His Secret Billionaire Omega Read online

  After the third or fourth or ninth song, I wasn’t really paying attention, as I allowed the music to transport me away, Lola started to sneak away, a smile on her face, just as someone tapped on my shoulder. I turned to find Killian as the music slowed, a rarity here. If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought he planned it out.

  I stepped into his open arms and we began to sway to the music, our bodies getting closer and closer together with each beat until I was pressed against him perfectly.

  “Got off work early, Blondie,” Killian shouted in my ear, the music still far too loud for a decent conversation. Not that I minded, his body moving as one with mine, his breath tickling my ear as he spoke.

  “Worried about the pussy?” Because sometimes I just didn’t know when to turn it off. I cringed, hoping my innuendo didn’t ruin our moment. Normally, I was on all the time, but with Killian, I found myself wanting to just be me. Maybe it was the way he comforted me that day Parker found me at the cafe, or maybe it was the little toy he sent Blubby. The reason didn’t matter, even if the effect had me both thrilled and ill at ease.

  “Pretty much, yeah,” he confessed, ignoring my lewdness. “And are you sure you can take her? I don’t want you getting in trouble with your landlord. I can put her up for a few days.”

  Oh. My. Alpha. He was such a giant softy inside that huge muscly exterior.

  “That would be less stressful,” I admitted. I could see the little fur ball had quickly sunk her claws into his heart, and he was just looking for an excuse. “You really don’t mind?”

  “Just until I find her a home,” he said.

  “If you want, I can still go with you and we can stop by Big Mart. I’ll stay in the car with her while you run in to get a litter box and proper food.” I bit my lip, crossing my fingers I hadn’t crossed some invisible line by my forwardness. I meant it at face value, but given our current proximity, our hips sliding against each other, it could oh-so-easily come across as a pick up line. And I wasn’t entirely sure I didn’t intend that too.

  Killian nodded, his face the picture of concern. “I’m not keeping her, though,” he mumbled, but if he didn’t know he was beat yet, he would soon.

  “Sure you are.” I leaned in closer. “You luvs her, even if you don’t realize it yet.”

  The music sped up, but we swayed to our own beat, my body melded to his. I indulged until my conscience reminded me that poor cat was in a storage room with no litter. I only hoped that she didn’t pee on anything because, there was no way Killian’s job would survive unscathed if she filled the store room with piss.

  “We should go.” My body didn’t want to cooperate and stayed pressed against Killian.

  “Yeah. We should.” Three songs later, we did.

  The cat was sleeping in her box, content as could be when we got there. I sniffed as subtly as I could, and was relieved I didn’t notice any litterbox smells. I marked that in the winning column.

  “So Big Mart?” Killian asked as I closed the box, grateful for the handle holes that allowed for ample ventilation.

  “Yeah. While you drive, I’ll write a list of essentials. Let me go find Lola and let her know where I’m off to.” I was officially a craptastic friend, leaving her like that so I could dance with Killian and then disappearing into the back. She had no way of knowing it was just to get the cat.

  “She left with the bartender an hour ago.” Killian took the box from my hands and started to the door. Had we really been dancing that long? It had barely seemed like a minute, and entirely like a dream.

  “Good on her.”

  “If you say so.”

  “He an ass?” Because if he were, that would change my evening plans dramatically. There was no way I’d leave her in harm’s way.

  “No, but he is a player, so if she is looking for more, it might end poorly.”

  “If he’s upfront about it, that’s on her.” She’d make a bad choice, but she always did when it came to her love life. She had a love of the unattainable man. That was probably why we got along. Two peas and everything. “As long as she’s safe.”

  “She’s safe,” he affirmed.

  The list I gave him was very basic, and as he ran in to pick the supplies out, I popped on my phone and ordered all of the things I would want for my kitten, if the place allowed. It was probably over the top, but the purring of the sweet baby in the box beside me made me want to spoil her rotten.

  “He name is Sassy.” I announced as Killian climbed in the front seat after dropping off his purchases in the trunk.

  “No, you’re not doing that to me. Sassy and Sally?” He turned on the car. It felt weird to have him driving up front with me in the back, but I couldn’t leave the poor cat alone, and the box was far too large for the front seat.

  “But Sassy is the perfect name.”

  “It is the perfect name, but I’m not changing Sally’s name. She’s had her name for years. So no Sassy.”

  “Princess Buttercup?”

  Killian stopped at a stop sign and turned around to level me with a look. “Are you being serious?”

  I had only been half serious until he challenged me. Now I was absolutely serious. “She’s absolutely a Princess.”

  Killian stared at me for a moment before some jerk hole behind us blared his horn, so Killian turned back to the road and started moving. “As you wish.”

