Page 7 of Omega's Refuge

He studied me, then he shrugged. “Okay.”

As promised, a young girl arrived with two glasses of cold lemonade, and I drank mine while I unpacked my stuff into the dresser that was provided. I felt guilty about being grumpy with Steve earlier, so I unpacked his suitcase too. By the time the showers and unpacking were out of the way, it was close enough to six that we headed to the main house for dinner.

When we stepped inside, we saw three other couples, along with Rex and Mrs. Rodwell, sitting at a long wooden table. I was immediately struck by the rustic charm of the building. The walls were lined with dark, weathered wood, adorned with vintage cowboy hats and old photographs of the ranch's history.

A large stone fireplace dominated one side of the room, the wall above the mantle decorated with antlers. Antlers seemed to be a big thing here at the ranch. The wooden table stretched the length of the room, set with checkered tablecloth and mason jars filled with wildflowers. The buffet to the side was covered with big bowls of mashed potatoes, gravy, salad, and a large platter of some version of grilled beef.

The only two seats left were next to Rex, who sat at the head of the table. I was closest to the seat directly next to him, and it would have been weird or rude if I’d avoided that chair. So I sat down, and Steve took the chair on the other side of me.

Rex met my gaze and he gave me a polite nod.

I smiled and tried to ignore the butterflies fluttering in my gut when our eyes met. He really was a sexy man. Up close, he was even nicer to look at. His lips were full, and his lashes were thick and black. My hands shook a little as I reached for my glass of water. I sipped the cool liquid, pretending to listen as Mrs. Rodwell gave a nice welcoming speech to the guests. Truth was, I was painfully aware that Rex’s long legs kept brushing mine as he adjusted his position now and then.

Once Mrs. Rodwell was done speaking, we were all instructed to go to the buffet and fill our plates. We did so eagerly, and somehow Steveand I got separated, but I ended up next to Rex in line.

It was annoying how physically aware of Rex I was, but he smelled so darn good, and the heat of his arm when it accidentally bumped mine sent shivers through me. We didn’t speak to each other while we waited in line, but eventually, it was our turn to help ourselves to the hot food held in the silver chafing dishes. I served myself some mashed potatoes and gravy and took a juicy slab of barbecued beef.

As I put the beef on my plate, Rex leaned in and said softly, “We ran out of raccoon stew. So we had to go with coyote steaks instead.”

Surprised, I couldn’t help laughing as I met his amused gaze. “Holy cow, did you just make a joke?”

His lips twitched, but he didn’t speak.

“By my count, that’s two cowboy violations in one day. No hatandmaking a goofy joke.” I grinned. “You better be careful, or they’ll revoke your cowpoke license.”

“They wouldn’t dare.” Rex scooped some potatoes onto his plate.

“No?”

He shook his head. “I’m a founding member.”

“Really? You look awful young to be a founding member.”

He winked. “I made a pact with the devil for eternal youth.”

We shared a smile and my pulse sped up. I hadn’t expected Rex to have a sense of humor. That just made him even more appealing. Not that I was thinking anything would come of the attraction I felt for him. I loved Steve and was fully committed to my alpha. But when Steve had broken up with me, and I’d thought about the type of alpha I wanted in the future, Rex was the type I’d pictured.

But Steve had returned to me and here we were.

“Anyway,” Rex said, turning back to the food filled table. “Be sure you save some room for Betsy’s homemade peach cobbler.”

“I will.”

When Steve suddenly appeared at my elbow, I jumped guiltily. “Oh, hey,” I said. “Did you just cut the line?”

“No, I already got my food.” His gaze glittered with jealousy as he gave Rex an uneasy look. “I just wondered what was taking you so long. I was hoping to eat dinner with you, not alone.”

“Sorry. I got stuck at the back of the line,” I mumbled, helping myself to a portion of asparagus. My face was warm and I hoped I didn’t look guilty. I hadn’t really done anything other than talk to Rex, but I did find him really sexy, so there was definitely a bit of guilt.

“Right.” Steve’s expression was skeptical as he eyed Rex’s broad back. “Well, don’t take too long. I’m starving.”

“I’ll be right there.”

Rex didn’t acknowledge my conversation with Steve, in fact he ignored me the rest of our time at the buffet table. I took my food back to the table and sat beside Steve. He surprised me by leaning in and kissing me just as Rex took his seat too. Steve wasn’t usually big on PDA, so I knew he was simply being a possessive alpha because he was jealous of Rex.

The group was friendly and the conversation flowed easily as we all shared where we were from. Rex didn’t talk much, but our eyes would meet a lot because he was watching me and Steve. I got the feeling he didn’t like Steve, but maybe that was simply because Steve wasn’t being very friendly.

Once we’d all stuffed ourselves with the delicious dinner and some fresh peach cobbler, the group moved to the makeshift bar area on the big back porch of the house. The outdoor space had a long wooden bar, its surface polished to a smooth sheen. Barstools made from old saddles provided quirky yet comfortable seating. Fairy lights were strung up behind the bar, their white light bouncing off an array of liquor bottles and glasses that rested on pine shelves.

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