Page 16 of Such a Tempting Omega (His Alpha Desires #7)

Hirsch

“What in the hell is that?” I said into my pillow, which wasn’t a pillow at all. It was a warm, hard chest with a heartbeat beating underneath the surface.

“Oh, sorry. One second.”

“That was my morning alarm. I try to get up at the same time every day.” Liam turned back toward me and nuzzled his face into my chest. “Good morning, mate.”

My eyes flew open. Sure, I knew in my head he was my mate, but hearing him say it took on a whole other meaning. I pulled him in closer. “Good morning, mate. What time is it anyway?”

“A little after six.”

I raised my arms above my head and stretched head to toe. When I looked over at Liam, there was want and desire burning in his eyes. “I’ve been waking up late.”

He ran one finger down the length of my chest and paused right before reaching my pelvic bone. “You can go back to sleep, Hirsch.”

“No. I’m up now. How about a shower?” I asked.

“That sounds like a good idea. After that, I can order you some breakfast.”

“Order?” I asked. “I can cook. I don’t mind. In fact, I love cooking.”

Liam reddened. “I’m not even sure what groceries I have. I’m always on the go, and most of the time it’s more convenient.”

“I’m sure I can come up with something. Right now, I’m sticky, and I desperately need that shower.”

“Sticky, huh? I’m going to take that as a compliment. Come on. I’ve got three showerheads. I bet that will cure you.”

“It just might.”

We took a shower and despite our mutual want, it was more intimate than sexual. He washed me head to toe, even massaging shampoo and conditioner into my hair, but when I tried to reciprocate, he said he would take care of himself.

What a completely opposite scenario from my previous relationship.

I pushed away the thoughts of Kyle and any comparison.

It wasn’t fair to Liam and served me no purpose.

It didn’t even matter anymore. I had an incredible alpha in Liam, and he was the only person other than myself I would prioritize.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, rummaging through the cabinets and the fridge and freezer. “You’ve got things to make for breakfast.”

“I do?” he asked, setting up the coffee. “Could’ve fooled me.”

While I took the lead making breakfast, Liam helped, kissing and hugging me every chance he got. He laughed when he spilled something and cleaned it up without a single grumble.

Liam was a breath of calm, safe, fresh air. I didn’t realize how long I’d gone barely breathing before him.

When we sat down with steaming bowls of oatmeal with walnuts and honey and berry sauce, he looked at me like I was the miracle in this equation. He would be wrong.

“I didn’t realize my mate was magic. You took forgotten ingredients and made this incredible meal. I can’t wait to see what you do when we actually go to the market regularly.”

Since mating, he spoke in wes . We were going to do this. He was excited when we would go here or there. Always we. It had only been a few hours, but everything had changed.

It would take some getting used to, but I reveled in it.

“It’s oatmeal, Liam. But thank you. I am kind of magic.”

“Agreed.”

We ate together and Liam went back for seconds. He said he hadn’t had a home-cooked breakfast in a long time and wanted to savor it. What he didn’t know was that if he kept treating me like he did, I would gladly get up and make breakfast for him every morning.

My cooking skills had been denigrated before. But I liked simple foods. Easy, home-cooked meals that nourished.

Liam was looking at his phone after he loaded the dishwasher.

“Am I keeping you from work?”

“Not keeping me, but I probably should get some things accomplished today. It’s not what I want to be doing though.”

“What do you want to be doing?” I teased, offering him a bashful smile.

“I would rather be here with you. Do you want to spend the day with me? I’ll be working, but…”

I could see he was torn. He had work, but we were brand new, and our wolves would want to spend as much time together as possible to strengthen the bond. “I really need to do some job hunting today, Liam. But how about tonight? Do you want to come over for dinner? I can cook again.”

He gifted me the biggest smile yet. “I would love that. Text me your apartment number and a grocery list. I’ll bring everything.”

That was a big relief since I was running low on funds. “I will do that.”