Chapter 8

The snick of the lock pulls me from the half-sleep I fell into on the couch after an exhaustive search of my new prison.

Nolan steps into the room, relocks the door, and takes off his shoes before turning to me. "You should be in bed resting."

Despite the words, he carries a tray with two drinks in one hand and a large shopping bag in the other.

My gaze darts around the room as I sit up. "Do you have cameras in here?"

"Yes." He walks closer, the long lines of his body drawing my attention. The suit he wears looks rumpled, with the top button missing. "They can be turned off when needed. I'll show you, but for security reasons, please only deactivate them when it's necessary."

"Right." I pull the lap blanket over my legs and swing my feet to the floor. "Security."

Of course, Nolan has bodyguards. Velvet Oasis is only one of his many businesses. If I was ever confused about how rich Nolan Rockford is, it only took a stroll around the gorgeous suite he locked me in to confirm that he's way out of my league.

In addition to the enormous bedroom and sitting room, I discovered a luxurious bathroom bigger than my entire apartment, and a home office with shelves stuffed full of books.

No other exits aside from the front door, though. And the windows are shuttered, so I can't even gauge where we are, or the size of the house. All I know is that the main door leads to a hall instead of outside.

"Don't worry, you're safe here." Nolan sets the bag down beside the coffee table. "I went back and collected your personal effects from your locker."

A glance down reveals the arm of my threadbare jacket poking out the top. "Oh, thank you."

"Tomorrow, we can order you some things to wear." He holds out the drink tray. "Do you prefer strawberry-banana or pineapple-coconut?"

Without really thinking about it, I take the pink drink and notice the logo for Smooth Grooves Coffee and Smoothies before my gaze jerks up to his. "I have clothes at my apartment. There's no need to buy me new ones."

He takes the pineapple-coconut shake and sets the empty drink carrier on the table. "What if I want to?"

"What if I don't want you to?" My focus drops to the cold cup cradled in my lap. "I already took advantage of you and put us in a delicate situaton. It wasn't my intention, and I don't plan to use it to extort money from you."

Being left alone gave me a lot of time to dwell on the whole pregnancy issue, and how someone of Nolan's status would be prey to people after his wealth. Omegas getting knocked up during a Heat cycle is an age-old trick of gold diggers.

Afraid now that he misunderstood, I set the drink on the table and lunge to my feet, the blanket falling to the floor. "I don't want anything from you, Mr. Rockford. If I'm pregnant, I won't put your name on the birth certificate. No one needs to know who the father is, and I'll sign anything you want to release you from any obligation?—"

A finger on my lips cuts off the tide of words. "I know you didn't plan any of what happened, Leo. If anyone should apologize, it's me."

I pull back, my tongue sweeping out to taste the heat of his skin. "What do you have to be sorry for? You were just caught up in the pheromones when you saved me."

"Did you think I was so far gone that I couldn't have had my driver take you home?" He traces the line of my jaw. "Don't mistake me for a kind man. I saw a way to get what I wanted and took it."

A shiver goes through me. "You…wanted a baby?"

"I wanted you." His green eyes sweep over my face. "You fat with my child just makes it sweeter."

Pulse quickening, I swallow hard. "You wanted…me?"

"Is it so shocking?" His thumb caresses my bottom lip. "It's bad practice to proposition employees, but I wouldn't be a good businessman if I didn't snap up an opportunity when it literally falls at my feet." His eyes crinkle in amusement.

"But why…" My eyes drop, then widen in shock. "What happened to your hand?"

With a step back, I cradle his palm, staring at his bruised, bloody knuckles. "Did you get into a fight?"

"It's nothing." He pulls his hand out of my hold. "I just removed some trash that was…putting my interests at risk."

Stomach swooping, I turn and hurry to the bathroom. From the linen closet I discovered earlier, I grab one of the monogrammed hand towels and run it under the faucet, then wring it out and return to where Nolan stands, sipping his smoothie.

"Sit down." I point to the settee.

