Page 46 of Knot Enough (Fruity Omegas #1)

F inn

My nerves were wearing thin as I attempted to sit still in my seat.

Taking care of people was in my nature; it was something I enjoyed doing.

When Graham or Sorren got a cold, I’d make sure they took their medicine to get better.

Someone in a tight spot and needed their car fixed?

No worries, I'll fix it for free. I rarely had people looking after me, and right now, I felt very uncomfortable.

After the first couple of times of trying to help Gabriel make dinner, he finally kicked me out.

I really wanted to punch Sorren for making that comment this morning during breakfast.

Everyone was seated around the dinner table, waiting for Gabriel to finish.

Lydia sat next to me, Graham sat at the head of the table, and Sorren was on the other side, where an empty seat was placed next to him for Gabriel.

Most of the time, we ate dinner in the living room and on the couches, but Gabriel insisted we sit at the dinner table tonight.

“You don’t have to be so nervous. Gab has cooked for me plenty of times before. He’s really good at it.” Lydia said. She patted my thigh lightly, trying to comfort me. I took her hand into mine and squeezed slightly.

“Oddly enough, that’s not what’s making me nervous,” I confessed. Lydia hummed and tilted her head in a silent question. I took a moment to feel her skin under my thumb before I spoke. “I like caring for people, so it feels unusual when someone does it for me.”

Lydia hummed again. “If you’re always looking out for people, then who’s taking care of you? I mean, I get it in a way, but if you're uncomfortable with letting Gabriel do something that makes you happy, then talk to him. You guys might come up with a compromise," she explained.

I remained quiet as I considered what she said.

She had a really good point. Communication is the first step to keeping a happy pack, and if we don’t communicate when we need to, even over the smallest things, our pack will not work.

“You're right; I should talk to him about this,” I admitted.

Lydia opened her mouth to say something else, but Gabriel yelled, drowning out her voice.

“Alright, peasants, dinner is ready to be served!” He proclaimed, holding several plates in his arms. Stealing a kiss from each of them, Gabriel promptly set two plates in front of Graham and Sorren before racing back to the kitchen to retrieve the last three plates.

He set mine down, and like he did with Sorren and Graham, he kissed me lightly before walking over to Lydia.

“And for you, my dear, a couple of sandwiches and chips since you requested it.” He started by kissing her on the top of her head.

She purred lightly at the contact. After their short exchange, Gabriel retrieved his plate and sat next to Sorren.

I looked down at my plate. Gabriel went all out with steaks, green beans, and mashed potatoes—a heavy Southern dish that made me wonder if he originally lived closer to the South. The food smelled almost heavenly.

“Well? What are you guys waiting for? Dig in!” Gabriel exclaimed excitedly. I looked over to find Lydia already biting into her food. Encouraged by Gabriel, we took our utensils and started cutting our steaks. I think we all collectively moaned at the first taste.

“This is incredible!” Sorren shouted, taking another bite.

Graham nodded in agreement as he ate another piece.

I nodded as well, taking off a different piece.

This time I wanted to savour the flavour of the steak.

I could recognize the ingredients Gabriel used, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how he got the meat so tender and flavorful.

Apparently satisfied with our remarks, Gabriel picked up his fork and knife and started eating his plate.

The only sounds that could be heard were metal clinking against porcelain as we ate silently.

We were too absorbed in how good the food was to make conversation.

He’s really good at cooking. It would be a shame if he never gets to do it.

After dinner, I managed to get Gabriel and me alone to wash and dry the dishes together. Gabriel was humming and dancing to himself as he washed the dirty plates clean. I remained silent as I dried each dish he handed to me. “Your steak was definitely better.” I finally said.

Gabriel popped his head up to stare at me with a broad smile, “I’m glad you noticed!

It was my grandma’s recipe. She was a cooking genius.

I only managed to master her steak dinner before I had to move.

I’ve been meaning to work on her other recipes she’s sent me, but Lydia is a picky eater, and it’s too much to really get the practice if no one besides me eats it. ”

I nodded along to what he was saying. I was listening, but I also noticed how his eyes lit up at the mention of his grandmother and his memories of learning to cook with her.

It would be cruel to take this away from him just because I wanted to take care of him.

I plucked one of his hands, which he was using to describe a pork roast his grandmother had made, to get his attention.

Turning his hand over, I looked at the grooves of his hands and the little scars he must have gotten from using kitchen knives.

I loved these hands and the man attached to them.

“How about we cook dinner together from now on, and I can help with your grandma’s recipes,” I asked, taking both his hands in mine .

He was quiet now. I started to worry I said too much when a broad smile spread across his face. He took both his hands back and grabbed my face roughly, kissing me deeply. “Yes! Yes, yes, yes. That sounds great, Finn. Let’s do it!”

Seeing Gabriel's excitement, I couldn’t resist the urge to kiss the man. Gabriel returned my eagerness with equal fervor. Before I knew it, I had him pushed against the kitchen counter and my leg was in between his. I felt his hands run across my back, stomach, and chest.

“Let’s take this to your bedroom,” Gabriel whispered against my ear, biting it playfully. I growled at his words before kissing him one more time. I loosened my hold on him and let him lead me by our joined hands.

