Page 18 of They Love Me Knot (Starsfalls Omegaverse #2)
Daphne
H e turns back with a hopeful, eager look that I almost miss, quickly schooling his face into polite interest.
“I…” I didn’t think this through. What am I going to say? I don’t want you to leave me?
No, remember, no more thinking. Just go from brain to mouth, no analyzing thoughts beforehand.
“I have some pastries and coffee if you want to eat breakfast before you go. As a thank you for the help. My coworker dropped the food off fresh this morning from Tie Me in a Knot,” I say, sweetening my offer.
“That would be great, I love Tie Me in a Knot,” he says.
“Great,” I repeat with a smile.
He follows me back in, and I introduce myself, holding out my hand to shake like we’re at some stuffy business meeting.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Feliks,” he says, rough fingers gentle as he takes my hand. An electric shock travels up my arm, ensnaring me and rendering me immobile. Despite his gentle hold, his grip is like steel, and he easily moves my hand around as he shakes it .
When he releases me, my arm drops back to my side. I flex my fingers, trying to get normal feeling to return, but I can still feel the ghost of his hand wrapped around mine.
I take him to the employee kitchen and turn on the espresso machine before pulling the bakery bag out of the fridge.
“I’m not sure what kinds she got,” I say, sliding the contents of the bag out onto the counter.
“I’m not picky.”
He moves close to sort through the white paper-wrapped food, long fingers slipping beneath the edges and gently peeling it back to see what’s inside.
My breath catches as I watch him, and he smiles when he sees me looking.
Flustered, I spin away to prepare the coffee and try not to imagine him unwrapping other things. It’s unfortunate that I wore a white shirt today.
I put the coffee grounds in and start the first shot of espresso. I avoid looking at Feliks as I pull out the creamer, whipped cream, and two glasses.
“How do you take it?” I ask him.
“However you like it,” he replies in a low voice.
I turn away again to hide my red cheeks. If that’s the way he wants it, he’s going to get super creamed.
“The matcha and strawberry cream croissant, praline peanut croissant with stone fruit jam and peanut butter, and cherry and chocolate bowtie pastry all look good, I can’t decide,” he says.
“Take it all,” I say without turning around.
“I don’t want to eat everything before your coworkers get some.”
“It’s fine. Poppy already ate, and Anicka and I will just eat a few. There are plenty of extras. ”
“You haven’t had breakfast yet?” Feliks asks in surprise.
“That shipment was delivered earlier than usual. I didn’t have time to eat before unloading things.”
“That’s even more reason to make sure you eat. You need calories to fuel you,” he says seriously, like we aren’t talking about whether I ate some bread this morning or not.
“I had coffee with lots of oat milk and creamer, so that’s plenty of energy,” I say defensively.
Feliks’s head drops. “That’s not the same as solid food with protein. Here, take this hot honey, microgreens, ham and Swiss croissant and tomato confit, roasted pesto, and mozzarella pastry, that’s a well-balanced meal,” he says, rifling through the packages to pull two out and hand them to me.
“Hey, you’re eating breakfast too,” I realize. “Why are you allowed to start your day without food, but I can’t? You’re the one who ended up moving most of the boxes.”
“I ate when I got up this morning, before working out, and it’s been a few hours, so I’m ready to eat again. It’s important to fuel yourself throughout the day, otherwise you risk getting jittery and crashing,” he lectures, pulling out plates and unwrapping our food.
I would argue that he can do what he wants and I’m not obligated to follow his advice, but he hands me a plate with the ham and tomato pastries, along with a rhubarb, lemon tonka bean custard and biscuit crumble pastry, and I take it without thinking. It’s too irresistible, I can’t deny I want it.
I take a bite of the tomato pastry while walking over to our little dinner table. Feliks opens the fridge and brings me a cold water bottle, taking the cap off before setting it in front of me. I absently nod my thanks, mouth full.
I’ve finished the tomato one, and I’m halfway through rhubarb custard when he grabs our coffees and his plate and joins me.
