Page 42 of Omega's Refuge

My cheeks warmed, but I felt the need to be honest. “You flirted with me and seemed like you wanted me to stay longer. Did I read all of that wrong?”

His chest rose and fell as he let out a long, tired exhale. “No, you didn’t misread anything.”

I grimaced. “Do you just flirt with all the single guests or something?”

“No.”

I said breathlessly, “I realize flirting doesn’t really mean anything, and that you owe me nothing. But, you know my situation. You know what I’m going through right now. I… I don’t understand why you’d try to get me to stay here longer, when you have an omega in town.”

“Idon’thave an omega in town.” He sounded exasperated.

I gave him a skeptical look. “Was it all just a game to you, Rex?”

He let out an impatient breath. “No. Of course not.”

We stared at each other in silence, then I said quietly, “I’m really confused right now.”

He hesitated. “I’m confused too.”

“Why are you confused?”

“Well…” He dragged his fingers through his blond hair. “That’s what I came here to talk about.”

“Okay.”

He cleared his throat, looking nervous. “You’re acting like I’m the only one who flirted or showed any interest.”

“No, I’m not. I… I know I flirted too.”

“Yeah, you did. And you also led me on, so don’t act all innocent.”

I squinted at him. “How did I lead you on?”

His gaze was accusing. “Saying all that stuff about how you’d never forget this place and… andme.”

“I meant that.”

He gave me a disgusted look. “Do you know how many times I’ve heard that?” His voice slurred slightly. “I’ll tell you—too many. I’m sick to death of being lied to.”

I shook my head, feeling frustrated. “I wasn’t lying to you.”

“Bullshit.” He scowled. “Just admit it, the minute you leave this ranch, you’ll never think of me again. Why can’t you city folk just admit that?”

“Look, I don’t know about the others who’ve said things to you, but I meant what I said.” I met his uneasy gaze. “You’re not someone I’ll forget, Rex. You can call me a liar if you want, but I felt really close to you—until you started completely ignoring me today. Now I feel stupid for thinking we had any sort of bond.”

At first, he still looked angry. His cheeks were flushed and his blue eyes glittered with resentment. But then he hung his head. “It’s hard always being left behind, Tanner. I’m sick of it.”

My heart ached at the raw vulnerability in his voice. The rational, prideful side of me wanted to act cool and keep my emotional distance, but that was impossible with him being so open. I was able to see that he hadn’t been trying to trick me after all. He’d been trying not to get hurt.

Without giving myself time to second guess things, I moved to him and knelt in front of him. He kept his eyes down, but his breathing picked up. “Is that why you were so aloof today?” I asked softly. “Were you trying to protect yourself, Rex?”

“It would be nice to be picked for a change.” He lifted his gaze, uncertainty shimmering there. “Or at the very least it would be nice to beremembered.”

“I wasn’t lying when I said that I wouldn’t forget you,” I whispered.

He winced, rubbing his chest. “I mean, I’m not a damn scarecrow. I… I have feelings.”

“Of course you do.” I placed my hands on his thighs, my heart racing. His muscles tensed beneath my palms, and his gaze darkened. “We both do. If I left here today, you’d be on my mind. That’s just a fact.”