Page 29 of Temporary Omega

“I think you’re thinking of husbands,” Linc replied, his lips curving in a smile that had Luca’s heart rate speeding up.

Linc got out of the cot, standing and stretching, his long muscled body on display for Luca. Holy hotness the man was sculpted to perfection if the flat plane of his abdomen peeking through the scrub top was anything to go on.

Luca looked at the top and a horrifying thought occurred to him, “Please tell me I didn’t puke on you or something equally as disgusting?”

“What?” Linc asked, his head tilted to the side, clearly confused.

“The scrub top, I assume it’s not yours and was given to you at the hospital?” Luca’s brows wrinkled, his head tilted as he stared at the top. “Then again I suppose you could have a pink scrub top lying around and you dressed for the occasion.”

Lincoln threw his head back and laughed, his eyes that met Luca’s sparkled with amusement, “I can assure you I don’t have scrub tops lying around for the day I need to come to the hospital and ‘fit in.’”

“Well one never knows,” Luca grinned widely, finally able to laugh.

“And to answer your question,” Linc began, and Luca was intrigued by the flush creeping across the alpha’s cheeks, “I may have left the house shirtless, and had to be given something to cover up with when you were being seen.”

Luca's eyes trailed over Linc’s now clothed chest and he couldn’t help but wish he’d gotten a look at the alpha’s bare chest.

“I can see how that would be a distraction.”

“What?” Linc said, his eyes fixed on Luca now. “What did you say?”

It was Luca’s turn to feel the flush creeping across his cheeks, his ears turned red, and he coughed, trying to distract the alpha from his unfortunate runaway tongue.

Lincoln must have seen his embarrassment and instead of letting him off the hook, the man teased, “I’m sorry, could you repeat that? I didn’t quite hear what you said about my bare chest possibly distracting people.”

Luca couldn’t stop the snort laugh that escaped. “You suck,” he replied in a huff, his arms wrapped around his chest, his lips stuck out in a pout.

“Yes, yes, I do, but you have to ask very nicely,” Lincoln said, his eyes squinting, lit up with a twinkle of mischief that had the alpha looking carefree and more handsome than should even be possible.

Luca’s mouth fell open, heat bloomed in his cheeks at the words. Did the alpha just flirt with him, or was it just his imagination?

“Oh my.”

15

Linc

Linc wasn’t even sure where that had come from. He hadn’t meant to flirt with Luca, at least not while he was in a hospital bed. But the omega had said those words and it had just come out.

Linc would be lying if he didn’t admit to loving the blush on the omega’s face, and the slight uptake in his breathing at the comment. It was nice to know that he wasn’t the only one experiencing the attraction between them.

It was also good to see color in Luca’s cheeks and his eyes lit up with laughter. If Linc lived to be a hundred, he would never forget the sound of Luca screaming his name. He’d shot out of bed like a cannon at the sound of the pained cry, his body breaking out in a cold sweat at the guttural sound of his name.

Linc hadn’t even paused to put a shirt on, having gone to bed in just pajama bottoms. He could laugh about it now but at the time he’d been absolutely terrified.

He’d rushed into Luca’s room and saw the omega curled up on himself, whispering tearfully for his baby. The panic was replaced with a sense of urgency and he’d simply reacted, picking Luca up and sprinting towards the elevator.

In hindsight, Linc should have probably called for an ambulance and not moved Luca, but seeing him curled up in pain had completely short-circuited his common sense and rational thinking. He’d simply acted on instinct, terror-fueled instinct, but instinct nonetheless.

Thankfully, everything had worked out, and Lincoln was forever grateful for having a lock box requiring his fingerprints in his private garage so his chauffeur could bring the cars around without coming up to the apartment, or he would have been screwed, having run out of his home without even a phone or car keys.

“So,” Lincoln glanced at Luca and when their eyes met and held, he saw a flash of something that looked like interest before Luca looked away and began twisting his hands together.

Lincoln filed the information away. Now was not the time or the place. But at least there was a chance. That brief moment they’d shared, he knew that he wasn’t alone in the unspoken awareness between them.

Lincoln decided a change of topic was needed, “Happy to see you with color in your cheeks, I swear you scared ten years off my life when I heard you scream.”

“I’m sorry for wakin...” Luca began. But Linc cut him off with a growl.