"It's really nothing." Setting his drink down, Nolan shrugs out of his suit jacket and drapes it across the back of the couch before he rolls up his sleeves and settles on the cushion I abandoned.

I kneel on the floor in front of him and take one large hand in mine, dabbing at the abrasion.

He stays quiet, allowing me to play nursemaid without complaint.

With a wince, I press the towel over the largest split on his knuckle. "Was it Rich?"

His hand curls into a fist, then relaxes. "He shouldn't have touched you."

"How badly did you hurt him?" Based on the condition of Nolan's knuckles, Rich has to be in the hospital. "Will he press charges against you? I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."

"Let's just say, he won't be bothering you again." His free hand smooths back my hair. "He'll never attack another Omega."

"Did you kill him?" The question escapes as a whisper, and I expect Nolan to pretend he didn't hear.

His sharp gaze studies my face. "Would it bother you if I did?"

Does it make me a horrible person if the idea of Rich no longer out there, preying on people, fills me with relief? Or that the thought of Nolan protecting me like that sends a thrill through me?

I look away from him before he sees what a bad person I am. "I don't want you to go to jail because of me."

"He should have heeded my first warning." Tension fills Nolan's body. "But he had the balls to come back and try to buy you."

"It wasn't the first time." Head down, I lift the cloth and blow on the wound. "It was just the first time I was for sale."

His hand curls around the back of my neck. "Never again, Leo."

I stay focused on his wounds. "Then you can't buy me anything."

His fingers circle the Mark he left on my nape. "That's different."

Stubborn about this point, I remain silent.

"Fine." His foot nudges against my calf. "We can go collect your clothes tomorrow. But when you grow out of them, I will buy you new ones."

Warmth rushes through me at the reminder of how pregnancy will change my body, followed by uncertainty. "Am I a prisoner here?"

He tickles the fine hairs on the back of my neck. "Do you want to leave?"

My breath catches, and I resist the urge to arch into his touch.

When I finally settled on the couch earlier, I realized there was no reason to escape my luxurious prison. I'd be a damn fool to give this up and return to the mold-infested single room I rent with the grimy mattress on the floor.

Staying here also means I'm out of Gino's reach, which gives me time to find a new job and come up with the money I owe him.

If Nolan lets me stay here that long.

I take his other hand to clean those wounds and dab his bruised, scraped knuckles with the damp towel. "What happens after the baby's born?"

A rumble comes from him, vibrating through the room and echoing in my chest. He takes the cloth from me to set it aside. The scent of his cologne surrounds me, a mix of spice and wood, leaving a trail of warmth in its wake.

My empty hands drop to my lap, fidgeting with the hem of the oversized nightshirt I wear, the fabric fine and more expensive than anything I've ever owned. "What if it turns out I'm not pregnant?"

The pink smoothie appears in front of me. "Drink."

Confused but obedient, I dip my chin and catch the straw between my lips. With a light suck, strawberry-banana sweetness bursts on my tongue. It melted while sitting on the coffee table, turning more into a juice than a slushie, but it still tastes good, and I take a bigger sip.

Approval rumbles from him, reminding me of all the times that sound traveled through my body as Nolan pinned me down in bed, my senses flooded with pleasure.

Heat spreads in my hips, making me squirm, and I tug my shirt forward to hide my growing erection. He hasn't even touched me, but need slicks my channel. I want to be back under him, our bare skin sliding against each other, his body buried deep inside mine.

Desire quickens my pulse, and my hands cover his around the cup, my gaze lifting to meet his as I suck on the straw.

His pupils dilate, and his nostrils flare as he takes in my scent. "Are you trying to seduce me, sweet boy?"

Embarrassed that I was so transparent, I look away. "No, I…"

A finger under my chin pulls my focus back to him. "You can seduce me, Leo."

My pulse races beneath the intensity of his stare. "How?"

Leaning past me, he sets the smoothie on the table. Warmth radiates from his body, his arm brushing against mine, and his voice fills my ear. "You want me to teach you?"

Breath catching, I nod.

His lips skim across my cheek. "Open your mouth, and let me taste the strawberries on your tongue."