Page 208 of Labor of Love

I didn't know why I was struggling to keep the flirting light or innocent. The more time I spent with Tim, the harder it was to respect the unspoken boundaries my employer had set regarding his son.

Tim bit his lip and looked up at me from under his lashes again, and I found it even harder to remember why ignoring Sam's disapproval was a bad idea.

"Well," he said coyly, turning around to peer over his shoulder, popping his cute butt out in my direction, "I've got a peach you might enjoy, too."

Jesus. Fucking. Christ.

Inside me, my alpha practically danced with excitement.Mate, he seemed to cheer.Mate. Claim. Mate.

Yeah, that wasn't happening. Not if I valued my job...or my life.

4

TIM

Ihad no idea why I was being so bold. Usually, being around Conrad made me even more shy and awkward than I normally was. But now? My omega practically howled for his attention. Hell, I could feel myself getting slick just being in his presence. And then he started flirting —not just the cute, sweet semi-flirting we'd been exchanging for months, butreallyflirting— and I was ready to strip off my clothes and beg him to take my virginity then and there.

I didn't even care that we were in the middle of the pear orchard where anyone could wander over and see us. I wanted him. Ineededhim.

Is this Heat?

I’d gone to the mandatory omega health sessions run by the fertility clinic when Beckett, the pack Alpha, announced that unlocking the alphas might change things for omegas in our pack, too. Eric and Brandt, the two doctors in charge of all the science and magic-y stuff, explained that the magic was all about universal balance or whatever. Essentially, that meant with alphas being unlocked, omegas in the vicinity would likely return to having heat cycles without a mate. They did say it was all a theory at the time, but they made sure we all knew it was apossibility. They also offered us birth control options specifically designed for omegas, which the Alpha's mate, Ollie, said he swears by.

I turned down the birth control pills. I didn't see any sense wasting the pack resources when I had no use for them. It wasn't like there was anyone knocking on my door and asking me out. Not even the betas, who were thought to be biologically unable to impregnate an omega, were interested in me.

But now here I was, uncharacteristically throwing myself at the man I thought was the sexiest alpha of them all.

He chuckled at my outlandish words and shook his head. "Cute," he grinned, then sighed. "But we've gotta get to picking these pears before your daddy comes at me with his shotgun."

"It's only for show," I playfully exaggerated, "I don't think he even knows how to load it."

I considered making another flirtatious joke about Conrad's weapon and where he could unload it, but I bit my tongue, knowing the moment had passed. That was probably for the best.

What the hell is wrong with me?

We worked in tandem, with Conrad keeping an eye on me and, as promised, making me stick to the easier picks. I felt wobbly and dizzy a few times, but I blamed the heat and possible dehydration. Either way, he made me sit down and guzzle water until I felt okay again.

I kind of liked him looking after me that way.

Okay, let’s be real: Ilovedthat he was caring for me.Paired with the flirting, I was starting to hope that maybe—just maybe—he might be interested in me, too.

As the day came to an end, my stomach twisted and turned with a weird sort of anxiousness.

Oblivious, Conrad grabbed both the heavy tubs of freshly picked pears and stacked one on top of the other, lifting them both with a soft grunt.

It was a purely innocent sound, but it sent a surprising wave of arousal through me, to the point where I was certain my underwear was officially damp with slick. My cheeks flamed, and my stomach roiled with embarrassment.

“You okay?” he asked, peering around the top of the two tubs. His eyebrows drew together in concern. “You’re looking pale again.”

I opened my mouth to say something—anything—to reassure him, but my mouth watered and the unexpected urge to hurl hit me out of nowhere. Spinning on my heels, I raced to a nearby tree and expelled the meagre contents of my stomach onto the grass and dirt.

“That’s it, let it out,” Conrad’s deep voice soothed as his large hand rubbed circles on my back.

Tears trickled down my cheeks as I heaved. They were partially from the vomiting, and partially from humiliation. There wasnoway he’d be interested in me after this. I didn’t know how his sensitive shifter nose could deal with the smell of my sick. It set me off all over again.

“Ugh,” I gratefully accepted the bottle of water he handed me when I finally straightened up. I rinsed and spat, scrunching my nose at how gross the whole experience was. “I thought I was done with that.”

Conrad frowned. “Have you seen a doctor?”

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