He’d looked in his mirror at the hickey. It was redder now—a marking that Gage had left on him. Just the thought of it—it made Ulric tingle all over.
This was what it felt like to belong.
And it was dangerous. Ulric wanted more of those marks, he wanted Gage’s lips all over him.
He shoved those thoughts aside, turning on the kitchen lights. On the fridge, Gage had stuck a piece of paper with an arrow pointing toward the door handle. This shelf, he’d written.
Ulric’s heart fluttered. How many omegas had Gage done this for? He didn’t want to know.
He heated up the lettuce-wrap burgers in the microwave, before pulling up a stool to the island counter, tucking into the burgers. Savory meat juices leaked onto his tongue; he groaned. Even when it was slightly burned, Gage’s food was amazing.
Ulric polished off the burgers, licking his fingers. Then, because his mom wasn’t here to judge him, he licked his plate, too.
He could still hear her voice, though. Don’t laugh like that, Ulric. It’s embarrassing. Why are you looking at that alpha? You shouldn’t. Respectable alphas don’t fawn over their peers.
He imagined introducing her to Gage. He imagined telling her, This is who I really like. And she would scoff and tell him there was no point to that relationship. It wouldn’t benefit their family.
Even if Gage made his heart sing, even if Ulric wore Gage’s scent on his skin.
Ulric’s heart tightened. He tried not to think about Saturday, but the thoughts and anxiety crept up on him, making it difficult to breathe. He didn’t want to spend hours with his mom. But he couldn’t abandon her when he’d agreed to show her around, either. He just... had to ignore whatever hurtful things she would say to him. She’d probably say he’d put on weight. Even with the twenty pounds he’d lost.
He needed to distract himself.
He opened the fridge, looking for something sweet. He didn’t want the tomatoes, or the celery or carrots or anything healthy. He just wanted... something good. Something comforting.
He was about to reach for an apple when he glimpsed a cake box at the back of the fridge. It hadn’t been there this morning.
It wasn’t his. But it was the only delicious thing in the fridge, Ulric knew, and... was it Gage’s? Could he eat its contents, and perhaps replace it tomorrow before Gage found out?
Ulric held his breath, straining his ears for any sound. The house was silent. His fingers trembled as he reached into the fridge, picking up the box. He listened again. Then he pulled open the plastic bag, he carefully pried open the box.
His heart leaped. There were two slices of cake inside. A coffee cake, and something Ulric wasn’t sure about—it looked kind of plain. But good, nonetheless, because it was cake.
Even though he wasn’t hungry, his mouth watered. Ulric grabbed a new fork, he tucked himself behind the island counter, out of sight from the kitchen doorway. Then he scooped a corner of the coffee cake into his mouth—it was soft as a cloud and sweet, the coffee cream rich on his tongue. He groaned, scooping another mouthful, all but inhaling it.
He tried the other cake. It was also sweet, soaked through with milk. Also really good. He shoveled another bite into his mouth, then another, wishing there was an entire cake instead of just one slice.
The more cake he ate, the lighter that twisted, awful anxiety became.
He was almost down to the last few bites of cake, thinking about heading out to look for a 24-hour store with cookies, when someone rounded the side of the island counter.
Ulric’s heart clenched; he jumped and hunched around his cake box, the fork clattering onto the floor.
Gage looked down at him, dressed in his sleeping clothes. But because Ulric was huddled into a ball on the floor, Gage looked tall, and kind of intimidating.
Ulric wiped his mouth hurriedly, his throat squeezing tight. Gage had discovered him stealing cake. Was he going to think badly of Ulric for breaking his diet? Was he... not going to kiss Ulric anymore? Ulric tried to breathe. “Is this yours? I promise I’ll get a new box tomorrow. When they open. I just saw it in the fridge and I—”
“Ulric.” Gage knelt in front of him, his gaze never leaving Ulric’s face. Ulric’s heart felt like it might burst. “It’s fine. That’s for you.”
Ulric panted, the words swimming around him, not sinking in. “But—”
Gage took the box out of his hands, setting it to the side. Then he hauled Ulric against his chest, pulling him into a tight hug. “It’s okay,” Gage murmured in his ear. “I bought it for you.”
For... me? “Why?”
“Because you’ve been doing great with everything.” Gage pressed a kiss to his cheek, then another beneath his ear. “I thought you might like some cake.”
Ulric gulped down some breaths, his heart still pounding. “I’m not supposed to eat cake.”
“It’s okay if you eat it once in a while.”
“But I stole it.”
Gage huffed. “You can’t steal it if it’s already yours.”
Ulric looked at the box, and the half-eaten cake inside. On any other day, he would’ve shared it with Gage. It just hadn’t occurred to him when he’d been trying to shovel away the anxiety.
He felt so terrible about that. “I’ll get you some in return. I wanted to share it. I just—”
Gage tipped his face up, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “Shh. It’s okay.”
Ulric tried to calm down. “It’s not okay.”
“Yes, it is.”
“But—” Ulric looked at the few bites left in the box. “You should try that before it’s all gone. It’s good.”
“Yeah?” Gage smiled. “You liked it?”
Ulric nodded.
“Even the tres leches? That’s my favorite.”
Ulric winced. “I should’ve left that for you—”
Gage leaned in, pushing his tongue into Ulric’s mouth. “Mm.”
He tasted Ulric
