“Sure,” Riley said. “I’ll just freshen up and meet you in the kitchen?”
“Great, gives me time to change out of these work clothes,” Grayson said. Riley met Grayson’s eyes for a moment before his eyes roved over Grayson’s body.
Grayson saw Riley’s cheeks heat and wondered what had caused it. Was the omega nervous to be around him? He couldn’t have that. If they were going to live together, and for all intents and purposes raise a child together, Riley had to be comfortable in his presence.
The pesky voice in his head reared its ugly head and pointed out that although he had always been polite with his former nannies, he had never gone out of his way to foster any sort of friendship.
Grayson wasn’t willing to look at his behavior too closely, so he decided to shelve that reflection for a later time.
“Meet you downstairs,” Grayson said, before stepping out of Riley’s way, so he could get into his room.
Grayson had a quick shower and threw on some sweats and the first t-shirt he could find. He grabbed his phone and made his way downstairs, saying a prayer that Riley would be there, because there was always the possibility the omega would decide not to show up. Although he doubted even if Riley was tempted, his natural omega instinct wouldn’t let him leave an alpha waiting without at least giving an excuse.
Grayson made his way to the kitchen to find that Riley had beaten him getting there. He had also set two places for them on the island. Riley’s choice of the island as opposed to the dining table in the kitchen told Grayson the young man wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. Or maybe he was simply reading into it.
Although Grayson didn’t hate the idea of sitting beside Riley, it would give him a chance to pin down his scent. So far, he had only been able to catch it in passing. Grayson could tell the omega wore some sort of scent blocker, but he hoped with more proximity he would be able to pick up his exact scent.
Why? Why would you want to? What would that achieve? The annoying voice was back. Grayson decided he would ignore the voice completely. As long as he kept reminding himself he could look, but he couldn’t touch.
He had to admit this new pull he was feeling towards Riley was completely unknown territory to him. He wasn’t a monk, neither did he sleep around indiscriminately, but as a rule he stayed away from omegas. Omegas were trouble, and he’d had enough trouble to last him a lifetime.
Although it seemed like Riley Sinclair was the exception to the rule. Just his fucking luck. The alpha decided his staff, his son’s Manny, was the omega he wanted to take interest in.
Maybe it was because Riley was nothing like the omegas he usually rubbed elbows with. That was probably the reason Grayson found him so appealing. He was a complete breath of fresh air. Exactly like Jai, his mind supplied helpfully. And haven’t you been saying you wanted someone like Jai?
Before Grayson could answer his own question, he was interrupted.
“Would you prefer I served your dinner somewhere else?” Riley asked in the soft voice of his that somehow soothed Grayson.
“What?”
“I was asking if you would rather eat elsewhere, since you seemed to be staring at the place settings,” Riley replied.
“Oh. No, no…” Grayson said, pulling the high back barstool chairs out and taking a seat, “here is perfectly fine. I was just thinking about something else.”
“Oh, okay,” Riley murmured, “Well, uh, I didn’t make it, but Ms. Grace said this was dinner. I’m not sure what it is though. Ms. Grace told me the name, but it was something French. Looks just like beef stew to me.”
Grayson would have laughed at Riley’s nervous commentary, but he didn’t want the omega to feel even more ill at ease, “It does smell wonderful, but you know you don’t have to serve me. I’m pretty adept at using the microwave.”
“Oh, it’s no trouble at all. Might as well, since I’m serving myself, right?” Riley shrugged.
Since he had nothing to say to that, Grayson kept quiet as Riley placed the bowl of beef bourguignon and slices of baguettes in front of him.
“Thank you,” Grayson said, but didn’t start eating, waiting for Riley to take his seat. But before he did, he went over the refrigerator and got the pitcher filled with juice and one with water.
“Uh, is juice okay? Or would you prefer wine… or water?” Riley asked, holding the pitchers out in front of Grayson across the island from where he was sitting. Jeez, the guy was taking stalling to a whole other level.
