21. Lucy
CHAPTER 21
Lucy
After my nap, Liam woke me up with breakfast despite the fact that lunch had already come and gone. It was nice of him to pretend like I hadn’t pleaded for him to take a nap with me. He’d made sure I woke up alone, but it wasn’t as if I’d forgotten what I’d done.
No, I remembered every fucking moment like it had been filmed by my brain in high definition. Especially the memory of what he looked like without a shirt on.
Closing my eyes didn’t help wipe the image from my mind, if anything, it only intensified the details until all I could think about was the way those oblique muscles had dipped into his black jeans, sitting so low on his hips I wondered how they hadn’t fallen right off of him.
Jesus, Liam fucking Valor had made me breakfast in bed – scrambled eggs and toast with a side of fruit and the best orange juice I’d ever had. He’d assured me there was no pulp in the juice, and there hadn’t been small bits of shell in the eggs either. They’d been fluffy and buttery. I’d never tasted anything so delicious in my life as those eggs on toasted sourdough.
He’d also made sure I knew where all my stuff was, including my phone and laptop. Then he let me take my time looking around his fancy urban house.
It was close to the office he worked in, but tucked away in the middle of the city just behind the fashion district between Chinatown and Little Tokyo. I was pretty sure it had once been a warehouse he’d converted into a three-story masterpiece of urban luxury.
The walls were mostly glass when they weren’t cement or brick and I was positive the view of the city would be breathtaking at night.
There wasn’t anything of interest in his house though.
Despite the faint scent of his and Cas’s mixed pheromones, I would have assumed the place was a showroom for architects or designers. There were no pictures on the walls or personal items to decorate any of the surfaces. They didn’t have bags or jackets on any of the furniture either and it wasn’t until I went into the study that I found any trace of someone living there on a regular basis.
Two desks just like in the Valor Enterprises main office building and two computer setups. Shelves lined three walls and the fourth had been all glass with a gorgeous view of the buildings reaching for the sky in Chinatown.
Even the study was too clean, but there were books on the shelves that showed signs of wear and tear. The computer mouse on Liam’s desk had marks where his hand went, rubbing off some of the coating.
I hadn’t had the courage to go into his bedroom or Cassius’s, but I’d studied both from the doorways. They were right next to each other too, and they shared one of those connecting bathrooms but it was massive – more like a spa than a normal bathroom from what I could tell.
Not that I’d seen it myself, but the blueprints hadn’t been hard to find.
The house may appear sterile, but the whole place was infused with the subtle scent of Liam’s pheromones mixed with Cassius’s. It wasn’t overpowering or laced with overwhelming emotions, but it did make the place feel safe and welcoming.
At least, it did for me.
I still didn’t understand why Liam seemed so interested in me when he and Cassius were so close – close enough to fuck each other. I could probably ask, but every time I thought about it, my stomach flipped with nerves and something else I really didn’t want to think about.
Clearing my throat, I leaned back in the passenger seat and eyed Liam, who drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the stick shift. Seeing him like this shouldn’t affect me the way it did, but it really did and I couldn’t help but admire his profile.
Every inch of him screamed strength and dominance. It was obvious he liked to be in control, otherwise he’d just get a car with an automatic transmission, but I had to admit, I really liked that about him. Liam was a good alpha if a bit more intense than I was used to.
He hadn’t once tried to seduce me or take what he wanted even when I’d been at my most vulnerable, and I was trying really fucking hard not to be mad about that. It was a good thing he hadn’t tried to fuck me no matter how my stupid omega instincts felt about it.
Liam didn’t play any music as we drove through the city to where most of the Valor pack lived. The only sound between us was the road and the engine. Even his breathing was more of a feeling than a sound.
It was a vibration that was sweeter than any song he could choose, but I ignored it and watched the city fade until it became a luxury suburban area with lots of pretty greenery. The houses were too far off the main road to see them, and they were more like an estate than a dwelling for a small family.
Valor owned a massive amount of land that took up over a hundred acres just outside the city. The property was built like a community of strangers with their own houses, but they all belonged to the same pack with each family possessing their own mansion.
Very few outside the pack had ever been invited inside since children lived there.
Alphas were ridiculous around omegas, but children? They were a thousand times more protective over the babies, which meant this place had airtight security.
The pictures posted on social media platforms had to follow pack rules. No addresses, no windows or doors that showed how one might get in or where that particular house was located. All GPS had to be turned off and everyone’s phone or computer was approved and assigned by the alpha.
It was a lot, to be honest, which was probably why Liam had insisted I pretend to be his girlfriend. That wouldn’t make the news the same way a detective being invited into the Valor estate to question its members would.
Because then the world would know Valor suspected one of their own.
Resting my chin on the heel of my palm, I tried not to fidget too much despite how nervous I was.
The press getting a picture of us would make all this a thousand times more difficult, but it was the fact that I’d picked out my outfit based on the small chance that someone would take a picture without me being aware of it that really annoyed me.
Instead of my usual jeans, I was wearing one of my favorite black skirts that made my waist look tiny and the thick fabric flared out with the hem reaching just below my knee. My black tights were thick enough to keep me warm and kept my thighs from sticking together. They’d also make sure I wouldn’t accidentally flash someone if I fell or ended up in a fight.
Combat boots with a crescent moon and roses were embroidered on the sides in black thread – steel toes to break ribs and comfortable enough to sprint in. My black turtleneck was tucked in and tight enough to show off my curves as well as the double Ds I hated .
