Chapter 3
Ollie
Iswallow a breath as I knock on the door before adjusting the cuff of my shirt.
I got a haircut before the meeting, bought a special vest and nipple pads to bind my breasts, and took out all my piercings. Plus, I’ve been practicing my speech and walking style with Luke for the past week.
Marilyn is the only person with the Scented Scorpions who met Luke and me together. I just have to pretend to be him with her, and then I can dress how I want when I move in with Timber.
“Come in.” Marilyn’s voice flows through her office door.
The only things that could give me away are the empty piercings on my bottom lip and right nostril. My hair covers my ears, with piercing holes along the top shell, and the gaps in my lobes I usually have plugged.
Luke and I are used to swapping places and acting like each other since growing up, so I’m not too nervous.
Until I open the door.
And I buckle.
The scent of rich coffee and alpha smashes into me, and I slip on the door handle, stumbling forward. I gasp as I slam my other hand over my mouth. Coughing loudly, I drop my chin to hide my eyes rolling as need floods my body.
Pure heat soars from my toes to my throat, filling me up from the inside.
My suppressants are meant to stop my perfume, but as I stand there, trembling, I can feel the pressure of it building. I don’t know if I can be in the room when the scent of coffee is so thick.
“Sorry, I have a cold,” I croak, dropping my hand from my mouth as I force myself to straighten up and step inside.
Marilyn sits behind her desk, neatly dressed in a sharp champagne suit, subtle make-up, and her hair perfectly styled. She looks immaculate and in control, and it’s a huge boost being in the same room as an alpha like her.
Then there’s Timber, his broad body crushed into a huge chair, his buzz cut showing off the hard muscles of his neck, and his plain white T-shirt struggling over his wide shoulders.
As his back straightens, more luscious coffee rolls off him, and I have to clench my hand into a fist to stop the moan that’s bubbling inside me.
Marilyn narrows her eyes at me, and my nerves hop around. But she quickly eases into a smile before waving me over.
“Please, Luke, take a seat. Timber, I want you to meet your new housemate.”
He doesn’t acknowledge me as I lower into the chair beside him, staring at the profile of his face. I close my mouth so it isn’t obvious I’m gaping at him. I’ll pass it off as being a fan instead of my horny levels rising like a tsunami.
“Timber, Luke will take over your health plan until the end of the season.”
Timber’s shoulders hunch, but he still doesn’t turn to look at me. His hard stare goes a thousand yards as he keeps it fixed on the wall behind Marilyn.
Even just looking at him sends a tremor through me, and I try hard not to squeeze my thighs together, because dear Lord, he’s handsome.
It’s not only the chiseled jaw and wide lips, or the dark blue eyes shadowed by long lashes.
That magazine spread was hot, but it did nothing to show just how big he is in person.
The chairs are made for hockey players, but he still swamps his, while I barely touch the sides.
I must be half his size, and my omega side is already telling me I need to mount him and scent mark him and announce he’s mine.
“Are you joking? Why the hell do I need that?” he huffs.
“Because it doesn’t matter how much weight training you do when you pump absolute garbage into your body every day.”
She closes the sentence like she’s snapping a book. There’s no room for argument, and he can tell it, too.
“A better diet will improve your mood, and hopefully help with the other problems we’ve discussed.”
He presses his thick and definitely tasty lips together. Seeing a forty-two-year-old alpha pout does bad things to me. Who cares if he’s nearly twice my age when I bet his kisses would leave me breathless?
“Luke? Is everything alright?” Marilyn asks as Timber shifts in his chair again. If he looks at me with his stormy glare, I’m sure I’m going to draw in the biggest breath they’ve ever seen. Betas aren’t able to scent other people, so the jig will be up quicker than it started.
My gaze sweeps to hers as she smiles patiently, and I catch myself like a business pro.
I hope there isn’t a single trace on my face of how my body is going into nuclear meltdown over the mountain of an alpha next to me.
I stuff my fist in my suit pocket, like I can hide all the need that flares up inside me. The angry energy that beats off him makes him a hundred times hotter. If Marilyn weren’t here, I would have flung myself into his arms to soothe him like his mate should.
My omega side is rising, and I send a quick prayer of thanks to the God of Suppressants that I’m not blasting perfume like a smoke machine.
“This isn’t going to work.” Timber glowers. “I spend half my time at away games. I’m not dragging someone around the country with me.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Holtz. It’s already been discussed,” I reply. “Because of the amount of time you’ll be away, I’ll cook, pack, and freeze meals for you to eat during the week.”
He pauses, one eyebrow rising. Maybe the fact that he won’t look at me is a good thing. It means I have less encouragement.
“There is no way I’m taking a fucking lunchbox with me to games.”
I hide my shudder as he growls. The sound winds through my body, teasing at my nipples and firing my core.
I had to take my nipple piercings out to bind my chest and it’s a good thing too. They would have made me even hornier.
