CHAPTER 14 JARED #2
Alphas aren't supposed to comment on an omega's nest. It's considered deeply impolite unless the two of them share a genuinely intimate relationship.
I sit up inside the nest as Mauro finally walks over and settles on the edge of the bed. Looking me in the eyes, he holds the tray out to me.
As I take the tray from his hands, there's a brief moment when our fingers brush, and a pleasant little shiver runs through me, along with a sudden longing to… feel more of him.
It would be so ecstatic to lose myself in him, to get from him the same warm energy the green fae gave me in the cabin, one that enveloped me, soft, caring, almost divine.
The moment my thoughts drift back to those days, those sensations, Mauro's expression changes ever so slightly, as if… he's attentively listening to something very quiet.
His gaze drops to the hand resting on my knee, and unexpectedly, he brushes the back of it with his thumb. It sends pleasant shivers down my spine, and I lightly gasp.
Mauro pulls out his phone and starts typing.
"Jared, baby, I… can feel what you want."
Did he just call me a baby? Oh, wow.
The app continues to read,
"More than anything in the world, I want to give it to you, but I don't know if you'd see it as too forward, too bold."
I freeze, staring at him.
What the hell? Can he read my mind?
Or am I really that transparent?
His eyes are on me now in a way they’ve never been before, almost challenging, as if a decision is growing inside him, some kind of determination. And then something inside me responds, and what I want finally breaks free.
A whisper slips from my lips.
"Back in the forest… that fae gave me something precious. Something I'd never had before. Tenderness."
For fuck’s sake, what am I doing?
TMI alert! Talking to a guy I'm into about my previous lover is… unhinged.
But Mauro suddenly squeezes his eyes shut as if a wave of emotion has struck him. His fingers move rapidly across the screen.
"Jared, do you know who that fae is? If you want to know, I'll tell you. Right now! I can’t torture you like this anymore!"
My heart starts racing.
Do I want to know?
Desperately! Although, I also feel a slight sense of fear, as if something is going to change completely once these words are spoken, as if some delicate status quo is about to fall apart and turn into something new. But what?
Then I hear footsteps in the hallway.
A knock sounds at the door.
Standing there is the older omega, Silvio. Apparently, while I was dozing, Stefano must have left, and the family gathering had come to an end.
Okay, maybe the whole fae topic can wait a little longer, and I can mentally prepare myself for the answer. I let out a huff and collapse into my nest.
"I see you two are getting to know each other better," Silvio says with a grin as he walks in. "Good, good. Just remember, recovery is a delicate time, so don’t overdo it." He gives me a playful wag of his finger.
Him too? Everyone around here seems determined to protect my health and virtue, and I have no idea how I’m supposed to react to a comment like that from someone I’ve just met.
Then again, this is his house. It probably does look a little strange to show up and start flirting with his grandson after only a few hours.
"I wanted to invite you to the pool. Maybe you’d keep an old man company? I like to swim to stay in shape."
Blinking for a few seconds, I gather myself. I actually love swimming and do it regularly, so it sounds tempting.
I glance toward the window. The weather is far too chilly this time of year to use the outdoor pool I noticed in front of the house.
The elderly omega seems to read my mind.
"We have an indoor pool, sweetheart. Renato had it built just for me. I used to go to the public pool, but my wonderful son knows I can't live without swimming." He beams with a radiant smile.
I hesitate. Back in Florida, I had a pool and swam regularly to stay in shape.
"I think I'd like that," I say quietly. "I just don't have a swimsuit."
"That's hardly a problem, sweetheart. We'll figure something out.
Recovery is the perfect time for gentle swimming, nice and easy breaststroke.
No freestyle or any of those exhausting strokes, just pure relaxation.
I can even give you an inflatable float so you can simply drift on the water if you'd like. "
"Thank you. I usually live a very active lifestyle, and I've really missed swimming.
My cousin Alex didn't have a pool, and I've been staying with him for the past two months, ever since…
" My voice trails off. The words my husband went to prison sit on the tip of my tongue, but I suddenly feel incredibly awkward saying them aloud.
Still, Silvio already knows exactly what I mean. Of course he does.
"Ah, yes. Such a sad and tragic story, child.
I'm truly sorry you had to go through something like that.
