He shuffled to the table, arms crossing over his torso, yet he didn’t make a single noise. He hoovered beside the chair instead of sitting.
With him standing closer, I saw his pinkish cheeks as he fought with himself to either sit in the chair or to kneel.
“Sit, sweetheart.”
Almost instantly, he was in the chair, hands folded in his lap, eyes down and hair falling around his face like a curtain.
“Good….” I stopped from sayingboy,even though it had been right there on the tip of my tongue. And maybe he knew that, too, as his blush deepened.
“Do you cook often?” I asked as I sat down, picking up my fork. The question came out casual, but I was watching him closely.
Kasey gave a small, one shoulder shrug before mirroring me, lifting his own fork and cutting off the tiniest bite, as if he wasn’t sure he was allowed more.
I took my first mouth and had to stop myself from groaning. “I’d really like to hear your voice,” I said, then shook my head as the flavor hit. “Good God. This is incredible, Kase.”
Color rushed up his cheeks, dark and quick. I couldn’t tell if it was praise or the fact that I’d asked to hear him speak. Maybe both.
“I was going to say you didn’t have to make breakfast,” I added, still stunned by how good it was, “but this is… it’s almost as good as my mom’s.”
His eyes flicked up, startled, then dropped again. “I… just used… what was in the fridge.” The words were so soft that I almost missed them.
But they were there. His voice. Small, hesitant, but real. And it hit me harder than the food did. But I smiled
I watched him take another tiny bite; shoulders still hunched like he was waiting for someone to tell him he’d done it wrong. The Omega didn’t even see the taste of the food at first, too focused on being quiet.
I took another bite, just to keep from staring too obviously. The food was good, shockingly so, but what held my attention was the way Kasey kept shrinking in on himself, like praise was something dangerous.
I set my fork down gently, not wanting the sound to startle him. “You know, most people brag when they can cook like this.”
Kasey’s fingers tightened around his fork, eyes flickering up for half a second, then dropped them again. “I…didn’t know what you wanted.”
I leaned back in my chair, sifting my posture, making myself look as unthreatening as possible. “Kasey, you don’t have to guess what I want. You’re not going to get in trouble making breakfast. Or for anything like that.”
Kasey swallowed, throat bobbing. “I am to serve you.”
“Let’s finish our breakfast and we’ll go over the rules and expectations. And you are not in trouble.”
Kasey’s ducked his head even more, hand shaking as he lifted another tiny bite to his lips.
Deciding to give him space to calm down, I returned to my own food, trying not to shove it all at once in my mouth. I wanted to savor it, to box it up and have it lasted the entire day.
But soon enough my plate became empty while Kasey’s plate remained a little less than half.
“For the record,” I cleared my throat as I stood, collecting our dishes, “you can cook in my kitchen anytime you want. Clothes optional.”
Kasey’s head snapped up, blue eyes wide and startled, locking onto mine so fast it knocked the breath out of me.
I froze, actually froze, then coughed hard, nearly choking on nothing but air. “I mean—clothesare notoptional. Definitely not optional. Please wear clothes. Around the stove. And… in general. Clothes are good.”
Perfect. Absolutely flawless delivery. A master in sounding like an idiot.
Heat crawled up my neck, and I had to look away from the Omega’s too sharp, too curious gaze before I embarrassed myself any further.
But right before I turned, I caught Kasey’s lips tugging upward, the smallest, shyest curve of amusement. Like my stuttering surprised him. Like he found it… funny.
And for a moment, the tightness in his shoulders eased, just a fraction. Enough to make the whole awkward mess worth it.
I cleaned up the kitchen, and I kept an eye on Kasey out of the corner of my eyes. He hoovered at the table, half on the chair, yet seemed to be ready to move if I gave the simple order for him to do so.