I pause my ravenous eating as he sits down. I knew this furniture was old and rickety, but it’s never seemed so precarious as it does now, Feliks’s muscles overflowing the small seat. His chair creaks ominously but holds, so I tentatively go back to eating.
It’s not just the chair that he dominates.
His broad shoulders block the window behind him, casting the table in shadow.
His legs are spread wide since he’s too tall for them to fit under the table.
They bracket mine, my knees tucked between his.
Feliks rests his hand next to his coffee cup after taking a sip, and it seems like it covers half the table.
Despite the obvious size mismatch, he hasn’t complained about the poor accommodations.
I watch him while I eat. Feliks lifts the cherry pastry to his mouth, full lips closing around it before pulling it away, leaving a perfectly formed bite mark.
The sight makes my neck tingle, and I rub at it to chase away the feeling.
I might need to read through the side effects of the suppressants I’m taking. I’ve never been so randomly horny as I have been this past week, attracted to strangers I just met. I think they’re suppressing the horny too much, and my omega is trying to break out and bang anyone she can.
“What are you thinking about?” Feliks says.
My “no overthinking” things plan didn’t last long.
“Uh—birds,” I say, the first thing that comes to mind. “Those giant birds have been hanging around the gazebo in the town square a lot recently. I was just wondering if they were plotting something. It’s so hard to tell with them, with their wide eyes and twitching tails. ”
He chuckles. “It is hard to tell what they’re thinking.”
“Uh huh,” I agree dreamily, lost in Feliks’s chocolate eyes.
Luckily he takes over the conversation, bringing it around to more normal topics like how long have I worked here, have I always wanted to be a florist, what’s my favorite restaurant. I answer without hesitation, excited by his undivided attention.
Occasionally I pause, unsure if he really wants to hear all of my thoughts, like the backstory behind why I don’t like polka dots, but he always encourages me to continue, and the interest in his probing, doe eyes have me opening up again.
No matter what I say, Feliks seems interested and isn’t judgy at all, which is what makes me nervous when getting to know new people. I’ve always been somewhat of a loner I guess (besides my exes), and I rarely go out and socialize.
He even listens intently when I ramble about flowers and their meanings, telling him which ones are my favorite for various occasions. He asks questions about the meanings, spurring me on.
I want to learn more about him too, but whenever I ask, Feliks’s answers are brief, and he always shifts the conversation back to me.
When sunlight slants across the table, the sun finally high enough to reach over Feliks’s tall frame, that reminds me I’m supposed to be prepping for another busy day today. I need to unpack the crates before Poppy returns with more.
“Are you alright?” Feliks asks, putting his hand on my arm.
“I’m fine, just realized I should get back to work. It’s going to be a busy day,” I say reluctantly .
“Of course, I’ve taken up enough of your time. Thank you for letting me have breakfast with you,” Feliks says, sitting back.
I hadn’t even noticed we were leaning so close to each other while we chatted.
We stand up, and it almost seems like he grew taller since we’ve been sitting here as he towers over me.
“I enjoyed our talk, kitten. I’d like to do it again sometime.”
He holds out his hand for me to shake, and I duck my head to hide my silly smile as I shake it.
“I’d like that too,” I reply shyly. It’s been so long since I wanted someone to ask me out, my heart is pounding like crazy.
“How about we meet at Meat Cute this Friday at six? I’d offer to pick you up, but I don’t want you to accept a ride when you don’t know how good of a driver I am yet,” Feliks says with a teasing grin.
He remembered my favorite restaurant! And was nice enough to offer to pick me up without pressuring me to be alone in (or on) a vehicle with an almost stranger.
I’ve never been on a motorcycle before, so it’s probably best that he doesn’t pick me up. It would be embarrassing to fall off on our first date.
“I’d love to meet you there!” I practically squeal.
He grins, and we exchange numbers before I walk him back to the exit. I’m trying to play it cool and not bounce around too much with how excited am for our date.
Feliks pauses before opening the door and looks back at me.
I don’t know which of us moves first, but suddenly my hands are fisted in his shirt and his are in my hair.