I flip through the pages, my brow furrowing with every new column of figures.
“Yeah, exactly. And I did this to Ollie. I’m the one who’s screwed up our lives.”
Luke clenches his jaw as I sit back down with the bills in my hands.
“I mean, just the broken nose alone is Forty K. Ollie isn’t going to make that even if she worked for Timber for a year. So, if you want to take on our hospital bills, you’d better be prepared. And we’ve got to do it real subtle-like. My sister doesn’t take free handouts unless it’s food.”
“Hm, but that’s a story for another burger. So, Mr. Moretti, what do you propose we do?”
Ollie
I’m sitting in my car in Timber’s garage at 5:30 a.m., checking my list for the market, when the side door to the house beeps.
My car is like a bug next to Timber’s venom-green demon machine, and I wish I could get something sleeker to match it. Or a paint job and put fire or dragons along the side to make itlook cool. Then my car would be some competition. Though I'm always going to be less noticeable in a black Honda Civic.
I’ve been waking up way before sunrise to avoid Timber after our conversation the other night. I’ll jump up at 5 a.m., make breakfast, and then run to the gym. Then I work out until he leaves for the rink, and that usually does the job. I haven’t had to talk to him for days, and knowing what Timber Holtz is like in the mornings, it’s worked out perfectly so far.
Except I can't really escape him. Because those words have been rattling around in my head since he slurred them five nights ago on the balcony.
You don't know what you're doing to me… You don't even know how I feel…
A shudder goes through me as a whisper of his voice echoes in my head.
It’s day five of my grand master plan when the door opens, and the very sleepy form of the man I’ve been crushing on for a month looms in the doorway. He’s mouth-watering, even when he’s just wearing a baggy gray sweatsuit, clutching a puffer jacket to his chest like a teddy bear. He blinks slowly, rubbing his eyes, looking one part cute, one part sexy, and all parts alpha as he thuds down the concrete steps and straight to my car.
There’s no way I’m getting out of this. I should have opened the main door to the garage so I could slam the car into reverse and speed out of here, but Timber’s already flung the passenger door open. He looks murderous as he throws his giant body into the passenger seat. I’m not gonna lie, it totally does it for me.
The car shakes, and I shudder as the scent of coffee floods the space so quickly that I nearly whine.
“I’m kind of busy,” I say carefully. “Can’t you do this later?”
“You mean next week, when I finally catch you, since you do a runner every time I’m home?”
I grimace as he glares at me. What am I supposed to do?
I’m good at playing stuff casually, but guilt has been eating me from the inside since he told me about his ex-wife. I’ve been going crazy over it, and I’ve already decided we can’t trick him anymore.
I’ve been telling myself it’s okay to keep lying to him because we need to pay Luke’s hospital bills, but there are better ways to do that that won’t hurt anyone this deeply. I can’t stand the thought of seeing Timber’s face fall as he realizes what’s happening, and then losing him forever. I’m lucky enough that he let me stay after he confessed he found out I’m an omega.
I suck in a breath, which is such a bad idea. Now I have to shut down all that lovely, horny heat that makes a beeline for my pussy as I straighten up, looking him dead in the eye.
“Well, I’m busy. I’ve got stuff to do,” I say as I wave the list at him. I fold it up, shoving it into the pocket of my black leather jacket as I hit the button for the garage. I don’t know where he plans on going with his puffer jacket, but I’ve just added a beanie to my usual getup, and I’m going to be fine in the winter chill.
“And you think I don’t? I’m not just sitting here for fun. You’re making me feel awkward in my own house, which is the last thing I want.”
I really hate how my heart jumps all over the place. The old Ollie wouldn’t get nervous like this. I would have just grinned and laughed it off and pretended that I’m not bothered by how every time he takes a breath, his chest swells, and I want to nestle in his pillowy pecs.
“What do you want then, Timber?” I ask quietly, annoyed at how serious I sound. As if it’s important for me to know what he wants from our poorly established boss-employee relationship that should have never left the kitchen.
I don’t want to turn around and go, “Haha, so, you know how you found out I was an omega, but you alsothoughtyou made out with my sister at the restaurant, which was the hottestthing I’ve ever done in my whole life? Yeah, and you know how you said that your ex-wife manipulated you every which way to Sunday, and how that scarred you to the point where you can’t trust anyone anymore? Well, surprise!”
Oh yeah, that would go down great.
I won’t grumble and make him think I’m annoyed at him instead of myself for driving the knife even deeper.
“I want to go to the market with you,” he says, folding his arms and staring straight out of the windscreen, obviously fighting sleep.
“Why do you think I’m going to the market? I could be off doing anything.”