He finally lifts his head and meets my eyes with a scowl. I expect fireworks; I expect shock. I want there to be some fanfare or explosion or something to say he’s feeling what I am.
Because all the air has left the room and the only thing that remains is his scent, which buzzes like an espresso shot. I don’t even know him, and I want him so badly it hurts.
There has to be an off button for a scent match, right?
“I’ve already given you your options, Timber. It’s up to you to decide which one to take,” Marilyn says.
I take a slow, secret breath, and I clench my ass so I don’t shiver as his rough heat fills my lungs.
I’m in danger.
I squeeze my jaw hard, tightening my throat so I don’t let out a hungry whine. We need this job more than I need to hitch a ride on a hockey player.
“Looks like you want to be here as much as I do,” he says roughly, his voice like sandpaper, smoothing out all my frazzled lines. If I can just bury into his huge puffy chest and listen to him murmur to me as I fall asleep, or sink down onto him as he moans over how good I feel around his cock…
“I highly doubt that,” I say with a cheery smile, holding out my hand, which he takes begrudgingly.
I want him to suck in a breath or tremble or do anything other than blanket my hand in his meaty paw and glare at me. I’m yelling at my stupid imagination to sit down and stop thinking about how small my hand would look on any other part of his body.
“Nice to finally meet you, Timber,” I say politely. “It looks like we’ll be living together from now on.”
He squints, inspecting me, and I curl my toes in my shoes to make sure I don’t react.
Mixing my heat and scent suppressants means I shouldn’t slick, but who knows what will happen when the horny sirens are blaring?
“The only reason I’m doing this is because you told me to,” he growls at Marilyn as he drops my hand. I’m not gonna lie: I know what I’m doing with it tonight.
“Timber,” Marilyn says his name like she’s summoning a dog. “I know your house is more than big enough for ten people, so you don’t have an excuse. And Luke won’t get in your way, will he?”
“No, ma’am,” I say with a firm nod. “I’m only here to cook meals and provide support. You don’t have to see me at all if you don’t want to.”
It will probably be better that way. An omega in an alpha’s house pretending to be a male beta while getting closer to my heat. That? That I can deal with.
But Timber is my scent match. And that’s as bad as throwing a piranha into a tank of goldfish and telling it not to chomp.
“What about my private space?” he asks.
“What about your place on the team?” Marilyn shoots back.
He clicks his tongue, and I watch him curiously. I don’t think I’m meant to think of my alpha as cute, but the way he hunches over his shoulders and holds his folded arms hard against his wide chest just makes me want to rub his back and whisper my dirty thoughts in his ear.
“Fine,” he says grumpily.
“I didn’t quite hear you. Is that a yes?” Marilyn says with a calm smile.
“Yes, it’s a fucking yes. But my housekeeper has to prepare a space for him. He can’t just come whenever he wants.”
“Very good. I’ll ask your manager to call her now. Your place should be ready by tonight.”
“It’s Friday!” he snaps.
“He’s right,” I cut in. “I have things to take care of before I move in.” Like making sure I have enough suppressants to stop me from doing something I’ll definitely not regret.
“Then that gives Timber and his housekeeper plenty of time to make sure everything is ready for you,” she says.
“No, I take it back. Fuck this. I’m not living with a stranger.”
“I won’t be a stranger for too long. I’ll make sure it’ll be as comfortable as possible for you,” I say. I should start being careful about how I phrase things as well. Next thing I’ll be saying I’ll ‘service’ him to see if he gets the hint.
He looks at me with a fierceness that shakes me to my core, and my imagination starts up again. If he went for me now, what would he do first?
“Send me a key to your house, and I’ll pass it along to Luke when he’s ready to move in,” Marilyn says.
Timber shoots up, his chair rocking back on the carpet as I crane my neck to look at him. He really is a giant. His hands could probably swallow my ass whole if he hoisted me over his shoulder and dragged me off to his man cave.
“Is that enough? I’ve met him, I’ll send you a key. Now, let me go.”
God, his growl is amazing. I press my thighs together, glad all of Marilyn’s focus is on Timber.
Marilyn tilts her head, and the way she stares him down sends another wave of shivers through me. Women in charge are the best.
Timber scowls as he turns on one foot and strides out of the door. The glass rattles as he slams it behind him.
All that’s left is the heavy cloud of his coffee scent and a thick awkwardness hanging between Marilyn and me.
“I apologize for that,” she says as another door slams somewhere in the building. “I’m sure he won’t be so bad when you move in together.”
I already know I’m going to be the problem. How the hell am I going to be in the same house, let alone the same room as an alpha who looks and smells like that?
I’m just going to pretend it will all be okay—for now. There’s no reason to worry when I have suppressants and common sense.
Yeah, right.
“Don’t worry about it,” I say, bouncing back straight away. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out. Shall we discuss my responsibilities?” Then I can worry about my sudden unbridled lust for Timber Holtz.