Page 3 of Instant Bond

“Is there anything else?”

“Actually, yeah, there is. You know your moms were at that barbecue at my parents’ this past weekend?”

“So?” I’d been invited, by Lucas himself of course, and had very definitively declined to appear.

“Well, I just happened to overhear them talking about how you aren’t settled down yet, and how they’re worried they won’t be getting any grandkids at this rate.”

I knew Lucas would lie about anything for attention, but I was sure this story, at least, was based in truth. I was an only child, so I was their only chance, and I knew they were eager for the pitter-patter of little feet.

“Isn’t that a shame?” I answered flatly. Even if I had been interested in him, I was fairly certain someone like Lucas would have the paternal instincts of a rabid honey badger. Definitely not the type of omega I’d consider breeding with. “I have work to do.”

“Fine, fine,” Lucas sighed. “But think about it. We work in similar industries, we come from the same background. Our families are already friendly. We could be a really sexy power couple, don’t you think?”

“Close the door behind you,” I ordered, with no intention of answering the question. Once the door had closed with a snap, leaving me in the solitude and silence of my office, I let out a slow sigh.

Determined to push the annoying interaction out of my head and forget about the warm vanilla-scented omega that could have been, I buried myself in my work.

CAM

“I’M PUTTING YOUin the section by the bar,” My boss informed me as I entered the kitchen of the no-frills family pub through the back to start my shift. She was the take-no-shit kind of middle-aged, with a perpetual smoker’s rasp that she’d probably had since birth. “We’re packed because of the parade so you should do pretty good on tips.”

“Thanks, Sharee,” I said as I tied my pocketed apron on over my work uniform, simple fitted black pants and a tidy black shirt. Good tips were always welcome, and often desperately needed.

I quickly glanced over myself in the mirror to make sure there wasn’t anything glaringly wrong before emerging out into the front. I was a little thin from too many skipped meals and I needed a haircut, the longer strands of my bangs hanging around my cheekbones when I forgot to brush them aside. A smudge of dark under my eyes announced to the world that I wasn’t getting much sleep these days, but the restaurant wasn’t all that well-lit anyway.

“Morning, Cam!” A friend of mine and a waitress at the restaurant, Hana Suzuki called out to me from across the kitchen. She gave me a little wave as she applied another layer of shiny lip gloss. She was my age, 22, and really pretty, with long, black hair parted in the middle and tied back into two thick pigtails. “How’s life treating you?”

“Same old, same old,” I replied, but I was grateful for her companionship. She was basically the only real friend I hadthese days, having left my middle of nowhere hometown a few years back to end up completely clueless in the big city.

“How’s Ty?” She asked, as we made our way out to the front.

“Pretty good. First grade is the big new adventure.”

“He’s so cute,” she sighed dreamily. “It almost makes me want one. Almost,” she added quickly. “No offense.”

“None taken.” It’s not like I was under the impression that anyone dreamed of getting accidentally knocked up like I had so stupidly done. And in any case, she’d have to say a hell of a lot more than that to offend me. Hana was one of the only people I’d met since moving to the city that had actually helped me, and that I actually liked. Not to mention she’d babysat Ty a few times when I’d had absolutely no other options, and he adored her. “How are you?”

“Last night I went on a date with that guy I told you I’ve been texting,” she said. The roll of her dark eyes made it obvious it hadn’t gone well. “Total nightmare. I’ll tell you about it later.”

“Okay,” I agreed. I was more or less living vicariously through her in terms of dates and romance, but I didn’t mind. I loved drama, as long as it didn’t involve me.

When I opened the door to the front of the house just a little crack to get an idea of what we were working with, I saw that Sharee hadn’t been exaggerating in the slightest. We were packed to the brim with people wanting a quick bite before the main festivities of the parade and festival started. Hana stepped out before me, but before she could get more than two steps out, I watched her jaw drop as she stared over toward the bar. She immediately whirled around on her heel and charged back into the kitchen area where I was standing.

“Oh. My. God!” She hissed out, like each word was its own sentence.

“Yeah, it’s crowded,” I said. But I didn’t mind. More tables meant more tips.

“No, not that!” She denied, shaking her head. “Do youknowwho’s sitting out there right now?”

“No.” How could I possibly have known that, when I hadn’t gone into the room?

“I swear I am literally not joking, butKarter Morrisonis sitting over by the bar.”

“Oh. Is he a… Movie star?” It was a guess, but admittedly not a great one. What would a movie star be doing in our little hole in the wall? But pop culture wasn’t exactly my strong suit. I could tell you which villain the Epic Power Squad defeated in last week’s episode, but probably not what songs or films were topping the charts at the moment.

“Oh, Cam.” She gave a sigh at my ignorance. “Karter Morrison is the heir to Morrison Beauty! His mom owns it!” When I only stared, she whipped the tube of lip gloss back out of her pocket and held it in front of my eyes. The brand on the label was Morrison Beauty. “They’re anamazinglifestyle brand. I’m totally obsessed. I just bought a bikini from them, too!”

Hana was big on fashion and skincare and that kind of thing, which was good for her, because she looked great. And it wasn’t that strange anymore for guys, especially omegas, to play around with makeup and stuff like that, but I couldn’t afford it even if I’d had any interest. And anyway, who would I be getting all dolled up for? Ty?

---