  My heart revved up. He did not just quote Princess Bride to me. I mean, I’d kinda been asking for it with the whole Princess Buttercup thing, but did he know what “as you wish” meant? If he was able to understand the reference of Princess Buttercup, I had a sneaking suspicion he did. That was thrilling and terrifying.

  “Did you know there is an entire aisle of cat litter? An entire aisle.” Killian’s question broke the silence and I eagerly latched on to the easy topic of conversation.

  “Did they have the kind I suggested?”

  “They did, it just took me a while to find. I think Princess will be good and happy with all I found for her.” He pulled out of the lot and stopped at the corner. “Do you have time to come home with me and set it all up?”

  My voice was breathy as I said, “I do.” He turned left, and I couldn’t leave well enough alone. “I… er… I mean, yeah, I have the time. I had planned to stay until the club closed, so…”

  “Excellent. Princess loves you, so it will make it easier for her.”

  As much as I would like to be able to say I was going for the cat, it would be an utter lie. I had said yes in an awkwardly spectacular fashion because I didn’t want to say good-bye to Killian. I had it bad. I could only hope that he did too.

  17

  Killian

  I pulled the car into my tiny shared driveway, turning my lights off as soon as I put it in park. It wasn't as late as I normally got home from work, but most people in my neighborhood were already asleep.

  "Should I put Sally somewhere...?" It suddenly hit me how crazy this was. What if Sally and Princess didn't get along? It's only for a little while, I reminded myself. Just until I found Princess a home.

  "Yeah, maybe put her in your bedroom until we get Princess Buttercup set up? She's going to be nervous enough as it is."

  "Okay, one moment. I'll be right back."

  Sally wasn't waiting for me at the door like she normally did when I came home from work, but as soon as she heard me rattling the door, she launched into the most ferocious round of barks. "Shh, Sally, it's me, calm down." I was completely okay with her barking like crazy when she didn't know who was on the other side of the door. She was a good guard dog, though if any potential robbers saw her and not just heard her, they'd probably just bust in anyway. But her bark was pretty ferocious.

  She calmed down as she sniffed my hands, more excited than usual, and I realized she must smell the cat on me.

  "Just a moment, girl, you'll meet Princess soon."

  Sally followed me eagerly into the bedroom, but I caught a glimpse of the saddest, most disbeli
eving eyes as I shut her in, and I felt like an ass. Normally I played with her as soon as I got home, but I had Princess and Marcus waiting on me. "I'll make it up to you, girl," I promised, and hurried back outside.

  Marcus was standing with the car door open, Sally's box sitting on the seat behind him. "Ready?" he asked.

  "Yep. You grab Princess and I'll grab the supplies?"

  As we set everything on my living room floor, I asked Marcus, "So what now? Do we just let Princess run around and familiarize herself with everything?"

  "Pretty much. She can wander around while we decide the best spot for her bowls and her litter box."

  The moment Marcus pulled back the first flap on her box, Princess popped her head up, squeezing it through the small open hole.

  "Just a minute, sweetie pie," Marcus cooed. "You're home."

  "Temporarily," I protested, but Marcus ignored me.

  He opened the box fully and we watched her for a minute as she popped her head curiously above to look at her surroundings, and then jumped with one smooth, graceful leap, and then sat and began cleaning her paw.

  "So... litter box?"

  Marcus nodded. "Litter box."

  Sally was still whining softly at my door, but as much as I wanted to let her out, I didn't want to introduce the two animals until I was completely focused on supervising them. Princess wandered up to the door at one point, sniffing along its bottom edge, and Sally's whines grew more plaintive.

  It didn't take us much time at all to set the litter box up in the spare bedroom, in the undamaged part, and wash Princess's bowls and fill them in the kitchen.

  "You want to help me introduce the two furries?" I asked Marcus. I imagined it would be easier to have someone to help in case I needed to separate them. I didn't know how I was going to handle them if it turned out they didn't get along. This was Sally's house, and I wasn't going to leave her locked up in the bedroom. Maybe I could put Princess in the spare... but I was just borrowing trouble I didn't have yet.

  "Absolutely." Marcus picked up Princess. "Bring out the hound!"

  "She thinks she’s a big dog, and she’s a little bit... enthusiastic," I warned.

  "I like big things," Marcus said, and I rolled my eyes before realizing an uncharacteristic blush had bloomed in his cheeks. Had that been an unintentional innuendo?

  I pushed the bedroom door open a sliver, and Sally was on it, shoving her little black nose against it, snuffling eagerly.

  "Gentle," I urged her, and opened the door wider, snagging her collar as she tried to push past me. I held tight as her paws scrambled on the floor, dodging this way and that, her tail whap whapping against my legs and her nose tailing Princess's path. Then she looked up and saw Marcus and Princess and dragged me close to them, but when we got within a couple feet, she suddenly pressed her top half low to the floor, as if bowing. She tilted her head a little so she could still see them, and then her back half fell to the floor with a whump, her tail still wagging madly.

