Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Syrus
I’m pacing and I can’t help myself as I wait for Silva to arrive. She thinks I can’t see the shadows in her eyes, but I notice everything about her. I always have.
When I first moved here from Seattle, I felt raw and overexposed after serving on the force for five years there. There was too much death, too many unresolved kidnappings, and the loose ends were making me drink too much and hyperfixate.
The missing were people’s daughters, husbands, sons, and friends. The fact that the trail of clues and evidence simply ended made me fucking insane.
Moving to Colorado was the best thing for me, but finding the job opening for sheriff of Widows Peak kept me from eating my firearm. I wasn’t in a great place, but I was very good at hiding how much I was suffering.
The doorbell rings, forcing me to shake off those dark memories, and I move to the front door to open it. Dinner is ready and on a warming mat, while dessert is in the oven. I hustled after my shift to make sure everything is edible and tastes decent.
I’ll be damned if I don’t feed my omega the best thing she’s ever put in her mouth.
My lips twitch at the sentiment, but I don’t like that she forgets to eat. Silva takes care of everyone but herself it seems. She solves everyone else’s problems, yet puts herself last.
Opening the door, my brow rises as I find myself staring at a twin that I wasn’t expecting.
“Is she not coming?” I ask, feeling a little disappointed.
“What? No!” Lexi says, shaking her head in surprise. “I’m giving you the obligatory ‘what are your intentions with my sister’ speech.”
“Oh,” I say blinking at her owlishly. “I have dinner ready, and I made one of her favorite desserts.”
“How do you know what her favorite dessert is?” she asks, her arms folding over her chest.
“I pay attention.” I chuckle. “My job is to notice patterns, Lexi.”
“I think that’s the problem,” she mutters.
“I beg your pardon?” I ask her, confused.
“Silva is worried that if you look too hard, you won’t like what you see,” she sighs.
“What kind of man would I be if a little darkness scared me away?” I snort. “I’m not stupid, Lexi. This is a town that doesn’t allow alphas to live here. I’d have to be blind not to understand there has to be a reason.”
Lexi pales slightly as she nods, chewing on her bottom lip.
“Is there something I need to know?” I ask, leaning against the door frame as I wait.
Lexi glances over her shoulder, as if checking the street for her sister. I live farther in town than they do, so it’ll take Silva a little longer to get to my house.
“Just know that she’s not as strong as she pretends,” she says finally. “Silva internalizes and sees a lot more than people think. She doesn’t even tell me everything. I have a feeling sometimes that her mind is a tangled place.”
I feel a stab of guilt at some of the things they don’t know about me. I couldn’t protect my sister from her fate, but I can protect the people who live in the town that I’ve made my life for the last nine years.
“Again, I’m not running, Lexi,” I say. “I told Silva that we can take this at her pace. I’m not rushing things, but I do want to get to know her better.”
Lexi smirks, and I have a feeling I’m about to be the butt of her amusement. “You know her pizza order, her favorite desserts, and countless other things, Syrus. You don’t just want to get to know her better.”
“That’s fair. I don’t think I should be telling her twin sister what I want to do to her, do you?” I ask.
Lexi flushes pink before blowing out a breath. “You win,” she complains, turning and stomping down the stairs of my porch. “Don’t fuck this up!”
“I don’t plan to,” I promise, sobering as I walk back inside.
Checking the time, I see that Silva is a few minutes late. I’m neurotic, and see too many accidents on these roads. I’ll be the first to recognize that I’m heavy handed when I care about someone. I’ve already started badgering Silva to eat regularly and need to chill the fuck out.
While I’m not an alpha, I think like one in many ways.
I’m not sure if I’ll be enough for her, and I’m not adverse to a pack if that comes up.
The thing is, I’m pretty sure I’m putting the cart before the horse because there are a lot of omegas who are dating or have married betas or omegas.
They use toys to make it through heats, and figure it the fuck out.
Life at Widows Peak is different from most towns. I know this, I see it every day, so I’m not sure why I’m freaking out that I might not be enough for Silva. The feeling has been bugging me all weekend, and I need to lock it down so I don’t ruin my time with her with my insecurities.
A knock at the door forces me to take a deep breath, shake out my hands to dispel my anxiety, before opening it. I’m wearing a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt, and the omega in front of me manages to make me feel extremely vulnerable as I gaze at her beauty.
