Chapter Twenty
Roderic
A shower kicked on upstairs with a rattle of pipes, drawing my attention. I wasn’t interested in the news I had been scrolling, but Paige had seemed nervous leaving me alone, so I was trying to behave.
But knowing she was occupied, and that I’d hear the water shut off before she could appear, the temptation to look around was too much.
The house was tiny by most standards, with less square footage than my place unless there was a usable basement, and it would have fit into one corner of my parents’ home.
The amount of clutter and the dated furniture led me to believe she’d lived there a long time despite her comment while I was cooking, unless she was into antiques.
I turned sideways to squeeze between the coffee table and recliner. It was clear an alpha didn’t live there, the crowding almost making me feel like I was in a dollhouse instead of a real home.
That thought led to me thinking of Paige as a doll, and my balls drew tighter. She was so small I could easily move her around and do what I wanted with her, and it was growing harder to restrain myself. My instincts called to claim her, make her mine.
Moving slowly so I could find the creaky spots without making too much noise, I walked to the kitchen.
It might have been large enough for Paige, but it would have been hell for me to try to cook in there.
Anyone who tried to fit in there with me would have been in danger of being elbowed or tripped over.
I spotted pictures on the fridge and leaned closer, trying to make them out.
One was clearly Paige as a child, her white-blonde hair and bright blues making her impossible to mistake.
The woman next to her had similar enough features for me to assume it was her mother, although her hair was a darker blonde, and she was thin even for an omega. So thin it made me think she was ill.
The second picture was a man, an alpha if I had to guess by the way he dwarfed the recliner he was in, with a baby tucked in his arm.
Bald, I had no way to know for sure it was Paige, but I had a feeling this was the father she hadn’t mentioned.
Most people in pictures holding babies that little would be smiling, but he wasn’t, his blank expression raising my hackles.
I shoved my questions into a box for later, once Paige trusted me more and might be willing to open up, and turned away.
The home was almost a perfect square, each room on the bottom floor opening to the next, and I could see enough of the dining room not to feel like I needed to go in there.
Instead, I returned to my place on the couch, carefully lowering my weight onto the protesting springs just as the pipes stopped their rattling.
I lost track of how long it was before Paige’s soft footsteps on the stairs pulled my focus from my phone once again. Up and up, my eyes dragged along exposed legs until they met the edge of a denim skirt that looked suspiciously like the jeans she’d been wearing before.
Even as my shaft twitched I wanted to growl at her to go change, the thought of other alphas seeing that much of her making my fists clench, but I swallowed the instinct. It wasn’t my place to tell her what she could wear, even if I wanted to keep the view all to myself.
“Is this okay?”
Her top was an off-the-shoulder white blouse that made her look far too innocent, and left her unmarked neck clear for all to see.
A growl did slip out as my mouth flooded with saliva.
“Sweetheart, you’re going to get me into a fight, looking so tempting.”
The flush on her cheeks moved down onto her chest as she came down the last few steps. It wasn’t until I tried to rise to meet her that I realized Peach was on my lap and I’d been idly petting her as I scrolled.
The ugly thing hissed as I lifted her to place on the cushion beside me, making Paige’s lips twitch, but nothing was going to stop me from getting to my omega. Her shoulders were tight, her chin tucked, self-consciousness written in her entire body, and I had to fix it.
She swallowed as I closed the space between us, her sweet scent blooming when I reached for her chin. I hated that she’d showered again and changed out of the clothing that still carried my scent, and it made me want to make her filthy all over again, but I restrained myself.
Forefinger under her chin, I lifted her head before brushing my thumb along her jaw. Twisting my hand, I trailed a fingertip from her ear to the base of her neck, her little gasp letting me know she was as affected as I was, even if the scent of slick hadn’t betrayed her.
That spot. That spot was mine.
“You’re a wet dream. I’ll be surprised if I don’t have to break a few things before the night is over.”
Things being other alphas, but that was fine. There was no risk of consequences at The Warehouse.
“We could stay home.”
