Chapter Three
Pierce
At first Emily wouldn’t really give me her opinion on any of the things I pointed out to her. Comforters, curtains, lamps, clothing; she was shy about voicing her likes and dislikes about any of them. But once we’d had lunch, and I reassured her for the fiftieth time that her dad wanted to buy her these things, she began to loosen up a little.
I pointed to a full-sized carousel horse that was part of a display. “Oh, wow. Your dad would love it if we brought that home.”
She giggled. “I don’t think so.”
“You don’t?”
“Nope.”
“We could put it in the living room. Right in the middle.”
Her smile widened. “He would freak out.”
“His house is so perfect and almost sterile.” I patted the plastic horse’s head. “This might be just the thing to bring warmth to the room.”
She swatted my arm. “You’re kidding. Right?”
I grinned. “Yeah. I don’t think he’d appreciate it like we do.”
“Nope. All the pictures in his house are of the ocean.” She frowned. “He doesn’t have any photos of people. My mom had some pictures of me and her on the shelf over the TV.” She swallowed and looked around as if people were listening in. “I took one, but I didn’t tell Mrs. Smith. It’s in my suitcase.”
I frowned. “You should be allowed pictures of your mom.”
“I wasn’t sure it would be okay. So I hid it away.”
“We should buy a special frame for it, and you can put it on your dresser.” I gave her a one-armed hug.
“Really?” Her eyes widened. “You don’t think Mr. MacPherson would mind?”
“I’m positive.” I cleared my throat. “Emily, you should call him Dad. It’s weird not to.”
“It feels weirder calling him Dad to me.”
“But he is your dad.”
She chewed her bottom lip as she fingered a pink pillow with fringe. “I keep wondering why Mommy didn’t tell me more about him. Like, maybe he was bad or something.”
“No. He’s a bodyguard. He protects people; he doesn’t hurt them.”
Her eyes got huge. “He’s a bodyguard?”
I laughed. “Yes. Didn’t you know that?”
“I thought he was a fireman.”
“What? Why?”
She looked confused. “I don’t know. I just always thought he was.”
“Nope. He’s a bodyguard. He works for a company called Shield.” I grabbed a package with a comforter and held it out to her. “What about this one?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Too girly.”
“You know… you are a girl.”
She lifted her chin. “I want something more grown-up.”
“Ahhh. Got it.”
Walking over to a blue-and-pink plaid comforter, she said, “This one is nice. It still has pink, but it would be good for a grown-up too.”
I nodded and grabbed the package. “Don’t grow up too quickly, Emily. Enjoy being young while you can.”
“Oh, no. I want to grow up as fast as possible so I can go out on my own. Like you did.”
I frowned. “I was seventeen. You’re eight.”
“I’m a very mature eight. Mrs. Smith told me so.” She jutted her chin out stubbornly.
“Trust me, being on my own was really hard. I met some bad people, and I got into a lot of trouble.” I grimaced. “Stay with your dad as long as possible and appreciate that he wants what’s best for you. Don’t take that for granted, Emily. I’d give anything to have had a dad who gave a darn about me.”
Her mouth drooped. “You met bad people?”
“Yeah.” I kept my voice even. “One horrible alpha in particular who pretended to be super nice until I was trapped.”
“Did he kidnap you?”
“No. I went with him on purpose. But he wasn’t who I thought he was, and then… then I ended up trapped.” I didn’t want to go into too much detail with her. She was way too young to hear about how Baxter had become my alpha and then farmed me out for money to other alphas.
“Why didn’t you run away from him?”
“I was too scared.” My voice was soft. I didn’t need to mention I’d been hooked on drugs and incapable of making rational decisions. The haze of drugs had made my torturous life more bearable.
“But why?”
“Because I didn’t believe anyone else would ever want me.” I met her sympathetic gaze. “I didn’t have anyone around me telling me I was worth something. You have your dad to do that for you. And he will, Emily. He’s there beside you, and he wants to be there.”
She nodded, her face pale. “And I have you.”
I winced inwardly. “For now. But I’m only here for a week.”
She practically gasped. “What?”
