Chapter Thirteen – Jess
I meet Mason and Asher in the upstairs hall. Asher is the first to say, “What’s going on?” Beside him, Mason is a stone wall. A stone wall with an intense frown that informs me of his thoughts on the subject of the alpha downstairs.
Rourke Cunningham. Even now, I still can’t believe he’s the one who came after me. It’s a small world.
And, beyond that, I can’t explain why I feel as though I can trust him.
I don’t know a thing about the über alpha, other than he respected my wishes and didn’t write me an offer that night at the Omega Garden—and what set him apart from the other alphas was that, even when I insulted him and pushed him away, he was still interested in me, whereas the other alphas were too put off.
I don’t know what to make of him.
“I let him go,” I whisper.
“What? You—you realize that by letting him go, we are so fucked, right?” Mason hisses out, which earns him a glare from his brother, but he doesn’t seem to care. “Shit. This is ten kinds of bad, and it’s all your fault.”
I don’t have the heart to argue with him right now.
Normally I would, but after that talk with Rourke, I’m feeling…
almost depressed. Depressed and confused.
The former for having to rehash the not-so-fun aspects of my life, and the latter because, yes, I do feel something deep inside when it comes to that Rourke guy, only I don’t know what it is and I can’t explain it.
I say, “He’s calling his boss. His boss can talk to the police or whatever, stop them from coming here and arresting you two.”
Asher steps forward, and he lifts an arm with the clear intent of touching me, but he stops short and lets that arm fall back to his side. “Does that mean you’re going with him?” The sorrow in his tone is laced with each word, tiny little knives in my heart. I don’t like hearing him so sad.
“No.” The moment the word leaves my lips, both alphas before me visibly relax, though I don’t quite know why Mason would care. “He said…”
“What?” Asher is breathless with the possibility I won’t be taken.
“When I told him about my aunt and the will, he said if he can stay and make sure I don’t run again, I can stay here until my first heat passes.”
Mason says, “Why would he care? Isn’t bringing you back his only job?”
I nod. “Yes, but… it sounds like Alabaster Security isn’t just about security anymore. It sounds like they help omegas who need it. And besides that, I think he—” I swallow hard before I say this next part. “—likes me.”
The moment those words are out of me, both Asher and Mason start posturing, like the mere idea of Rourke liking me puts them on edge. As if they need to scare him off or something.
Like I belong to them.
But I don’t. I belong to no one but me.
“Stop it,” I tell them, regaining my composure somewhat. “Don’t puff out those chests and act angry on my behalf. I believe him. I don’t think he’s lying to me. I don’t know that I trust him completely, but I do think he’s on my side.”
Whether or not my words convince them, they do their part and stop acting all macho. Mason mutters, clearly unhappy with the whole thing, “We should get back down there and make sure he’s upholding his end of the deal.”
Probably a smart thing to do, regardless. I spin on the heels of my feet and am the first to lead, much to the chagrin of the über behind me, but I don’t care. For some reason, I can’t get what Rourke said out of my head.
Something’s between us. He feels it, and he knows I feel it, too.
He’s wrong. He has to be. He’s just another alpha to me, no one special, no one I actually care about—and definitely not anyone I was hoping to see again. The only thing that’s between us is his job. That’s it. Nothing to write home about.
Still, for some stupid reason, as I lead the two alphas to the living room, I can’t help but feel like I’m wrong somehow. And the thing is, I don’t know how or why I feel as though I’m wrong. It doesn’t make sense. An alpha like Rourke shouldn’t affect me at all.
Rourke is standing in the threshold that separates the living room from the kitchen, and we overhear him say, “Thanks, Darius. I appreciate it. I’ll keep you updated.
” He ends the call and turns toward us as we approach him, his chiseled features once again morphing into a smirk that has no business being so dang sexy.
He’s a good-looking alpha, okay? He’s the very definition of what an über alpha should be. Big and muscled… not to mention the tattoos I know are on his arm, or at the very least, his wrist beneath those sleeves.
I haven’t seen the alpha naked, obviously, but I do secretly wonder if he has other tattoos on his body, places that his current outfit doesn’t reveal.
The possibility is one I shouldn’t pay any thought to, and yet it lingers in the back of my mind, teasing and tempting in a way it has no right to be.
Apparently I like tattoos. Go figure.
“So,” Mason starts, and just like that the posturing is back. Two übers under the same roof—not sure how that’ll work out. Maybe these two need to not be in the same room together, to avoid any testosterone-fueled confrontations.
“So,” Rourke repeats as he slides his phone into his back pocket.
All Asher does is glance between the two übers, who are caught in a staring contest, and then glance at me. Though he doesn’t say a word, I can tell what he’s thinking: This is awkward. Or something along those lines.
To which I’d say, Yeah, it kind of is.
Mason folds his arms over his chest. “How do we know we can trust you? How do we know that call you made wasn’t to bring backup?”
The look Rourke gives him says it all, and his words back it up: “You really think I need backup to take you two down? Please. I’ve been trained for much worse situations.
I could take you two down blindfolded.” I cough, which causes him to switch directions.
“But I’ve been informed by Jess that this whole thing is a matter of her safety, so you two can be assured that no one else will come knocking. ”
“I don’t trust you,” Mason says.
“And I don’t blame you for that. We don’t know each other.
” The tactical-wearing über glances at me, and that gaze of his lingers in a way that makes me want to squirm.
I’m barely able to resist the urge. “But I’m not some run-of-the-mill alpha you’d meet on the street.
I take my job very seriously. My number one priority is Jess’s safety, and as long as neither of you jeopardize that safety, we can play a happy pack for a little while. ”
Mason looks like he wants to argue with him, but Asher’s expression has softened, and I can tell he believes Rourke.
And me? I feel… strange. Strange to the point I’m almost confused. I should be happy that Rourke has agreed to let me have my first heat here and thereby gain some independence and inherit all of my family’s wealth, but I’m not.
Before anyone else can say another word, Rourke lifts his nose in the air and breathes in deeply.
At first, I think he’s trying to smell me in the air, but right then Asher’s alarm goes off, and he fumbles to get his phone out and turn the alarm off.
All eyes are on him when he sheepishly says, “Lasagna should be ready. I… uh, hope everyone’s hungry. ”
At this point, eating is the last thing on my mind, but Asher spent a lot of time cooking that lasagna from scratch.
Guess it’s time to eat. We can get back to the awkwardness and the tension later.