“Stay. I meant what you wanted for breakfast. Aileen has the morning off.”
My shoulders sagged at the change of subject. A hint of espresso mingled with my honeyed scent between us, and my stomach rumbled. The corners of his eyes crinkled as a laugh rolled through him, easing the last of my tension.
Until that moment, I wasn’t certain Kaelen Finnegan was capable of that. Unfortunately, my stomach betrayed me. There was no way I could leave now. Not that he would let me, anyway.
“You cook?”
Theoretically, I knew there were men who enjoyed making food. My dad had never been one, preferring to eat takeout once my mom fell ill and couldn’t cook anymore. Kaelen didn’t strikeme as the kind to make his own food. Too busy and too important.
He had an air about him. But maybe I misjudged him.
“My Ma taught when we lived in Ireland.”
“And she is?”
“Moved on. About seven years ago now. Died in a car accident, broke my Da’s heart. He died two years later of heart failure. Doc said it was a broken heart. He couldn’t stand the loss of his mate. My parents were a bonded omega and alpha, had been that way since they were eighteen.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, an ache spreading through me.
I massaged the spot above my sternum. When I was younger, my parents were so in love. They would steal kisses and sneak off into the empty rooms. After I started high school, that all changed. Their interactions were forced, and all the light from my mom’s eyes faded until there was nothing left.
It was like her omega had given up, forgotten and abandoned by her alpha.
A shudder shook my tiny frame. I promised myself I would never let that happen to me. That I would never be so taken with an alpha that the rest of my life would stop mattering if they didn’t love me anymore.
I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t become a husk of a person.
So I didn’t date alphas. Never been with one. I had two boyfriends growing up, and they were both betas. Betas were safe. There were no bond bites, no forevers, and no chance of getting my heart broken.
Even though it left a hollow feeling there.
Kaelen didn’t appear to have the same reservations. He wasn’t bonded, but he didn’t seem averse to the idea. Based on how he looked at me, his alpha may already be charmed with me. My omega harbored similar feelings that I squashed as far down as I could.
No alphas.
Especially not gorgeous, dreamy-eyed Irish ones who may or may not be in the mafia.
Who may or may not be my scent match.
It was like a bad Lifetime movie waiting to happen. And I wouldnot be the dumb omega all alone at the end.
I made a mental note to Google him the minute I had a phone again. Consequences be damned.
“Don’t be. They’re together again, like I’m sure they wanted.”
Instead of waiting for me to decide what I wanted, Kaelen dug in, pulling out bowls and mixing a bunch of ingredients together. After pouring flour into the bowl, he undid the cuffs on his sleeves, rolling them up and exposing his toned, tattooed forearms.
Words in a language I didn’t understand mingled with Celtic knots and a patchwork of flowers and vines. Shifting, I nibbled my lip, desperate to trace my fingers along the lines of art on his muscled arms.
I shoved aside the inappropriate thoughts.
“I would like to meet my friend, Samantha, for lunch in a few days. If that’s allowed. We usually get together on the last Saturday of every month. And I know I was out for a few days, but I think that’s soon, and she’ll worry if I don’t show up. It would be for an hour.”
Samantha was the kind of omega everyone adored. Kind, bubbly, outgoing, and naturally submissive. Alphas followed her down the street with big puppy dog eyes. She had her pick, yet she refused to settle down, always finding something wrong before the third date.
She’d struggle to put her finger on it, but it always came back to needing more. While she didn’t tell me the details, I thought it had to do with her ex. She moved here from South Carolina after they ended things, keeping tight lipped about her past.
The oven timer beeped as he tossed in whatever he had made before closing the distance between us. Despite sitting on the counter, we were still eye level. I wondered how soft his beard was. If it would be silky or coarse when I ran my fingers through it.