Once the doors were closed, I pushed him against my door, kissing him again. My mouth lowered from his lips to his neck, then his shoulder. I enjoyed watching his body cover itself in goosebumps at my touch.

“God, I love the taste of you.” I groaned as my hands moved to his belt.

Momentarily distracted, Gabriel pushed back and made me land with my back on the bed.

I stayed where I was, so I could watch as Gabriel removed his shirt.

He was lean and muscular. I was fascinated with how his body looked under the glow of the lights.

He stalked toward me with a predatory glee.

I let him crawl over me, and once he was close enough to kiss, I grabbed his face, roughly smashing our lips together.

As we continued to make out, I lifted up just enough to let Gabriel take off my shirt.

Wanting control back, I rolled Gabriel and me over.

I was on top, and my eyes circled in on the open spot on his neck.

The perfect spot to place my mark. I kissed his neck with increased vigor.

I rotated between nipping and biting, and with every touch and sting, I heard Gabriel groan in pleasure.

Once his neck and shoulder were covered in my marks, I traced my finger over the spot where I wanted to bite.

“Just a little longer, Omega, just a little longer,” I whispered against his ear.

Gabriel whined at my words, but he soon stiffened in pleasure when I returned my lips to his neck.

After I finally ran out of patience, I bit down on Gabriel’s shoulder.

I could feel Gabriel’s hands fly to my hair, holding it in place.

I chuckled at his reaction and bit deeper, connecting both of us with the mating bond.

As soon as my mouth left his neck, Gabriel had turned us around again.

Before I had a chance to react, Gabriel bit down on the area just below my collarbone, placing his own mark.

Gabriel closed his eyes and groaned at the new sensation and bond.

I let him take a moment to get used to the feeling.

When his eyes opened again, I returned to ravishing his mouth.

“I’m getting tired of making out. Speed it up, old man.” Gabriel teased as he slid down his pants and kicked them off.

“Oh, you're going to get it,” I growled playfully before turning us over again. Gabriel’s teasing glint turned into a full-blown smile .

“I hope so.” He replied with his mischievous grin. Tonight was going to be a long night.

A blaring alarm and the bright rays of the sun woke me up.

It was early in the morning before Gabriel and I finally tired out.

I hated waking Gabriel up from his rest, but today was an important day.

I looked down from where my head lay on my pillow to find Gabriel snuggled against my chest. I kissed the top of his head before calling out to him.

“Gabriel, Gabriel, it’s time to wake up. Today is Lydia’s birthday party.” I reminded him. Gabriel tried to bat my hand away as he groaned, but as soon as Lydia’s name was called, he shot up.

“Fuck, what time is it?!” He yelled out.

I quickly said the time before handing him his phone.

“Fuck! I’m so behind.” He continued before leaping out of my bed.

He rummaged around the room to find his underwear.

When he started putting one of his legs in one of the holes, he turned to look at me and pointed.

“Find the others and get them ready. I need to put a whole bunch of stuff in the car before Lydia sees it, then get ready myself.”

“I’m on it,” I replied as I got out of bed.

Gabriel had run out of the room by the time I reached my closet.

After getting dressed, I left my room to track down the rest of our pack.

I found them all tucked away in the nest, cuddling each other.

Graham woke up as soon as I opened the door to the nest. It took one look at me for him to understand the assignment.

“Lydia, honey, it’s time to wake up.” Graham purred out softly. He pushed a few stray hairs away from her face. Her face wrinkled in displeasure at his words.

“Five more minutes.” She slurred out, swatting his hand away lightly. He chuckled at her reaction, but continued his mission.

“I think those were up a long time ago.” He argued.

She whined, but sat up. She made a ‘pick me up’ motion.

I smiled at her actions before walking over to Sorren’s side and picking her up.

Her scent surrounded me as she wrapped her arms around me.

I was just about to leave when I remembered something.

“Sorren, it’s time to wake up,” I said with significantly less warmth. Sorren grumbled something I couldn’t decipher. After waiting a few seconds, I got annoyed and kicked him lightly enough to wake up. “Sorren, we’ll be late if you don’t hurry up.”

“I’ll get him up and ready,” Graham said. He was already sitting and wide awake, so I nodded to him and headed out of the nest.

“Where are we going?” Lydia asked, still half asleep. I chuckled.

“You’ll see, baby girl, you’ll see,” I replied. Graham and I managed to get both sleepyheads awake and dressed. Now we were just waiting on Gabriel to finish getting ready.

“Will there be food there?” Lydia asked as she checked her makeup again in a pocket mirror. She managed to convince me to braid her hair to one side. I was lucky to be good at it because I helped my mom get ready for work when I was younger.

“Yes, there will be food, a lot of it!” Sorren answered, pulling her attention from her mirror to kiss her cheek.

“Stoppp, you're going to ruin my foundation.” She said playfully, pushing Sorren lightly away.

“I’m here, I’m here! Let’s go.” Gabriel yelled out as he ran down the hallway. We made way for him as he ran for the door. We all grinned and shook our heads, following him out.