But you know, I'm someone who prefers looking toward the future.
Even with eighty years behind me, I'm still making plans for what's ahead.
The past is only useful if you learn from it.
Living in it, tormenting yourself with it… that's the road to depression."
I sooo agree with him! How does he understand what I feel so well? It's almost as though he'd somehow heard exactly what I'd been thinking while watching their family, torturing myself with memories and endless rumination.
"That's a very practical way of looking at life. I wish I could learn to live like that," I reply, sighing deeply. "Instead of being miserable all the time."
Silvio comes closer to me and says softly,
"You can. It's in you. You can connect with nature and draw from it to balance yourself. The ability to do it is innate to you, to who you are."
He says it with a strange emphasis, looking straight into my eyes, and I can almost feel the weight and power of his words.
The problem is, I don't understand it. Or rather, I have a vague glimmer of a thought that maybe what I can do, this strange gift I have for healing plants, has something to do with it. But how would Silvio know that? Here we go again with his strange omniscience or whatever it is.
Lost, I decide to stay silent. Silvio watches me with a faint smile, as if he can see my inner struggle and understands why I keep opening my mouth only to close it again, helplessly.
He winks at me and turns toward Mauro.
"You should come too. How about the three of us go for a swim together?" And Silvio flashes him one more playful wink.
I feel my heart speed up, and Mauro's does too. He gives a small nod before lifting his gaze to mine.
There's so much hidden in that look.
"Come on," Silvio says. "Let's find something for Jared to wear."
The two of them head out, and just before disappearing into the hallway, Mauro looks back over his shoulder, giving me one lingering glance.
I stay behind, finish my meal, set the tray aside, and settle back into my nest’s soft embrace.
This time, I don’t let myself get lost in any distracting thoughts.
Heat recovery is again urging me to sink back into sleep, even though my mind keeps trying to answer the question of what would have happened if Silvio hadn’t walked into the room.
Would I have finally uncovered the secret?
Would it turn out that Veyron was right and the fae…
really is Mauro? Or was he trying to reveal someone else?
Ugh… it’s too much. My thoughts are swirling and blurring together, losing all coherence.
I doze off again, surrendering to the gentle magic of my nest.
◆◆◆
Half an hour later, it’s Gianni who comes in carrying not only my suitcase from the car—apparently Mauro had already brought it over—but also a pair of green swim trunks.
Well… What he doesn't bring is a swim shirt.
Many omegas feel self-conscious about going without one.
Quite a few have larger nipples or slightly raised breasts, so it's common for omegas to wear shirts at the pool or the beach.
Apparently, though, they decided that since I'd posted plenty of shirtless photos on Instagram, it wouldn't be an issue.
Well…
They're right.
I’m quite muscular, and I've always been pretty happy with my chest. My pecs are nicely defined, and I've been killing myself with push-ups to keep them perfectly sculpted.
My nipples are on the larger side, but they're attractive, in my humble opinion: firm and pert.
I've shown them off in so many photo shoots that taking my shirt off doesn't bother me anymore.
Gianni stays in the room while I change.
As a model, I've never really been self-conscious about nudity, so I peel off my clothes and pull on the swim trunks.
I flash him a faint smile, and he returns it with a blush creeping across his cheeks.
I catch him looking at my body with something that feels like admiration mixed with envy, thankfully not the bitter kind.
"What do you do to get abs like that? It’s a six… no, an eight-pack. And such a slim waist."
"I stayed away from sweets and worked out in my home gym daily," I answer with a chuckle.
My words don't seem to be getting through to him at all. He's still staring at my abs, almost dumbfounded, as if he's never seen a body like mine up close before.
"You’re so… athletic. You look more like a muscular beta than an omega," he mutters with a sigh. "And you definitely have a beta height."
I’m not really sure what to say. I tighten the drawstring on my swim trunks and answer matter-of-factly,
"You know, when I was modeling, it was a requirement. Besides, working out helped me deal with… stress." My tone must have taken on a pretty significant edge, because Gianni swallows hard. Yeah, they probably all know exactly what kind of 'stress' I mean in my case.
I tie my hair up high on my head, and meanwhile, Gianni mutters gloomily, "I've never had a body like that. I've always struggled with extra weight."