One of these days I’d take some time off and get a reduction, but until then I usually strapped them down with a sports bra over my regular bra to help with the pain when I had to run. Today, I’d forgone the sports bra though just to look a bit more feminine.
I also didn’t want anyone to see my tattoos or the way I wore my scent blockers, which was why I’d gone with the turtleneck instead of a blouse. If a picture was taken today, I wanted to make sure it would take some time for people to connect the dots and figure out that Liam Valor’s girlfriend Lucy was actually Lou Parker, the private detective who’d gone viral a few years ago.
Not to mention his mother would flip the second she caught wind of the fact that Liam was dating an omega with tattoos and piercings. This fake relationship wouldn’t last long once she found out the truth and I had to make this last as long as possible. Just in case Cassius was right.
Tugging on the cameo necklace resting on my chest helped with some of the nerves I felt when we got off the highway.
My gun was in the purse on my lap instead of in the black leather harness I usually wore over the turtleneck. I didn’t like having to hide it, but it was usually too warm to wear my coat inside and I definitely didn’t want a picture of that to end up on the internet.
Liam was taking me to see Gideon Valor’s house so I could take a look around, but Melinda would also be there since it was a Saturday. That might work in my favor, or it might not, but at least we could kill two birds with one stone.
This wasn’t how we usually did things though.
I picked at my cuticles, trying not to overthink every little thing, but the last time I’d questioned someone, they’d thrown their cup of coffee at me.
People generally didn’t like me for a variety of interesting reasons, but the most common one was that my direct approach usually came off as bitchy or aggressive despite how careful I was with my tone of voice.
Beating around the bush or gently pushing people into giving me the answer I wanted without directly asking it was not my forte.
“Aside from work, what do you like to do?”
Liam’s question yanked me out of my thoughts and I jolted a little, more shocked than anything.
Glancing at him out of the corner of my eye told me nothing. His eyes were still on the road and his expression was pleasant but there was nothing there to tell me if he actually cared about my answer or not.
“Are you talking about hobbies?” I reached back to check the black bow tying my hair up and out of my face, the partial updo one I’d used a lot when living with Frankie’s family, so I knew it was elegant enough for a legacy pack.
“I suppose.” Liam smiled like he’d told a joke and it had gone completely over my head. “It doesn’t have to be a hobby though. I’m just curious what you like to do in your free time.”
There was no reason he would need to know unless…
Unless he thought he’d be quizzed on the information? There was only so much of a relationship we could fake without getting to know each other.
Looking out the window, I watched the trees whizzing by as I considered his question.
What did I like to do?
“Do you have any pets?”
The slight tension in my chest eased and I was grateful he’d picked up on it, asking me a more specific question instead, but it was unnerving how well he seemed to know me when we’d barely spent any time together.
“I don’t have any pets.” How could I when I never knew when I’d be home? “Usually I just hang out with Frankie at home. We watch TV while I crochet, or she reads while I draw. Five days a week we workout at the gym in our building, and once a week she takes me out somewhere. Frankie always worries that I’ll become some weird hermit or something, so she picks an activity and we go do it if we aren’t busy with work.”
But now that I was making her sick, that entire routine was impossible until I could figure out how to manage my pheromones.
“I’m surprised you don’t have any pets,” Liam admitted. “You seem like a cat person.”
“I’ve never had a cat, but I can see why you’d think that.” Introverted people were more likely to have a cat than a dog as they were less demanding of their time and energy. “You’d probably never guess what pet I used to have.”
“Maybe I’ll surprise you.”
The playful tone in his voice had me turning to look at him, wondering if maybe he could. Liam was always so confident, but what made him think he could choose something so obscure the first time around without knowing very much about me?
“Go ahead then.” I crossed my arms over my chest and raised an eyebrow, wondering what exotic animal he thought I’d keep as a pet. “I’m waiting.”
Liam chuckled, keeping his eyes on the road.
He looked so beautiful and carefree that I envied him.
What would it be like to have such overwhelming confidence in yourself and your place in the world? That was an experience I’d never get to have.
“Okay so, you’re definitely not the type to have a dog since you already have Frankie.”
I snorted. Liam could be funny when he wanted. I hadn’t expected that.
“I’d say a snake, but they’re a lot of work to take care of.” Liam glanced at me, his red eyes sparkling. “I bet it’s something weird.”
“I’m a weird person, so that is an accurate assumption.”
He laughed and warmth spread through me at the sound of it. This legacy alpha was enchanting. It was a word I didn’t think I’d ever use to describe an alpha, but he had this whole fairytale prince thing going on that had me ready to fall all over myself just to make him laugh like that again.
“Hm, I want to say…ants.”
It was impossible not to smile. “Your choice is certainly unique and I’ve seen someone with an elaborate ant farm before, but insects aren’t my thing.”
“So then, what is it?”
“I really like axolotls. They’re not easy to keep alive since they’re so delicate and you can’t touch them without the risk of making them sick. They prefer to live a solitary existence, and they can’t stand the heat. We happen to have a lot in common.”
I turned back to the window and looked up at the bright blue sky with the occasional white cloud drifting by. “Did you know that most other aquatic creatures can’t cohabitate with an axolotl? They will try to eat anything that fits in their mouths including another axolotl. They’ll choose cannibalism over companionship, and there’s just something about the appetite for flesh from a creature so fragile and delicate that makes me wonder if we should be afraid of the alphas, or something else entirely.”
Make an omega bleed over and over and eventually, they’ll start craving the taste of blood.