Page 91 of I Replaced His Husband
His eyes roamed over my face. "For such an impressive-looking alpha, you surely are not typical."
"Why?"
"Usually, studs like you have many hookups during college or later. Guys literally throw themselves at their dicks."
"Studs?" I raised my eyebrows, amused.
Kay pursed his lips, hiding a smirk. "You know what I mean. Hot alphas surrounded by a circle of omegas and betas."
"Well, first off, I’ve never been into betas. Just not my type. And second, I was already mated to Brian by the second semester of freshman year, during his first heat. So yeah, my interest in other omegas kind of faded."
"Trust me, I’ve known plenty of mated alphas who still fooled around in college."
I gave him a crooked smile. "That’s not me. But yeah, I’ve known a few alpha dogs like that too. Some of them even went after incompatible omegas, just sprayed on Allure-masking deodorant, and went for it. If someone’s determined to get laid, they’ll find a way."
I chuckled, and Kay did too. It was probably the first real laugh we’d shared.
"Wait, were they really spraying them with deodorant? That sounds crazy."
"Ask Adam. We had this friend who did exactly that. If he liked the way an omega looked, he’d spray himself first, then go talk to the guy. If it worked out, he’d give the omega the deodorant, and off they’d go."
"I can’t believe anyone went along with that. Sounds kind of desperate."
"Yeah, well, about half the students I knew were on level-one suppressants anyway. They didn’t want to get into mating games, either that, or they were using deodorants and focusing on school. The other half were just walking around, spreading their scent, hoping to find a mate before graduation. The ones chasing careers usually stuck to blockers."
Kay looked out over the lake before asking, "So, you didn’t have much fun in college? I’m sure some omegas were interested, even if you were already mated."
"Some were. I got a few offers, some more subtle than others. But I’m old school. I want trust, closeness, love. And I thought I had that with Brian. But he found a guy with a higher mateship level and… left."
"I’m sorry. Adam told me what happened. I heard it hit you hard."
"Yeah, well. It did. But I’m hoping my bad luck changes someday." I looked at him with a little more meaning than I intended, then turned back to stare at the lake.
We were still on unsteady ground.
Kay didn’t say anything, and I didn’t push. We headed back to the house soon after.
???
Since Kay wasn’t showing any signs of being up for a morning wave, I headed to the kitchen and started making lunch for the two of us.
Later, when I walked into his room with a tray, I heard footsteps behind me, and suddenly Kay’s brothers appeared in the doorway. Adam looked a little flustered.
"Hey, Rain. There’s something we need to talk about."
Kay took the tray from my hands and asked, "What is it? You look like something’s wrong."
"No, nothing bad," Adam said. "But in a few days, I have to go back to work full-time. I’ve done all I can from home, and we’ve got a big project coming up. Marco can’t stay here all day either, the company won’t run itself. Sure, Garret could come by to cook for you both, but we thought maybe it’d make more sense to ask Rain if he’s up for doing it full-time. He loves cooking anyway."
I’d kinda seen this coming. With how things had been improving between me and Kay, it felt like the right moment. I was already doing most of the cooking anyway, splitting it with Adam, but both of them were pushing their limits being here so much. It was bound to affect their jobs if it kept up.
"I’ll do it. I’ll cook for Kay, of course, while you guys are at work. No need to bring in some Garret," I asserted firmly.
Neither of the betas seemed too surprised by how quickly I agreed.
Kay looked more cautious. "You sure? I don’t want you feeling like you have to be my full-time cook. You’ve got your own work, too," he added, with a bit of emphasis.
I knew exactly where that was coming from. He didn’t want to add another thing to the list. Protect him? Sure. Sleep with him? Sure. Now cook for him, too?