Her words were breathy, a tremor wracking her body as my fingers lingered on her neck, but something in her expression shifted, as if she regretted the offer.
Letting a smile creep across my lips, I pulled my hand away before I went too far.
“Then things would definitely get broken.”
She blinked, the scent of slick increasing before she looked around. She might have thought I meant her furniture, but it was my control I was referring to. I hoped being in public might help me remember I was trying to take things slow.
Although The Warehouse probably wasn’t the best place for that.
Brushing the concern aside, I pulled my keys from my pocket.
“Ready?”
Her inhale was shaky and her smile weak, but she nodded.
A purse was on a hook by the door, but she didn’t grab it, instead digging out her keys and ID before tucking them into her pockets. She glanced around, frowning at the cat by my feet before shooing her and opening the door to leave.
The dog next door started barking the moment she stepped outside, but one glare from me and it took its paws off the fence, a whimper leaving its throat before it backed out of sight.
Animals could recognize greater predators.
I bundled Paige into the front seat of my SUV, telling myself I had to keep both hands on the wheel and my eyes on the road. The expanse of thigh sitting there within reach was almost too enticing, but her safety overrode the desire to feel her silky flesh again.
I took her to one of my favorite restaurants, figuring Italian was always a safe bet, and carbs were what she needed after her heat. It didn’t take long to order, and our food was in front of us in minutes.
One of the many benefits of working for the Galleons long enough to be recognized by the people we protected.
Did we do bad shit?
Sure.
There were branches of the family that sold drugs, but if we didn’t someone else would, and we made sure our shit was clean. Our dealers didn’t partake, and they knew to limit how much they sold to anyone. It was the best we could do when there was no way to get rid of the crap completely.
Did we hurt people?
When they deserved it. No one connected to the Galleons would do anything to an innocent, even though there were few who could truly claim that title.
Paige was quiet throughout the meal, but not enough to make me think she was unhappy. She responded in a normal tone when I talked to her, and she even made a few observations of her own. She was just a quiet person.
The nerves began to show when we got back on the road and headed farther downtown. It started with tapping on the arm rest, progressing to picking at her fingernails, the scent of fear leaking into the space around us.
“Sweetheart?”
I could only watch her from the corner of my eye as I made the last turn towards The Warehouse, but I saw her face swing towards me.
“Hmm?”
“What’s wrong?”
Her swallow was audible even over the quiet music playing in the background. She quit picking at her nails and she looked out the window again, but she finally answered.
“I’ve never been anywhere like this before.”
It was a little surprising considering her age. Most people went through a wild and reckless phase in their late teens to early twenties, and while she wasn’t out of that range yet, I’d have expected her to have done her share of partying.
Then again, from what I’d seen of her personality, it fit that she hadn’t.
I pulled into the alley employees used to park, leaning forward so the guard atop the staircase knew it was me. Once I’d put my SUV into Park, I turned to her and captured the hand closest to me.
“We can leave whenever you want. If you get uncomfortable, just let me know, and we’ll head home.”
It was natural to say home since I was already planning a future with her, and she didn’t correct me, although she probably hadn’t caught that I didn’t say head to her house.
She was too twisted up in her anxiety, and the urge to purr for her came back.
I almost gave in before she took a breath and let her shoulders relax, nodding that she understood.
“Okay. Thank you. I’m sure it’ll be fun.”
I couldn’t stop my grin. If I had my way, it was going to be more than fun, and anytime I mentioned the club in the future, she’d be wet in anticipation.
“Stay right there.”
I was out and around the car before she could protest, opening her door and reaching in to unbuckle her.
She gave me an odd look but didn’t fight me, taking my hand when I offered it to help her out.
She had to let go to pull her skirt down after sliding off the seat pulled it up, and when my groan was louder than I’d meant it to be, she raised a brow.
“You’re way too delicious, Sweetheart.”
I didn’t hide how I had to adjust myself again, her blush bright even in the single light shining down from above.
“Now, let’s go get into trouble.”