by Leann Ryans
Noticing the empty container next to the one she was in the middle of demolishing, he raised his eyebrows.
“You weren’t kidding,” he commented when she looked up at him.
Narrowing her eyes, she let out a light growl as she stuffed another piece of bacon into her mouth. Noticing how his eyes lingered on her lips, Penny swallowed hard, her own gaze wandering to his. They were full, but not overly so, and looked firm. The light dusting of stubble just enough to give his face that rough, manly look.
Tongue darting out to lick the sugar from her lips, she watched his eyes darken before they lifted to hers.
“Did you leave any for me?”
It took her a moment to process his words, pulling herself back from the dirty thoughts running through her mind. Looking down into the container that only had a few bites left, she felt a flush creep up her cheeks.
“There’s two more bags of food. Take whatever you want.”
Her eyes met his again at her last comment, and she swore she saw a flash of something predatory in his look that caused the hair on her entire body to stand on end. She held his gaze until the weight of it finally forced her to give in, her omega instincts acknowledging the Alpha’s superiority no matter what society wanted to believe.
Pulling her leg off of the table and standing, she brushed at her chest self-consciously to be sure there were no crumbs stuck on her. She had more curves than the average woman, and her chest unfortunately caught anything that missed her mouth.
Watching Ethan’s eyes wander down her frame, she sucked in her stomach, well aware that most omegas were slimmer than her full-figured body. Flushed and confused, Penny looked down at the table before bending to grab her containers.
Refusing to meet his eyes, she said, “I’m going to try to get some sleep. Make yourself at home.”
She could feel the heat of his gaze on her until she turned into the kitchen. Dropping her trash in the receptacle, she took a deep breath before leaving the safety of the dividing wall separating her from his view. Raising her head and staring straight ahead, she limped to her bedroom, seeing Ethan from the corner of her eye still standing where she had left him.
Watching her.
Ethan was going to protect her from Adrian, but who was going to protect her from him and the heat building between them?
9. Ethan
Ethan couldn’t figure the little omega out. One minute she seemed to be giving him an open invitation, and the next she was blushing like a virgin. He could scent her arousal, but it was mixed with something else. Not quite fear, but she was certainly nervous. Especially after she noticed him checking out her body.
Where most omegas were tiny, slim women, Penelope had a fuller figure with curves that made his mouth water. Still fairly short, especially compared to him, he loved that she didn’t look like some of the clients that came into The Haven who seemed to be a stiff wind away from blowing over.
Finally moving to settle on the couch where Penelope had sat, Ethan drew in a deep breath of her scent. If he hadn’t caught the smell of her arousal from where he had stood, there was no way to miss it sitting on the couch where her jasmine scent was underlined with the sweet notes of slick.
Pulling one of the bags closer to him, he lifted out the top box and began to eat as he looked around her apartment. The walls were a generic cream color while the couch and curtains were a pale blue. Besides the table, she had a black bookshelf on each side of the large window in the outside wall. He was surprised to see physical books since most people no longer used them, and he made a note to himself to look through them later to see what she had.
There were a couple of pictures hung on the walls of Penelope with another woman who looked to be around her age. There was enough resemblance for him to assume she was a sister, and probably the beta he had smelled in the guest room. The scent hadn’t been strong, but it was enough for him to know that she had stayed in the room recently.
Finishing off his meal, he took it to the trash receptacle before making his way back into the living room. He didn’t usually have much free time, and he wasn’t sure what to do while he waited for Penelope to wake up. He had never really been one to watch much television, and he couldn’t leave the apartment without her.
Browsing through her bookshelves, Ethan smirked at some of the titles he found. The Sacred Omegas, Taking Control, Broken, Omega of Sathion… Penelope may come off as sweet and innocent, but her book choices proved she probably had a healthy libido and a taste for being dominated.
Settling back on the couch with one of the books that looked fairly interesting, he decided he would read until she woke up, and then they would figure out the plan for the rest of the day.
Ethan ended up finishing the entire book before he heard movement from the bedroom. He had gotten up and unpacked his things at one point, before going back to reading. Looking at the clock, he figured she would probably be ready for lunch since it was already almost three in the afternoon, so he pulled himself up, sitting the book on the table to go warm up the last containers of food.
He heard her bedroom door open as he was pulling the food from the microwave. Grabbing utensils, he made his way out of the kitchen, noticing Penelope standing by the couch holding the book he had been reading.
Cheeks pink and eyes wide, she looked up at him as he came closer.
“I hope you don’t mind me going through your books. I’m not one that’s much for TV unless I’m watching a movie.”
Looking from him back to the book in her hands, she cleared her throat and sat the book back on the edge of the table.
“No, that’s fine. How, uh, far did you get in it?” she asked as she took a seat in the chair at the end of the table furthest from the book.
Penelope kept her eyes down as he placed the food in front of her and took his own place on the couch. Ethan resisted the urge to chuckle at her obvious discomfort.
