Page 19 of Mistletoe Omega
“God, I haven’t decorated a tree since I wore pajamas with feet in them.”
“Your family didn’t do anything for Christmas?” I frowned.
“When I was really little, they did some stuff. But as we got older, they didn’t seem interested in celebrating anything.”
“That’s too bad. Holidays should be a special time for families.”
He shrugged. “I guess it depends on the family.”
“Definitely.” I decided to keep asking questions until he shut me down. “So, do you have any brothers or sisters?”
He grimaced. “Does it matter?”
“I like getting to know you. Is that okay?”
Sliding down in his seat, he said quietly, “I guess so.” He paused, and then added, “I have an older brother. But he’s an even bigger mess than me.”
“You’re not a mess,” I grumbled. He always put himself down, and I hated it.
“If you say so.”
I sighed and ignored his comment. “Do you talk to your brother at all?”
“Nope.” He stared out at the white landscape that surrounded us. “I’m pretty much alone in the world.” He smoothed his palm over his belly as he spoke.
I’d noticed before that he touched his stomach a lot. It concerned me a little. He seemed to have a delicate digestive system; he was sick often, and he got tired very easily. Sometimes I worried that the strange grassy scent he had, meant something was wrong with him physically. But I didn’t feel it was my place to ask. And I doubted he’d volunteer anything to me, even if he did have some kind of illness. I got the feeling that, even if he was on his death bed, he’d still tell me not to worry and that everything was fine.
I forced a smile. “You’re not alone, Sam.”
He glanced at me, but he didn’t respond.
I parked in front of my home, and it took about ten minutes to get all the groceries in the house. We worked in close proximity as we put the food in the cupboards, and I had to stuff down my innate attraction toward him. Alphas and omegas were naturally drawn to one another. It was pure instinct to want each other. I knew he was aware of me physically too. I could tell from the little looks he gave me sometimes when he thought I didn’t notice. There was heat in those glances, but since he’d never indicated he wanted anything more from me, I respected our friendship, and kept my hands to myself. Plus, I was very much aware that he was younger than me, and I didn’t chase after younger guys.
Sometimes it surprised me how much I enjoyed having Sam in my home. In fact, the idea of him leaving one day, seemed depressing. It had been a while since I’d actually enjoyed an omega’s company for anything other than satiating sexual need. Over the years I’d sometimes slept with omegas for purely physical reasons, but after losing Ethan, I hadn’t wanted anything permanent. I hadn’t wanted anyone around me all the time. And until I’d met Sam, nobody had ever interested me enough to rethink that either. But Sam was different, and that fact thrilled and terrified me.
“I have tonight off.” His voice broke into my musings.
“Is that right?” I pulled out my step stool, and concentrated on stacking soup cans in the pantry.
“Yep. I thought tonight maybeIcould make the dinner for a change.”
“Let me guess; trying to keep everything even?”
“Not really. I just got a bee in my bonnet that I’d like to cook something.” He scooted past me, and he put his hands on my hips briefly.
His touch sent a little shiver of desire through me, but I stifled my emotions. He probably didn’t even realize he’d touched me. I didn’t need to over react and embarrass myself. I kept my voice steady as I said, “That sounds great. What did you want to make?”
He rubbed his chin. “What about meat loaf and mashed potatoes with gravy?”
I widened my eyes. “God, yes. I would love that.”
He seemed surprised at my enthusiastic response. “Really?”
“Yes. The only good meals I have these days are at the Rusty Spoon. A home cooked meal sounds amazing.” I didn’t have the patience to cook for myself anymore. Even though I’d done all the cooking before with Ethan, it seemed like way too much work for just me.
He smiled, looking pleased. “So you would like that?”
“Yes. I’m serious. That sounds fantastic.”
