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“Sure,” I said instead of listening to my inner voice. His smile was blinding and his hazel eyes sparkled behind his black-rimmed glasses. He was honestly adorable and I loved how easy it was to be around him.
But he came with Warren. An alpha. Something that doomed him from the start.
“Is it weird that I usually start in the back? I feel like it’s easier to pick out produce if I know what I’m cooking,” he said with a crooked smile.
“Lead the way. I could use all the shopping pointers,” I admitted with a grimace. “I’m still working on this whole independence thing. Ellie said it was freeing doing all this when she left home but I stuck around longer and let me tell you… it’s not.”
“I’ve got you,” he said easily, turning his cart and heading deeper into the store. “I’ve always been a bit of a caretaker andmy parents were always working, so this was my job pretty early on.”
“Did you have to cook, too?” My cheeks flushed. He was already leagues ahead of me and I was starting to feel even more intimidated.
“I did, but it was because I wanted to. They weren’t bad parents, just busy, they would have cooked but I liked being able to help in my own way. Mom changed after retirement, she’s like this now too,” he admitted with a soft smile. “Do you cook?”
“No,” I admitted. “My family was wealthy, we had staff to do all that. My job was grades until my father pulled me out of school.”
His smile dropped at the exhaustion in my voice.
“I’m sorry, Tori, why would he do that?”
The fact there was no judgment in his voice had me talking still. We’d come to a stop outside of the frozen section and he snagged a few cold bags, handing me two and keeping two for himself.
“He had other plans for me. I was the daughter of a prominent businessman. He had contacts in every avenue of life and I was supposed to forge one for him, mates be damned.”
Felix froze with his hand on a freezer door, his hazel eyes flashing with fury.
“You mean he forced you to…” he couldn’t even finish but my lack of answer told him everything he needed to know.
Good. Maybe knowing I was damaged goods would make him run.
Instead, Felix abandoned the freezer and pulled me into a hug. At first I was tense, unsure how to handle this from anyone but Micah or Ellie. But as I breathed in his scent of oranges, vanilla, and cream, I felt my entire body and soul relax.
He was like a balm that soothed the angry and jagged parts of me. Felix wasn’t territorial or angry, he was sweet and gentle.
“I want to give into you, Felix. But I don’t know how,” I whispered into his neck as I clung to his black sweater for dear life.
He didn’t pull away; he simply sang low under his breath, just for me to hear. His voice held a soulful rasp that wrapped around me like armor, protecting me from the world.
In his arms, I felt precious and worthy.
More than that, I wanted to be that for him.
As he pulled away I felt cold, missing his touch. He must have seen how frayed I was because he simply abandoned his cart and put his hand in mine, pushing the one we had with his hand as he helped me shop.
Our conversation was easy from there as he told me about the best deals and how to make things stretch when I needed to. He didn’t question my intelligence or call me a rich brat, he saw what I needed and gave it to me without question.
By the time my cart was full, so was my heart. It was such a simple afternoon but I felt myself leaning into his touch, seeking it out.
For once in my life, I wanted to allow myself this.
“Do you want to come over?” I asked quietly. “I’m not good at cooking but you set me up with enough to try.”
His smile was blinding again and I wanted to soak it in like the sun.
Felix was good for me and the bond forming between us was already more than I’d had with anyone else in my life outside of my siblings.
I’d never had real friends, only ones focused on clout or status. He was different. Felix saw me as a person.
“I’d love to,” he said. “I’ll follow behind you.”
