Page 14 of Knot So Perfect Omega

So much for acing Olfactory Management.

I took one of the blankets that smelled like a hot toddy with me as I went to the kitchen to get a drink of water. Part of me was really fucking glad they hadn’t come home because I’d left dishes in the sink, empty and partially eaten takeout containers on the counters, and the dining room table was covered in quilting materials.

Brian had been useless when it came to helping me get settled in. His number went straight to voice mail every time I tried to call. I couldn’t tell if he’d read my texts or not, but something told me he had and was choosing not to respond.

I could have called the other numbers he left me for the pack, but he’d told me not to and I knew that they were busy men. Honestly, the first day of independence had been great.

Until it wasn’t.

I threw the blanket on a clean part of the counter and went to the sink, frowning at my mess. I’d never been an overly tidy person, but now I was going to be staying here for a few weeks or maybe even months, I needed to at least attempt to not appear like a slob.

Wait.

That was part of the plan; annoy them enough for them to send me back. I bit my lip as I had an internal battle of whether to put the dishes in the dishwasher. Now that I’d smelled their scents, it was like a light switch had been flipped, and I had the urge to do things to please them. That’s what had made me so tired the past few days because leaving my shit everywhere was wearing me out.

Shaking my head, I filled up a glass with water from the refrigerator and went to stand by the floor-to-ceiling windows. It was just after two in the morning, and the city lights had dimmed a bit. The view really was breathtaking, and I had found myself drawn to it several times a day.

My eyes closed as I tipped the glass back and gulped down the ice-cold water. I’d need at least two glasses to quench my thirst. My body wasn’t used to drinking bottles of wine and gorging on junk food.

“What are you doing?”

I jumped at the gruff voice right behind me, the glass slipping from my hand and shattering at my feet. My wide eyes met Beck’s over my shoulder as I turned and winced as my foot came down on some glass.

“Fuck. Don’t move.” He jogged out of the kitchen, leaving me standing there with my heart nearly beating out of my chest and a pain in my foot that I was trying to keep pressure off.

A minute later, he came back, flip-flops on his feet, and scooped me up like I was his bride. My skin heated at his touch, and I looked away. “You scared the shit out of me.”

He set me on the counter near the sink and paused, looking inside it. “We have a dishwasher, you know.”

I narrowed my eyes as he flicked on the light over the sink and grabbed my ankle, bringing my foot up to examine it. His fingers sent tingles across my body as he made a disapproving noise.

He was shirtless and only wearing a pair of basketball shorts. His skin was lightly covered in freckles, and I found myself wanting to touch them. I hadn’t paid much attention to him at the meet and greet, but up close and personal like this, he was a stunning man. His green eyes assessed the damage, and I couldn’t look away.

Damn it. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go.

“It doesn’t hurt that bad.” I wiggled my toes, and he released my ankle. “You aren’t going to kiss it and make it better?”

He braced his hands on the counter on either side of me, his lightly stubbled jaw ticking. “I need to go get the first aid kit. Don’t get off the counter.” He pushed off and walked out of the kitchen; his scent hit me like a freight train. I inhaled deeply.

I’d been sleeping in his bed and using his blanket.

“Damn it, Kayla.” I brought my foot up across my knee and glanced at the bottom. There was a small piece of glass in there, blood getting ready to drip onto the floor.

Beckett came back with a first aid kit, his frown still firmly in place. “You have to eat and drink at the table or counter. These floors make glass shatter.”

I bit my tongue, stopping myself from snapping at him like I wanted to. “Usually, I don’t drop glasses, but someone decided to scare me.” I stared at the pair of tweezers he pulled out of the kit, not liking the idea of him digging around in my foot. “Do you know what you’re doing?”

He poured some rubbing alcohol on them and moved in close to me, his bare abdomen brushing against my leg and making my body tingle. “I’ve taken out splinters before. Just hold still and don’t look.”

His touch on my ankle was light, and the way he was leaning in blocked my view. The temptation to run my fingers through his short, dark red hair was nearly killing me.

I sucked in a sharp breath as pain radiated from the bottom of my foot. Beck leaned in closer, more of our bodies contacted, and a light purr came from him, immediately making me forget about the pain in my foot.

Before I knew it, he was moving away from me, the bottom of my foot covered with a thick bandage. “All done.”

“Thank you.” I lowered my foot as he wiped up a small spot of blood on the floor.

“You should get to bed. It’s late.” He closed the first aid kit and then finally looked up at me. “You’ve been sleeping in my bed.”

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