13. Luca #3
“You play hockey?” Her eyes slowly trail over me.
“I mean, you have the build for it, but you don’t strike me as an asshole like most of the others on Adler’s team.
Plus, I didn’t see you at the party last night.
And with your dreamy eyes, I would have expected The Valley Voice to have featured you in one of their swoony sports star columns by now. Which I may or may not follow…”
“I’m flattered you think I could be the subject of an article, but fate had other plans for me.
” I stare at a spot on the carpet. “I got injured six months before we arrived. The damage to my shoulder was so bad that I couldn’t risk playing again without causing serious damage, so I had to pivot and started training as a sports physical therapist instead. ”
“Shit. I’m sorry.” Her hand goes to my knee, warming it through the fabric. “It sounds like destiny hit you right in the gonads.”
Her ability to make me smile while thinking about such a painful time says a lot about her.
“It felt like it. Getting used to life off the ice was an adjustment.” I don’t want to get too deep after only just meeting her.
Truthfully, there was a time when I thought I’d never get over it.
Spending my whole life pursuing a dream, only to have it snatched away when it was within touching distance, was soul-crushing.
“I do miss being able to skate rings around Adler, but I enjoy what I’m doing now. I like to help people feel better.”
“I’m starting to see that.” She squeezes my leg. “Well, I’m definitely glad that you’re here. This whole thing,” she gestures at Adler’s mark on her neck, “is hard enough without having to move into a house that smells and feels like living in a guys’ locker room.”
“I hope you can feel at home here.” I mean it. “Truly.”
“Me too.” Her eyes scan the nest, the freckles on her nose dancing as she scrunches it up in concentration. “It’s looking better but still missing some extra sparkle.”
“I’ll bring your bags in.” I jump up. “Having your own things around you may help.”
I don’t have to go far because, sure enough, out on the landing are all of Sabs’s hot-pink suitcases. Orin’s doing, I’m sure.
She descends on them like a wild cat as soon as I wheel them inside, removing more glittery objects, jazzy fabrics, and feathers than I’ve ever seen in one place. She hums to herself as she scatters her belongings around the room.
“What do you think?” She holds up a purple, fluffy blanket. It clashes horribly with the rest of the colors, but she looks so happy about it.
“It looks great.” I can’t fight the smile tilting my lips. “Is there anything else you’d like to add?”
“A disco ball.” She points at the ceiling without hesitation. “Some omegas prefer flickering candles, but I like the rolling colors. I have one at Stella House that I can arrange to have moved.”
“No need.” If a disco ball is what she wants, that’s what she’ll get. I’m so smitten that if she asked for the moon, I’d find a way to lasso it down. “Anything else?”
“Maybe we can paint the walls?” She looks at the inoffensive cream walls that lack any real personality. “I need more…”
“Color?”
“Exactly!” She claps her hands. “And mirrors. Lots of mirrors. I love the way light bounces off them.”
Being able to see Sabs from all angles at once would also be an added benefit. I banish the thought from my head and tear my eyes away from her ass as she bends over to root around in one of her bags. Being Adler’s omega doesn’t also make her mine. Not officially anyway.
“We can head down to the DIY store in Forestville to pick out the paint,” I suggest. “Then I’ll get to work. It’s a big room, but it won’t take me long.”
“That’d be great.” Sabs spins like she’s taking a mental snapshot, visualizing what she’d like. “Maybe we can have a different color on that back wall?”
“Whatever you want.”
She strolls around her enormous bed, in a recessed pit in the middle of the room, before hooking her head into the nest bathroom.
“Holy cow. That is insane!” She gasps at the sight of the mammoth jacuzzi bath that takes up most of the space. “How many people can fit in that monster? It’s more like a small pool than a tub!”
“Six alphas, apparently. But I’m the only one who’s ever used it. The jets help with my muscle pain.” I roll my shoulder, imagining her in there with me, freckled thighs covered in piles of lavender-scented bubbles. “But obviously it’s yours now, so I can use another bath.”
“You can still use this bath, Luca.” She frowns. “This is your house, after all.”
“But this is your nest,” I retort. “Your own space. I don’t want to intrude—”
“You wouldn’t be intruding.” She speaks with conviction. “Plus, there’s enough space for two, right?” After checking out my extensive bubble bath and salt collection, she wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. “You can show me what’s best for aching muscles.”
“Bath salts are not a joking matter,” I tease. “I happen to take them very seriously.”
She puts her hand on her heart. “Who says I was joking?”
Holy shit, that was a real invitation? Now my cock springs to full mast.
Sabs may just be the best thing to have accidentally come into our lives. And I’m determined to make sure she’s happy, bubbles and all.