Page 104 of The Omega Exchange: Omnibus (The Exchange)

Chapter Sixteen

Melody

Breakfast ends up being more like brunch.

Nik brings me out to the living room, or I guess one of them. The storm is less severe, but as I stare outside, it’s clear it’s still gloomy and gray.

Luckily we haven’t lost power again. I study the cliff face and the way the waves crash violently against it. It’s awe inspiring. I don’t have any other words to describe it. It’s foggy, or maybe there’s another word to explain the dark clouds and low visibility, but if there is, I don’t know it.

Nik comes into the room with a tray of breakfast goodies. He places it down on the coffee table and gives me a dangerous grin.

I smile back at him over my shoulder as he prowls closer. He’s so handsome and well put together that I feel frumpy in comparison. I’m not sure if it’s the collared shirt folded down over his sweater, or the dark jeans combined with his boots, but it all makes him look very high class.

My dress cost twenty-five dollars on sale at a store that also sells home goods. Now that I’m more coherent and really taking in their home, it’s hard not to feel inadequate.

I know I’ve got that look that screams small town.

I was surprised when he didn’t ask me to leave immediately upon waking up, but I’m not holding my breath.

I know there was a big problem while the power was out.

He’s being polite and feeding me, but I won’t be shocked when he has to make his exit to get back to work.

“Come on, breakfast is waiting.” Nik gives my hips a squeeze.

I follow him to the couch and move to sit next to him, but he carefully lifts me into his lap before stretching to grab the plate of food.

“Are you okay with me feeding you by hand?”

“Yeah,” I agree. I’m not sure why I’m suddenly so self-conscious of everything I do or say, but I really am.

He pulls the topper off the plate and sets it aside. “The other will have breakfast meats and eggs. Are there any foods you don’t care for?”

“No, not at all. Not for breakfast. I’m not picky.” I give a tight smile, hoping it doesn’t come off as rude.

My stomach hasn’t felt great since I woke up this morning. It’s nothing serious.

I’m more concerned that I probably shouldn’t be eating, but I know that would come off as rude, and one thing that was drilled into my head growing up is manners.

When I woke up, I thought it was that I went too long without eating, but now it’s starting to feel like a different type of stomachache.

“You can be vocal about your likes and dislikes. I don’t want to think I’m learning something about you only to realize down the line that you were just being polite,” he says, carefully resting the plate on his stomach before slicing the French toast.

“I’ve never been spoiled the way I have since coming here.”

“I don’t think we’ve done anything to particularly spoil you. At least not yet.” He offers me a bite.

I take it and the sugary sweet taste hits my tongue. This is the type of treat omegas usually lose their minds for. Normally, I would be too, but it’s not hitting the spot today at all.

My mouth fills with saliva, and no matter how many times I swallow, it doesn’t help.

He offers me a drink, and I grab the bottle of water, taking a long swig.

It doesn’t help either.

In fact, that was a bad idea.

The tattoos on his hands flex as he offers me another bite.

Don’t cringe, be polite and just take it. My head shakes involuntarily as a wave of nausea hits me hard.

“Are you feeling okay?” he asks with wide eyes.

“I don’t think I’m going to eat anymore if that’s okay. My stomach doesn’t feel so good. I’m sorry, excuse me . . .” I am mortified, but that doesn’t stop me from climbing out of his lap and bolting from the room.

I groan, leaning over the sink in the nest.

I think I vomited up everything I’ve ever eaten.

Then some stomach acid just for good measure.

Cool water bounces around my mouth as I rinse and spit. I stagger over to sit next to the toilet on the floor.

“She’s obviously unwell,” Nik says from outside the bathroom door.

“Yeah, no shit,” Miller’s deep growly voice replies. “Is Farrah on-site?”

“No, she’s home with her family riding out the storm.” Nik sighs heavily.

“We should text her at the very least,” Miller says.

“She could be carrying our baby,” Nik growls. “But according to the internet, there’s no way this is morning sickness. Not yet. She doesn’t have cramps though, meaning she very well could be pregnant. Should we take her to the hospital just to be safe?”

Ice slides through my veins as I realize he’s right. I could be pregnant, and I don’t even know if they really signed my contract or if they just said they did.

I took their word for it, but what if they didn’t? Or what if they only agreed because they thought the chances of me getting pregnant were really low and now they’re furious? My chest rises and falls in quick movements as I try to keep from panicking. My stomach rolls even more violently.

“Please go away,” I call out, trying to settle my shaking hands. “I probably picked up a bug on the flight here. I’ll be fine.”

“Then why aren’t we sick?” Miller asks in a soothing tone.

“It must have a long incubation period,” I offer.

I close the toilet lid and lay my arm across the cool surface before resting my head against my forearm. I groan. My stomach feels worse. I’m afraid I might be sick again.

My throat still burns from the acid or bile I choked on last time.

“I need inside that bathroom,” Nik snarls.

“Fuck no, you’ll only add your stress to the mix. Go check in with Kiernan and speak to Farrah,” Miller says firmly. “I’ll take care of Melody. Try to see what the weather says. That way we know where we stand if she doesn’t start feeling better.”