“Oh, I finished it.”
Brown eyes flashing in surprise, the shock on her face as her head jerked up caused a laugh to break free.
“It was pretty good. Slightly unrealistic and a little over-the-top, but still interesting. I think I’ll have to read a few more of the books you have since they’re ones I have never heard of before.”
Mouth opening and closing without making a sound, Penelope continued to stare at him for a moment before finally tearing her gaze free from his. Pulling one of the containers to her and grabbing a fork, she cleared her throat again.
“Yeah, sure. I’m glad you liked it.”
Still chuckling silently, Ethan grabbed his own food and began to eat, marveling at the shade of red her cheeks had become. He couldn’t help but wonder if her other cheeks would turn the same color after a few careful smacks.
Discreetly adjusting himself to relieve the pressure on the erection that thought caused, Ethan changed subjects.
“So, were you still going to run a few errands this afternoon, or did you want to stay in and rest?”
It took Penelope a moment to finish chewing and reply.
“I really do need to make a couple of deliveries. One of my regulars will be expecting me this afternoon, and I’d hate to leave her hanging. There’s another that’s close to her, then we can save the rest for tomorrow.”
Nodding. Ethan stood and cleaned up the table.
“Would you like me to call a cab?”
“No, I generally walk,” she replied.
Raising a brow at her, Ethan gave her boot a pointed look.
“It’s fine. I’m used to walking all day.”
Shrugging, he turned and walked to the kitchen, hearing her boot thump to the floor behind him as she stood to follow. When he came back out, she was crossing the living room with two bulging bags on her arm.
“What are those?” he asked.
“These are for one of the deliveries I need to make. We’ll go there first, then I’ll take care of the other one.”
Nodding, Ethan reached for
the bags, but she tried to stop him.
“It’s fine, I’ve…”
“No,” he cut her off firmly. “If you insist on walking, I’m going to carry everything so you’re not putting even more stress on your foot.”
Scowling at him, she reluctantly let him take the bags before limping towards the door. They could get in the way if he needed to defend her suddenly, but he still wasn’t going to let her carry them around.
Opening the door for her when she stopped to grab her purse, he had to laugh when she rolled her eyes at him as she passed by.
10. Penelope
Just because he was right didn’t mean she had to like it. Penny had never been one to enjoy being coddled though she could still appreciate chivalrous gestures.
Poking the down button hard enough to make the tip of her finger throb, she kept her back rigid and her head facing forward as Ethan walked up behind her. She could feel the heat radiating from his body, and it sent a shiver down her spine as the elevator doors slid open.
Stepping forward, she turned and hit the lobby button as Ethan squeezed in beside her. She was shocked when he reached out and took her hand, and turned to look up at him.
Giving her a smile, she didn’t even notice the elevator had stopped until he nodded his head towards the open doors and let go of her hand. Immediately missing the warmth of his fingers around hers, she tried to hide the disappointment as she stepped out and crossed the lobby.
Ethan made her stop before walking out the doors onto the sidewalk.
“I forgot to ask you before, do you have a picture of Adrian, so I know who to look out for?”
Pulling out her phone, Penny scrolled through her social media until she found one. She had blocked him when they first split up but had never gone through to delete the pictures she had with him.
Turning the phone for Ethan to see, he stared at it before giving a grunt and turning to the front door.
“Let me go out first. I’ll wave when I know it’s clear.”
“Really?” Penny asked skeptically.
Ethan turned back to her, staring down into her eyes.
“You hired me to protect you, so let me do it. It might seem unnecessary, but why take the chance that it’s not?”
Sighing, Penny nodded and waved at him to go. Watching through the glass doors as he turned and looked both directions, she moved forward when he gave her a wave. She felt silly, but she knew he was right. It was pointless to hire him if she wasn’t going to follow his directions and allow him to do his job.
Pointing to the left so he knew which way she needed to go, he waved her forward and fell into step slightly behind her.
“How far are we going?”
“Up to fifth and then we’ll turn east and head over to Eighth,” Penny said, glancing over her shoulder.
Noticing his blank expression, she realized he probably didn’t know the city since he lived and worked at The Haven and wasn’t allowed to leave.
“About a mile and a half.”
The surprised look he gave her made her lips twitch up in a smirk.
“I told you I walk a lot.”
Looking down at her boot, he shook his head before heaving a sigh.
“Let me know if you’re ankle starts to hurt too much.”
Smirk dropping from her face, Penny narrowed her eyes and faced forward again. She realized she had an injury, but it wasn’t like she was trying to walk all over the city like she did on some days. She was sure she could make it to her client’s home with no problem.
Though it took twice as long as usual to get there, they did eventually make it to the row of condos where she was heading. Refusing to acknowledge the dull throb in her ankle, Penny forced herself to walk as normally as possible as she approached the door with Ethan following close behind. Neither of them had said anything else during the walk, and she could almost pretend it was just a normal day.
