Page 51 of Lying Lainey

Tilting my face up for him, I closed my eyes, and he wiped away Tater-Tot’s greeting. Thankfully, I’d decided it was easier to throw my hair up instead of taking the time to blow dry it. If it had been down, I would’ve needed a whole nother shower.

“There, now you can go get your coffee,” Kerian said, giving me a little shove. “Are you hungry? In the mood for breakfast, or are we feeling more like lunch? We’re kind of on the border of the two.”

I glanced at him over my shoulder. “You know they have a name for that. It’s called brunch.”

“Oh, I see how it is, Miss Sassy Pants,” Kerian quipped. “I was going to cook for you, but now you’re gonna have to fend for yourself.”

The delight of being able to cook for them excited me more than it had any right to. Finally, I could do something for them that I could be proud of as a way to show my appreciation. While I didn’t know much about the real Lainey, I did know one thing—she was a fucking awesome cook.

“Perfect, since you don’t mind me poking around, I’ll see what you have to work with and go from there,” I said, already pulling the refrigerator door open to look for cream.

My mouth fell open as I took in the shelves stocked with anything and everything I could possibly need. I grabbed a container of blueberries and popped one in my mouth. It was the perfect balance of sweet and sour, making me hum with delight. Ideas of what I could make flitted through my brain as I took stock of what I could see. Grabbing the eggs, I set them on the counter next to the blueberries. Spotting strawberries, I took those too, along with bacon, onion, and cheese.

“Would there be any reason you might keep a frozen pie shell?” I questioned, looking up from the ingredients at the guys.

I found them standing at the other end of the long kitchen island that gave me tons of room to work. Everything in this kitchen was commercial grade, and I was thrilled to test it out. What had me doubting my choice to do this was the confused expressions on the guys’ faces.

“What?” I demanded, hands on my hips. “I’m absolutely positive this is not your first time seeing a woman in your kitchen, so spit it out.”

“We are supposed to be taking care of you today,” Quintin pointed out.

“Yeah, I wasn’t serious when I said you needed to cook for yourself. Whatever you want to eat, I’m sure we can figure it out,” Kerian offered.

The excitement that I’d felt over cooking for them died a little. “Oh… so you don’t want me to cook for you?”

Kerian and Quintin looked at Halstead like he should know how to respond to my question. Coming around the counter, he came to stand before me and cupped my face in his hands. “What would you like to do? Our goal in cooking for you was to make you feel pampered and cared for. However, the look on your face right now tells me we’re doing the opposite of that.”

A riot of emotions shot through me as I wanted to kick myself for wearing my emotions on my sleeve so clearly. While I wanted to enjoy today and pretend I was their Omega, I couldn’t let my emotions get the best of me. I was a character, Elaine Collins, executive assistant to this man, who just so happened to be scent-paired to his pack. Lainey was going to be leaving after this and shouldn’t get all emotional over not being able to cook for them. That was stupid. Pull it together, woman, or your carelessness is going to get us caught and possibly killed.

“It’s fine. I do enjoy cooking, but this is your home, and I’m a guest here,” I answered, giving Halstead a small smile. “I suppose I just wanted to give back a little after all you’ve done for me the past few days.”

He searched my face with a slight frown on his brow as he studied me. “Why aren’t you being honest with us, doll?”

My eyes grew wide as Halstead called me out. “Wh-what?” I stuttered.

“Lainey, moments ago you were radiating happiness as you started to gather things. Then we had to go and put our big-ass feet in our mouths and make you second-guess yourself. If you want to cook, then say so, but don’t do it because you feel like you owe us. All that we want is for you to feel comfortable while you’re in our home. You’re welcome to use whatever we have to offer,” he explained. “Now I’m going to ask you again, and I want a truthful answer, or I’m going to bend you over this counter and turn your ass red.”

I gulped at the intensity in his eyes and command of his tone just on the edge of an Alpha bark. “I would really like to cook breakfast,” I answered.

Halstead tilted my head up so I was at a better angle for him to drop a kiss on my lips. “All right then, I look forward to eating it.”

This man had me melting in his hands the way he made me feel so cherished and heard. It wasn’t like he did anything major to make me feel that way, but the intention behind it made all the difference.

“Now, the next important question… do you want our help or should we leave you to it?” he inquired.

I took a moment to think through what I wanted to make. “I can handle it on my own. You guys have been cooped up in the room with me, so go catch up on things you need to. I’ll holler when it’s ready in about an hour.”

“Do you want to tell me what other things you might need so I can point out where they are?” Halstead offered.

That was actually a thoughtful suggestion, so I nodded and rattled off the majority of things I’d need. He showed me where the pantry was with all the dry ingredients I’d need, pulled out mixing bowls, measuring spoons and cups, and various other tools I thought I’d need.

“This is perfect. I have pretty much everything I need, and whatever I didn’t think of, I’ve got a good guess where to find it or at least start looking,” I shared.

Quintin stepped up and offered me the cell phone the Syndicate gave me. “I hope you don’t mind, but I added our personal cell numbers to your contacts. If you need anything, feel free to text or call any of us. We won’t be far.”

“Thank you,” I whispered and popped up on my toes to give him a quick kiss. “Always so thoughtful and looking after me. I’m gonna be spoiled here pretty soon.”

“Good, that’s exactly what I want, especially over the next few days,” he responded, kissing me once more before leaving the kitchen.