Page 51 of The Packaged Deal

So, what happened tonight?

I just wanted him once. One memory before we went with this ridiculous plan. See the omega through her heat. Save her. Watch Kandi and my alpha ride off into the sunset, leaving me and the omega broken and alone. I’ve seen this movie before, I know the ending.

Then he flipped the fucking script.

I shower and crawl into bed, sure I’m not going to sleep a wink as I let the events of the day play over and over in my mind.

Sven glances at me and raises an eyebrow. “How are you this morning? Sleep well? You slept pretty late.”

Is he teasing me?

“I had a lot to think about,” I say cautiously.

Sven raises his cup of coffee and points at the kitchen. “Coffee’s hot.”

I grunt in acknowledgment and slip into the kitchen. Okay, this is weird. What game is he playing?

I pour myself a coffee when he presses against me, his breath hot on my nape.

“Morning, Alpha,” he purrs.

I shudder when he kisses the back of my neck.

“So, uh, that got pretty weird at the end,” I say carefully.

“Nah, it was perfect.”

“Oh.” All my hesitation and concern drains out of me. I’d been worried he’d regret it. The relief makes me feel light-headed.

Kandi comes into the room, and he steps away from me quickly. She barely spares us a glance; instead, searching the cupboards and muttering under her breath.

“What’s wrong?” I ask her.

“Jade needs food, but she wants something sweet, and you’re a health nut, and the sweetest thing you have in the house is the cardboard you call bran.”

Sven snickers.

“I’ll make pancakes,” I say it easily.

Kandi pauses. “You can cook?”

“Of course, I have to eat, don’t I?” I look between her and Sven. “Wait, you can’t cook?”

“Well, no. I mean, we eat a lot of microwave meals on the go,” Kandi says with an embarrassed shrug of her shoulders.

“I’ll cook,” I say firmly and try really hard not to look at Sven, who is five steps away and pretending that nothing between us has changed.

What is that? Am I some filthy secret now? My anger and frustration play beneath the surface, pricking my temper and making me pull open cupboards a little harder than I should.

Kandi leaves the kitchen, and I pull ingredients out of the cupboard. Sven leans on the counter with his arms folded. He’s had a shower and changed.

“Did I imagine last night?” Sven growls in a low whisper.

“No,” I admit, and I smile at the bowl. I feel like I’m sixteen again with my first kiss.

“It was good, huh?”

“It was incredible.”