Chapter 4 Timber
Timber
For someone who smiled so proudly in Marilyn’s office about scoring a gig to live in my house, Luke really doesn’t seem happy about the whole thing.
He’s definitely trying to hide it, but every time I turn around, I catch him frowning at me before he goes back to an innocent smile.
I’ve been busy all weekend, so I let my housekeeper get him set up. She welcomed him when he arrived, and he was so pleased when he saw his bedroom that I felt bad telling him he shouldn’t be sleeping directly across the hall from me.
I swear my housekeeper planned it because she knows I’m too embarrassed to tell Luke there’s been a mistake.
Now he’s trailing behind me as I show him the main rooms, half staring at me, half inspecting things too closely.
Like now, when I’m showing him the security system by the garage—does he really need to press his shoulder against my arm to peer at the camera display that shows the driveway 24/7? And then jump back with a gasp like he’s done something wrong?
His head barely scrapes my shoulder, but it’s weird how aware of him I am.
“You look like I’m going to hurt you,” I say gruffly before turning back to the security box, but he doesn’t reply.
“The front door is for deliveries and cold callers; we only come in through the garage. I’ve texted you the code, but I’ve got it set up so that if there are any break-ins I’ll get a notification straight to my phone.
There are cameras outside and around the perimeter, and cameras in every part of the house except the bedrooms and bathrooms.”
I’m stuck there, blinking down at him, curious about why he looks so different. I had to do a double-take earlier when I saw him get out of his car.
He’s wearing a loose gray band T-shirt, combat boots, and black jeans with rips and chains hanging from his hips.
Piercings scatter his ears, with black plugs in each lobe, though they are mostly hidden by his black beanie.
It’s a huge change from the polished guy from Marilyn’s office.
I’m not going to tell him I like the silver stud in his nose and left eyebrow, or the horseshoe piercing on his bottom lip.
“Do the inside ones stay on all the time?” he asks, looking up at me. Is it normal for betas to have lips like that? I’ve never met a beta where I have to force myself to look in their eyes, so I don’t wonder how soft their mouth is.
“Yes, and no. When you set the system as you leave, they’ll turn on automatically. The cameras for the windows, doors, and the garage are permanently on, as well as cameras outside the house.”
“Really? There’s ones for the windows as well?”
I pause. I haven’t had to explain the security system for years, and I don’t want to draw out why almost every inch of my property has cameras pointed at it.
“Well… there was an incident…” I trail off, hoping that would be enough. It wasn’t public knowledge, so there was only one way he could find out.
He keeps blinking at me before he grins. “Come on, you can’t say ‘an incident’ and not expect me to be nosy.”
I clench my jaw. “An omega broke in through a window at the back of my old house. It was a room I never used, so it took me weeks to realize she was returning every night to take pictures of me.”
My nose wrinkles like it was just a disturbance instead of something that had me on edge for years because I never knew if she was going to come after me again.
Luke’s mouth drops open, and silence swells.
We stand there awkwardly as shame floods me.
I should have discovered that omega sooner, but I was living in a giant house my ex-wife bought, five years after our divorce.
I only used three rooms in the whole place because I couldn’t stand to be there, but I wasn’t strong enough to leave.
The omega used one of the basement windows and moved around the house at night, taking advantage of the fact I sleepwalk.
A guest discovered she was in my room one night, and I moved out of the house instantly and bought this place.
Luke hums as if he’s thinking about it. It’s not that his voice is high for a beta, but there’s definitely something melodic about it. I noticed it when he first entered Marilyn’s office and stared at me like he couldn’t believe he met me.
I wanted to show him the security system first because I hoped the cameras would make him think twice about staying with me, but nope. He just nods and folds his arms, probably waiting to see where I take him next.
“You also need to lock your bedroom door every night.”
“Why? Is the big, bad alpha going to come find me to fulfill his manly urges?” He laughs, winking at me, but his smile drops the second I growl.
“I sleepwalk. That’s another reason for the cameras. So it’s up to you, move to another room, or lock your door. Because who knows what I’ll do when I’m asleep.”
Before Kane broke my nose, I could never sleep because of my coffee scent. My body wouldn’t switch off, and I did everything I could to sleep for more than two hours a night.
Finally, after fourteen years of restless nights since I presented as an alpha, Kane smashed up my nose, and I began to sleep so heavily that it took me hours to wake up, especially in the mornings.
It was like I was catching up on the years of sleep I’d missed.
The downside was that I would wake up in random rooms of the house.
It’s why all the stairs are padded, and there are no sharp corners on the surfaces.
Though in the past year, I’ve only been waking up in the shower.
My heart drops at the shift in tension as I suddenly become even more aware of him. It was meant to be a threat, but the way he bites his lip ring nearly has me growling again.
I wish I’d thought of that excuse before I showed him his bedroom, but he shakes his head.
“No, I’ll stay,” he says as his gaze swings around the room, maybe looking for the cameras.
“Even if I didn’t agree to this, I still want you to make yourself comfortable,” I say gruffly. “Just don’t expect anything from me, and we’ll be fine.”
“You’re the boss.” He shrugs. “Can I see your kitchen now?” he asks, and I realize I’ve been staring again.
I try not to scowl and blush at the same time, and I fail spectacularly. But, then again, I didn’t think I’d have to unpack my trauma hours after he arrived.