I shook my head. “No way. I’m not a fan of horror.”
“Oh, come on, it’ll be fun!” She grabbed a movie off the shelf, walked to the projection set up, and popped it in.
“Well, if you insist.” I pretended to be annoyed as I followed her to the second level of movie seats and sat down.
As Liza snuggled in, I used the remote to lower the lights in the room and start the movie.
“How about brunch while we watch?” I asked.
“Perfect.”
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and texted our cook, asking him to bring a full spread of brunch food and drinks to the theater room.
Within thirty minutes, trays laden with fresh pastries, bacon, omelets, and orange juice sat on our laps.
“I could get used to this.” Liza crossed her ankles and took a bite of her buttered croissant. Her almost-silent moan as she took a bite wasn’t silent enough, and my cock twitched.
I smiled, ignoring the urgency in my jeans. “Considering I botched the first picnic, this is the least I could do on a rainy day.”
“Your house is like a strip mall.” She chuckled. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a bowling alley.”
“Umm.” Stifling my laugh, I grimaced. I hadn’t built the house, but I did enjoy the privacy and benefits it afforded to me. Especially right now.
“You’re shitting me, right?” Liza turned to face me and dropped her croissant on the tray. “You have your own bowling alley?”
My cheeks reddened. I had never been one for showing off my family’s wealth. It was especially difficult and disheartening since I’d been made aware of how we’d come into the money. Of course, Liza didn’t need to know that. Not yet. At some point, however, I would have to tell her that my wealth was directlylinked to the life she’d been forced into. First, I had to figure out the exact right way and the exact right time. I couldn’t rush it.
“Your family does have an excessive amount of money. It’s honestly hard to comprehend someone living this extravagantly.” She shrugged. “I guess it’s okay if you like to bowl, though.”
“Do you? Like to bowl, I mean?” It didn’t matter to me one way or the other, but I was curious.
“I know how, and I do okay.” She smiled, and her eyes sparkled.
Her humor amused me. Just when I thought I did or said something to turn her off, she spun the situation to focus on the bright side. Apparently, a bowling alley was a bright side.
There were women who would hold it against me that I had so much generational wealth, much the same as there would be women out there who only wanted me because of the wealth, but Liza was her own brand of female. She rolled with the punches, seeming unfazed by most of the curveballs that life threw her way.
With each passing moment, I liked her more and more. I didn’t want to ruin the mood, but my brain wouldn’t turn off. Not wanting to wait a moment longer, I paused the movie and turned the lights up.
“Hey!” Liza eyed me. “We were almost to the best part. He was just about to pop up out of the woman’s shower as she rinses her makeup off at the sink. It’s an iconic scene.” I knew the scene. Everyone knew the scene. It could wait.
“I’m sorry, I just need to ask you something.” I studied Liza’s face, which seemed to pale a little. “What happened to that injured rabbit in the forest last night?”
She opened her mouth to answer, but snapped it shut and pursed her lips, hesitating. Liza clearly didn’t want to talk about the rabbit, though I wasn’t sure what she was conflicted about.
Finally, Liza answered my question. “I have no idea what happened.”
I had no reason not to trust her, so I kept my mouth shut and waited for her to go on. Maybe she’d say something to ease my mind and lay to rest any thoughts I had of her being an omega.
“I was just standing there, staring at the poor little thing. My heart hurt. The whole situation was pitiful, so I decided to put it out of its misery.” She looked down at her hands, then clasped them together and directed her gaze toward me. “It was dying one minute and then it jolted like it had been struck by lightning or some other electric charge.” She shrugged as if she had no idea how it had happened or what—or in this case,who—was responsible.
“Did you touch it at all?” I asked.Somethinghad happened.
“No. I never laid a paw on it.” Liza paused, her nose scrunching as she thought. “I did cry a little. A tear or two might have fallen from my eye, but I don’t see how that would be significant.”
My mind spun with multiple thoughts, the main one being Bryce’s suggestion that maybe Liza was an omega. All the legends said they had special powers. I didn’t know the depths of those powers, but I couldn’t quite believe that Liza had the ability to bring a creature back from the brink of death to restore its life force.
“Has anything like that ever happened to you before?” I hoped my question wouldn’t be too obvious, considering that I wasn’t just dropping the subject. There was no easy way to ask these questions. No way that wouldn’t reveal my suspicions.
