Page 48 of His Sassy Omega
Once his shoes and socks were on, he lifted the lid of the box I had brought, snagging a cinnamon and sugar twist. His stomach rumbled and I smiled. I’d known he was hungry. He took a bite, brushing at the sugar that fell on his shirt, his face blissful. “These are my favorites. Ever since I was a kid.”
I sat next to him on the couch, snagging a glazed donut. “Yeah? I wasn’t sure, so I just picked my favorites. It’s not weird I brought donuts?”
He shook his head, taking another bite. “It’s a little weird you came back. But the donuts aren’t weird. I don’t make donuts at the bakery, and these are really good. Nice and fresh. Fresh donuts are my weakness.” I filed that bit of information away for future reference. “It’s really…sweet of you. Thank you.”
I bet that thank you had hurt. He flashed me an almost shy smile, and my heart pounded in my chest. Those. I wanted more of those smiles. It was like catching a glimpse of a side of Quinn that few people were privileged to see and get to know.
We finished our donuts in silence, both of us gobbling up a second one, before I asked, “Were you really on your way out?”
Somewhere between the talk with my mom, my own internal journey of self-discovery – still had a long way to go with that – and Quinn allowing me back into his space, my anger had died down to smoldering embers.
My mom was right. Quinn did make me happy. I don’t know what it was about him, being near him. It made me feel warm inside, relaxed, and a little joyful. When I was near him, it was as if whatever was wrong in my world, shifted, and all the pieces justfit. We hadn’t had the best start, and things were moving faster than any crazy amusement park ride I’d ever been on, but I didn’t want the ride to end yet.
He swallowed the last bite of donut. “Yeah, I go see my grandmother every Sunday, for a couple of hours. It’s our thing.”
“That’s nice.” I felt that familiar pang in my chest, whenever anyone talked about their grandparents. I don’t know why I always felt like my brothers and I had missed out on something great by not knowing our grandparents, but I did. Our paternal grandfather was the only one I remembered at all, vaguely. He’d owned the department store, and had spent more time with Brendan than any of us, but he’d passed shortly after our dad. I remembered him as a distant, cold, standoffish man.
Too much television and movies, I imagined. The sitcoms that portrayed all grandparents as loving and all-knowing creatures. In reality, mine would have probably been nothing like that. At least that’s what I told myself, whenever I felt that ache in my chest. A longing for something I’d never known but wanted desperately.
Quinn grabbed a third donut, and my wolf howled in glee. Quinn was too skinny. He was lovely, and his body was long and lean, but he could do with a good ten to fifteen pounds added to his frame.
“You want to come along?” he asked suddenly, and by the look on his face, I think he even shocked himself with the offer. “We won’t stay long. I need to go into the bakery today and work on some orders. I’m sure you have stuff you need to do, too. Laundry, or washing your hair. Something.”
I jumped at his invitation. “Yes!”
He jerked a little at my excited tone. Goddess, I needed to get a grip on myself. I’m not sure what it was about this man that made me act like a different person. The in-control, tightly reined in alpha disappeared, and was replaced by an over-eager puppy.
“Okay, calm down.” He pursed his lips, snagging his fourth donut. Were his legs hollow? I couldn’t even eat a fourth donut. I wasn’t about to say anything, he needed the calories and fat. “It’s notthatexciting. Gigi is not your average grandma, and these old ladies are a handful. So just be prepared.”
“I run a multi-million-dollar business.” I shot him an amused look, one eyebrow raised. “I think I can handle some older ladies.”
He snorted, licking the sugar from his fingers. “Famous last words. And don’t get suckered into their poker games,” he warned. “They’ll take your money, and not feel a bit sorry about it.”
Since Quinn had plans to go into the bakery after he visited with his grandmother, we drove separate cars, with me following him. I had tried to gently persuade him to skip going into the bakery, suggesting a naked nap with a waggle of my eyebrows.
He’d laughed at me, the Quinn who had kicked me out of his bed seemed to have vanished. He’d not taken me up on the nap offer, saying he needed to get a start on the orders for the upcoming week.
We parked at the retirement community, and I took the container of cookies he’d brought from his hands when he exited his car. He huffed at me. It was his slightly annoyed, but not angry yet, huff. I just grinned at him, making an ‘after you’ nod with my head.
My mouth watered as I watched his plump little ass sway in his raggedy sweatpants. Who knew sweatpants could look that good? I imagined his little round butt filling out more with the donuts he’d scarfed down like a starving man, and grinned to myself.
“Were you watching my ass?” He tried to sound stern and annoyed as he reached for the door, pulling it open before I could reach for it.
I shot him a wolfish grin, “I absolutely was.”
He just shook his head at me, walking into the building, but there was a slight blush on his high cheekbones.
I followed, still watching his ass as it bounced in those damn sweats of his. I couldn’t remember if I’d ever outright stared at anyone’s ass as much as I did his, but I wasn’t going to deny it. Or stop looking.
The room we stepped into was big and airy, and filled with natural light from the floor to ceiling windows that adorned one wall. Voices carried over the sound of a television playing, and loud, raucous laughter came from a corner.
Quinn headed to that corner and stopped in front of a large table, where six older women sat around it, playing cards in all their hands. Cards were thrown down in miffed irritation, and a redheaded woman threw her hands up in the air in triumph. She gave a gleeful shout, as she raked the pile of money from the middle of the table towards her.
Her green eyes landed on Quinn. “Quinny baby, you’re finally here. I was about to send out the National Guard.”
Quinn leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I’m ten minutes late, Gigi. Don’t be so dramatic.”
She gave me a once over, from head to toe, and I fought the urge to squirm under her sharp gaze. She and her grandson had the exact same sharp-eyed glare. It was clear where Quinn got his green eyes. I’d bet his mom had the same eyes too.
