Page 71 of His Sassy Omega
I was quiet, quietly chewing on his words. “Care to elaborate?”
He sighed under me. My hand had found its way to his chest, and I stroked the hair on it. It was quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do.
“I found out two of my brothers also have fated mates.”
“Really?” As far as I knew, all of the Sinclair quads were single.
“Believe me, it was news to me too. They told me as long as you don’t claim each other, you can walk away. Move along with your life as if nothing happened.”
We hadn’t claimed each other yet, but we also weren’t walking away. “I take it they both walked away from their mates?”
“Finn said his mate was not appropriate, and Jamie thinks his mate is dead.”
“He thinks he’s dead? He’s not sure?” I squawked. His wandering hands had moved from stroking my back to messing with the hair at the nape of my neck, and my cat purred. Damn, that felt good. He did seem to love playing with my hair.
“Jamie used to work for some branch of the government. Don’t ask me what branch, or what he did. I honestly don’t know, and he can’t or won’t say. From the little he has divulged, I think he met his mate on an assignment, and something happened.”
“Wow, that sounds very James Bondish,” I joked, while trying to keep my body from responding to the petting he was giving me. How had I ever thought I didn’t enjoy cuddling, and intimate touches that went beyond sex? Lachlan’s hands on me were perfect. “Wade would love that shit.”
Lachlan went silent for a few minutes, and his stroking had me nearly asleep again. “Do you ever wonder who you are?”
My eyes flew open in the darkness. “Only since meeting you,” I told him, only half-joking.
“I don’t think I know myself at all.” His voice was low, soft, and filled with that hesitation in it from earlier. I was quiet because it seemed a good time to just be. Here in the darkness of my bedroom, warm and cuddled up next to this big alpha, my alpha.
When he didn’t seem inclined to elaborate, I prodded him along. “Why do you think that?”
Because he came across as havingittogether. Whatever the elusiveitwas, Lachlan had it in spades. At least from the outside, looking in with a stranger’s view. Spending time with him, the little amount we’d had so far, getting to know him, I’d glimpsed bits of vulnerability, of unsureness, of things he kept buried deep. There was even a certain shyness to him at times.
I looked up at him, craning my neck to peer at him in the darkness. My cat eyes had adjusted, and turning this way, I could make out his hard jawline, teeth clenched tightly. I smoothed a hand over that stubbled jaw, caressing softly, wanting to smooth the tightness there.
“Lots of reasons lately.” I sensed somehow that he wasn’t ready to talk about whatever was making him question his life choices, so I didn’t push him.
I yawned again, while I waited for him to explain. While I did feel better, the overwhelming exhaustion that had been plaguing me remained. Maybe I was anemic? I should think about seeing a doctor. After the holidays.
“You need to rest.” He was deflecting, and I didn’t blame him. I could be the king of deflection when I put my mind to it. Which I did often. Deflecting wasn’t going to work this time, not with what was happening between us. There was still so much that needed to be worked out between us, if we were going to make this work.
I liked him, and I wanted to keep seeing him, but I was nowhere ready to let him claim me. If what his brothers said was true, that not all fated mates chose to stay together, then we still had an out. The question remained if either of us wanted to use our get-out-of-jail-free card. I’d always assumed that if you met your fated mate, that was it. You were destined to be together and live happily ever after.
I closed my eyes and snuggled into his warmth. “I’m gonna sleep some more, then go into work later. I’m feeling better, and Josh will need the help.”
“You absolutely are not doing that.” His voice rumbled beneath me.
My eyes popped open at his tone, all commanding and domineering. My anger rose up like a volcano. And just like that, all the warm fuzzies I’d been feeling vanished. I sat up, pushing off his chest and glaring down at him, shoving my hair from my eyes. “Excuse me?”
Lachlan sat up too, resting his back against the headboard. With my excellent night vision, I didn’t miss the look of annoyance on his chiseled face. “What part of bed rest did you not understand?”
I waved a hand at him. “I do what I want, and I’m going into my bakery. I’m capable of taking care of myself.”
He scowled at me, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “You were doing a fantastic job of it Saturday. I’m not even sure why you thought dragging your sick ass to the festival was a good idea. Did you ever stop to think that you might have been contagious, Quinn? Or are you so stubborn, you’d rather collapse than admit you might not be able to do it all on your own, and ask for help?”
This man! Who did he think he was? How dare he!
Okay, everything he’d said was pretty much true, but how did he know that? Instead, I sputtered angrily, “How dare you!”
His nostrils flared, and his ice blue eyes were shooting fire at me. “I dare just fine. You know what half your problem is?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
