Chapter Nineteen
Paige
“Take my phone.”
He was still smiling, but it grew softer. The look he gave me said he thought I was na?ve, and I was, but for some reason, he also looked like he thought it was cute.
“Someone could come over. Or you could leave even though you say you won’t. You could have another phone, or a tablet, or a computer.”
He leaned closer with each suggestion, his focus on my lips. My heart was galloping in my chest, my head spinning from breathing too fast. Too much had occurred in such a short time, my brain was giving up trying to keep up with everything.
His mouth inched closer to mine. His grip on my chin was loose enough I could pull away without a fight, but I didn’t want to. With my brain shutting down, my body took over, it’s wants at the front.
“You could ask a neighbor to borrow their phone.”
He was close enough his exhale washed over my lips, and they parted on instinct, waiting for his kiss.
“You could have carrier pigeons out back.”
The ridiculousness of what he’d said made me jerk back, brows bunched together. It was too much for me to even mourn the loss of having his mouth on me again.
“Pigeons?”
He shrugged one shoulder, mischief dancing in his green eyes.
If he was upset about me pulling away, he didn’t show it, but my brain finally kicked back on and decided it was for the best. Even if he wasn’t here to kill me, he still wasn’t here for good reasons, and giving in to the pull I felt would be foolish.
He would leave.
Eventually.
Taking another step back, I swallowed and tried to think of another reason why he didn’t need to stay.
I didn’t need the embarrassment having him here would cause.
The differences in our homes was staggering, and I doubted he’d ever had to deal with a toilet where you had to jiggle the handle just right after flushing to get it to stop running.
“Paige?”
He rarely used my name, and the serious tone had me swallowing.
“Yes?”
“I’m not leaving.”
Even though there was no more humor in his voice or expression, he said it gently, as if he regretted disappointing me.
“I… I just don’t think you’ll be comfortable here.”
He looked at me like I was crazy before looking around. A sense of disappointment radiated from him when he got back to me, and my heart gave a lurch.
I disappoint everyone. It was why I’d always be alone.
Lips twitching into a smile so fast I almost didn’t believe what I’d seen, he shrugged one shoulder as he crossed his arms and leaned back to prop his hip against my ancient couch.
I’d reupholstered it years ago when my mother expressed she hated the old floral design, but that hadn’t done anything to fix the creaky springs, and I was terrified it wouldn’t be able to handle his weight.
“I’m comfortable anywhere, Sweetheart, but we can always go somewhere else. If you don’t want stuck at my place, we could try The Warehouse?”
I frowned as I tried to place the name. I knew I’d heard of it before, but couldn’t remember what it was, and it must have shown.
“My boss owns the club, and I usually work security for it. My shifts are covered as long as I’m with you, so we can just go and enjoy the atmosphere.”
The news that his boss, who I presumed was the man I’d heard in Roderic’s house who was obviously someone higher up if not the head of the mafia Roderic was entangled with, made me hesitant. So did the fact that I’d never been to a club and had no idea what to expect besides loud music and alcohol.
And more alphas.
Places like that were dangerous for unbonded omegas like me, but then again, being home alone with Roderic felt dangerous too, because the draw to him would be too strong to ignore with nothing to distract me.
“Okay. I’ll have to change,” I said, looking down at the worn jeans and plain tank top I was still wearing. I might not have ever been to a club, but I’d seen them on TV, and this wasn’t what women wore to them.
“You don’t have to. Whatever makes you comfortable.”
Raising my eyes to his, my heart tried to soften again. If I looked out of place it would draw attention to me, and therefore him. Alphas usually wanted to show off their omegas, and I didn’t want to embarrass him by being underdressed.
Even though I wasn’t his omega.
Mentally slapping myself upside my head, I shook off the indecision. If I was stuck with him and he was offering to take me somewhere I’d never been, I might as well try to enjoy it. I’d never have been brave enough to go alone.
“I’ll get ready. When do they open?”
The clock said it was still early afternoon, and most clubs didn’t open until evening. That gave me plenty of time to get ready, but I also didn’t want to leave Roderic alone for too long.
“It’s always open, but we’ll grab dinner on the way. They don’t have anything filling enough to restore us at the club.”
My cheeks warmed at the reminder that my heat had barely passed, but I nodded. I would have argued that I could cook for him the way he had for me, but the truth was I had nothing but cheap noodles in the kitchen, and probably not enough for him to even pretend he was full.
“Okay. Umm, feel free to make yourself comfortable.”
I chewed my lip after the automatic offer, hoping he didn’t decide to go snooping or moving things. There wasn’t much he could find on the bottom floor besides my drawer full of bills and the pictures on the fridge, and hopefully he wouldn’t come upstairs.
After hesitating, I turned and placed my hand on the banister, forcing one foot in front of the other up the staircase. I didn’t hear any movement behind me, but when I checked on him, Roderic had taken a seat on the couch, phone in hand.
Reassured he was occupied, at least for the moment, I raced to my closet, hoping I could find something decent that wouldn’t embarrass the both of us.