“Water is fine Riley. Please, sit and eat. If I want something else, I’ll get it myself,” Grayson implored.
“Right, yes, of course. I’m sure you know where things are. Right?” Riley muttered under his breath, but it was almost loud enough for Grayson to hear him.
“Sit,” Grayson commanded. He didn’t want to go all alpha on Riley, but the man seemed to be working himself up, for some reason, “What I mean is, please sit. Your food will get cold. I’m fine, really.”
For a split second Grayson though Riley would literally sit on the floor where he was standing. Okay, he was exaggerating, but still, like an automaton Riley placed the pitchers in reaching distance and came round and sat beside Grayson.
Finally.
“So, how was your first day with Max? Did he give you any trouble?”
6
Riley
What was it with this man? He was Riley’s boss, not a potential mate. If only his traitorous body would listen. Riley should have lied and said he had already eaten, or that he wasn’t hungry. Anything to stay out of the alpha’s presence, because being in Grayson’s presence, especially this close, was messing with his sanity.
Not only was his presence overwhelming, but his scent was also very enticing to Riley. Fuck his life.
Apparently, his hormones had no sense of self-preservation. He had managed to ignore every alpha since Max’s sperm donor. He’d fended of doctors, and patients when he was working at the hospital during nursing school, having zero interest. Now suddenly, at the most inopportune time, with the most inopportune person, his libido decided to make an appearance. Yup, fuck my life very much.
“Riley are you with us?” Grayson prompted, putting his hand over Riley’s where it lay on the counter, jarring Riley out of his mini-freak-out.
Riley damn near jumped out of his skin at the contact, and pulled his hand back from Grayson’s, the small contact with the man like a jolt of electricity through his body.
“Sorry, Sir, uh, what was the question, please?” his voice came louder than he’d intended.
“Hey, hey, settle. Am I making you nervous?” Grayson asked. It looked like Grayson was about to touch him again, and Riley’s body prepared itself for the contact from the alpha. Riley was interested to see if his body would have the same reaction to Grayson’s touch since he'd see it coming this time.
It looked like Grayson was moving almost in slow motion, like he was giving Riley a chance to move out of the way of the contact, but Riley couldn’t. His brain and body seemed to send mixed signals, so instead of making a fool of himself yet again, Riley sat completely still as Grayson’s index finger touched under his chin, lifting his face up to meet Grayson’s gaze.
“I didn’t mean to startle you. Please forgive me.” Grayson said, his gaze never leaving Riley’s.
Riley thought about the word yes, but for some reason, his mouth refused to work. All he seemed capable of doing was nodding.
“And please don’t call me sir, it’s Grayson, okay?” Riley nodded again, and he saw Grayson’s lips curve with a small smile, “Can I hear you say it?” Grayson teased.
Riley swallowed, as much as he’d called the alpha by his name in his head, he had purposely refused to say his name out loud. Riley felt like saying the man’s name would somehow feel too intimate. And the last thing he needed was intimacy with the alpha.
Stop it Riley the man just wants you to stop acting like a scared rabbit. Whatever intimacy you’re feeling is completel
y imagined.
“Riley,” Grayson prompted his finger still on Riley's chin, his beautiful dark eyes never leaving Riley’s face.
“Grayson,” Riley whispered. It might have been his imagination, but Riley could swear the man’s eyes darkened further, and filled with pleasure at the sound of his name on Riley’s lips.
“There, that wasn’t so hard,” Grayson said, his voice almost a whisper, his eyes fixed on Riley’s lips. Without thinking, Riley licked his lips and this time it definitely wasn’t his imagination, Grayson’s big body shuddered, and a small groan escaped.
Grayson's hand dropped from his face and he wouldn’t meet Riley’s eyes any more, focusing more on the food, that was likely now cold, although Riley wasn’t sure how much time had passed. It felt like an eternity, but it could have been a minute or two for all he knew.
