He stood outside the door and listened for movement, but heard nothing. He sniffed the air and caught a faint whiff of her heavenly scent. She was still in there at least. So check sneaking out off the list.
Stix breathed in deep and opened the door. He stood in the doorway for a moment, and his jaw dropped. His entire office had been organized. Bins that had been in the storage closet for as long as he could remember, lined on the wall, stacked on top of each other like a makeshift bookcase. Not a single sheet of paper sat piled on a chair or his desk or even the top of the filing cabinet. A dying plant that he'd forgotten he had, replaced the mess on his desk, next to his computer and phone. Every speck of dust had been eradicated. Even the furniture had been moved around to provide a better flow in the room. The change was incredible.
Satia waited quietly in the middle of the room.
"Is it too much?" she asked. "Is it not what you wanted?"
"Oh no, it's what I wanted and more. I just... I didn't expect you to be done so fast."
"I've always been very efficient," she replied. "Do your task well and quicker than your master requires. It makes you invaluable; my mother used to say."
"It sure does, but, I'm not your master. I'm you-" He stopped himself from saying, mate. Though that was obviously what was going on with him. "I'm your boss," he finished.
She nodded. "Thank you again for the work." She looked around sadly. "I suppose now you will no longer need me. Maybe I should have taken longer after all."
The thought of letting her leave made his ursa grumble.
"Oh, no. I have plenty of other things for you to do," he blurted.
"You do?" Her eyes lit up, and a genuine smile spread across her lips.
"Yes. Tons of things I don't have time for. Weeks and weeks worth of work," he lied.
"Wonderful. That would be most helpful."
"So, it's getting a bit late. Do you need to call Gerri's car service or an Uber? I can give you some money if you need to grab a taxi if you're not that far." He headed to the cash box.
"Oh... uh..."
He noticed Satia's flustered expression. She clasped her hands together.
"Is something wrong?"
"Well, I... I saw a cot in the storage room, and I thought maybe you'd allow me to stay here for a few days until I find a place." Her gaze hit the floor.
The storage room? "Wait," he said. "You don't have anywhere to go?"
She glanced up and shook her head.
"What about Gerri? Aren't you staying with her?"
"Oh no. She was kind enough to find me this job, but that's all. We aren't friends or anything."
"And I heard Affina and Razor were out."
Satia shuffled her feet. "They, uh... I haven't told them I'm in the city. I'd like to keep it that way."
Alone. She was utterly and entirely alone. No family. No friends. No place to live.
"Well I can't let you stay in the storage room, I'm sorry."
She nodded. "I understand. I didn't mean to impose. I-"
"But you can stay with me." The words tumbled out of his mouth.
"You don't have to do that, but thank you for the offer."
"No really." He rounded his desk and sat on the edge of it in front of her. "I have an extra room that isn't in use. And it's no problem at all. That is if you are comfortable. I know you don't know me."
"I expect Gerri would never have introduced us if she thought you were going to cause me any harm."
"Logically."
"And... you have been nothing but kind to me so far..."
He was glad she wasn't one who didn't even think through the danger she could be getting into by going home with someone she'd just met. She was apparently a girl with a good head on her shoulders. A beautiful, fascinating head...
Satia's eyebrows knit together and she chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment.
"If you're sure it isn't too much. I would greatly appreciate it. And it won't be for long. I don't want to take advantage."
Hell, she could take advantage of him all she wanted. As far as he was concerned, he didn't ever want her to not be where he was.
"It's settled then." Stix grabbed his coat from the back of his chair and his keys from the top drawer. Satia picked up her sweater and rolled her bag to the door.
Okay. He could do this. He could take the girl he was pretty sure Gerri had intended for him to mate back to his house and be a total gentleman to her. Yup. No problem. His bear warbled like a cub sucking on honeycomb.
Forty-five minutes later Satia and Stix walked up to a sandy brown colored building camouflaged in the midst of an entire street full of sandy colored buildings.
From the restaurant, they'd walked to a train and ridden it within a few blocks of Stix's house in a city called Brooklyn.
Stix grabbed her bag and carried it up the steps to the large wooden front door.
"You pack pretty light," he chuckled. "Is there even anything in this?"
"I don't have much," she replied. "Don't need much." Truth was, even though Affina had given her a credit card and told her to buy whatever she wanted, never again did Satia wish to be indebted to anyone. And as a servant she'd never needed dresses and shoes and fine things. She'd had two outfits. One to wash and one to wear and that had been all she'd ever needed. Buying dozens of things to wear them a few times seemed a waste.
The front door creaked open and Stix stepped inside and turned on the light. Satia walked in the small entryway noticing how narrow the entire structure was. Like his office, the little house was cluttered with stuff.
Stix reached around her and closed the door, locking it. Again she was struck by the thick male scent that made her saber purr in delight.
His body pressed up against hers for a moment, and the heat of his skin invaded her space, making the hair on her arms stand up. He brushed her chest with his, making her nipples stand at attention.
Satia stepped back and covered her chest with her arms so he couldn't see.
"I apologize," he said. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
She gave him a tight smile. "You didn't. You're just so warm."
