Page 8 of Omega's Refuge

The guests included two sets of newlyweds—one who kept mostly to themselves—and a retired couple named Martha and Joe. They all seemed friendly and easygoing, so I had high hopes that the five days here would go smoothly.

“You boys ever been on a ranch before?” Joe asked. He had warm brown eyes, and a bushy gray beard.

“I spent one summer on my grandfather’s ranch in California when I was around sixteen. It was hard work,” I volunteered, not feeling the need to go into too much detail. Joe didn’t need to know my summer hadn’t been much fun.

Joe nodded. “Yeah, life on a ranch isn’t for everyone.”

Steve picked at the label on his beer. “I never spent time on a ranch, but I went horseback riding once when I was younger. I’m looking forward to riding more horses on this trip.”

I grimaced. “I really enjoyed riding when I was at my granddad’s ranch, but I was younger then. To be honest, I’m a little nervous about getting back on a horse.”

“You don’t need to be nervous.” Rex spoke up from behind the bar. “We’ll make sure you’re safe.”

I was surprised he’d been listening to our conversation since he’d seemed to be ignoring us. “I guess horses make me uneasy because I’m pretty much a city boy.”

“Seems like a man can be from the city and still enjoy ranch life.” Rex polished a glass with a cotton rag as he answered, but his gaze lingered on me.

“I guess.” I smiled weakly.

Steve sniggered. “I don’t know about that, Rex. Ranch life is pretty rugged. An extra shot in his nonfat cappuccino is about as rugged as Tanner gets.”

I scowled at him, feeling my cheeks heat up. “Hey. I rode well and worked hard that summer. I didn’t wimp out or anything. My grandfather just didn’t like—certain things about me.”

“What sort of things?” Joe asked.

I wasn’t about to tell the truth about my homophobic grandfather, so instead I said, “I’m a freelance graphic artist. Granddad thought art was a waste of time. If you couldn’t ride it, rope it, or eat it, he didn’t respect it.”

Joe nodded. “I had a father like that.”

“Did you?” I met his gaze.

“Sure did. He felt the only real job was one where you did physical work. Maybe it was a generational thing. All I know is he was really upset that I didn’t want to take over his automotive business. I wasn’t into grease under my nails. I wanted to work in banking instead, and he couldn’t comprehend that.”

“Personally, I think it’s cool that Tanner can make a living doing art.” Steve rubbed my back. “Well, when he’s employed, that is.”

My face warmed at his backhanded compliment, and I gave him an irritable look. He was making me look bad every time he opened his mouth. “I don’t have trouble finding jobs.”

Steve grimaced. “No, not at all. It’s just that being freelance his jobs don’t last long. For example, his most recent contract just ended before we came on this trip. So, technically, he’s unemployed right now.”

Why is he telling them that?

Anger welled up inside of me, and I struggled to hold it down. Was Steve purposely trying to make me seem pathetic so that Rex would have no interest in me or something? Whatever his motive, it was pissing me off.

“I have a bunch of leads on new jobs. I’m not worried,” I said stiffly. “I’ve never been unemployed for long.”

Steve winced, seeming tofinallycatch on that I didn’t appreciate any of the things he was saying about me. “Oh, yeah. He’ll find another job quickly. He always does. I just mean, making a living in the arts isn’t easy and I respect that Tanner can do that.”

You sure that’s what you meant, Steve?

Rex slid a fresh drink toward me. “I’d love to see some of your art sometime.”

I winced. “Oh, it’s mostly commercial stuff. Not very interesting to the lay person.”

“That’s not true.” Steve laughed. “He has a bunch of stuff he does for fun. He’s really talented, but super modest.” He slipped his arm around my neck, pulling me over so he could kiss my head. All the sudden PDA was definitely for Rex’s benefit, and I didn’t care for it because it felt insincere. But, even though I was annoyed with him, I didn’t reject him. I didn’t want to embarrass him in front of everyone.

Thankfully, the conversation drifted to something other than me and my lack of employment. I did my best to ignore my irritation with Steve. The drinks helped because Rex made them nice and strong, and soon my buzz softened my irritation with my alpha.

Steve definitely drank too much. He’d occasionally shoot Rex hostile glances, and then lean in and steal more kisses. Rex glanced at us now and then, but he simply observed us in silence. I didn’t want to make Steve worse than he already was, so, I kept my attention focused on him. When midnight hit, people began leaving and heading to their cabins, which eventually left Steve and me alone with Rex.

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