Page 23 of Alpha's Two Omegas

I twisted round a little to look at his expression. The move brought our faces close together. I could feel his breath puffing over my cheek and could feel it tingling on my lips. It wouldn’t take much at all for me to lean forward and kiss him, either.

I jerked my head back and looked down, cursing my wayward thoughts and my fair skin. I was sure I was blushing, if the heat in my face was anything to go by.

“Do you want me to leave you guys alone to talk?”

I looked up at the strange sound in Alder’s voice. There was somethingoffabout it. A strain of some unease that I didn’t like. He started trying to pull his hands away but I gripped them tighter, keeping him where he was.

“No! No, I don’t want you to go.”

Ty agreed. “Why would you leave? Ronnie needs to talk about this.”

“Yeah, I just thought you might like some… privacy to talk about it together.”

I blinked at Alder and then twisted round to look at Ty, too. He didn’t look like he understood any better than I did.

“No, we don’t need privacy. And I don’t really need to talk about it anyway. I just overacted. I do that. My dad says it’s my biggest flaw. I get too emotional and start blubbing like a baby. I need to grow up.”

A growl right in my ear made me jump. Ty was looking murderous and Alder was frowning in exactly the way he had when I’d first moved into this house. He was working something out.

“Is that what your dad says?”

“Yes.”

“It’s bullshit.”

“What?”

“You were quoting him, weren’t you? Saying you overreact, that’s what he’s told you, right? And that you’re a baby, he told you that, too, didn’t he?”

“Um, yes, but itistrue. You just saw that for yourselves.”

“I didn’t see that,” said Alder.

“Neither did I,” agreed Ty.

“I saw a man who was feeling emotional. Nothing wrong with that. We all cry.”

Alder was being kind, I knew. No way did other people cry like I did – my father had made it very clear that I was an oddity, and he didn’t appreciate it. “I bet you don’t cry.”

He gave me the strangest look then, an unreadable mask settling over his face. “You’d be surprised to hear when I last cried.”

I didn’t get a chance to respond to that at all. Ty was leaning forward. “Wait, Alder, when did you last cry? I haven’t seen you cry in years.”

He pursed his lips. “Must have been years ago then, mustn’t it?”

“Yeah, but you just implied—”

“Maybe I didn’t cry in front of you, Ty. Maybe I happened to be on my own when I got sad. It happens. Everyone gets sad sometimes.”

I didn’t like the tone in his voice. Half-way between harsh and desperate. I tightened my hold on his hands, afraid somehow that he was going to bolt and never come back.

“Don’t leave,” I said. It was stupid, but it was the only thing I could think of to say. I was just so scared that he’d get up and walk out of that room.

He studied me for nearly a minute, and I felt his gaze travel all over my face, staring deep into my eyes. Even though I was sure he was able to see right through me, I couldn’t see through him at all. He just had the same blank expression, holding something in. It was unnatural for him. Alder was expressive. I never had to guess what he was thinking or worry if I was annoying him because he came right out and told me, and he could light up like a Christmas tree when he was happy. Seeing him restrain himself was weird.

“I have to go,” he said. “It’s for the best.”

“No.”

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