Page 41 of Manny's Surprise Baby
I sank on the mattress, feeling guilty and also kind of turned on. His scent had been different just now, kind of musky and alluring. And that look he’d given me minutes before he’d left had done something to me. It had, once again, stirred up weird feelings of arousal.
I covered my face, muffling my groan. What the hell was happening to me? I needed to get a grip on these emotions Pierce brought up in me, or I was going to lose my mind.
Chapter Seven
Pierce
After school, I dropped Emily off at Susan’s house for the sleepover. She was so excited, her little cheeks were flushed pink and her smile was warm as she waved goodbye to me. Seth had talked to Susan’s mom and dad this morning and felt comforted that the sleepover was real and the parents seemed like responsible people.
On the way home, I stopped and bought some things for dinner. Even though Emily wasn’t going to be there tonight, I still needed to eat. And I didn’t want to admit it, but I also wanted to make dinner for Seth. I wasn’t sure if it was just my omega instincts or what, but I felt an annoying urge to take care of him.
My day was spent cleaning and puttering. It wasn’t really my job to clean—Seth had a lady who came in every two weeks—but I kind of liked straightening and organizing things. Without Emily around, taking care of the home gave me a feeling of purpose. It had occurred to me that since Emily wasn’t here tonight, I could have spent the night at Colin’s, but I didn’t bother calling him to arrange it.
I put the roast in the oven and peeled potatoes for later. Then I had a swim in the pool out back and laid in the sun for a while. My thoughts kept drifting to Seth, whether I liked it or not. Last night in his room, I’d felt so embarrassed that I’d accused him of talking to Colin about me. There had just been something about his expression when he’d looked at me that had roused my suspicions. But he’d been so insistent, I’d been forced to admit I must have misjudged him.
God, he’d looked nice shirtless. My cock stirred just thinking about his toned skin and broad shoulders. He was the first alpha I was actually physically attracted to since my nightmare with Baxter had ended. I’d slept with some omegas in the years since I’d been freed, but I’d avoided alphas like the plague. But now, just thinking about Seth, I shivered with delicious feelings of arousal. He seemed aware of me too, which was surprising since he was supposed to be straight. But every now and then, he’d look at me and I could swear he wanted me.
If he made a move on me, would I want that? Judging by the way my dick ached and my ass clenched just at the idea, yeah, I’d want that. The very thought that I could hunger for an alpha was almost a relief. For so long I’d loathed the sight of all alphas. But if I could feel attracted to Seth, maybe there was hope for me after all. Maybe one day I’d get over my apprehension of alphas and end up with a family of my own.
After soaking up what was left of late-afternoon sun, I went inside to shower and get dressed. I watched TV as I waited for the evening to pass. I felt an odd buzzing excitement as I anticipated Seth’s arrival. It was a new feeling, that was for sure. The idea that I might actually enjoy being around Seth was unusual. By the time nine o’clock rolled around, dinner was ready and I was starving. I’d decided to wait for Seth to eat, but by ten past nine, I was regretting my decision.
Around nine thirty I heard his key in the lock. When he walked in, he looked tired, but when he followed me into the kitchen, his expression brightened at the sight of the roast and potatoes on the table. “You made dinner?” His eyes glittered happily. “I didn’t think you would because Emily is at her sleepover.”
He had his jacket off, and his shirt clung to his lean torso nicely. I tried not to let my gaze linger too long on his body. “We still need to eat.”
He noticed there were two plates set. “You waited for me?”
“I probably shouldn’t have. I’m about ready to eat the plastic flowers on the table.”
“Sorry I’m late. I got held up.”
My stomach clenched as distasteful thoughts rolled around in my head. What did “held up” mean? Had he fucked that porn star again? Was that why he was late?It doesn’t matter because it’s none of my business. “Everything is ready, so go change,” I said stiffly.
He rubbed his hands together, staring at the food. “I’ll be right back.” He left the kitchen.
I brought the gravy over and opened a bottle of wine I’d bought. I didn’t really drink much, but I knew Seth liked red wine. I tried not to fixate on whether he’d banged that stupid girl again. But it was hard because the image of them together seemed to be on a loop inside my brain.
Seth is my employer. Nothing more.
When he returned to the kitchen, I couldn’t help but notice how he smelled like he’d refreshed his cologne. That fact gave me a little flutter in my gut. Why would he care about smelling good for me? I sat across from him and poured wine into both of our glasses. I felt shy about looking at him. What the hell was wrong with me? This wasn’t a date. We were merely eating dinner. Why was I making it weird?’
He scooped a healthy dollop of mashed potatoes onto his plate and a big slab of roast. Then he doused it all in the brown gravy I’d made. “This smells so good. All I had was a crappy turkey sandwich from the set. It was disgusting.” He licked his lips, and a shiver of lust went through me.
Shit. I needed to think of something other than the sight of his tongue and what it might feel like on my body. I glanced out the kitchen window, noticing it was a full moon. Would that affect my libido? Something sure as hell was. I knew a lot of the omegas up at the compound had sworn that during a full moon our inner wolf instincts took over. I’d never really thought much about it until now. But I had to admit, I did feel a little out of control tonight. As if my physical needs outweighed my logic.
He took a bite and studied me, his cheek bulging with food. Once he’d swallowed, he said, “You’re awfully quiet tonight. Even for you.”
I shrugged and stuffed food into my mouth so I didn’t have to talk. Because all I felt like talking about was how good he smelled and how nicely his biceps bulged beneath his short sleeves. Those weren’t exactly things I needed to say out loud. The last thing I wanted was for him to catch on that I was attracted to him. His ego was big enough already.
“What did you do to keep busy today?” he asked.
“Grocery shopped. Cooked. Sunbathed” I sighed. “To be honest, I felt kind of at a loose end.”
He hesitated. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be here. You know… when I got home.”
“I thought about going to Colin’s for the night.”
“Why didn’t you?”