Raising her hand to ring the bell, Penny paused and looked back at Ethan.
“Can you, uh, maybe wait out here? I’m not sure how she would feel with me dragging an Alpha into her house…”
Ethan’s face remained impassive though she noticed his shoulders stiffen as he gave a short nod. Sitting the bags next to the door, he walked back down the steps and moved to the side where he wouldn’t be as obvious from the doorway.
Stomach churning with a bit of guilt, Penny turned back to the door and rang the bell. It took a moment before it opened, revealing a beta in her mid-forties. Pasting on a smile, Penny greeted her client, lifting the bags as she was ushered inside. It didn’t take long to show the woman what she had brought, marking everything off of her list before having her sign for the delivery.
Not hanging around to talk like usual, Penny made her excuses and left, looking around for Ethan once the door closed behind her and she made her way down the stairs. She finally noticed him striding down the sidewalk towards her.
“Sorry about that,” she told him as he got closer. “I didn’t really think about it before…”
She could feel her cheeks heating with another blush at the surge of embarrassment she felt at making him wait outside.
“No, I understand,” he said as he stopped next to her. “I walked down the block so no one would think anything about an Alpha standing around outside her home though seeing one walking alone in the neighborhood might have startled a few people.”
Nodding, Penny cleared her throat and pushed away her discomfort.
“Okay, now we need to head back the way we came for a few blocks, to that grocery story we passed.”
Giving her a curious look, Ethan shrugged and held out his arm to her. Though she didn’t want to admit that her ankle was hurting more than she had expected, she was grateful for his support and placed her hand in the crook of his elbow.
With him taking some of the weight off of her foot, she was able to move a bit faster and they quickly made it back to the store she needed. Entering, she made her way to the counter at the front.
“Hello, I’m here to pick up Jenni McFord’s order.”
After going through the usual process, the woman behind the counter said she would be back with it in a moment. Knowing she would have a few minutes before the order came up, Penny turned and headed towards the produce.
“My client is an elderly woman who isn’t able to do her own shopping anymore due to her knees. I used to bring her with me and help her, but even that got to be too much for her. She refuses to use the electric carts, so now she places an order for the things she wants but she doesn’t trust them to choose her produce for her,” she explained to Ethan as he trailed behind her.
“Doesn’t she have family to do that for her?” he asked as he reached for a basket.
“She never took a mate or had kids. Her only sibling lives too far away to help. I feel a bit sorry for her sometimes since she’s alone so much, but she claims to enjoy the peace.”
Penny’s voice trailed away as she began to pick out some potatoes.
“I usually stay and make dinner with her when I deliver her groceries, but I can tell her I don’t have the time today.”
“No, take care of her. Don’t change anything because I’m there. I’ll be fine waiting,” Ethan said as she looked up at him.
She couldn’t help the warmth that spread in her chest at the look in his hazel eyes.
11. Ethan
Ethan was constantly being surprised by the little omega before him. He figured he shouldn’t be since omegas were known to be the more caring dynamic, but when she said she was a personal shopper, he had pictured her buying fancy clothes and accessories for rich women, not grocery shopping for an elderly woman who had no family.
Watching her choose the fresh vegetables and fruit more carefully than he would have for himself, he couldn’t help imagining her shopping for her own family. Carefully choosing healthy snacks for a toddler who would probably end up throwing more on the floor than they would eat. The thought of her ripe with
child and a baby on her hip had his cock surging to attention, willing to be the one to make her that way.
Moving the basket in front of him to hide his arousal, Ethan tried to clear the image from his head. It’s not like he was one of the studs that got hired to tend an omega through her heat and occasionally got to breed them. He was just a bodyguard. It was unlikely that he would ever know what it felt like to knot an omega.
Shaking himself back to the present, he followed her back up to the counter once she was done getting what she needed. There were four paper bags waiting on them, so he took them as she paid for the produce.
Snatching the bag off the counter before he could grab it too, she turned to him with a triumphant smile. Raising his eyebrow at her, Ethan chuckled and shook his head, offering his arm to her once again as they left the store.
“Her apartment is only a couple of blocks down that way,” she said with a nod to the right.
Looking around, Ethan noticed a couple men lingering near a car in the back of the lot they were crossing to get to the corner. Too far away to tell if either of them were Adrian, he pulled Penelope a little closer and increased their pace.
“Do you always come to this store on the same day?” he asked her as he scanned for any other suspicious looking vehicles.
“Yes,” she answered, looking up at him with a crease between her brows.
Noticing his gaze, she looked towards the men by the car. They had passed them, still a good distance away, before she finally shook her head.
“I’m pretty sure that’s one of the clerks here. I don’t think either of them looks like Adrian. And that’s not his car.”
Nodding, Ethan still kept one eye on the men as they continued to walk, but they didn’t seem to be paying any attention to Penelope. He finally relaxed a bit when they were a block away and no one appeared to be on the street around them.