She looked so shocked I felt bad. “Well, I’m just here until your dad can find someone permanent.”
“Why can’t you be permanent?” She dropped the pillow she was holding and stared at me anxiously.
I didn’t want to tell her that her dad and I butted heads. Not after I just spent the last five minutes telling her how awesome he was. “Oh, um… I already have another job lined up,” I lied. “But I’m sure whoever your dad hires will be great.”
“But I want you.”
“Well…” I wasn’t sure what to say. “Let’s talk about this at home. We need to finish shopping.”
She hung her head. “Okay.”
I squeezed her bony shoulder. “Cheer up. You get to buy all the cool stuff you want.”
“Stuff around you isn’t as good as nice people around you.”
I was surprised at her insight, considering she was only eight. But I didn’t know what else to say to comfort her, so I just grabbed some cute things and threw them in the cart. “Anything you don’t like, just tell me and I’ll pull it out of the pile.”
She gave the cart a disinterested glance. “Anything is fine.” She sounded demoralized now, and her earlier enthusiasm was gone.
I sighed. “Don’t be sad. Let’s see how things are at the end of the week.”
Her eyes brightened. “You mean maybe you’ll stay longer?”
I doubted it, but I dreaded seeing her sad little expression again, so I said, “You never know what can happen in a week.”
****
It was nine at night by the time Seth came home. He looked beat, with lines under his eyes and a tense set to his jaw. When he peeled off his suit jacket, I found it hard not to scan his muscular body. He was a good-looking man, and whether I liked alphas or not, he was sexy as hell.
He smiled tentatively at Emily, but she stayed sitting next to me on the couch, making no attempt to hug him. I couldn’t tell if that bothered him or not.
“How was your day?” His tone was pleasant, and his gaze fixed on Emily.
She looked to me for whatever reason, as if she was a mute. I elbowed her gently. “You can talk. Tell you dad how your day was.”
Grimacing, she said, “Fine.”
“Don’t overload me with info.” He smiled, but there was tension around his eyes. “Did you buy some nice things?”
She nodded. “Yes, thank you.”
He shifted uneasily. “Would you show me?”
She swallowed loudly. “Okay.” She stood and walked past him with her head down.
Seth glanced at me, and his disappointment was clear. “Maybe you should come too. She seems to hate me,” he whispered.
“She doesn’t hate you.” I stood and walked after her, annoyingly aware of his cologne and masculine energy close behind me.
When we reached her room, she stood in the center with her arms crossed. “See.”
He took in the plaid comforter and the matching curtains. “Wow, it looks better in here already.”
“Yeah.” Her voice was hushed. “Can we… can we still paint?”
He frowned. “Of course. Did you get the paint color you wanted while you were out today?”
“We did. But I wanted to make sure it was still okay.”
“I want you to paint the room,” he said firmly.
She gave him a shy smile. “Yay.”
Just that one little word and smile seemed to make his day. He glanced toward me with a relieved look, and his eyes seemed less tired. He raked a hand through his hair, looking around the room. His eyes fell onto the photo on her dresser of her and her mom. He walked slowly toward it, leaning in to study the picture.
“Do you remember her?” Emily asked quietly.
He nodded. “I do.” He started to pick up the photo, but he stopped. “May I have a closer look?”
She nodded.
He picked up the frame and cocked his head. “Her hair was blonde when I met her.”
“Really?” Emily perked up, moving toward him. “Mommy had blonde hair?” Her voice went up an octave.
He grinned. “Yep. She was really sexy—I mean, beautiful.” His face flushed as he met my amused gaze.
“Yeah, take it down a notch, Casanova.” I smirked.
“It’s weird to think you knew Mommy before I did.” Emily grimaced.
“But you knew her better.” He set the photo down. “And she loved you. She only liked me.”
Emily giggled. “I don’t even think she liked you.”
“What?” He laughed. “Why would you say that?”
She bit her lip. “She said you had a ton of girlfriends and that you were a heartbreaker.”
His cheeks were definitely pink now. “She told you that?”
“Was she wrong?” Emily seemed more relaxed with Seth than I’d seen so far.