It was Riley who filled in the quiet, trying to break the loaded silence that brimmed with attraction which neither of them should be feeling. He decided to talk about the only safe topic he could think of, and the only thing that should be between them, Max.
“Max is a great kid, you’ve done an amazing job raising him.” Grayson didn’t say anything, but Riley caught the smile. “He loves you so much, you know. He barely stopped talking about you all day.”
Grayson’s smile grew larger and Riley figured that was a good indication that they were both going with his new topic of conversation, and they would no longer speak of whatever the moment they’d had was.
As much as he’d started this line of conversation as a form of distraction, he wasn’t lying. Max thought Grayson was some kind of superhero.
“You don’t have to worry though, the day went really well,” Riley babbled on. “We got along great and he’s such a smart kid.”
“Good, good,” Grayson said, finally replying, “he is, isn’t he?”
“Must take after you?” Riley said, and he wasn’t sure why he said it. What did he expect? That Grayson would say maybe he takes after his biological parents? The man hadn’t even mentioned that Max was adopted.
Thankfully Riley’s mouth vomit was interrupted, “Daddy,” said a plaintive little voice from the doorway. That was Riley’s cue, to get himself out of the room, the conversation.
“I’ll get him back in bed,” Riley said, jumping up and moving towards Max.
“Stop,” Grayson said, making Riley freeze, right as he was about to leave the room with Max in his arms. Riley turned around slowly and watched as Grayson stood. The alpha was beside him in a flash, his long legs clearing the space between them quickly, “I just wanted to give him a kiss goodnight.”
Grayson leaned down to kiss his son–their son–which meant he was in Riley’s personal space. Riley didn’t move a muscle until Grayson placed a kiss on the top of Max’s head, Grayson also placed his hand on Max’s back in a protective gesture that had Riley’s heart speeding up.
“Night son,” Grayson murmured.
“Night daddy,” Max replied sleepily from his position in Riley’s arms. At four years old, Max was probably a little too big to be carried, but Riley was making up for lost time. And the solid feel of Max in his arms felt so right.
Riley's eyes followed every move Grayson made. As the alpha straightened himself to his full height, his gaze landed on Riley’s lips before making its way to his eyes. Grayson held Riley’s gaze for a second, and Riley was trapped in the alpha’s mesmerizing stare.
“Goodnight Riley,” Grayson whispered, without breaking eye contact.
Riley’s mouth dried, and the whole brain-mouth disconnect happened again. It was as if when Grayson focused on him Riley became dumbstruck. He would have to work on that, Riley told himself as he turned and fled out of the kitchen. Not even Max asking for water made him turn around, and go back. Thankfully he had a small fridge in his room, so he wouldn’t be the world’s worst nanny/parent on his first day.
7
Grayson
What the fuck was he playing at? Grayson asked himself as he watched Riley's retreating back. What part of looking, but not touching, did he not understand? And where was the self-control he usually prided himself on?
Grayson didn’t bother with the rest of his food, he emptied both his and Riley’s plates––which looked like it had barely been touched––in the garbage disposal and rinsed both, before placing them in the dishwasher. Gray thought about going to bed, but it was still way too early for him, so he detoured to his study.
Grayson took a seat at his desk, but instead of booting his desktop and getting some work done like he should have, he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his hand rubbing his chin with its stubble. What was it about Riley that had him acting like a hormone-fueled teen? He had never ever had such an immediate attraction to an omega before. And why did it have to be the one he’d hired to care for his son? The one under his roof.
Grayson knew he would never force Riley into anything. He was not that type of alpha, and he would never be. It would be over his dead body before he hurt an omega, or anyone weaker than himself.
The problem was the attraction wasn’t one-sided. Grayson could also see the attraction between himself and Riley was completely mutual.
