Page 15 of The Flavor of Us

She shakes her head almost immediately, her short hair swaying slightly as she does. “That’s it. That’s all of it.”

But her scent betrays her. That rich, sweet melon note thickens in the air, curling around me and I know she’s holding back. I lean back just enough to catch her eyes, one brow lifting in challenge as I smirk. “Tati…”

She avoids my gaze, lips pressed into a stubborn little line, but the faint flush creeping up her neck gives her away.

“You’re lying,” I tease, my voice dipping lower, softer. “Come on, sunshine. Keep going. Tell me the rest.”

She lets out a frustrated little growl, her brows pinching together. “Carleen, it’sembarrassing!”

“Tati, do you want to know what’s actually embarrassing? Thinking for one second that you wouldn’t want me because of my sexual preferences. Not once did you ever give me any inkling that you wouldn’t accept me. Even if I had never actually laid it all out, you kept telling me you’d love me regardless and I still pushed you away.That’sembarrassing.”

She freezes, her hazel eyes snapping up to meet mine, her lips parting slightly as if she wants to argue. But she doesn’t. She just stares at me, wide-eyed and soft andso very Tati. Her lips twitch and she swallows hard, her cheeks burning a deep pink before letting out a sharp exhale. “I don’t want to be an Omega, Carleen. I don’t. But… sometimes I want the things they have. The way some Alphas take care of them. The way they get to let go, to just—not think.”

Her voice cracks slightly, but she powers through, her eyes locked on mine.

“I have to think all the time, Carleen. At work, at home, everywhere. I’m always on, always in control, always planning and fixing and making sure everything’s okay. But sometimes… sometimes I just want someone else to take over. Just for a little while.” She sucks in a shaky breath and looks away, her voice softer now. “It’s stupid, I know.”

That wasn’t exactly where I thought this conversation was going but I can see it. It makes so much sense. “It’s not stupid, though, Tati. There’s no one right way to be an Alpha, Beta, or an Omega. Hell, I’m an Alpha that doesn’t want an Omega. What would that make me?” She loosens up against my side as she sits back a little to meet my gaze. “Tati, we can be any which way we want to be. And if that means you need a little more love and attention, then I’ll be right here to give it.” Her scent sweetens just a little and I decide to push, praying that I’m going down theright path. “And if you need an Alpha or two to take over when it’s just us so that you don’t have to think, I’ll be glad to be part of that too.”

And there it is, Tati hiding her face in my shoulder again.

“Fuck, you make it sound so… sodirty,” she mumbles into my shirt, one of her hands resting on my thigh. My skin heats beneath her touch, thoughts of Tati beneath me taking over my rational thoughts.Soon, I tell myself. I’ve been fighting my feelings for so fucking long that I think my body is more ready than my head is.

“Tati, is that not what you want?” I push a little more, getting a glimpse of the woman I’ve fallen for. “Are you telling me that you wouldn’t want an Alpha telling you what to do, making sure you’re well cared for?” And this is why she’d thrive under more than one Alpha because while I’m busying myself with new recipes and catering projects, she could be wholly taken care of by another giving her everything she needs.

A pang of loneliness hits me square in the chest but I brush it off and focus on my Beta. She’s all that matters right now. She’s all that will ever matter. I hold her a little tighter and start thinking of all the things I can do to start making her feel safe and truly loved.

Chapter eight

TATI

The day slips by in a blur of tasks and stops—errands piled on top of errands, all while my mind drifts back to Carleen. It’s embarrassing, honestly. I can’t focus for more than five minutes without my brain conjuring up the way she looked at me this morning, her warm brown eyes soft and seeing me in a way that makes my chest ache.

It’s like I’ve got her scent—fresh rain and peaches—woven into my skin now. Every little thing reminds me of her.

By the time I’m pulling into my parents' driveway, the sun’s starting to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows across the familiar house I grew up in. The memories I made here over the years are ones I cherish, coming home sometimes the sweetest thing I look forward to. In the midst of all the chaos, my parents have always been the rock I can count on—and now Ialso have Carleen. The porch light flickers on as I step out of my car and I take a deep breath before heading up the stairs.

My mom’s at the door before I can knock, pulling me into a tight hug. Goddess, I didn’t even know how much I needed that. “Tati, baby! You’re finally home,” she says, squeezing me so tight I can barely breathe.

“Hi, Mama,” I murmur into her shoulder, smiling as she finally releases me.

My dad’s not far behind, standing in the doorway with his arms crossed, a faint smirk on his face. “Look who decided to visit.”

I roll my eyes but step in for a hug anyway. His hug is even tighter than my mom’s, always reminding me that I have a place in this house. Sometimes I’m not sure what I ever did to deserve them. Pushing inside, whatever my mom has prepared for dinner finally hits me in the face.

It smellsamazing—garlic, butter, roasted vegetables, and something lemony hanging heavy in the air. My stomach growls audibly and my mom snorts as she ushers me toward the dining table. “You wouldn’t be my baby girl if you weren’t hungry,” my mom chides playfully.

I just shake my head as I slip into my usual chair across from my mother and next to my father. We fall into easy conversation as we eat, my mom recounting some ridiculous neighborhood drama while my dad chimes in with his usual sarcastic commentary. I laugh, genuinely laugh, and for the first time in weeks, I feel like I can breathe without some invisible weight pressing down on my chest. No one brings up how I left on a whim because of what I thought was a failed relationship. Neither of my parents push and ask for details but it feels almost wrong not to tell them that things have worked out, that I’mhappy.

My mind drifts back to Carleen, my Alpha—the woman who has accepted everything I am and more.

The way she held me this morning. The way her voice dipped low and rough when she said she’d meet me where I was, in whatever way I needed. The way her scent wrapped around me like a security blanket. The way I keep unconsciously searching for a tether back to her… like I can’t bear to be without her. I catch myself smiling, my fork halfway to my mouth, garlic chicken speared on the end of it.

“Ahem.”

The sound of my mother clearing her throat snaps me out of my daze and I blink up to find both of my parents staring at me across the table. My mom’s got one eyebrow raised and my dad looks like he’s fighting back a smirk.

I freeze, mid-chew, my eyes wide. “What?”

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