He gave her a sheepish smile. "Yeah, I've always been like that. Sometimes in the summer I seriously think my skin is going to peel off. My AC bill is outrageous."
"AC?"
"Air conditioning. It's expensive but worth it in the summer months. On the weekends I like to go to my parents' place and swim in the lake."
"That sounds amazing. I used to sneak out of the castle every once and a while and swim naked in the nearby lake. Maybe we could do that sometime."
The scent of Stix's skin grew heavier as he stared down at her with a strange expression.
"Swim, I mean," she corrected. "Not naked. I didn't mean... I mean, we don't have to..." Heat flushed her skin at the thought. What he must think of her that she was the kind of woman to go around asking men to go swimming naked with her.
Stix smiled and nodded. "Come on, I'll show you around." He picked up her bag again and walked down the hallway." He pointed to a room on the left. "These are uh... some rooms that I never use."
She popped her head in to see three small, connected rooms run the length of the building. The first had a couch and chair and various living items. They continued down the hallway and the next room was piled with junk. The last room held a large table and chairs.
"This is the kitchen." They walked into a thin area with cabinets on one side. Dishes and old food containers littered the counters. "I'll clean it up in the morning," he mumbled.
"Back there is the laundry room and a door to the backyard." He squeezed past her back to the hallway and opened a door. "That's the basement. Not much down there right now but some storage. You can sleep down there if you want, but it's a bit cluttered."
The thought of sleeping down there alone sent a wave of panic through her.
"Where do you sleep?" she asked.
He peered at her quizzically. "I
sleep upstairs."
She swallowed hard. "Do you mind if I sleep up there too? Not in your room of course. I'm not used to being alone."
"No problem." He showed her back down the hallway to the stairs. She grasped the old wooden banister, tarnished over time by age and loving hands, and followed him up the creaky stairs to the top floor. Three bedroom doors lined the hallway.
"So this is my room over here." He opened the first door on the left. "It's been my room since I was a kid."
He opened the middle door. "This was my cousin Deacon's room. He lived with us when his parents died." He walked to the third room. "And this was my parent's room. They don't stay here much anymore. You're welcome to stay in there if you'd like. It's the largest of the three."
"I don't know that I would feel right about staying in your parent's room," she said. "Deacon's old room will do. If you think he won't mind."
Stix snorted. "Deacon hasn't stepped foot in it in over five years. I'm sure he would be fine letting you have it."
"For the time being. I don't want to overstep. You've done quite a lot for me already."
He nodded. "It's nothing."
Her gut clenched. "It's something to me."
Their eyes connected and warmth rushed through her and pooled in her belly. Again she imagined what his lips would feel like on hers. The touch of his hand as he brushed the hair from her neck. His muscular arms wrapped around her body.
"So, the bathroom is over there," he pointed. "There should be clean towels, but I can't promise anything tonight. I'll make sure in the morning though. I apologize for you having to see the house in this state. It's been a while since I've cleaned up and I wasn't expecting company."
"Thank you." She held out her hand for her bag. "You've done more than enough. And I would never judge you for having a house that was lived in."
Stix snorted. "Lived in. That's a very polite way of putting it."
Stix handed her bag to her, and she walked to the doorway of Deacon's room. She caught the faint smell of cologne and stinky socks in the room.
"I tend to sleep in a bit since the restaurant is open so late," he said. "But feel free to make yourself at home. There is some food in the fridge, but I'll go shopping-"
"Tomorrow," she finished.
They both laughed and he rubbed his head. "Yeah. Tomorrow."
"Goodnight. Thank you again."
He nodded. "If you need anything. I'm right in here."
Satia walked into the room and closed the door. She leaned back against it and shook her head. She'd had enough awkward conversations to last her a lifetime.
Chapter 5
Stix awoke to the smell of eggs cooking. His stomach growled, and he looked at the clock. It was nine thirty. Five hours sleep. He groaned and rolled over. Just knowing that Satia was in the room next door made his bear pace all night long to be let out. He remembered the touch of her soft fingers as they'd touched his. The smell of her skin. The beautiful roundness of her plush lips.
Stix threw the covers off and hopped to his feet. Nope. He was not doing this. He dropped to the floor and threw himself into a round of pushups. Then he held himself in plank for two minutes and rolled over and did two hundred crunches. By the time he finished his blood pumped and his muscles ached, but his bear had yet to calm down.
A soft knock on his bedroom door pulled his attention.
He got to his feet and walked to the door, opening it. Satia stood in a pink satin bathrobe her ripe nipples announcing themselves from underneath the thin fabric.
She stared at him, her eyes traveling up and down his exposed torso. The scent of desire wafted from her and she turned away. He fought the urge to cover himself and instead assumed the same position she had, looking away from the beautiful dip of her bathrobe down between her perfectly round breasts.
"I... I made some breakfast and thought you might want some. There wasn't much in there but you had some eggs and bread."
"Thank you. I'm going to shower first."
She nodded and ducked away.
Stix banged his head on his door. He needed a cold shower, and quick. His phone buzzed, and he walked to it. Again the same unknown caller flashed on the screen. He picked it up and hit the on button.
