Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Isidro
I’m determined to do the maintenance work on Silva’s house. I got on her roof three days ago and cleaned her drains, mowed her lawn, and trimmed her trees. Then I pressure washed her driveway, sidewalk, and front and back porches two days ago by myself.
I was so sore, I couldn’t move that night, and I made Harlan give me a full body massage. Fuck, getting Silva’s attention is working out muscles I wasn’t aware I had.
Yesterday, Harlan and Kyren helped me pressure wash her entire house, which for a two floor property was a decent undertaking. They were helping Sloane and Aiden with something earlier, which is why they couldn’t help me. I’m a stubborn bastard and refused to wait.
In addition to powerwashing, we filled any holes and also scraped and sanded everything we possibly could.
This is a damn mission and a half. I just know it’s going to fucking snow soon and I want this all done before that. We’ve garnered glances from people as we’ve worked, but I don’t really care about other people’s opinions.
We’re here for Silva, and since we’ve made our first contact with her, I’m no longer interested in the town’s thoughts about us. Although, it’s nice to no longer have Shep glare at me whenever I went by to ask him about my vehicle.
It’s back in my possession, with a new battery. Miraculously, there were no other issues, though I knew that would be the case. The smoke bomb was cosmetic only.
“Are you sure we have the right paint?” Harlan asks, staring at the house as if it’s going to fucking bite him.
We bought the paint that she mentioned for the different areas of the house a half hour ago, we have ladders up, and I think a healthy fear of fucking this up. We’ve been trying to do this all while Silva is out of the house, but I’m pretty sure she’s still asleep.
Kyren told us about hearing her scream in fear, and then later pleasure once Syrus entered her house. Goddamn, I’m a little jealous I wasn’t a fly on the wall for the latter.
I swear though, if she has a nightmare while we’re here, I’m climbing through the damn window. I fucking hate the idea of her being in any pain. I know we need to prove our worth, and I plan to. However, I draw the line at nightmares.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure,” I admit. The house desperately needs new paint, the colors she’s chosen are kind of bland, but whatever. It’s her house. “Let’s start with the main house, and then the accents after.”
Harlan and Kyren once took an undercover job painting houses, so I’m honestly letting them take point now.
“That’s what I’d suggest too,” Harlan says. We’re dressed in jeans that have seen lots of wear and comfortable shirts. While it’s chilly, we’re sure to work up a sweat tonight.
Loading up our tool belts, we grab our paint and head up to our respective spots of the house and get to work. Rolling paint is waking up all my sore muscles, but I tell myself that it’ll be worth it.
Just yesterday, her sister watched me before she left in her car, appearing wildly amused. By the time she came back, she looked more impressed than anything else. The only way to change someone’s mind about you, is to show them what you’re about.
That’s what my mama has always told me. She and my father were devastated when my sister died, and I don’t think they ever really got over it. They still wake up every day and do what they need to do, but the truth is that there’s shadows haunting their faces.
We all died a little that day I think.
Pushing away the memories, I lose myself in painting the house. The materials we bought are really good, and it glides on well. It also appears to be the correct color that I looked up online.
Thank fuck.
Hours go by before Silva emerges from her house, her jaw dropped as she looks up at me. Harlan is out back, while Kyren is on the other side of the house.
“Good morning!” I call down.
“I heard there were maintenance fairies here,” she says, her arms crossing over her chest.
She’s standing on her lawn in a pair of pleather shorts, a corset, and boots. As I squint, I see that her legs appear a little shiny, meaning she might be wearing some type of stockings. All I can think about is how fucking sexy she looks.
“Fairies at your service,” I tease her. Glancing at my watch, I can see it’s almost four o’clock in the afternoon. Damn, the day really flew by. I’m fucking starving, and we still have more to do tomorrow.
“I guess so. Don’t fall off my roof,” she says, trying to look unimpressed. I can still see that she’s smiling as she gets into her car and heads out.
“Guys!” I call out, my equivalent to Marco, Polo.
“Present!” Harlan yells back, making me huff out a laugh.
“I’m hungry,” I say, the universal secret omega form of I’m fucking done for today.
“We’ll pack up,” Kyren says easily. “Can’t have you trying to eat paint chips because it looked good.”
I’m full on grinning as I pack up and climb down the ladder.
I’ve changed the position of the ladder several times as I’ve worked, and I can see that about half the house is done. It would go faster if we had a bigger crew, but it’s not too bad for what we have.
