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She thought it over as she snatched up my discarded shirt and pulled it on. The hem brushed the top of her thighs, and she looked almost irresistible in my clothes. I was tempted to drag her back down to the couch for round two, but my instincts pushed me to care for my omega in other ways first.
When she was as dressed as she planned on getting, she finally answered. “I need some comfort food.”
“Now, I feel like that’s a complicated answer. Comfort food for River would probably mean something bougie like brunch. Nash would probably want Nonna’s cooking or some wings and beer. For me, I’m a sucker for some ramen. What’s your comfort food?”
She snorted at my words. “You know, I think you’re way more observant than anyone gives you credit for. The fact that you already know most of our favorites off the top of your head is impressive,” she said with a raised eyebrow. She stopped talking as I pulled on my clothes, her green eyes full of heat as she watched every move. Her gaze lingered on the sweatpants, and I made a mental note to buy no less than six more pairs. If this was the reaction I’d get, I’d wear them around the house every fucking day.
“Pizza is always a solid choice,’‘ she said once my cock was covered up. “The cheesier the better. But oh my god, my dad used to make thisamazingfried chicken and homemade fries. It was so good. He made it for lunch every year for my birthday. But that’s way too complicated.” She let out a long sigh. I could hear the sadness in it, and that had me moving without thought, needing to wrap my arms around her. She sniffled, then chuckled, but the sound was hollow. “I think I’m just really starting to miss my family, especially considering everything going on with Mom. I’m working as hard as I can, but making extra money for them isn’t the same as actuallyseeingthem.” Her voice broke a little as she explained, and the pain beneath her words caused a pang in my chest.
“I can give you time off so you can visit them, Sienna,” I promised, but she was shaking her head no before I finished my offer, which wasn’t even a little surprising. I knew she wouldn’t do it. She’d never risk losing the pay, even if we covered her family contribution for a week. Sienna was too proud, and our relationship was still too new for us to be pushy on that level. Getting her to let us cover food and other expenses was enough of a milestone. I knew it would take more time, more trust, and deeper feelings for each other before she would let us do something like lessening her family’s financial burdens from our own pockets.
“I’m so scared that she’s going to get worse while I’m here working my ass off. I know I should go, but what good am I there? Taking time off isn’t going to pay for her medicine or their bills.”
“It’s not,” I agreed. “But have you thought about the fact that she’s probably missing you just as much? And your dad is probably in the same boat you are, right? Seeing him might help.”
She nodded miserably before turning and walking toward the stairs.
“Can we not discuss this right now? I can’t do it. I know I brought it up, but I just… Let’s go back to food.”
My instincts had me wanting to argue, to fix this, but I did what was best for my omega right now—I did as she’d asked. I might have never made homemade fries before, but I sure as hell was going to attempt it.At least River isn’t home to mock me if it goes terribly.
“Alright, you can be in charge of picking the music, but I’ve got the food taken care of. It may not be exactly what your dad can make, but I’m a fairly good cook when I put my mind to it.”
That had Sienna grinning wildly before she rushed up the stairs. She was perched on her favorite bar stool when I walked in behind her, already scrolling her phone for music. Soon, she had her favorite playlist playing over those speakers, the volume low enough that we could still talk but loud enough that we could sing along if we wanted to. She hummed along before resting her head on her hand and watching me cook.
“So, how did you get into being a businessman?”
Talking about myself was never something I enjoyed, but with her, the words practically spilled out without a second thought.
“When River and I left home, we weren’t sure where to head. It wasn’t long before we remembered that we weren’t the first in our family to be shunned, for lack of a better word. My uncle Solas was the first. When we showed up at his doorstep, he didn’t seem surprised. He also didn’t turn us away, which was nice.”
“Was he the one that got you into your business?” she questioned as I started slicing the chicken breast into strips.
I laughed at that and shook my head. “No, actually. That’s why he was considered the black sheep. My unclehatedeverything about owning businesses, always had. Even after graduating with a similar degree, he refused to learn the ropes. Of course, my father and River’s dad didn’t take that well. Solas didn’t want anything to do with the nine-to-five lifestyle. He was an amazing artist. He would paint murals to make rent, then took commissions in his spare time.”
“Did he do the paintings I’ve seen around the house?”
My eyes drifted to my favorite painting in the living room, an abstract piece. I’d based our decor off of it.
“Yes. When he died, River and I inherited everything.”
After that, she was quiet. I prepared the flour, egg, and breadcrumbs for the coating, adding spices until I was satisfied. She’d say more when she was ready. If she had other questions to ask about Uncle Solas, I’d answer them, for her anyway, but I wouldn’t mind if she changed the subject.
“So… the club?” she asked, getting me back on track.
“That came about after some talking and probably a little bit too much tequila one night. River and I came up with the idea, and we didn’t expect it to take off like it did. We were a good team though. I’d taken all of the knowledge my father passed on and used it, while River kept the structure from being too rigid.”
“You just got drunk and came up with a strip club?” There was no judgment in her tone, and that was exactly why I’d fallen for Sienna. She was genuine and never quick to dismiss something because of ‘social stigma.’ There were some women who didn’t approve of what River and I did, of the way we made our livelihood, and that was something we’d had to consider on the rare occasions that we’d ever thought about an omega. But Sienna, she knew who we were, and that was more important than how we made our money.
“It was a little more complicated than that. There was an attack at a local strip club that night. An alpha went into a rut when an omega started an unexpected heat. It wasn’t pretty. We talked about what we’d do differently while we watched the news, then River looked at me and said we should open one but do it right, and it kind of spiraled from there.”
“And then they hired me.” Nash’s voice had both of us turning around; he’d come in so quietly we hadn’t noticed him.
“We did need someone to keep the alphas in line,” I agreed, giving him a warm smile. I might not be the type of alpha that showed my emotions often, but Nash had been a real friend, especially through the club’s beginning years.
“What’s going on here? It smells amazing.”
“Comfort food,” Sienna said happily as she skipped through the playlist to another song she liked. “Join us?”
