Chapter 3 Candrin
CANDRIN
Did that really happen?
What a day!
I’d woken up in my room in my father’s house, the home I’d grown up in, the place where my parents had brought me home from the hospital after my birth. While Saul and Molly were staff, they were also like a second set of parents, particularly after my omega dad died.
Father was always so busy running the business, the one I’d expected to take over as his only child.
That was what I’d been led to believe, he told me that himself, showed me the will.
And the reason I was working at a charity and not at his side was because he wanted me to see the real world—as much as the heir to a multi-million dollar empire could—and not have the staff defer to me because I was the boss’s son.
He expected people to challenge and disagree with me and in turn for me to learn from them.
As I got dressed this morning, I’d studied a photo of my parents and me when I was much younger, knowing that while the reading of the will was a mere formality, I wasn’t looking forward to it because it would be the final goodbye to Father.
The phone beeped, interrupting my day dream. Before I checked the sender I briefly wondered if it was Mr. James saying he had definitive proof that Charles, as he called himself, was an imposter and to please come home.
Dream on, Candrin.
How are you, sweetheart? Is the shared house nice? We miss you. I’ll call you tomorrow. Molly xxx
Molly and Saul had a spare bedroom but I hadn’t suggested it because my fake brother would have said no and besides, they had to work for him. I didn’t want him firing them just because they loved me.
Putting the phone on the nightstand, my thoughts drifted to my new landlord.
If my life wasn’t in the toilet and if I wasn’t living in his house, I would pay more attention to him with the idea of asking him out.
But when landlord and tenant relationships went sideways, it got messy—I’d heard enough stories from my colleagues.
Nope, I’d just have to worship that body of Tanner’s from afar.
A door slammed in the distance, too far to be on this floor.
Sounded as though it came from downstairs.
The front door closing perhaps. Was Tanner headed out?
It was Saturday night and maybe he was going to a club, visiting friends or he might be in a relationship.
Gods, the universe couldn’t even let me have my fantasy. It had to take that too!
A tear slid over my cheek as I closed my eyes. Why, Father? Why?
I didn’t give a damn about the company or even the house, but to cut me off, leaving me alone and adrift was ruthless and while Father had made hard decisions during his business life, he wasn’t cruel.
Sitting up and flinging off the bedclothes, I opened my suitcase and tossed out the clothes until I found Father’s letter.
Turning on the light I studied the handwriting.
It certainly looked like my father’s but I had nothing with me to compare it to.
The letters Father had written me when I was a kid at summer camp were in a trunk in the attic.
The only way I could get them was to sneak into the house unless I asked Saul. Nah, I couldn’t.
After a night of tossing and turning, it seemed as though I’d been asleep for a few minutes when I was woken by a loud noise.
I recognized it as a vacuum cleaner because Molly used one every day at home.
Not my home any longer. Someone else’s and that someone had stolen it.
But I couldn’t think about that now. I had to do chores though I couldn't recall where the schedule was and what I was supposed to do.
I stuck my head out the door to find Tanner bending over the vacuum cleaner. Nice ass. Perfect for pinching, stroking and licking. But the alpha swung around and my lack of sleep had slowed my reflexes. He caught me ogling his butt.
Shit! “M-Morning. It’s a beautiful b… I mean day.”
Tanner’s eyes flicked to a window and mine followed.
It was overcast and there was a light drizzle.
“If… if you’re a duck that is.” He raised a brow and me being a motor mouth, I just kept on talking, digging myself deeper in a hole.
“Ummm they like water on their back, right and under their butts? Ducks, I mean.”
The alpha narrowed his eyes before jerking his head at the vacuum which he turned off.
It didn’t look anything like the one Molly used and it was much noisier too.
She was so proud of her device, said Father had brought her the best and it made cleaning the house so much easier.
This one of Tanner’s sounded like a jet engine.
“Your turn to do the living room.”
I was still in my PJs and hadn’t brushed my teeth and did Tanner just take a peek at my crotch? “Okay. I’ll mosey into the living room and that floor will be so clean you’ll be able to eat off it.”
The alpha scrunched up his nose. “Not on the carpet I wouldn’t.”
“Right.” I’d been rabbiting on, while trying to figure out how to start the vacuum cleaner.
“Well, I’ll be going.” I picked up the vacuum and headed toward the stairs but I only took a few steps and I was jerked backward, landing flat on my back.
I stared upward as I wriggled my toes and wondered if I’d broken anything and Tanner’s face loomed over me.
“You have to unplug it.”
“Silly me.” I giggled but everywhere hurt.
“Here.” He offered me his hand and I took it. His skin was surprisingly soft, but then most people’s hands were, unless they worked construction or something. My body tingled at his touch but that could have been the aftermath of me thumping on the floor.
He hauled me up so we were face to face.
Gods, morning breath. Mine! I pinched my lips, trying not to breathe on him but I couldn’t help noticing his strong jaw and the scruff on his chin.
Only an inch separated us, and my cock was swelling under my PJs and all it would take to brush against him would be to move ever so slightly.
“You okay?”
“Fine. It’d take more than a little fall to stop me.” I winced and tried not to limp as I unplugged the vacuum and headed to the living room.
“You know how to start it, I’m guessing.”
“Of course.” Damn, why didn’t I have my phone with me? I could have checked online.
It took a while but I figured out how to turn on the machine and I cleaned the carpet as best I could.
“Don’t forget to do under the couch.” Tanner was leaning against the door, arms folded. How long had he been there? The machine was so noisy and I’d been lost in my own thoughts.
“You did good,” Tanner told me later when I finished and wandered into the kitchen to ask where I put the vacuum. I remembered Molly had a special place for the one she used at home. I fisted my palms because I had to stop thinking of that house as my home. “I think you deserve a hot breakfast.”
“I’m not much of a cook,” I admitted.
He grinned. “Sit. This is a welcome to the house breakfast. But wash your hands first.”
Tanner busied himself cooking bacon and cracking eggs. Coffee percolated while he made toast and when it was done, he put two plates on the table. “Enjoy.”
“Thank you. This looks great.” I took a mouthful. “Tastes better than it looks.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I heard them in my head. “Even better than it looks,” I clarified.
“So.” Tanner picked up a piece of bacon and bit into it. Never in my life had I wanted to be a strip of crunchy fried meat. I glanced down at my plate, worried I was drooling. “Tell me a little about Candrin.”
“I’m not very interesting.” I wanted to yell that I was an orphan with nothing other than what was in my suitcase and I had a pretend brother who was living my life.
But Tanner probably didn’t want to get caught up in my family melodrama.
“Had some bad luck but hoping to sort it out.” That was as much as I was saying for now.
“Sorry to hear that.” He reached out for the jam at the same time as I did.
“You first,” I said, yanking my hand back.
“No, you.” He placed the jar in front of me. I kept my eyes on my toast as I spread the jam and then took a bite. “But I’m very glad you’ve come to live with us.”
.