Page 54 of The Boss Omega
“You tried it?”
“For a while.”
I adjust another.
“It started to feel—” He runs his fingers through his hair. “I spent too much time obsessing over it. Waiting for a match notification that never came.” He shrugs.
“That sounds miserable.”
“It wasn’t great,” he admits. Then his expression brightens slightly. “But it’s also what pushed my research in a new direction. I found a genetics scientist to partner with and the rest is…” He shrugs as though partnering with a genetics researcher is no big deal.
Ultimate Graham.
“We’re making progress.”
That gets my attention. “Oh?”
He shifts his weight, suddenly animated. “There’s a theory by Goldblum,” he says, “that the compatibility markers we detect through scent might actually originate in DNA markers detectable through saliva.”
I blink. “So the scent cards could be obsolete?”
“Exactly.” His eyes light up. “If the markers are genetic, they can be sequenced, cataloged, and stored in a database.”
“A database of matches.”
He nods, excitement creeping into his voice. “Which means we wouldn’t be limited to local registries anymore. Omegas in Kentucky could match with alphas in Norway. People who would never meet could still find each other.”
I lean back on my hands, studying him. “That would change the whole system.”
“I know.”
He runs a hand through his curls, clearly trying not to look too pleased with himself. “It would mean more people actually finding their mates instead of just hoping they live in the same state.”
“So you’re building a global registry?”
He glances at me. “That’s the easy part. I’m trying to find the specific DNA sequence. We found it for alphas but it’s not in the same place for omegas which is weird.”
“So are you saying omegas may not have it?”
He sighs. “As a scientist, I’m supposed to say that we can’t be certain the DNA markers are there for omegas. But I have a feeling. Finn, that’s my research partner, does too.”
Of course, the man who’s literally covered a fourth of his body in tattoos that represent his brain and heart would havea feeling.
“When you find it, you’ll change the lives of alphas and omegas everywhere. You’ll be a hero.”
The tips of his ears turn pink. He looks at the nest like it’s suddenly very interesting.
“They’ll talk about you in high school science classes for the remainder of time.”
His ears are fully red now. He looks like he's considering whether the nest is deep enough to hide in. I file this away. Graham Wiley, holder of dozens of patents, can be completely undone by a sincere compliment.
I reach for the next pillow he offers. Our fingers brush. I hold my hand against his for a second longer than necessary. He doesn’t pull away.
The scent in the room has been changing for a while now, but now it’s heavy. Chocolate and hazelnut layered into the pillows, the sheets, the air. My own salty caramel deepened and warmer than usual. We smell like each other already.
I place the pillow beside the others and look up at him. He’s watching me.
“You know,” I say softly, “it’s very attractive when someone talks about their passion project.”
