Page 10 of The Flavor of Us

“It’s good, isn’t it?” she asks softly.

I nod, my voice coming out a little rougher than I intended. “Yeah. It is.”

Tati grins at me and then—like it’s the most natural thing in the world—she slides closer and cuddles up against my side. Her head rests lightly against my shoulder, her arm curling around my waist, and I swear my entire body goes still. My chest feels too tight, like my ribs can’t quite hold everything I’m feeling.

“Sometimes,” she whispers, “beauty is in the simple things. Like a messy peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a little moment like this.”

I huff out a breathy laugh, but it comes out a little watery. Something about the way she said that—how soft andcontentshe sounds—it hits me right where it counts.

“But,” she continues, tilting her head to look up at me, her lips curling into a smirk, “don’t get me wrong. I’llneversay no to all those really pretty foods you make. The ones that look like art and taste like heaven.”

I laugh, genuinely this time, and the tension in my chest eases just a little. “Good to know, sunshine.”

She hums softly and presses her cheek against my shoulder again, and suddenly, the half-eaten PB&J sandwich feels like something more than just food. I glance down at it, then back at her, and a thought crosses my mind before I can stop myself. Carefully, I tear off a corner of the sandwich and hold it up to her lips.

Her hazel eyes flicker up to meet mine, but she doesn’t hesitate. Her lips part and she takes the bite with a soft hum of satisfaction as she chews. And just like that, somethingshiftsin the air between us.

It’s not sexual—not yet—but it’s… intimate. Soft. Vulnerable. Her scent—rich melon, sweet and heavy—thickens around me and I feel it sink into my skin, filling my lungs with every breath I take. I can’t believe I’ve never noticed it before.

Tati isbaskingin this. In being fed. In being taken care of. Her whole body has relaxed against me, her lashes fluttering slightly as she chews another bite I offer her. Her soft hums of contentment make something deep in my chest ache in a way I can’t explain.

I keep feeding her, tearing off small bites of the sandwich and pressing them gently to her lips. She takes each one without hesitation, her hazel eyes flickering up to meet mine every now and then. It’s like she’s trusting me with something unspoken, something delicate.

And goddess help me, Iloveit.

I love watching her like this—soft and pliant, safe in this little bubble we’ve created in my kitchen. The way her scent wraps around me feels like a promise, one I’m not sure I deserve but one I’m damn sure not going to walk away from. By the time the sandwich is gone, Tati’s nose scrunches up in disappointment, her lips pulling into a pout that nearly undoes me entirely.

“Hey,” I murmur, my voice low as I brush a thumb over the corner of her mouth. “Don’t give me that look.”

“You ate all my sandwich,” she says, her voice laced with fake betrayal.

I chuckle, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to her temple. “You ate all your sandwich, sunshine. I just helped.”

She huffs but doesn’t move away. Instead, her eyes flicker toward the small plate of leftover beef bites I’d plated earlier for our snack.

I smirk. “Is that what you want now? Hmm?”

Her cheeks flush slightly, but she doesn’t back down. “I’m just saying… theyareright there.”

I laugh, reaching for one of the small beef bites with my fingers. It’s messy, the soup slipping down my fingers but it doesn’t bother me. I hold it up to her lips and she takes it delicately, her eyes fluttering shut as she hums around thebite. And there it is again. That little hum, that soft sigh of contentment that feels like it’s pulling at something deep inside me.

She likes this.

No—sheneedsthis.

She needs to feel cared for, doted on, safe. And the fact that she’s letting me see this part of her? That she’s letting medothis for her? It feels like a gift, one I’m only just starting to understand.

I feed her another bite, then another, and each time her scent grows thicker in the air, wrapping around me like silk. She’s practically glowing, her body loose and relaxed against mine, her little sighs filling the quiet spaces between our breaths.

The night stretches on, the lights in the kitchen dimmed now, and the smell of garlic and beef still lingers faintly in the air. It’s late—edging into the early hours of the morning but neither one of us is ready to go to sleep.

Tati’s perched on the edge of the couch, knees tucked under her, damp hair falling in dark waves around her face. She looks soft like this—unguarded, comfortable,mine.

I’m sitting next to her, one arm draped casually along the back of the couch, but my body’s coiled tight, my chest full of restless energy. The TV flickers in the background, some random late-night reality show playing low enough to be nothing more than background noise. Neither of us is really watching, but it’s there—filling the silence that stretches between us.

I glance at Tati and she’s staring at the screen with a faint smile, her thumb absentmindedly brushing along her knee. She must feel me watching her because she turns her head and catches my gaze, her hazel eyes warm and sharp all at once.

“You okay, Alpha?” she asks softly.

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