The omega’s scent got stronger whenever he was in Grayson’s presence. Grayson knew that Riley must be on some kind of scent blockers, especially if he’d been working at the hospital, but clearly, they were either too weak or he’d stopped taking them, because after their proximity tonight, he’d gotten a noseful of Riley’s violet and rosemary scent. And Grayson knew that he would never forget it, or the effect it had on his body.
It was a good thing that he’d been seated while in kitchen, or Riley would have gotten an eyeful of Grayson’s erection. Luckily for him, Max’s interruption was a wonderful boner killer. Grayson had a feeling he and his left hand were about to become more acquainted.
Or you could call up one of the ready-and-willing partners you have mutually beneficial agreements with and sate your needs. But Grayson’s mind rebelled at the idea. It would feel very much like he was cheating, although how could he cheat on someone he wasn’t even in a relationship with, and probably never would be?
Grayson brought up Riley’s face in his mind. He could see those amber eyes like Riley was standing in front of him. Fuck, they were stunning. They drew him into their depths. He could stare into them all day and never want to look away. What the fuck did that mean now? He couldn’t exactly have a fling with his son’s nanny. What happened after it ended? It would be Max who would suffer.
Why does it have to end? What if he’s the one?
The one what exactly, though?
Was he willing to let another omega into his life?
Into Max’s?
He’s nothing like Dakota and you know it.
But did he really?
The stakes were higher now.
Grayson wasn’t even sure why he was stressing himself out over the situation. Riley seemed to find a way to put things between them, first it was the kitchen island, and then he couldn’t pick Max up fast enough.
Then again, Grayson wouldn’t have been even mildly intrigued by Riley if it wasn’t for the natural air of calm and peace he exuded. It was like he had a nurturing aura. That was probably what Max had reacted to the day he and Riley had met.
That was another reason he should stay away. He could already see Max’s attachment to the omega. Usually, Max would have turned to Grayson if he woke up at night, but his son had settled into Riley’s arms without making a sound. And after only one full day alone together.
And that was his answer, right there.
Max.
The moment Max came into his life everything changed. He came first, and he always would.
Grayson couldn’t help but smile at the memory of holding Max in his arms for the first time. That small bundle of humanity placed in his arms to care for. His heart had melted the moment that very first time he held Max in his arms.
He w
ondered if he needed to mention to Riley that Max was adopted. It wasn’t a secret. Max knew, mainly because Grayson had never wanted a situation where someone tried to hurt his child with the information. He didn’t care that he had no biological relation to Max. Max was the child of his heart.
For as long as he could remember, he had always wanted children. Maybe it was because he felt like they loved you unconditionally and he had never had that with his parents.
Whatever the case, Grayson had known he wanted a big family. It was one of the reasons he hadn’t balked when the time came to perform his duty and marry Dakota. Grayson had figured, even though he wasn’t in love with the omega, they could at least build a happy life together and have a houseful of children.
Boy was he wrong. Grayson, naïvely had thought that Dakota, as an omega, would love to have kids, and while they had been courting––not dating, he could never call what they did dating––Dakota had said all the right things, acted like the blushing omega, ready to start a family.
What Grayson hadn’t seen was the Dakota behind the scenes. The one who partied hard, drank and did drugs. That Dakota was nowhere to be seen until they’d been locked into miserable matrimony. The truth was, Grayson would have ignored all that if Dakota had agreed to have a child with him. He would have been happy to lead separate lives, while Dakota partied to his heart's content.
Imagine the shock he’d received when almost a year and a half into their marriage, after one of Dakota’s heats, he’d mentioned hoping that this time it ended in pregnancy.
Grayson would never forget the conversation that followed. He could still hear Dakota’s derisive snort.
“Please do you think I’m going to ruin this perfect body with a screaming, mucus and spit producing machine? Yeah, no thank you… Hard Pass.”
“What do you mean by that?” Grayson had asked Dakota, hoping that he’d been joking. The omega had been lying in bed after a bout of heat sex and snorted before replying.
Undercover Omega: Billionaire Alphas Book 2 Page 4
