Page 16 of Such a Tempting Omega

No bites.

I didn’t blame the companies. Or the people. I had no experience, no knowledge of half the jobs I’d applied for.

I considered going back to school, but I still had to have a roof over my head and food to eat.

Groaning and shutting the laptop, I pushed away from the desk absolutely wrung out. I had nothing else to do other than overthink jobs and my future.

Well, there was Liam, but there wasn’t much to think about there either.

He wanted more from me, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to give the little of me left away. To trust it with someone else.

I barely trusted myself.

My wolf already trusted Liam completely. Even I trusted him a bit, otherwise, there was no way I would’ve let him take me to the private room—and do what we did.

Mirrors had taken on a new definition for sure.

Last night, I’d told Liam I would see him at the club today. It was early in the afternoon, but he’d mentioned he would be there, setting things up for the big project.

He wanted me there.

And damn it all, I wanted to be next to him. Near him. Breathing the same air as him.

I’d thrown a bit of a fit the night before—freaked out—but Liam didn’t flinch.

My tantrums, as Kyle called them, were unattractive and caused him to be angry. When he was mad, it was always my fault. Always.

I got dressed, not in club attire, since it was early afternoon, but in regular clothes. Dark-wash jeans and a light-blue T-shirt I had been told set off the color of my eyes. Not by Kyle, of course. By some stranger. I stopped dead in my tracks as he’d said it, realizing that strangers had officially given me more compliments than the man I slept next to.

That compliment set me on my journey of looking into things. Realizing the things that had been blamed on me were actually his abuse. I had almost gotten up the bravery to leave when he beat me to the punch.

I walked to the club. The person out front already knew my name and escorted me inside, to a meeting room that looked out over the backyard area. Liam was at the head of the table. Head down. Glasses on. Absolutely absorbed by his work, his drawing.

Nothing sexier than a man serious about his passion.

“Hey,” he said, looking up with a smile. “I was waiting for you.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt your work,” I responded and approached the table. “I can sit over here. You looked so focused.”

“Now, my focus is you. Come on over and sit next to me. I’ve gotten permission from Andreas to share some of this with you, but it’s still hush-hush.”

“Of course it is.” I nearly rushed over with excitement. He was telling me his secrets. I sat in the chair next to him, and he tugged me closer until our thighs were touching under the table.

He went on to show me everything that was planned. Special areas for the littles. Another contractor would be hired to build walls to maintain privacy for the members of the club and those who might walk by.

Liam stood and pointed out where things would be. He kept his distance, probably because I’d turned him down cold for the date and he didn’t want to cross a line, but, but eventually he warmed up until, near the end, he stood behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his head on my shoulder. “Well, what do you think?”

“I think it’s going to be incredible, Liam. You’ve thought of everything.”

He squeezed me tighter. “That means a lot to me. Your approval means something to me, omega.”

My stomach chose that moment to pop our bubble. “I’m sorry. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”

“At the risk of shattering my fragile ego, I’ll ask again. Can I take you to dinner?”

His scent surrounded me. His embrace so warm and gentle, strong and calming at the same time. There was no way I could say no to him. No damned way. “Yes. Can you forgive me for my freak-out last night?”

He turned me around in his embrace. “There’s nothing to forgive. Just know that I want to date you, not as something fun or fleeting, but I think you already know what we are to each other, right?”

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