Seth surprised me when he grinned. “No.”
Emily laughed and glanced at the photo. “But I think Mommy really did like you. Even though she pretended she didn’t.”
Seth’s smile faded and he shifted uneasily. “I liked her too. But I was kind of dumb back then, and I let your mom get away.”
“So you’re not a… player anymore?” Emily asked.
He winced. “Well…”
“You said you were dumb. As if you’ve changed.” Her expression was astute.
I snorted a laugh. “Judging from your dad’s guilty face, I think he’s still dumb.”
He scowled at me. “I’m better than I was.”
“Do you have a girlfriend?” Emily asked softly.
He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
“See.” I lifted one brow challengingly. “He’s still a player.”
Emily twisted her lips. “Maybe you have a boyfriend?”
“What?” Seth widened his eyes, looking bewildered. “Why would you think I’d have a boyfriend?”
“Lots of alphas like boys and girls.” Emily looked puzzled as to why her dad was concerned.
“Oh, well, I’ve just dated girls.” He didn’t look at me as he spoke.
“Your loss,” I said.
“Not that there’s anything wrong with guys dating guys… but I just don’t.”
I found it amusing he wouldn’t meet my eyes.
“My teacher at my old school is a girl and she has a girlfriend,” Emily said. Then she swiveled her gaze to me. “And Pierce dates boys.” She frowned. “Well, I mean he did until his alpha turned bad. Now he doesn’t date anyone.”
Now it was my turn to have a red face. I felt the heat creep up my neck to my cheeks. “I date. I just don’t get serious.”
“Ha!” Seth pointed at me with a smug expression. “You’re a player too.”
“So?” I shrugged. “At least I have a reason.”
His expression became more guarded, and he glanced at Emily. “This is a rather mature conversation to have in front of an eight-year-old.”
Emily wrinkled her brow. “I’m not a kid.”
“You kind of are.” Seth frowned.
She lifted her chin. “I’m not.”
Seth glanced at me as if wanting backup.
I shook my head. “Don’t look at me. You started this.”
He straightened. “You know what? I’m just going to shut up now.”
Emily laughed. “I win.”
“I can see when I’m beat.” Seth’s mouth twitched. “I’m going to go change my clothes and eat dinner. Then I’m going to crash for the night.” He moved to the door. “Good luck on your first day of school tomorrow, Emily. Are you nervous?”
She shrugged.
He hesitated as if unsure whether to push her or not. But then he just said, “Good night, Emily.”
“Good night,” she said softly.
Once he was gone, I sat on her bed. “So, are you ready for school?”
She nodded, looking uneasy. “I just hope the kids are nice to me.”
“If not, you tell me or your dad right away.”
“Okay.”
I couldn’t discern from her expression if she would or not. “I mean it.”
“I will.” She yawned. “Oops. Sorry.”
“You don’t have to be sorry.” I stood and she moved to hug me. I wrapped my arms around her. “You have a good night’s sleep, okay?”
“I will. This bed is so much nicer than my old one.”
Ruffling her hair, I said, “I’m glad.”
I left her room and wandered into the kitchen to set up the coffee maker for the next morning. Seth was standing over the sink eating a bowl of cereal. “That’s your dinner?”
He jumped as if caught doing something wrong. When he faced me, he looked sheepish. “I was too hungry to wait for something to cook.”
“At least tell me you’re eating something healthy like Wheaties?”
He winced. “Captain Crunch is healthy. It has oats. Oats are good for you.”
“With nutritional expertise like that, I’m almost afraid to leave you alone with Emily.”
He finished the last spoonful of cereal, and as he rinsed his bowl, he said, “You and me both.”
I grabbed a coffee filter from the package on the counter. “I’m kidding. You’ll be fine.”
“Sure about that?” He looked more vulnerable than I’d ever seen him. His eyes were glittery in the dim kitchen lighting, and his mouth turned down at the corners. “I’m terrified.”
“Of what?”
“Of being alone with her. Of not being enough.”
My stomach churned at the angst in his voice. I was moved by how much he seemed to care. I’d rarely met an alpha who was able to tap into his emotions like Seth did. They were usually only concerned with themselves. “You really care, don’t you?”
