Page 13 of The Omega Project

God, what will I do if he’s turned up here to turf us out or force me onto my knees?

I skid to a stop as I find Professor Fall crouched by the front door, studying the plastic superhero in Jacob’s hand. “What are you doing here?”

Langston rises slowly, his gaze sweeping over my navy pantsuit and white blouse. I feel a bit like I’m Agent Scully onthe way to a crime scene, especially when his eyes twinkle in that bewitching way. “I'm your ride. You look very beautiful, Emily.”

“She borrowed the suit from mum,” Jacob pipes up, giving me a sticky grin. He was clearly sampling the marmalade while he was on breakfast-in-bed duty, and I can see his fingerprints on Langston’s sleeve. He always looks amazing in his leather jacket, but I can’t help staring at him in his tailored slate-grey suit. Somehow, the thin pinstripes make the gold highlights in his auburn hair even brighter, and I have to fight the urge to stroke the corded muscle straining against the white collar of his shirt.

“Aunt Em has a lot on her plate, so I have to be extra good today.”

My nephew’s revelation yanks me out of my daze, and I make a mental note to remind Dee that her son is the human equivalent of a talking parrot, repeating every word his little ears pick up.

“I’m really sorry, but I’m running late,” I tell Langston as I steer Jacob over to the kitchen sink, grimacing at the smudges of butter on his polo shirt. I quickly wash his hands again, dabbing at the worst of the mess with a damp towel. I glance back at Langston, wondering if I should offer him the towel for his jacket sleeve, when I catch him watching us like he’s never seen a sticky six-year-old before. “My mum’s not feeling well, so I’ll need to get Jacob to school. I should be only an hour late, tops.”

“Is it the flu, like Derek?” I look at him in surprise and he says, “I went there first, thinking that’s where you live.”

“Oh. I am. I mean, I’m planning to move there, but I need to help out here first.”

“Emily, who is that?”

I bite back a curse at my mother’s curious voice, turning to find her posing in the doorway like a film star from the forties. Delicate curls frame her face, and she’s wearing lipstick and a silk robe. Anyone would think she’s blooming with health, andthere’s no denying the excited gleam in her eyes as she looks Langston over. “This is Professor Fall from uni. Langston, this is my mum, Lorelei Nash.”

“Please, call me Lori,” my mother trills, coming forward with both hands extended. Langston shakes them like she’s made from spun sugar, and I can barely stop my eyeroll. “And aren’t you a handsome alpha! No wonder Emily spends all of her time at the university. Are you one of her lecturers?”

My face is so hot it physically hurts. “Mum…”

“I’m her career mentor, actually,” Langston interjects with a twinkle in my direction. “Not that she requires much direction. Your daughter is a very dedicated, intelligent woman.”

The glance he slides my way makes my cheeks burn, but my mum now looks ten years younger. “Oh, indeed she is.” She grips Langston’s bicep as she steers him towards the kitchen table. “But did she get you a cup of tea? I try my best, but sometimes the proper etiquette slips her mind.”

I gnash my teeth as I follow in their wake, Jacob buzzing with excitement at the thought of a second breakfast. Or more accurately his third, since marmalade is smeared across the bench and there are two burnt pieces of toast sizzling in the sink. My mum ignores it all, sweeping Langston over to the table and settling him in a chair, then shooting me a pointed look at the teapot. Knowing it’s easier to just go along with her when she’s in this mood, I pour a cup and set it in front of Langston.

My mother sinks into the chair beside him, her omega perfume now as sweet as the marmalade I’m trying to scrape off the bench. “Are you mated, Professor Fall?”

I drop the sticky knife with a clatter. “Mum!”

“Do you have an omega at home?” My mum powers on, ignoring my glare. “You must be in a pack, given how dominant you are.”

I give a soft groan, wondering how I can be accused of poor etiquette when my mum blurts out shit like this.

But Langston just gives me a careful look. “An informal one. We're close friends and have known each other for years, so I expect things will progress soon.”

This is news to me, and I’m now channelling my nephew, my ears straining to pick up every nugget of information. When he says they’re close friends, does he mean my new boss? That hunky Head of Security? Or someone at the university? According to university gossip, he’s courting half the faculty and more than a few students.

“And an omega?” My mother asks, a touch of tension in her voice. “Is there someone special you’re planning to bring into your pack?”

Langston sips at his tea, no doubt feeling the cloying anticipation in the room. “Yes,” he says finally, the sparkle gone from his eyes. “There's an omega we’re very close to.”

My mother deflates like a wilting flower, her eyes drifting around the room before settling on me. I have no idea what she can read on my face, but she gets slowly to her feet, suddenly looking all of her sixty-three years. “Hmmm. I see. Well, don't let us keep you. It's very generous of you to give Emily a lift to the bookshop. She's a hard worker, and this is all temporary, you understand?” She waves an elegant hand around the drab kitchen. “We're moving out soon, just as soon as we get our affairs in order.”

Sooner than she probably thinks, now that Rick is breathing down our necks. But I plaster a bland smile on my face as Langston pushes to his feet, carrying his teacup over to me. “It was delicious tea, Mrs. Nash, and I appreciate you welcoming me into your home.”

I avoid his eye as I take the cup and give it a quick rinse. When I walk over to my mother, she’s still staring at the faded wallpaper. “Will you be okay with Jacob?”

“Of course!” She whirls on me, her smile too wide, and I’m again reminded of a broken doll. “We're going to bake lemon tarts, aren’t we sweetie?”

“It's a school day, mum. You need to drop him off.”

“I know!” She gives an aggrieved huff. “Afterschool, I mean. I better get dressed or we’ll be late.” She flutters to the door, pausing only to glance at Langston. “It was lovely to meet you, Professor Fall.”

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