“Ah,kroshka. I was wondering when you would venture out.”
Ilya’s smiles were tighter these days, a spring loaded trap waiting to trip when she least expected it. It made her even more leery of his teasing tone and fussing. Unable to outright refuse him, she let him herd her towards the island, Elise’s vivid aqua and lime bouncer situated on the dark counter.
“You don’t have to cook for me,” Quinn said as she buckled Elise into the chair, double checking the straps before sliding the dangling toys back into place. The hollow rattles and cheery jingles started at once as Elise began to slap and kick at them.
“Is something to do.”
“Still, you’re not my—”
“Sit down, Quinn.”
Ass met leather in a hurried rush, hard enough to send the wooden legs of the stool scuttling across the tiled floor. Ilya had never called her by her name. None of them had. It was something she was used to, done to make Omegas know their place. Less of a person, not even worthy of their given names.
It made it all the more surprising when she did hear it.
“What do you wish today?” Leaning against the opposite counter, Ilya’s arms crossed over his burly chest as he stared.
“I was just going to make a sandwich,” Quinn said, voice frail. Hands wringing over the knots in her stomach, she kept her eyes averted.
“That is not enough.” Going to the refrigerator, Ilya began pulling out food and glass containers, arranging them on the counter beside him. Ignoring her now, he went to work with a skill and speed Quinn would never be able to match.
Having been dismissed for the moment, Quinn turned her attention to the gurgling Elise. It was too hard not to smile, watching chubby legs bounce and kick, her fists flailing in wild punches. Tickling fingers danced over a bit of bared tummy as Quinn hummed over her daughter.
Lost in a world composed of Elise’s babbling and clumsy fumbling, Quinn didn’t notice Ilya coming up behind her until his arm appeared at her side. The plate set before her was loaded with food, far more than she would eat on her own. Succulent chicken with an herbed crust, golden brown roasted vegetables, and lofty hills of rice decorated the large plate. It made her mouth water as she took a slow breath through her nose to gather all those delicious smells.
Far hungrier than she had thought, her stomach growled in anticipation.
“You like?” His voice was close, closer than it should have been. The large, scarred hand holding the edge of the counter was loose, belying a sense of relaxation.
It should have concerned her, but Elise was making giggle like sounds that distracted Quinn. Along with the food, she wasn’t paying enough attention. Didn’t notice when his other hand wrapped around the back of the stool until his fingers caressed her lower back before he pushed the seat in.
Then she was very much aware of the Alpha who was hovering over her, body a living shield and cage in one.
“The food looks wonderful,” Quin murmured, picking her words with care. She had no idea what he was doing but found that she wasn’t half as terrified as she should have been. Didn’t understand why she wasn’t a wreck of anxious tension.
Ilya sidled closer, his chest a warm wall that brushed against her arm. The warm scent of cinnamon overpowered even the delicious chicken, a sharp bite teasing her senses. Something smoky drifted just under it, not quite the bitter violence of Lee, more like the homey scent of wood smoke.
She almost leaned into it, head turning towards him to better take in his scent.
Then she heard it.
The purr was luscious, a decadent sensation that flowed across her skin. It shook loose all the pain, leaving only glorious numbness in its wake. Seeping into her flesh, her very bones, melting them like chocolate in the sun. The breadth of his palm skimmed over her spine, Quinn swaying towards that incredible sound.
Tears flooded her eyes, the comfort in all that warm thunder swallowing her up. Dragging her under a languid tide as she turned her face up to his. Trying to frown, to show that this wasn’t right, Quinn could only gasp when Ilya ran his thumb over her lower lip.
“I always know what you like,kroshka.” The tip of that digit slid across her teeth, prying her mouth open a little wider until the pad of his thumb could feel the soft velvet of her tongue. “You will remember that,da?”
Then he was on her other side, the purr changing pitch so fast it made her head spin. Elise’s whimpering snapped her out of the fog, but when she turned to look he was poking at the buttons that made the seat bounce as if he hadn’t shown her how to do it.
“What’s this?” Lee stood just inside the doorway, brows high in immaculate question as he looked between Quinn and Ilya.
Understanding surged through her stomach, knotting the precious organ into a roiling mess as she split her attention between the two males.
“The baby, she cries,” Ilya said, calm and smooth as any windless midnight. Pulling a frown, he tapped the button that made the rocker move, quieting Elise as she burbled at the toys dangling above her.
“You should know better than to hover over an Omega’s child, Ilya.” Mistaking her panic for worry over Elise, Lee came forward, crowding Ilya away from the counter. Ignoring Quinn’s awkwardness as he leaned down to peck her cheek, he loomed until she turned back to her plate.
Mechanical, tasting none of it now, Quinn began to eat. One eye on Elise as she began to drift off with the slow rocking, Quinn was surprised when her fork scraped bare ceramic. Glancing at the plate, she saw it empty. She’d eaten it all.
