Page 45 of Broken Chains

“So this is the main kitchen. It was a lot crazier an hour ago. We’re on downtime post lunch now.” I led the way to the door at the back. A tingle ran up my arm as I realized Oliver didn’t let go of my hand. I gave him a tug and smiled proudly as we walked into my kitchen. ”So this is where I work when I’m on dinner shift.”

He dropped my hand and looked around. “What is this place?”

“Sort of a special ‘date-night dinner experience.’ Well, it doesn’t have to be a date, but I get a lot of those. Sometimes it could be a corporate group, families, or even just a small group of friends. I do all the cooking live, sort of like a show, and wait and serve them myself.”

“A one-woman show,” he said.

“Basically. It’s fine and I get to really stretch my culinary skills. I love it.”

He was watching me as I explained it. “I can tell. It’s incredible.”

I smiled proudly. “Thanks.” I passed Eve off to her dad. “I just need to put a few things away and then I’m done here.”

He sat down at the table and I had never felt more like I was the show than I did with him staring at me like he was. There was something different in his gaze, almost predatory. It made my girly parts clench and a shiver run up my spine.

I put away the last of the ingredients I had pulled out to prep and told him I was done. We left together but having two vehicles there gave me a few minutes to rein in my emotions, which were all over the place.

The nursery was finished and clean, though Eve had not yet stayed in there. She fell asleep for her nap on the drive home, and Oliver surprised me when he headed for my room to put her down in the nursery through the door in my closet.

He came back out and shrugged. “I’ll get Brady to go ahead and cut that door out so everyone’s not walking through here like this.”

I nodded, unable to speak. It was like déjà vu. I was sitting on the edge of the bed and Oliver was standing before me. It had only been a few days since I embarrassed myself trying to speed things along. I bit my lip. I couldn’t put myself out there like that again. His rejection had hurt too much.

Oliver took a step forward, only this time he didn’t stop. He stepped between my legs and just stared down at me. “Are you going to offer me this room again? This bed?” he asked.

I shook my head and his face fell just a little.

“You made your choice pretty clear last time,” I reminded him.

“I was an idiot,” he said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“You didn’t know what?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking.

“Until you called me your one true mate, I had never even heard the phrase before. I didn’t know what you were talking about.”

I opened my mouth to say something, then closed it, too shocked to formulate a response.

“Your dad and brother filled me in today on what you meant. Zach said that while it may be honorable of me to try to keep my distance, that it was probably hurting you. Is that true?”

I was mortified and tried to cover my face with my hands and die of embarrassment. “You talked to my dad about this?”

Oliver chuckled and gently removed my hands to hold them in his. “I didn’t exactly get much talking in. So are they right?”

I shrugged. “It’s fine.”

He smirked. “Somehow I just know when you’re lying to me. Like the day you had me sign that paperwork. I knew there was more to the story than you were letting on. I thought you just made up the excuse to spend more time with me that day and brushed it off, but I knew you were lying about needing me to witness those forms.”

I sighed. “It’s the bond. Actually, it’s a sign the bond is growing.”

“You mean our mating bond?” he asked.

I blushed. “Yeah. That.”

“I warned you, Peyton, I’m not good enough for you.”

I shook my head. I wanted to tell him it was too late, that I’d already fallen in love with him, and he was everything I wanted, the only man I’d ever want. I chickened out, though. I was scared he’d reject me again, and I was still recovering from our last round.

He reached out and caressed my cheek.

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