmates were with Genesis. He’d been trying not to think about it.
Luke stabbed a forkful of pasta, ignoring the salad Genesis had set out. He shoved it into his mouth and bit back a groan. Goddammit. She was a good cook on top of everything else. That just wasn’t fucking fair.
Evidently, Lando felt the same. “This is incredible. Every bit as good as Nonna’s. My father learned it directly from her and even his was never this good. You are a diamond in the rough, tesoro.”
“Tesoro means treasure, so that’s a little redundant.” Gabe rolled his eyes at Lando then turned an impish grin on Genesis. “Thisisincredible though, cariño. Which translates roughly todearorhoneyand is much prettier than Lando’s Italian endearments.”
Luke was pretty sure Gabe was intentionally playing up his Guatemalan accent because he knew it was sexy, the little shit.He snorted. “I don’t speak Italian or Spanish or anything else but southern, so I’ll just agree with these pretentious assholes. You’re a mighty fine cook, Buttercup.”
Genesis flushed again, obviously pleased by their praise. They ate without talking for a few minutes, passing bread and salad, and making contented sounds. Luke wouldn’t have believed anything could’ve distracted him from Genesis’s smoke-show body, but her cooking was doing the trick.
Or it had been. Once Luke’s stomach was pacified, his hunger for Genesis returned. He eyed her shrewdly, trying to think with his head and not his cock. She’d invited them here to eat, talk, and, presumably, fuck. Two of those things were very good. So, what was her angle with this talk? What was she buttering them up for?
“So, what’s up, Buttercup?” Luke leaned back in his chair, cocking his head at Genesis with a smirk. “The last time a woman got all dolled up and made me dinner, I woke up missing a kidney. I can’t spare another, so why don’t you tell us what’s on your mind?”
Gabe raised an eyebrow at Luke, shaking his head. “I honestly don’t know how you come up with this shit. Genesis, Luke has all his kidneys. Hyperbole aside, however, I do agree with him. Tell us what you need.”
Genesis bit her lip again, and Luke resisted the urge to lean over and free it by sucking it into his own mouth. She seemed to catch herself, suddenly releasing her lip on a heavy exhale. She squared her shoulders and looked at each of them in turn. Luke braced himself.
“First, let me say I appreciate you letting me set the pace and respecting my boundaries. As you know, I don’t have any experience being tended by alphas, so I was surprised by the intensity of the experience. But I’m ready to continue oursexual…exploration.” Genesis squirmed a little, her scent rising. “Tonight, obviously. Hence the ensemble.”
Lando leaned forward and covered her hand with his. “Your comfort is always our top priority. We’re obviously thrilled to do all manner of wonderful things to you this evening, but you’re always in control. We slow down or stop whenever you need us to.”
Genesis nodded, giving Lando a small smile. Luke was pleased as peach punch that she was ready for more sex, but he refused to get his hopes up too high. He assumed that had been the easy part of the conversation.
“Thank you. You’ve all done a wonderful job of making me feel safe.” She gave them a warm smile that made Luke’s chest swell with pride, though he refused to show it. “Which brings me to my next point. Intimacy.”
Luke stiffened. As much as he’d feared the prospect of Genesis wanting a different pack, it didn’t stop the icy dread that crept up his spine now. If she wanted more, he wasn’t sure what he would do. Luke had been pissed when Gabe invited her to sleep in his room on her first night. It was too intimate, too soon. Even Lando had been crossing that line, going above and beyond taking care of Genesis’s needs. He was practically courting her, and that wasnotwhat Luke had agreed to when they took her on. This was temporary. It had to be.
Luke couldn’t handle anything more.
He crossed his arms, preparing to be the sensible one if his packmates couldn’t. He’d been careful to make the omega feel welcome, while staying detached enough not to blur the lines.
Except you bought her a cowboy hat,he admonished himself.That had been a lapse in judgment, though it was hard to feel bad about it considering how damn good it looked on her right now. Besides, it was just something to make her feel a little more at home on the farm.
“Emotional intimacy, you mean?” Gabe asked.
Genesis nodded. “Yeah, that.”
“Is that what you’re looking for?” Luke demanded, making her flinch. He hadn’t meant for it to come out so gruffly, but he barreled on anyway. “I mean, you stayed unmated this long for a reason, right?”
Genesis shifted in her seat, eyeing him warily. “Yes. I did. Which is why I’m not very good at the whole intimacy thing. I never wanted a pack, and I don’t know if I ever will. Honestly, part of the reason I chose you was because you seemed unlikely to ever want to mate again.” She paused and looked away before adding, “No risk of me being hurt.”
Luke opened his mouth to speak, but Lando silenced him with a look. His pack leader’s face was neutral, giving nothing away. It was another talent of his, and one that worked well in the boardroom. Luke had always preferred more aggressive tactics. It’d made them a good team.
“Go on,” Lando urged, spreading his hands. “We appreciate the honesty.”
Genesis sighed. “I’ve enjoyed our time together a lot more than I expected. But I don’t want to misrepresent my intentions. If you want more than a temporary relationship, I might not be able to give you that. And even if I decided I want to try it, we’d need to take it slow. Like, sloth slow.”
