Page 20 of Temporary Omega

Then there were the frames of a child he assumed was a younger Lincoln, some with the men he assumed were some of the alphas from the night before. Further proof that Grayson and Linc had known each other a long time. And if Grayson was as a good a man as he seemed, then he wouldn’t have an asshole for a friend.

At least Luca hoped so.

Then there were graduation photos, vacation photos, and just casual photos featuring a couple he assumed were Lincoln’s parents, if the timeline of their appearances were anything to go by. In each picture they looked so happy, and in love. In the graduation photo of Lincoln, he could see how proud they were of their son.

Lincoln was the spitting image of his alpha father, his height, the lean, taut bone-structure, dark brows, proud cheekbones, wide narrow mouth and assertive jawline, to the stunning dark golden eyes.

The man was, in a word, drop-dead gorgeous.

Luca blinked at the thought. Where had that come from?

Luca backed away from the photos like they would suddenly sprout teeth and bite him. He looked around making sure he was alone. Not that he’d spoken the words out loud. But it didn’t stop him from feeling off kilter at the unexpected thought.

He shouldn’t be noticing the alpha––any alpha for that matter.

All this was, was two people helping each other out, although Luca was clearly getting the better end of the deal here.

Besides, he would bet Linc didn’t even notice him. The man probably saw him as nothing more than a charity case at best.

Gods, what a mess he created of his life. In another lifetime, he imagined meeting Linc, maybe at some charity events their families happened to be a part of. Luca didn’t recognize Lincoln from his parents’ social sphere, but he would bet their paths had crossed. Maybe if he’d fallen for Linc instead of Frankie, maybe if the child he carried was Linc’s.

Luca stopped in his tracks. And told himself to not even go down that road. It would lead nowhere fast, he couldn’t change the past.

But as usual, thinking about his parents made Luca sad, gods he missed them. He missed them so much. But it was also a stark reminder that he couldn’t go home, not pregnant, and without an alpha in tow. Maybe if he said Linc was…

Luca stopped those thoughts too. Nope, not going there. Linc could tell his papa that Luca was a boyfriend, because then a few weeks, months down the line, he could also tell his papa they’d broken up. But if Luca went home and told his parents that Linc was the father of his child. Well now, that would be a can of worms he could never put back.

Luca decided to chalk the errant thought to hunger. Yeah that was why he was thinking crazy. Food in his belly would stop the wishful… not wishful, the craziness. He didn’t wish that Luca was his child’s father. He barely knew the man for crying out loud.

Luca walked in the direction Linc had pointed towards the night before where the kitchen was, yeah food was the answer.

The kitchen was contemporary perfection, from the cerused-oak cabinetry to the wall ovens, and the to-die-for range and hood, add in the nickel tile backsplash, the double island one featuring an undercounter wine-storage unit. And oh, did he mention the floor to ceiling windows with the city views.

Luca had always though his dream kitchen would be something in the transitional style but could see the appeal of a contemporary kitchen.

This was perfection, sleek but still warm. Luca had never liked kitchens with all the stainless steel. And he loved a good range to cook with.

There was also a small dining area for six beside the windows and Luca could imagine serving Lincoln breakfast before he went off to work. Maybe his son in a high…

No, no, no.

Luca stop dreaming, this is temporary.

He sighed and moved into the kitchen. He opened the fridge to find that Linc was wrong; it was pretty well stocked. Before deciding on what to make, he decided to get better acquainted with the layout and where the pots and pans were located.

Luca opened the first cabinet to the top right of the cooker and found the spices and such. All of them brand new.

He shut that and decided to look lower. He opened the first cabinet and a bunch of pots fell out on the tiled floors making a crashing sound. Fuck.

Who’d arranged all these?

Luca sighed and emptied each one of the pots figuring it was prudent he rearranged them. As he was bent over muttering about stuff put back improperly, he heard “Fuck,” from behind him and froze.

“What on earth are you doing?” Linc asked from where stood, his voice sounding none too pleased.

Luca stood, forgetting he was inside the cabinet and hit his head on the top.

“Oooouch,” He cried out in pain after banging his head.