“I am?”
 
 He nodded and then released me. He glanced at the chopped vegetables and laughed. “Now… where was I?”
 
 “You were cooking us a delicious dinner.” I smoothed my hand over my shirt, feeling a little embarrassed about how we’d just gone at each other like wild animals. I couldn’t remember my lust ever being so out of control before. He was the kind of alpha I could see spending the day in bed with. One time would never be enough. I’d have loved to forget about dinner and instead drag him to my room and just fuck until we couldn’t move anymore.
 
 He went back to slicing vegetables and chicken, and I watched him. We didn’t speak for a few minutes, but then he said, “Have you really not been with anyone since Jacob?”
 
 I hesitated. “I didn’t want to be with anyone.”
 
 “But you do now?”
 
 “Not necessarily.”
 
 He studied me. “I guess I’m not as charming as I thought.”
 
 I frowned. “You’re not an option. You’re leaving. You’ve made that crystal clear.”
 
 “True.” He continued to watch me. “Would it surprise you to know I haven’t been open to anyone either?”
 
 “Yes. I had you pegged as a player. Breaking hearts left and right.”
 
 He winced. “I’ve broken a few hearts, sure. But I’ve felt detached. Disinterested in making a connection.”
 
 “Why?”
 
 “Not sure. I actually understand your reasons more than mine. You suffered a trauma, and you pulled back into your shell. But I’ve just never had the drive to find an omega and settle down. It’s expected of me, of course. But it’s never been something I cared about.”
 
 “If you do give in to pressure, will you pick a female or male omega now?”
 
 He looked nonplussed at the question. “I assume a female.”
 
 “Why?”
 
 He blinked at me. “Well, as I told you, I’ve never felt attracted to a man until you.”
 
 “That will probably change… now.”
 
 He looked unconvinced. “Not sure that’s true. But since I’m not seeking a mate just yet, I’ll worry about that later.”
 
 I turned away so he couldn’t see the distaste on my face. The idea of him settling down with some other omega bugged me. I knew it was stupid to let it get to me, but I couldn’t seem to shake the possessive feelings he brought out in me. Even if he’d been at a stage in his life when he was ready to settle down, he’d never be content in a place like the compound. I couldn’t really blame him either. The only reason I’d been so happy here was because I was hiding away from the world. Licking my wounds.
 
 “Maybe we can make a silly pact, like in a movie.” I spoke flippantly. “If in ten years, neither of us is claimed, we can agree to be together.”
 
 His lips curved in a smile. “Sure. Why not?”
 
 “We actually get along fairly well.”
 
 “Yeah. We do.” He twisted his lips. “Our sex life would be amazing.”
 
 “Of course, by then, you’d be an old man.” I grinned. “You’d be pushing fifty.”
 
 He narrowed his eyes. “That still won’t be a problem.”
 
 I sighed. “I guess I just have to wait a decade to find out.”
 
 He laughed roughly. “You keep giving me that challenging look and we may never eat dinner.”
 
 “Pfft. If you think that’s a threat, you don’t know me very well.”