Page 14 of Omega Island
And yet, I couldn’t stop watching him while pretending not to stare, the way his movements started off jerky but how, as he ate the good food, he began to relax. His cheeks had flushed a few times during the dinner. Nerves, I told myself. Nothing to do with me. Certainly, my heat wasn’t full on. He wasn’t smelling it. And the other omegas joining us tonight were not in heat. If they had been, they would have been taking their meals privately with their therapists or surrogates.
Besides, Raimi was a person in recovery, not looking for an omega to interest him.
His social skills were shy. Which was to be expected. But I wondered if he knew how attractive that was, even to the other omegas at the table. People watched him. People noticed him. It wasn’t just me noticing, being drawn by his unselfconscious beauty and strength.
When the plates were cleared, I stood and offered to walk him back to his cabin, not caring if any of my other guests heard me.
“Oh, um.”
It was lovely how he stuttered a bit whenever I asked him a question.
“It’s not necessary,” he finished.
“Of course, it’s not necessary, but if we take the long way around, we’ll get a view of the sunset. The clouds are coming in and that makes it even prettier. Like a watercolor painting against all that blue ocean.” Besides, I told myself, I needed to walk off the big meal.
“All right.” Raimi nodded.
We ended up at a lovely lookout point near the golf course. The sun was almost touching the sea now. The clouds had turned pink on the horizon. Above, the blue firmament had darkened with streaks of white. The sea moved with white caps.
“It will rain,” I said.
“I like rain.” Raimi breathed deep, his chest expanding.
I turned to look at him as he stood gazing out, hands at his sides. Why had I asked him for this walk? I became suddenly aware my behavior was more like my younger self in the years when I had heats. I often went for the first beautiful alpha who might say yes to me.
The temperature had cooled a little, but the humidity still made me sweat. My behavior wasn’t right. Raimi wasn’t just any alpha. While it was in my nature to make sure all guests were comfortable and had all their needs met, Raimi deserved to be alone if that was his choice. I was being pushy and I didn’t like that about myself.
The breeze blew through my short hair. It had a tang and a tartness I loved. Leaves chattered around us. The ocean’s usual whisperings became a deep, distant roar.
“I love this time of day. It gives me a kind of restless, nostalgic feeling—all in a good way,” I said.
“Like trying to remember a dream, but you can’t quite get it.” Raimi looked at me. “Almost like deja vu.”
“Yes.” I met his eyes.
“I feel like we might have met before.” He glanced away, head lowering. “But maybe it’s just because Luca talked about you.”
“I hope it was all good.” I laughed.
“Yes. But I mean, it’s a strange feeling.” He frowned, furtively meeting my gaze again, then looking away.
The draw to him came on strong again. Slick leaked but did not double me over. I ignored it. Was he trying to tell me he felt drawn to me in return?
Something was there between us. I couldn’t deny it. But I couldn’t act on it, either. Raimi was still raw. He’d come to heal. Not to deal with me or my heat.
I breathed in deep. The fresh air was better than just about anything.
Raimi turned. “It is beautiful.”
“Yes. And that feeling of strangeness—I feel it, too. It’s a good feeling.”
“I feel like I haven’t been able to take a deep breath in a long time. But here, I can.”
“You will find only peace here, and no stress. I will make sure of it.”
He blinked at me as if trying to understand. That was when I realized he knew I was going into heat. Hehadscented me this afternoon.
I wanted to ask him if he was bothered by my presence or my scent. I suddenly had many questions. But I was in no position to impose them on him. It wasn’t my place, or my right.
