Page 8 of Such a Fierce Omega
Darsh had almost wanted to kiss me.
And the owners liked my ideas. I rushed to the bathroom, my initial destination, and splashed cold water in my face hoping to dismiss the blush. Micah ducked back into the kitchen wearing a shit-eating grin.
He knew.
Walking back to the kitchen, I steeled myself for the backlash. Micah was going to say something about it. The kitchen gossip claimed his tea was always piping hot, whatever the hell that meant.
I got through three loads of glasses for the bar before Micah, who was making sure everything was dry, came over and threw his rag over his shoulder. “Are you dating him?”
“Who?” The question came out of my mouth, born out of defensiveness. “No. I’m not.”
“Well, maybe you should be. Darsh is clearly into you.”
I blew out a breath and shut the steel door on the industrial dishwasher. This thing was amazing. When I’d gotten this job, I imagined dishes being done the way they were at the pack. Hunched over a sink filled with hot water. The smell of cheap dish detergent in your nose. Hands that were always pruned. This machine washed a few dozen at a time. “You think so?”
I wasn’t giving him any fuel. He was a big gossip and I didn’t want to ruin Darsh’s reputation. Hell, I didn’t even know him that well. Maybe he had omegas he played with who would be put off by him dating someone. I didn’t think that was the case and I’d never scented any omegas on him.
But this world outside the pack walls and inside them was troubling at times. I had ideas when I was small about mates and alphas and omegas but as the person who stayed late and woke up early to do all the jobs no one else would, I’d seen some things. Unfaithful alphas and omegas. Hell, I was born out of one of those trysts. From what I’d seen, mating and marks and vows didn’t hold up in real life.
I hoped and dreamed for a faithful mate but knew it was only that, a dream.
“I know so. He hasn’t asked you on a date?”
“No. I have to get back to work.”
“Okay, but mark my words. He will. That look in his eyes. I wish someone would look at me like that. That’s the way I look at the cheesecake we serve.”
I snorted. Micah could be funny but I had been warned early not to share anything with him that I didn’t want plastered on a billboard.
I had a job to protect and, even though I barely knew him, I wanted to guard Darsh’s reputation as well.
“Get back to work, Micah. We had a rush of orders. Leave Blaze alone,” the kitchen manager yelled then waited for Micah to follow the order. He did but winked at me before turning away.
I focused on my work as best I could, replaying the scene between Darsh and me over and over. One more second, and I would’ve tasted his lips, though I feared that would only make me want to taste all of him.
I was treading dangerous territory. Putting not only my tiger at risk but my job, my whole life. If they found out about my omega side, they might fire me, and I had to have this job to survive.
My tiger thought Darsh worth the risk. With each encounter with the alpha, he became more convinced the alpha was ours, fated to be our mate.
Given different circumstances, that might be true but here I was, not able to give into that notion.
I took a long sip of the coffee that had long gone lukewarm. It would do its job. I shook the thoughts from my head the best I could. None of my overthinking was going to pay the rent. Plus, I got no other break to run into him again. I’d blown both breaks at once walking around with Darsh earlier.
Micah didn’t say anything the rest of the night. By the time my shift was over, my feet were aching inside my cheap shoes and, despite the dishwasher, my fingers had, in fact, pruned. I dropped my apron in the laundry chute and said a quick goodbye after all the dishes were done and put away for the night.
I walked toward the back door, looking down every hallway, secretly scanning the areas for any sign of the wolf that my tiger now called mine but there was no sign of him.
Time to go home and have one of those burgers and forget that moment with Darsh ever happened.
Chapter Eight
Darsh
“Do you have a few minutes to look at my membership ideas?” I was starting to feel like a real nag, grabbing the sleeve of any of my partners whenever I came upon them to make sure they thought I was on the right track. “Feel free to say no.”
Talon stopped halfway into his office and lifted his hand in a wave. “Of course. Come in. Coffee?”
“If it’s not too much trouble.” With my current schedule, drinking coffee in the late afternoon produced no issues. I wouldn’t be attempting to sleep for a long time. “And thank you for being willing to listen to me.”
