Page 17 of Lawyer's Secret Omega

I didn't realize how hard it would be to pretend that nothing was different at work, and to pretend that Ryan and I weren't together. I had to stop myself from whistling on the elevator. I don't think I had ever whistled before in my life. We had finally exchanged phone numbers but I didn't dare text Ryan while we were at work. It was just too risky, especially with the way Luke's been hanging over at Ryan's desk.

I gritted my teeth just thinking of it. I hadn't had a problem with Luke in the years he'd been a paralegal in my section, and I knew if I kept jumping down his throat every time he was near Ryan, people would get suspicious. Dammit, I was a mess. I wanted Ryan, I didn't want anybody else to have him, and yet I was too scared to commit to him.

I nodded to Eric as we passed each other in the hall. "Whoa, hold up there Marcus. I'll walk with you to your office."

I glanced at him with my eyebrows raised. He smirked and shook his head. Was he going to tell me about his latest little workplace conquest? We reached my office and I closed the door after him.

"So, Marcus," Eric smugly made himself comfortable in one of my chairs. I glanced at him warily. The only time he acted like this was when he knew something I didn't. I hoped this was about something else in the office and not what I had a feeling it was about. "I noticed you left the party Friday night a bit early. And, oddly enough, I couldn't find one of your paralegals after you left either."

Oh shit.

I turned around and hung my suit jacket up. What was I going to do? Eric was a very good friend of mine, but I wasn't the only one involved in this.

"No comment? Not wanting to tell me for fear of... embarrassing your omega? The beautiful paralegal, Ryan?"

I raised my eyes to the ceiling and sighed. Why the hell was he so damn observant? I turned around and stood behind my desk.

"So what?" Oh yeah, that was a good plan. Go on the defense and thereby prove to Eric that he had scored a direct hit. Eric laughed.

"Not only did you just prove my suspicion that you're in a relationship with him, but you just proved how much you care for him."

There was nothing I could say to that, so I just took a long drink of my coffee. Black, like my soul. I was an attorney after all.

"I don't want you teasing him, winking at him or doing anything else to him."

Eric frowned.

"Oh, come on. Like I would do anything like that to your first interoffice romance."

I narrowed my eyes at Eric. He was beginning to creep me out.

"How the hell do you know it's my first interoffice relationship? You've been studying me and keep an eye on me just a little bit too much."

Eric kept that damn smug smirk on his face.

"Oh, Marcus. You changed your routine, that's what set me off. Plus, you told me yourself that you had a crush on Ryan a long time ago. So when I heard Ryan had been moved to your section, I knew it was only a matter of time. I was probably the only one that noticed you both left at the same time."

Great. Eric should've been in the FBI or CIA. Instead, he was here in my office smugly enjoying my fall from grace after I'd told him many times he shouldn't play around in the office pool or he'd get burnt.

"Glad to hear it. Now was there something you needed?"

Eric rolled his eyes. I wished I had something to throw at him.

"Lighten up, Marcus. Obviously, Ryan isn't doing a good enough job if you're still this uptight."

I had made it around the desk with my hand on Eric's shirt before I realized I had even moved.

"Don't ever say anything like that about Ryan again. Do you hear me?"

Eric's smile had grown even wider. The asshole. He winked at me.

"You've got it bad Marcus."

I glared at him and let him go. This is probably the most fun he's had in ages. He left and I wondered how he was going to explain the wrinkles on his shirt. God I hoped no one thought we had been in here making out.

I left my office and walked to the break room to get rid of the nervous energy I had acquired, thanks to Eric's visit. I saw Ryan walking in the hallway toward me, I nodded as normal, but walked just a little closer to him. I rubbed the back of my hand against his as he passed by. I wanted to wrap a finger around his, even just a pinky, anything. I was like a school kid with a crush. This could go wrong in so many ways.

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