"Take me off your call list," he said. Then he pushed the off button before receiving a response. He hated sales calls.
Twenty minutes later Stix jogged down the stairs clean and clear headed. For at least the time being his ursa had given up his pacing and was discontentedly laying down grumbling in the corner.
Satia was finishing putting the dishes in the dishwasher when he entered the kitchen.
"You didn't need to do that," he said."
"I'm sure I didn't."
He wasn't sure how to respond as embarrassment at the state of the house punched him in the gut so hard he wanted to duck his head and hide from her. So he sat at the table and scanned the food. Four eggs and two pieces of toast. He was going to need to do some shopping.
He picked up his fork and scooped the eggs onto the toast. "After I eat I'm going to head to the store. You can come with me if you'd like."
Satia glanced over her shoulder at him. "I'd like to take a shower and then maybe see what I can do about helping you organize that room over there."
He swallowed down his food and took a sip of juice.
"I'll get around to it."
She stopped wiping the counter and turned to him. "How long ago did your parents move out?"
"Uh... about two years ago."
"And how long has that pile in there been growing?"
He chuckled. "About two years."
"Then why not at least let me go through it and get rid of the junk. Surely you don't need the market ads from two years ago."
"Probably not."
"Besides. I need to earn my rent somehow."
Stix stared at her for a moment. "Were you a slave your entire life?"
"I wasn't a slave I was a servant."
"Was there a difference?"
Her eyebrows drew together. "To a degree. I was not paid, but I was never mistreated. I was never whipped. I ate with the family. I slept with the family. I had my own room."
"And that only ended very recently didn't it?"
She nodded. "We left the castle and went on the run over two years ago. But I was still considered a servant until six months ago when we came here."
"Well, I'm sure then that you aren't used to people giving you things without expecting something in return, but it's not like that with me. You don't have to cook and clean for me so I'll give you a place to sleep. I'm not expecting anything from you in return."
She studied him for a moment. "From what I've seen of men here on Earth, they always expect something."
"And you think I'm one of those men?"
"If I had, I'd never have come to your home with you, but that doesn't change how I was raised. I don't expect to receive something for nothing. I work and earn my way."
He could see that he wouldn't break her resolve no matter what he said. She was brave despite the fear and sadness in her eyes. His heart went out to her wondering what she'd been through. He couldn't imagine Affina being terrible to Satia, even if Satia was an indentured servant. But the sadness in Satia's eyes was unmistakable. Something had happened to her.
"I should dress."
Stix nodded and she left without another word. Stix turned to his eggs and scarfed them down. He had to find out what had happened to Satia. Problem was, he wasn't sure his heart could take finding out what that was exactly.
Satia heard the front door close right before she turned on the shower. She blew out a deep breath and stepped under the warm water.
Though she appreciated Stix's hospitality and he'd been nothing but kind to her, she was mentally and physically exhausted from being near him. Sometime during the night she went from thinking about him to worrying that he might try to break into her room, to full-blown panic that he'd come in and attack h
er. She'd spent half of the night curled in a ball at the bottom of the closet holding onto a baseball bat she'd found in there. The panic attack had come on so suddenly that she'd not even had time to prepare herself. Wave upon wave of images and thoughts had overtaken her, and she'd been unable to keep them at bay.
She'd awoken in the closet, her hips aching from the hard floor and her body cold in her thin pajamas and blanket. It hadn't been until that moment when she'd stepped into the shower that she'd begun to warm.
She washed her hair and her body and then sat down in the claw tub and let the water rain over her. She hadn't had a panic attack like that in almost a month. Even the nightmares had begun to diminish in her time of solitude at the lodge. But somehow being back in the city had triggered the emotions buried deep inside. She laid her cheek on her knees and stared at the water swirling around the drain. Maybe it would help if she went to see a professional. Affina had suggested it several times, but Satia had determined she could handle the problems herself. And she had for the most part. She'd listened to hypnotic therapy on her phone. She'd spent hours meditating in the woods. She'd done everything to help the situation. But now, being back... Maybe she needed something more.
Satia stepped out of the shower, wrung out her hair and wrapped herself in a towel. The room was steamy, so Satia opened the bathroom window and looked out at the backyard. Like all the others on either side, it was a long thin yard separated by a wooden fence. Where other yards were manicured and full of flowers or kids' toys, Stix's lawn was a neglected greenish-brown color, and the plants surrounding the wall were withered and clinging to life. It surprised her that Stix did so very little to keep up his property. She didn't assume that running several restaurants was easy, but surely it left him with at least a little time to clean up his things.
She turned from the window and shook her head. It wasn't her place to judge. The best she could do was to help him in any way she was able, as he was helping her.
Satia dressed and walked downstairs to the rooms on the left side of the house. Armed with a box of trash bags and a small old radio for company she began sifting through the piles of mail, magazines, receipts, trash, and even clothing. She separated everything into piles. Things he needed to look at. Things he should have looked at a long time ago. Things to decide if he was keeping. And junk. The junk went straight into the trash bags.
Paranormal Dating Agency: Unleashing Her Saber (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 3
