Page 16 of His Sassy Omega
“I don’t normally act like that.”
I waved a hand in the air. I couldn’t help but notice how his eyes tracked the movement of my hand and fingers. There was something hot in his eyes, the way his pupils contracted at my movements.
“Let’s be honest here.” Nope, I was not going to make this easy on him, at all. “We both know Wade sent you.”
He gave me that sheepish little half-smile of his, and dammit, if he didn’t look just like a boy caught stealing cookies. “He did inform me of your decision to ban me from coffee.”
“And all the baked goods.” I reminded him sharply.
He winced. Physically winced. The old saying about how the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach echoed in my head. The way to Lachlan Sinclair’s heart was most definitely through baked goods. Baked goods and coffee. As long as it was sweet coffee. I’d not missed his horror when I’d handed him that black cup of coffee this morning. I’d done it on purpose, and I wasn’t one bit sorry about it.
“Is there room for negotiation on that?” he asked, in a voice I imagined he used in his business dealings. It was a strong voice, masculine, a little rough, leaning towards this side of husky. Everything in me wanted to respond to it, but I pushed the feeling away.
“I haven’t heard anything, so far, to make me feel the need to renegotiate the terms I stated.” I could be formal and business-like too. I would not be swayed by that sexy voice of his. Or those blue, blue eyes of his.
His eyes flared for a second with the heat of desire, or anger, before he nodded his dark head.
Damn, that little bit of gray at the sides was doing things to me. When had I started finding that sexy? It was, though. So, so sexy. And that barely-there mustache and beard of his, the line of hair trimmed so close, it was just a smidge over a good five o’clock shadow. I wanted to rub up against his face, like the cat I was, and find out if it was soft or would it leave a trail of red marks?
“Point taken.”
Silence again, as we stared at each other, neither blinking nor giving in. I could stand here all day if I needed to.
“I would like to apologize for my behavior this morning.” He finally broke first. “It’s not like me. I know that sounds like an excuse, but I don’t behave that way.”
He did seem sincere.
“Then why did you?” I wanted to know what had prompted his utter dickishness this morning.
He blinked. Blinked harder. Apparently, he wasn’t prepared for follow-up questions about his bad behavior. He opened his mouth, closed it, then shrugged those wide as fuck shoulders of his.
“I really don’t have an explanation. I was out of sorts, but I don’t have a reason why. I woke up in a foul mood, for no good reason at all. I wasn’t expecting Wade to be out today, and anytime he is out it throws my day completely off. I was already running late for a meeting that I didn’t want to be in. I desperately needed coffee and breakfast, and the line was so long.” He paused for a second as if listening to all the words he’d just said. “Yeah, that all sounds like whining excuses.”
I nodded, agreeing. “So, you are hearing yourself? The absolute bullshit coming from your mouth?”
He grinned then, an honest to God actual grin, and fuck! My stomach literally flipped on itself. Holy hell, no one should have a grin like that. That grin could make people get naked in less than a minute flat.
I wanted to get naked.
Right fucking now.
In my kitchen. Where I baked things.
“Yeah, I’m hearing myself. All I can say is I am very sorry for acting like an ass.”
“An alpha ass.”
He nodded. “An alpha ass. I don’t normally use my Alpha voice, I don’t. I respect omegas, and people in general, and I most definitely do not like causing scenes. I don’t know what else I can say, except I am truly sorry.”
I believed him. I didn’t want to, but I did. I knew enough about him from Wade, that I felt I had a fairly good idea of the man he was. I did believe he was sorry for the way he had acted that morning. That didn’t mean I was going to let him off the hook that easily though.
I ran a hand down my apron again, and pursed my lips, tapping my bottom lip with one finger.
“A week,” I told him, a full minute later, which felt much longer than it actually was.
His head came up, a little light of hope springing in those blue, blue eyes of his. “A week?”
“You are banned for one week.” He started to open his mouth, no doubt to protest. “That’s my final answer, take it or leave it. Push your luck, and it will be a month.”
