“It’s Friday!” he snaps.
“He’s right,” I cut in. “I have things to take care of before I move in.” Like making sure I have enough suppressants to stop me from doing something I’ll definitely not regret.
“Then that gives Timber and his housekeeper plenty of time to make sure everything is ready for you,” she says.
“No, I take it back. Fuck this. I’m not living with a stranger.”
“I won’t be a stranger for too long. I’ll make sure it’ll be as comfortable as possible for you,” I say. I should start being careful about how I phrase things as well. Next thing I’ll be saying I’ll ‘service’ him to see if he gets the hint.
He looks at me with a fierceness that shakes me to my core, and my imagination starts up again. If he went for me now, what would he do first?
“Send me a key to your house, and I’ll pass it along to Luke when he’s ready to move in,” Marilyn says.
Timber shoots up, his chair rocking back on the carpet as I crane my neck to look at him. He really is a giant. His hands could probably swallow my ass whole if he hoisted me over his shoulder and dragged me off to his man cave.
“Is that enough? I’ve met him, I’ll send you a key. Now, let me go.”
God, his growl is amazing. I press my thighs together, glad all of Marilyn’s focus is on Timber.
Marilyn tilts her head, and the way she stares him down sends another wave of shivers through me. Women in charge are the best.
Timber scowls as he turns on one foot and strides out of the door. The glass rattles as he slams it behind him.
All that’s left is the heavy cloud of his coffee scent and a thick awkwardness hanging between Marilyn and me.
“I apologize for that,” she says as another door slams somewhere in the building. “I’m sure he won’t be so bad when you move in together.”
I already knowI’mgoing to be the problem. How the hell am I going to be in the same house, let alone the same room as an alpha who looks and smells like that?
I’m just going to pretend it will all be okay—for now. There’s no reason to worry when I have suppressants and common sense.
Yeah, right.
“Don’t worry about it,” I say, bouncing back straight away. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out. Shall we discuss my responsibilities?” Then I can worry about my sudden unbridled lust for Timber Holtz.
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.
