Page 10 of Unable Omega
“Would you like me to start cutting up the fruit?” I asked, trying to break the wall of silence between us. The tension caused pressure between my temples.
“Yes. Please.”
Oh…I got a please. I tried not to swoon. I retrieved apples, oranges, bananas, and some kiwi from the fridge that seemed to be on its last leg and set to work. The simplicity of making a fruit salad held such relaxation.
These were the moments I wished for when I was on that cold floor. That and a quick death.
I sliced everything up and made the bowl of fruit as pretty as I could. Without being asked, I got into the fridge and made up a quick yogurt-based dressing for the salad and put all of it together.
Rob looked in the fridge as I did but I received no praise. Didn’t matter. I had to learn to praise myself if I was going to survive being this close to my mate and having my want for him be unrequited.
“Are there griddles? How do you cook the French toast?” I asked as he placed tray upon tray of bacon into the oven.
“Yes. They’re in the pantry. Two of them. Thank you.”
I saved my smile for when I walked away. I got a thank you. Damn, I was desperate for anything from him that I melted at the bare minimum. I really needed to get a grip.
I turned on the griddle and noticed someone else was in the kitchen talking to Rob. When I put down the griddles, the male turned to me and smiled. “Good morning. I’m Zenith. You must be Sage. Everyone is talking about you.”
Rob froze in place. He was whisking the eggs, milk, and cinnamon in a huge bowl but once Zenith started talking to me, there was no more stirring.
“I am Sage. It’s nice to meet you.” The man was handsome. Long black hair pulled back into a man bun. He wore a plain T-shirt and some black sweatpants. Like he’d just rolled out of bed.
“Sorry about my appearance. I had the night shift watching the security cameras. We have them all over the property. We have to make sure everyone is safe.”
I nodded and plugged in the griddles. Rob had gotten back to cooking but this time, he was strong-arming those eggs like they’d wronged him in another life. “That’s important. It’s nice to feel safe. I haven’t felt that way for a long time.”
“Hmm…I heard there was fruit. Mind if I snack on some before breakfast?” Zenith asked me.
“Oh, of course.” I pulled out the fruit bowl and the dressing and handed him all of it plus a fork. When I handed him the fork, his fingers lingered on mine for a Mississippi too long, and I gasped.
Not mate. Don’t touch. Get away.
My beast and I were on the same page for the first time in a while. I stepped back and turned to Rob. The tips of his ears were red and I watched as he worked his jaw back and forth. He added some brown sugar to the egg mixture, grumbling something I couldn’t hear.
“This is fantastic, Sage. This dressing is good. I bet everything you cook is incredible.”
Okay, what the hell? I’d been in a lab, away from society for a long time, but my hackles went up as Zenith spoke. Was he…flirting with me? Damn, it had been ages since anyone even looked at me that way. My cheeks lit up and my skin tingled, not in a good way. He wasn’t my mate and it felt icky for him to flirt with me. Especially when Rob was a breath away.
“Thank you. I hope so. Rob, where is the bread? I’ll grab it for you.”
“I’ll show you where it is.” Zenith walked around the island where I was standing and put his hand on my shoulders. “It’s this way. We keep our bread in a drawer of all places.”
We retrieved two loaves of bread from the drawer and I began taking the slices out of the plastic. When I looked at Rob, something was definitely wrong.
“Rob?” I asked. He snapped his head up so quickly that I thought he might crack his neck. “Should I start making the French toast while you check the bacon?”
His eyes widened and he got the bacon out of the oven just in time before it burned. He all but threw the trays of hot meat onto the stovetop, cursing the whole time.
Zenith came to stand next to me while I took the liberty of dipping the bread in eggs and laying it all out on the hot griddle. My breaths became shallow. The alpha was too close to me and not the alpha I wanted to be close. I felt his breaths on the side of my neck. “Hmm, if you’re the one cooking now, I might have to spend more time in the kitchen.”
I froze.
This was all wrong.
Moving like a robot, I got all the French toast cooked. Rob stood off to the side, near the sink. His arms were crossed over his chest again, the same posture he took with me in the cabin. Closed off. Walls up. Shield…shielding.
Not only that, but he was shaking. His face was red. Was he…angry? Had I done something wrong?
