Not knowing if it was the taste of it on my tongue or the scent of it pouring off the alpha beside me.
A smooth, vibrating sound hummed next to me. My omega rose to the surface, begging me to make sure the alpha wasn’t displeased with us. I put down my coffee, fingers rubbing the condensation on the glass. Gnawing on my lower lip, I glanced to my left, and an unfamiliar sound tumbled out of me.
Holy shit.
People actually looked like that?
Gray joggers hung around his hips, a patch of dark hair disappearing beneath the waistband. A thin sheen of sweat glistened on his bare chest, showcasing the intricate tattoos that covered the span of his torso.
Another surge of flames licked through my body.
“Good morning,” Aileen said, pushing a black cup of coffee across the island.
The mug looked so small in his hand as he took a sip, his eyes never leaving mine.
Aileen slid two plates toward us, piled high with food. Neither of us paid any attention, waiting for the other to back down.
Strands of hair fell free from his messy bun, obscuring his piercing eyes when he finally spoke, cutting the mounting tension.
“Eat.”
Something inside me preened under the command, my omega adoring the attention of an alpha. I, on the other hand, wanted to tell him to fuck off. But I was hungry.
Rolling my eyes, I stabbed my fork into a sausage, taking a bite. It was delicious. I quickly devoured most of the food, surprising myself. I lived on granola bars and cereal. Mom had been an amazing cook, but with her deteriorating health, she hadn’t been in the kitchen for the past few years.
I tried a couple of times, but I was a lost cause, burning rice more than once. So I resigned myself to pre-made foods.
Happy I was eating, Kaelen did the same. Aileen paid us no mind, busying herself tidying up the kitchen and doing the dishes.
I resisted the urge to crawl into his lap, annoyed by how insistent the temptation was. Normally, I had more control. I never devolved like this around an alpha.
“Tell me about your Ma.”
“Excuse me?”
“Last night, you mentioned she was sick,” he continued, dropping his fork. “Not many people would offer anything to a man like me to spare someone else.”
What a cynical worldview. My dad may have been a bastard, but I refused to believe the rest of the world was like that.
The owner at Snowfield, April, rescued the horses that everyone else had given up on. Sam had a heart of gold, regularly putting herself last to take care of others. Maybe in his world that was true, but not in mine.
“I don’t believe that,” I bit back, narrowing my eyes at him.
The corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smirk.
He tugged his hair free, letting it hang freely, skimming his collarbone. I liked this carefree, almost disheveled version of him. I imagined very few people saw him like this. I crossed my legs, squirming against the unpleasant tightness radiating between my thighs.
“You’d be surprised. When faced with a decision like that, most people will protect themselves. Senator Sterling proved that, running with his tail between his legs, and leaving his daughter with me all to protect his own hide.”
Hearing it out loud ruffled me. There had been a time when he loved me, but that man didn’t exist anymore. I gulped, washing away the acrid taste. The slight grimace on his lips twisted into something kinder.
His palm splayed over my bare thigh, his thumb playing with the hem of my dress. A purr stirred behind my sternum, slick ruining my panties.
It had been years since someone besides my mom or Sam had shown me affection. A long, slow breath released the tension in my body, and I looked into his eyes, unnerved by the openness in them.
I’d never purred for anyone before, and I found Ireallywanted to for him.
Words fell from me freely as I unloaded nearly a decade of grief.