Nik grumbles something I can’t understand, but Miller growls back in an equally low and dangerous tone.

I’m surprised when I hear footsteps heading away.

There’s light knocking, but my head is spinning. I tell him to go away again, but the door opens and Miller lets himself inside.

“Aww, you look rough,” he says, squatting down at my side.

“I’m fine.” I turn further away from his probing look.

“Clearly,” he says, chuckling. “So how about I sit down and we’ll be fine together?”

I shrug. It’s kind of nice to have someone concerned enough to want to check on me. Unless . . . “Are you only here because this is part of your job?”

“God no,” Miller says, sitting down. He scoots back toward the wall and pats his lap. “I bet I’m softer than that tile you’re sitting on.”

“Probably, but I don’t want to risk getting you sick if I’m contagious,” I tell him truthfully.

“I’d much rather deal with a few days of feeling under the weather than leave you in here alone right now.” He looks so sincere that I don’t think it through. I crawl over into his lap. My face wiggles around his chest as I bury my nose in his shoulder.

“You smell very manly and I like it,” I whisper, huffing deep hits of his scent, similar to the way Oliver did in the restaurant that first night.

“Well, you smell very sweet and feminine and my nose quite likes you.” He laughs, palming the back of my head.

I wrap my arms around his back and hug him. There’s something about the way he feels holding me that makes my impulses hum in delight.

I think he feels like a nest, but in human form.

“What are you thinking?” he asks in a gentle tone.

I shrug rather than speaking. It’s very difficult to put what I’m thinking into words. Thinking I might be pregnant is as exciting as it is terrifying.

“Did Farrah show you our test results that morning when you first went into heat?” Miller runs his huge hand over my back in a circular pattern.

I nod. “Well, she offered to, but she assured me you had lab work done within the last few weeks. I was in a lot of pain—”

“Carver also got checked out since it was recommended for all monitors.” He shrugs. “Shit happens. I guess it’s not unusual for them to be tapped in. If you’d like to see our results now that you’re clear, I can have Oliver print them out for you.”

“No, that’s okay. I had my tests done in North Carolina, but they are a couple months old. I haven’t been with anyone since then, but I don’t mind having them redone. I think I was supposed to . . .” I grimace.

I can feel where this conversation is headed, and my stomach churns. I stretch up a bit to bury my face in his throat. He should probably be disgusted with me this close. He got an earful of me losing my breakfast and possibly what I ate for lunch three years ago.

“That’s not necessary. Not for me. It seems like we were probably supposed to discuss birth control before your heat,” he says.

“Are you upset with me?” I nuzzle deeper so I don’t have to see his face.

“Hell no.” He laughs good naturedly. “I’m trying not to get my hopes up in case you wouldn’t be excited.”

“What?” I push up on my knees to stare at his face.

“I’m getting older. All I really want at this stage of my life is a family,” Miller says, shrugging.

“Maybe I’m boring, but I’ll leave the fancy careers to Oliver and Nik.

” He grimaces. “I just mean I’ve accomplished most of my goals in life outside of finding a woman to love and raising a couple of kids. ”

I wrap my arms around his neck, running my fingers over his skin to comfort him. That was endearing as hell. I wish I knew him well enough to have the right words to express that.

“That’s very sweet,” I murmur against his cheek. “I would kiss you right now, but I was—”

He cuts me off, “Would you be upset? Have you changed your mind since making that contract?”

“I want those same things, but I do think I got caught up in the fantasy of it all . . .” I go on to explain a little about how I ended up at The Exchange.

I tell him how Ben asked me on a Christmas trip and ended up making me look like a complete idiot.

Luckily, the owner’s omega helped ensure they’d find me a spot at one of the locations because otherwise, I don’t know what I would have done.

“Let’s back up for a second,” Miller says, gently squeezing my hips. “Your ex insinuated that he brought you as a gift to repair his relationship with his brother?”

That’s exactly what he did.

I snort, laughing against his neck. “I think he called me a peace offering.”

“What a fucking idiot,” he says in a much colder tone.

“Yeah,” I agree. “It was probably the most mortifying moment of my life thus far.”

“I hope you understand that you’re worth so much more than that. Not because you’re an omega, but because you’re a human being with freewill.” He kisses the side of my head and my heart flutters in response.

I lick my lips.

Miller isn’t drop-dead gorgeous the way Ben or Nik are.

He doesn’t have that effortless swagger like Carver, or that vibe that Oliver has that screams I’m a literal freaking genius.

But Miller is rugged and manly in a way that makes my knees clench as I hover over him.

He’s just a really good man, and he puts me at ease in a way that’s difficult to explain.

He wraps his arms around me, pulling me back to rest against his pec.

“Let me tell you about my family.” He teases his hand over my back.

I snuggle in close and listen to him tell me all about his mom, sister, and four dads. It’s very clear he had a good foundation. He was brought up in a loving and respectful pack, and they raised a damn good man.