Deciding to walk around the house, I find that it looks really even. If anything, Harlan and Kyren’s sides look better.
“Wow,” I comment, standing beside my pack. “We didn’t fuck this up yet.”
Kyren snorts, his hand squeezing my shoulder.
“Babe, did you really think that was a possibility?” he asks, his voice low and husky. My cock tells me we’re very interested, and I groan as it rises to life.
Nope. Pay attention.
“A little,” I admit. “I really want this to look good.”
“It will,” Harlan says. “You have to trust this process. Let’s clean up.”
The three of us get to work, and by the end, it looks like nothing is amiss outside of the half painted house.
Getting into the car, we pick up burgers from Laurel’s Diner and take it back to our room. We all desperately need showers, and take turns doing that in the woefully too small shower stall.
Exhaustion is pulling hard at me. I’d love to take a long bath, but that’s impossible with a tub as small as the one here. My stomach is also making odd gurgling noises, and I don’t understand why I’m beginning to feel really shitty.
“Have we paid the vieja yet?” I mumble, sprawled face down in bed, freshly showered and naked.
I suppose it’s not nice to call our host an old lady, but I’m tired and cranky. I need to have a heat soon. It’s just so fucking inconvenient.
“I paid her today,” Harlan says, straddling my ass to begin massaging my back. “She made sure to warn me that we’ll be kicked out soon if someone needs our room. We’ll have to figure something out if that happens. We aren’t leaving Widows Peak.”
“No we’re not,” I murmur, my lids getting heavy. “Fuck. Harlan, get off. I’m gonna be sick.”
Pushing him off me, I scramble to the waste basket and begin puking. Kyren comes in quickly, eyes wide as he sees me.
“Was the food bad?” he asks. “I feel fine. Harlan?”
“I’m good,” he promises. “Kyren, go get some ice from the kitchen, please?”
I can’t see anything as my stomach clenches hard.
“Ow, fuck,” I groan. Choking, I throw up again.
Harlan rubs a cold water bottle over my neck as I shudder and moan pitifully. My skin feels clammy too.
“Are you sick?” he asks. “Or is this a breakthrough heat?”
“No,” I rasp to both. “I’m taking my meds, and I shouldn’t be sick. The burger was fine. Well, it tasted great going down, but up is another story.”
“Ew,” Harlan says. “It could be a stomach bug? We haven’t really been around anyone, since we’ve been working on Silva’s house.”
Shrugging, I drink some water, and when Kyren comes back, I take the bag of ice and lay down with it on my head while he takes away the garbage. Harlan opens up a window to air out the smell, and I attempt to close my eyes.
I need more time. I know these signs, but I don’t want to give voice to it. Closing my eyes, I beg my meds to hold out for a little longer without making me insane.
Harlan
Frowning as I drive back to Silva’s, I glance at Izzy as he closes his eyes against the early morning sunlight. I’m worried about him. I know what this is. I’m not fucking stupid.
I know my omega, even though he doesn’t live like one. Hormones always win out, despite the medications he’s on. He’s nearing his one year mark of being on them, which means we’re in for a rocky ride.
There’s no damn way that we can have his heat at the bed and breakfast. He is still adamant that we keep his secrets. A part of him thinks Sloane and my brother would refuse to trust him at their backs if they knew that he’s an omega.
Holding my tongue, I pull up to Silva’s house. The neighborhood is just waking up, and it’s still quiet out. We do our best to be respectful of the early hour, and I’m just glad that we’re not replacing her roof.
Speaking of which, I did check it while I was on the roof yesterday. It looks great, and it should last her a few more years. Most of what her house needs is cosmetic.
“We’re here,” I say quietly, turning off the car. “Do you want to stay in the SUV today? Kyren and I can handle the rest today.”
“No,” Izzy says, opening his eyes with effort. “I’ll take it easy, I promise.”
“I don’t want you on a ladder,” Kyren growls. “Paint the front door and the shutters today. I’ll be pissed if you fall off the roof.”
“Yes, Daddy,” Izzy mutters under his breath, pushing open the door.
Kyren waits until the door shuts to meet my gaze and I nod to show him that I see what’s happening.
Izzy was really sick all last night, and woke up with a migraine.
There are a pair of sunglasses firmly on his face, as well as a ball cap to keep out the light.
He should be in a dark room sleeping, instead of outside trying to court an omega that hasn’t shown any interest in him.