Chapter 10
Timber
“Hey!” Luke shouts from in front of the stove as I snatch a protein bar from the cupboard above the sink. He thinks I don’t know he’s hidden them there, even though all the cupboards are at my eye level. As if that’s enough to stop me.
He has no idea I come down at night to go snack hunting. He can barely reach the cupboards, so the box sits right at the front as well.
I grin as I jump away, tearing open the packet.
“You’ll suffer for that!” he shouts.
I stuff the whole thing in my mouth before he can snatch it, and he bursts out laughing.
His scolding turns into a smile, and I breathe a sigh of relief, because maybe we can have a good morning and go back to normal.
Luke’s been on edge and jumpy since we went to the market, and I’m sure I’ve messed it up by getting too close to him.
The feelings I have for Luke haven’t vanished, but meeting his sister has still twisted my mind, even though it’s been over a week since I kissed her.
His sister had been so confident, and she’d wound me up to the point where I couldn’t resist her.
She was as desperate as I was, but, instead of flirting or teasing me like he normally does, Luke carries on working around the kitchen.
He focuses on washing up the pans and filling the dishwasher, and not paying me any attention.
I’m mildly put out, especially after how intense everything was at the market.
In the end, it’s better that he doesn’t use his husky, flirty voice or curve his body and smirk, giving me that look that I swear is an invitation to fuck him. Then, I can reassure myself that I’ll never be with another omega again.
I scrunch up the wrapper as I leave the kitchen, tapping the pedal of the trash can to throw it away.
And I freeze.
My heart suddenly explodes as that scent curls up from it. I choke out, falling forward, pushing against the fridge to stop myself from crashing into it.
There's no fucking way…
I glance at Luke, but he doesn’t notice that I’m bending over the trash can, drawing in the deepest breath, moaning as maple syrup washes over me.
My mind runs wild as my alpha side wakes up again. I nearly growl and tip out the can right there to tear through it.
If I turn on Luke and demand to know why his slick is in the trash, I might scare him off like I’ve done in the past.
As Luke rises from stacking the dishwasher, I quickly throw away the wrapper and silently lower the lid. He jumps as he sees me standing there, watching him closely.
“What’s wrong?” Luke asks, his expression completely neutral. It looks like he hasn’t caught on.
“I just need to grab something, and then I’ll head to the rink, so you don’t have to hang around if you have anything to do,” I say.
He nods, his lips hitching as he chuckles. “Don’t do anything naughty today. I don’t want to have to tell you off for not finishing your food,” he teases, but I just stare at him blankly. I can barely focus on his words when there’s something in the trash that I need more than fucking food.
I can’t smell any slick on him now, so why is the scent in there?
He rolls his eyes. “You’re no fun,” he says, puffing out a cheek, and I really want to poke it.
“I don’t try to be,” I say dryly before he laughs.
Luke turns solemn. “I’ve got something to talk to you about tonight. I’m just giving you a heads up now so you're not randomly you with it when you get back.”
“Is it that serious?” I ask. The last time he looked like that was when we were drinking together.
“Oh yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s going to fall under the category of ‘big conversations’, so don’t wear yourself out.”
He throws me a wink before he nods to the blue box on the counter. “Don’t forget your lunch either. I packed it with love.” He chuckles, making a heart with his hands and blowing a kiss like that isn’t going to drive me fucking insane. And then he just carries on cleaning without another glance.
I take that as a sign that it’s time to make my move. I could push Luke and make him talk about it now, but I can’t afford to be late.
Even though I went on a date like Marilyn asked, it definitely didn’t go the way she wanted it to. Now I have to be on my best behavior if I want to stay on the team.
Which obviously means pretending to go upstairs and watching Luke from the stairwell until he leaves the kitchen, and sneaking back to rifle through the trash like a chunky raccoon.
My gaze pans the room to make sure Luke is gone before I plunge my hand into the can.
I don’t want to think about what kinds of things I’m touching as I reach further and further down, waving my hand around, trying to guess what the hell I’m looking for.
It’s not until I get right to the bottom that the maple syrup flows more strongly, and I’m sure I’ve found it.
Swallowing, I quickly yank my hand up, standing there with my prize. My eyes widen at the bag, wetness seeping through the white paper and staining it.
I can’t stop my groan as I hold it out in front of me, taking the deepest inhale I can. I nearly fucking buckle because what the actual fuck is his slick fucking doing in here?
I need to clean my arm, but I have to get out of here before Luke finds me.
I want to savor it, turn it inside out, and lick every inch. Hell, I don’t care what other trash it’s touched, I’m closer to touching his slick than I’ve ever been, and I can’t give it up for anything.
I don’t want to get caught, so I swipe my lunchbox from the counter, stuffing it in my sports bag, feeling like a fucking thief as I escape to my car.