Page 33 of Knot in Their Wildest Dreams: Part 1

As I added some fruit to my plate, the sound of footsteps made me freeze. Liam walked in, stopping for the briefest moment when he saw me before continuing toward the cupboard, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. He barely spared me a glance as he grabbed a mug.

I would’ve been fine with that. Except… he was wearing grey sweatpants.

Just grey sweatpants.

And suddenly, breakfast wasn’t the most distracting thing in the room.

I swallowed hard, keeping my mouth shut as I watched him move. When he reached for the mug, his muscles flexed effortlessly - broad shoulders, strong arms, every shift smooth and controlled. His golden skin caught the light, and I silently cursed myself for noticing.

I tore my gaze away, knowing full well that every second I lingered would only haunt me later when I was alone.

Liam reached for the coffee pot, and I instinctively stepped aside, giving him plenty of space. Too much space. As I backed into the counter, I realized my mistake. I felt a scorching heat as my palm brushed against the pan of bacon, and quickly pulled my hand away with a gasp.

I looked down, cradling it, when suddenly Liam’s presence took up the space next to me. My head swiveled, and now he was mere inches away from me, his eyes stuck on my hand as he reached for it. I tried to yank it away, but Liam was quicker. He grasped my wrist, looking over the burn as I felt my breath catch at his touch.

“You're hurt.” Was all he said as he inspected my hand.

“It’s just a small burn.” I replied, my face so close to his chest that my strangled words barely left my mouth. I stared at him, his scent now fully invading my nose as I tried not to be affected by it. He swallowed, and we looked at each other for a moment.

I yanked my hand back, moving a few steps away from him. “I’ll be fine. Just leave me be.” I turned away, trying to distract myself from the gentleness that he’d just shown me.

“You need to keep it cool.” He lectured, and before I knew it he was gathering a washcloth and running it under the faucet. “Here.” He said as he handed it to me. I took it slowly, looking at him suspiciously again. “Sit down while I finish making the food.” Something about the dominant way he said that made the omega in me very pleased. But I shook it off.

“I can do it myself.” I replied stubbornly, and he sighed as he grabbed the edge of the counter, leaning on it as he closed his eyes in frustration.

“No matter what your thoughts are about me, I do have an obligation to keep you safe.” He said, opening his eyes to stare at me. “Per the contract.”

I took a moment, meeting his blazing green eyes and trying not to see how his muscles flexed so beautifully when he was stressed. Finally I sat down in one of the bar stool seats at the kitchen island and nodded.

“Fine. Per the contract.” I said. Liam relaxed a little, then nodded. He started tending to the bacon, then went to the fridge.

“Eggs?” He asked.

“Two please.”

He started to move around, expertly pulling out pans and seasoning the food as he went about cooking breakfast. I had to admit, it was hot as hell watching a man cook for me. He looked so good moving around that I pulled my phone out and snapped a picture of him, getting a great view of his back as he reached for the condiments in a cupboard. I told myself it was so that I could post it to social media to keep up our facade, but that wasn’t the whole truth. I just wanted to keep this moment forever.

Soon, I had in front of me two eggs sunny side up, bacon, sausage, a variety of berries and cut melon, sauteed mushrooms, toast with butter, and a glass of orange juice. I opened my mouth to complain about how I was going to carry the plates and glass back to my room when he pulled out a carrying tray.

“And I assume you want some coffee?” He motioned to the pot I’d prepared earlier.

“Yes. With a bit of cream.” I replied, and when he had all the plates, cups and mugs on the tray, he lifted it. “I can carry it myself, thank you.” I said, realizing he intended to carry it back for me.

“Your hand-” He started to say, but I took the tray from him.

“My hand is perfectly fine now.” I said as I turned to go. Halfway out of the kitchen I stopped, looking over my shoulder at him. “Liam?” I asked, and he was already watching me. “Thank you.” I said.

Liam looked surprised, but I turned and ran off before he could respond. Once I was back in my room I set the food down, confused and frustrated at how nicely he had set up the meal for me.

It was just our hormones, I reminded myself. The way he protectively appeared at my side when I was burned and took over cooking for me made me ache with need, but that was just him being an alpha and me being in my omega feelings. We were both hardwired to feel this way - he and I didn’t actually care about each other. I had to keep reminding myself of that. Because right now, with the way he looked, smelled, and felt next to me, and his upper body on display - I was going to need a miracle, or a very big sex toy, to get me through the day.

I placed the tray on my desk and sat down, breathing in the air now that there weren’t sexy alpha pheromones surrounding me. My hand wasn’t so bad - the burn was small enough that it wouldn’t be an issue. I looked around, wondering if there was a first aid kit in the bathroom. Just then, there was a knock at the door. I bit back a groan, then stood to open it a crack. Liam was there, but with a shirt on. That was a small mercy at least. He held up a box in his hand.

“I brought you some bandaids. And some antibiotic ointment.” He said, and I reached out and took it quickly. “I can take you to the doctor too.” He seemed so earnest when he spoke.

“It’s fine. I barely notice it.” I said, and tried to shut the door, but he stopped it right before it closed.

“Just… if it gets worse, please let me know, okay?” He tried to sound stern, but he was practically pleading. I rolled my eyes.

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