Page 7 of Omega Tricked
I glanced around and found he was right. Everyone had already split into threes. I forced a smile at Tucker, carefully avoiding Lex’s gaze. “I guess I don’t have much choice.”
“Not really.” Tucker looked pleased. “Follow me. Our cooking area is at the back.” He walked away, and I was left with Lex.
Lex studied me. “Have I offended you somehow?” He looked a bit perplexed. “I don’t think we’ve met, right?”
“No. We’ve never met.”
He pushed his hands into his expensive suit jacket. “Then why do I get the distinct impression you don’t like me?”
I shrugged. “I’m not a fan of most alphas.”
“Ahhhh.” He nodded. “I see.” He didn’t seem offended, which was surprising. “I don’t blame you. Most alphas are overbearing and arrogant. I can’t stand most of us either.”
A gruff laugh broke from my tight throat. “That’s a surprising reaction.”
“Is it? There’s so much chest puffing and macho bullshit among alphas; I find it tedious.”
I thought maybe he was pulling my leg, but he didn’t seem to be. “I guess we have our dislike of alphas in common.”
“Exactly. We might as well be cooking partners.” His lips twitched.
His easygoing attitude actually relaxed me. “I guess we can do that. Tucker will be there too, so you’re out numbered.”
He smirked. “I can hold my own.”
“We’ll see.”
Lex laughed softly under his breath, and I headed in Tucker’s direction. Lex followed me, and we listened to Tucker explain how the stove worked and where the cooking supplies were. I had to stifle a few yawns during Tucker’s speech. I was tired, and still resentful that Dr. Peters had forced me to do this, but if it kept him off my back, I’d stick with it for a few classes.
“There aren’t many alphas who join these cooking classes.” Tucker pulled a can opener from the drawer as he spoke.
“Like I said, I like cooking.” Lex shrugged.
I eyed his fancy suit. “You plan on cooking in that?”
Tucker laughed. “Yeah, you should at least take off your jacket. That suit looks pricey.”
Lex glanced down at his black suit. “Oh, yeah. You’re right.” He shrugged out of the jacket and went to hang it over the back of his chair.
I didn’t want to notice how nice his body was, or the firm strength of his thighs, but I did. He was sexy, and I was obviously sexually frustrated. Why else was I so aware of how good he smelled and unable to keep my eyes off his body? When he returned to us, I made a point of ignoring him. Regardless of Dr. Peters’s wish that I’d get romantically involved, that wasn’tmywish. Besides, Lex was probably straight.
It doesn’t matter. Straight or gay, I have no interest in any alpha.
Tom raised his voice to get our attention. “Okay, a little background about this dish. Puttanesca translates roughly into ‘Lady of the night,’ although not everyone agrees. It’s rumored during WWII many Italian women were forced to work as prostitutes, since there weren’t a lot of jobs for women back then. Some say prostitutes cooked this meal between clients because they needed a quick dish—I personally find that hard to believe. I mean, if I have a hot date, I don’t eat anchovies, right?”
Everybody else laughed at Tom’s joke, but I leaned against the counter wishing he’d just get on with the damn cooking lesson. I didn’t want to spend my entire day in town. I simply wanted to do my duty and then head home. When Lex leaned on the counter next to me, I was surprised. I gave him an uneasy glance, but he seemed focused on what the instructor was saying. His shoulder brushed mine, sending warm tingles down my arm, and I stiffened and moved away. Was he completely unaware of how close he was to me, or did he simply not care? I decided he probably just didn’t realize how near he was standing. It wasn’t like he’d shown any interest in me; in fact, he seemed much more interested in talking to Tucker.
“Okay, first thing we’re going to do is chop four cloves of garlic and saute them in olive oil.” Tom began to walk down the narrow aisle that separated the cooking stations. “We’ll cook the garlic about a minute, just until it smells fragrant.”
Lex chuffed. “Garlic is always fragrant.”
The class laughed, and Tom grinned. “Good point.”
I studied Lex, puzzled by how he could look so sophisticated yet be so seemingly down to earth. I still couldn’t understand what he was doing in this class. He was the only alpha, but he seemed completely at ease. Most alphas preferred to hang with their own kind, unless they were on the prowl. But Lex didn’t give off a predatory vibe; he actually appeared to be interested in the cooking lesson. I had to grudgingly admit, he piqued my curiosity. If he was here on business, why was he taking a cooking class in the afternoon, instead of working? And what was his business? He looked like a high-roller type. Yellow Springs was a small, quaint town, not really the place slick business types frequented.
I pulled my gaze from Lex and began to chop anchovies as instructed by Tucker, trying not to gag. I wasn’t a big fan of stinky fish products to begin with, and cutting these smelly fish wasn’t sitting well with my stomach. I swallowed and held my breath, pressing my lips tight to stop myself from heaving.
Lex was dicing tomatoes and seemed to notice I was struggling. He moved closer and said quietly, “Why don’t you finish the tomatoes, and I’ll chop the anchovies?”
