Luke couldn’t stop the relieved breath of air that whooshed out of him. She was warningthemthatshemight not want more. He could handle that.
What he couldn’t handle was that some of his relief felt tied to the fact that she alsomightwant more eventually. If she’d given a definitive no, Luke would’ve been disappointed. That didn’t make a lick of goddamn sense.
Lando nodded, face still carefully blank. “Is there anything else we should know?”
Genesis’s upturned nose crinkled in an adorable expression of annoyance. “There is one more thing. My fathers are in town next week and want to meet you over dinner. Whichever night is convenient.”
Gabe laughed. “You sound like you’re inviting us to the guillotine instead of out to meet your family.”
“You don’t know my family.” Genesis frowned. “They are very concerned about my unmated status and are very excited about this…relationship.”
Luke lifted an eyebrow. He’d be just as worried if he had an unbonded omega daughter determined to face the world alone. He knew too damn well how dangerous a place it could be.
“I may have let them believe this was more than a temporary arrangement,” Genesis continued sheepishly. “It would be great if you guys could let them believe that we’re actually courting.”
Luke huffed a laugh. He was torn between wanting to spank the mischief out of her and wanting to have a word with her fathers about how they made her feel. It was obvious she carried resentment toward them that he couldn’t blame her for, but there was something deeper beneath it—a hurt that made him want to find the source and beat the shit out of it.
Lando leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and steepling his fingers. “So let me be sure I have this clear. You’d like to move forward sexually, take the emotional intimacy slowly, and convince your family we’re courting, correct?”
Genesis pursed her lips. “Well when you say it so succinctly, it seems like I may have overthought this conversation. That’s the trouble with being a writer—you get wordy. Yes, that’s the gist of it.”
Lando nodded slowly, sitting back and crossing his ankle over his knee and giving Genesis a long, calculating look. Luke didn’t know what was going through his pack leader’s mind, but he had a hunch it was going to annoy him.
“I have a counteroffer for you,” Lando said evenly, his gaze locked on Genesis. “We’ll take things slowly and we’ll pretend for your parents—if you agree to pretend full time.”
“What?” Genesis and Luke said at the same time.
Lando tilted his head. “You said you weren’t sure if you wanted anything more. I’m not sure whether we do either. I propose a compromise that allows us to gather more data, so to speak. Our pretend courtship is an opportunity to glimpse what our relationship could be. Contractually, we already have an end date. That should be ample time for us to determine if we want more from each other.”
“Excellent idea.” Gabe grinned as if Lando hadn’t just said the silliest goddamn shit ever.
“You want to play house?” Genesis asked incredulously. “You want to fake court me?”
“That’s correct,” Lando replied. His perfect calm made Luke want to throw something at him.
“And in three months, if one or more of us doesn’t want a permanent relationship, what then?” Genesis challenged.
“Then we part amicably as friends and wish you the best. We’d even tend future heats if you wished.” Lando shrugged. “However, if we reach the end of the initial contract and unanimously agree to pursue this, then there will be no extensions and no more contracts. We court for real, until we’re ready to mate.”
Luke’s world tilted on its axis, a tidal wave of anxiety washing over him. Lando couldn’t be serious. They weren’t going to mate again. There was no way Luke could put another omega at risk, especially one as ridiculously fucking perfect as Genesis goddamn Valentine.
Would you rather let her go?
Luke’s heart stuttered. Fuck. This was a goddamn disaster.
Gabe’s hand found his under the table and squeezed. Luke took a breath. His feelings must’ve been blaring through the bond. He tried to wrangle his emotions, fixing his face into its customary scowl.
Three months of getting to know Genesis. Three months pretending to court her. Three months to make sure everyone came to their senses before he could ruin all their lives.
“Three months, then we part as friends,” Genesis said, nodding sharply.
“Or in three months we commit to a true courtship,” Gabe corrected.
Genesis looked at each of them in turn, holding Luke’s gaze for a beat longer than the others. He wondered what she saw in his eyes. Whatever it was, it didn’t deter her.
“I accept those terms,” Genesis said, and Luke closed his eyes. When he opened them, she was watching him again, a smirk on her full lips. “Let’s fake court. But you better fuck me like it’s real.”
Chapter thirteen