“Of course.” He scowled. “This is probably the most important thing I’ll ever do. But I have no idea how to raise a kid.”
“No one does, until they try.”
“You do.”
“I’m a helper. If I had to do it alone, I’d be scared too.”
He sighed. “I appreciate the lie. But relating to her seems effortless to you.”
I moved closer to him. “Listen, you can do this.”
“You really think so?”
“I do.”
We were only about a foot apart, and his gaze dropped to my mouth. There was a weird energy between us, and I wasn’t sure why. I didn’t like alphas, and he didn’t date guys. Yet I’d have laid money that what I was experiencing with him was sexual tension.
“I haven’t found anyone to watch Emily yet.” His voice was soft.
“You will.”
He frowned and just stared at me.
I had the oddest compulsion to move even closer, just to see what he’d do. If I got really close, would he push me away or tug me closer? He was an alpha after all. They took what they wanted, when they wanted it.
Do I want him to want me? Since when?
I stepped back and moved to the coffeepot again. What was wrong with me? I usually spent my time avoiding alphas, not trying to entice them. Maybe I’d gone too long without sleeping with anyone. I needed to find a nice, easygoing omega and release some damn tension before I got myself in a bad situation.
“How come you don’t want to stay longer? You obviously like Emily.” His gaze was pinned on me.
My pulse fluttered at the intensity of his look. “I think I’d be more comfortable in a home with an omega present.”
“Why?”
“I get along better with omegas.”
“I know it’s more. What was Emily talking about earlier? When she said your alpha turned bad?”
“It’s not important. I just don’t enjoy being around alphas in general.”
“I know it’s more personal than that.”
I shrugged. “Let’s just say, I’ve never met an alpha I’ve liked.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Scowling, I faced him. “Excuse me?”
“In my line of work I need to read people. I can read you too, Pierce. My guess is you did meet an alpha you liked, but he let you down somehow.”
I gave a hard laugh. “Please tell me you don’t think I’m such a sap that I’d blame all alphas because one special alpha did me wrong.”
“I doubt you’d be that mundane.”
“Thank you.” I turned back to the coffeemaker and punched in some numbers to set the brew time.
“So why do you hate alphas?”
I sighed impatiently. “Hate is too strong of a word. I simply don’t trust your kind.”
“Why?”
“None of your business.” I started to walk away, and he startled me when he grabbed my wrist.
“Hold on. I’m still talking to you.” His eyes were a sort of golden brown, and he sounded breathless.
“Let go of me,” I growled, and relief washed through me when he immediately obliged. I rubbed my wrist, trying to rid myself of the tingling sensations his fingers had caused.
He frowned. “I’m not your enemy. I just want to know you better. But anytime I ask questions, you brush me off.”
“Look, Seth,” I said with false confidence. “I get it irks you that I don’t kiss your ass. I really do. I know how alphas are.”
“This has nothing to do with you kissing my ass. I’m trying to understand who you are.”
“Let me help you with that,” I said through clenched teeth. “Don’t ever put your fucking hands on me again, or I won’t even finish out the week.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Fucking A.”
His nostrils flared and he moved closer. “Goddamn you make me want to put you in your place, omega.”
A curl of unwanted arousal twirled in my gut. “What place is that, Seth? Underneath you? You want me to completely submit to you?”
A sensual spark passed through his eyes, but then he looked away as if confused. He frowned and shook his head, giving me a puzzled glance. He took several steps away from me, his expression rattled. “I’m not… no… that isn’t what I want.”
“Me either.” I could barely tolerate the guy, but my body was making a liar of me. My nipples felt hard and my cock warm as I held his frazzled gaze. I wasn’t sure why these strange feelings of attraction kept assaulting me whenever I was alone with him.
“I was just frustrated. I didn’t mean to touch you. I don’t want to touch you.”
“Good,” I snapped.
“I think I’m more tired than I realized,” he said, taking a few more steps away. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
I didn’t speak. I wouldn’t have known what to say anyway. Instead I faced away from him as he left the room.