Silva stands outside in a pair of ripped jeans, heeled boots up to her knees, and an off the shoulder sweater that makes me want to kiss the exposed skin. Her ash brown hair tumbles down her back in large curls, and I desperately want to run my fingers through it.
“Fuck,” I whisper reverently, gazing at her. I have absolutely no words, and I can’t pretend to either. She’s fucking gorgeous.
“May want to feed me before that, big guy,” she teases, color running high in her cheeks.
Silva is blushing? No way. She looks the way she normally does, except I can tell she did her makeup and hair. She wears a damn sight less for work, but I love that she looks comfortable. Dresses have their place, however it’s just us.
I want her to be able to be herself. I’ve been infatuated with her sass and wit for years, I’m clearly not going anywhere.
“Good point,” I murmur. “Come here, beautiful.”
Opening my arms, I watch her hesitate for a second before stepping inside and letting me hug her. She’s short, so her head just reaches my chest as I wrap my arms around her. She hugs me back, and I sigh happily.
“You feel really good,” I say. “It’s going to be really hard not to hold you every chance I get.”
“Your hugs may be addicting,” she confesses, relaxing into my embrace as she lays her cheek comfortably against my shirt. Silva takes a small breath, and I move my hand to cup her head.
“I’m glad you’re here,” I say softly.
“Me too. I think I overthought it all weekend though.”
“It’s just me,” I remind her, releasing her so I can close the door. Too many busybodies live across the street from me.
Capturing her hand, I walk to the kitchen with her beside me, noticing how she looks around my house.
“Don’t look too hard,” I tease her, easily pulling back a chair and lifting her onto it without thinking.
“I like it,” she says. “It’s not exactly a bachelor pad.”
“I’m too old for that.” I chuckle, leaning down to kiss her lips lightly.
Silva moves forward to chase my lips, but I step back with a smirk as she pouts at me.
“I don’t want to start anything before I feed you,” I say, walking around the kitchen to pull glasses for the plates and silverware already set out.
“You’re obsessed with feeding me.” She sighs.
“You betcha,” I agree. “Wine, water, or both? We’re having Marry Me Chicken with fettuccine.”
“That’s a bold choice,” Silva says, hiding her smile. Her lips are a bold red, and my cock twitches at the idea of fucking up her makeup. “Wine sounds wonderful. I’ll take a glass of water too before you remind me to hydrate.”
“What I’m planning after dinner requires proper hydration,” I tease her, my eyes nearly crossing as she perfumes.
“Sy, dammit,” she moans. “I didn’t wear scent blocking panties.”
“Good, I want to be able to smell what I’m doing to you, Spitfire,” I say, my voice acquiring a gravel like tone as arousal fills me. “Don’t hide that from me.”
Opening a bottle of wine, I fill her glass and then make sure she has a full glass of water beside it as I wink at her.
“You’re a force of nature,” she mumbles, watching as I plate her food before coming to sit beside her so I can do the same for myself.
“Subtlety is beyond me,” I reply, watching her pointedly until she lifts her fork and begins to eat. “I’ve been content to watch you from afar for a long time, and I can’t do it any more.”
Silva moans as she chews her food, and my cock kicks violently against my zipper. It's completely hard now, and the only thing hiding it is the island.
“Good?” I ask, knowing it is as I begin to eat. I make a creamier sun-dried tomato sauce than the recipe calls for so I can make sure my noodles are properly dressed.
“Yes,” she says, swallowing. “It’s delicious. Where did you learn to cook?”
“My mom actually taught my sister and I,” I explain, taking another bite so I’ll sound natural as I talk about her. Fuck do I miss her. “She wanted us both to be self-sufficient, and her love language was feeding people.”
“I see,” she says. I’m sure she does on some level. As her sister said, Silva is an empath and sees things more clearly than most do. “Is that also why I smell chocolate?”
“It is indeed.” I chuckle, glancing at the timer. “I have some vanilla ice cream for you to go with the brownies. They’re double fudge.”
“Ugh. That sounds amazing.” She moans, taking a small sip of her wine. “This all tastes really good. I’m impressed. We kind of monopolize your time here. Do you get to see your family much?”
“Not really,” I murmur, drinking some water.
I’m not having wine because I need to be clearheaded, and I’m cognizant of my previous issues with alcohol.
I can be around it, but the most I’ll have is a beer these days.
“My mom died from a heart attack while I lived in Seattle, and I haven’t seen my sister in years. ”