  "Well... that's unexpected," I said.

  Marcus knelt on the floor, Princess sitting loosely in his arms. Sally's tail smacked harder against the floor, and she quivered with excitement. Princess looked down on my mutt imperiously, and with a deliberately slow arch, leaned out of his hold to inspect this insanely floppy creature before her. Sally made a move as if she was going to jump up, and I readied myself to catch her, but she was good, and let Princess come up and sniff her without any startling moves. When Princess sniffed her nose, Sally couldn't resist darting her tongue out for a good hello lick. Princess backed away, but seem to mind too much, and then the cat walked away into the kitchen.

  Sally's eyes darted between me and Princess, as if asking permission to follow. "Go on," I said. "But stay nice."

  She leaped to her feet, but followed Princess at a good distance, though the cat ignored her now, her curiosity apparently satisfied. As I watched the two, something unlocked in my shoulders. I hadn't realized how stressed I was about introducing them to each other.

  I turned to grin at Marcus, and was nearly frozen by the look of longing on his face. It was so raw, and open. But he must have felt my eyes on him, because in a moment it was gone, and he returned my smile. "Looks like things are going to be just fine." He yawned, and tried to cover it up. "Sorry! It's been a long day. I guess I should be heading home."

  "There's no buses running this late," I protested.

  He waved my worry away. "I'll just call a car, it's okay."

  "I can drive you home," I continued.

  "Killian, you can't leave Princess alone so soon. She needs you."

  My mind scrambled. Why was I protesting so much? "A taxi would be really expensive," I said, my mouth moving before my brain. "Why don't you just crash here?"

  18

  Marcus

  “Why don’t you just crash here?”

  He said it as if he were offering lunch, not something as important as staying the night. Although, was it important? We weren’t dating, the slow dancing of earlier the full extent of our physical relationship. We were friends, or almost friends, or I didn’t know what, but I did know there was no sexual heat infusing his words, just a polite offer of a place to sleep.

  The cost of a taxi wasn’t a thing for me, not that he knew it, and I never let anyone realize that. I could have made the argument that when you download the app, your first ride is free, which was true, even if that first ride had been years past. It was sweet of him to offer to drive, but leaving the animals alone was an absolute no go. They seemed to get along fine, but that didn’t mean they would stay that way. I had a feeling they were going to get along well, though, which meant the little plan I had brewing in the back of my mind to move to a pet friendly, more expensive place, screw appearances, was moot. Princess Buttercup belonged here, even if I was already in love with her.

  “You sure you don’t mind?” The words stumbled out of my mouth.

  I had never stayed the night at someone’s house before. I mean, someone I was interested in. I wasn’t a prude. I had kissed, sucked, and frotted with the best of them, but staying the night and full on sex was something I always intended to save for my mate. Not that Killian was offering more than a bed to sleep in… or a couch. I didn’t even know.

  “Sure. It would be easier, and if I have problems with Princess you can go all cat whisperer for me.” His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, which were filled with… was that nerves? Was big, tough, sexy Killian nervous I was going to say no? Or worse, was he worried I was going to say yes when he didn’t want that from me? Ugh.

  Sally rushed in, her tail still on super speed. She plopped herself in front of Killian, looking up all beggy. It was adorable. Dogs weren’t my thing. I mean, I liked them well enough, but I was a cat person. Seeing Killian melt before his dog almost made me wish I was a dog person.

  “Does my girl need to go out?” he cooed, the dog visibly fighting the urge to jump up on him. “Door,” he commanded, and she grabbed the leash off the side table and took it to the front, sitting impatiently with it in her mouth, her tail slapping the floor.

  “She’s really smart.” I was in awe. I mean, I knew dogs could be trained, but this trick was useful, unlike play dead and most of the other dumb stuff I’d seen people subject their dog to.

  “She really is. You want to come, or do you think someone should stay here with Princess?” He hooked the leash to Sally’s collar.

  There was a crash in the kitchen. Of course.

  “I guess that is Princess Buttercup asking me to pay her some mind. You go, I’ll take care of her.” Nothing had sounded shattery-ish, and I crossed my fingers she hadn’t broken anything just yet. I was fairly confident Killian had already come to terms with his new role as cat daddy, but I didn’t want to test that theory.

  “If you’re sure.”

  Sally lost her ability to contain her enthusiasm and tried to push the door open with her head.

  I nodded with a laugh. That dog had
Killian wrapped around her paw. There was something so freaking hot about that. A vision of him snuggling a baby flashed before me and I shut that sucker down. He was not mine, and thinking babies was bad bad bad.

  Stupid biological clock had been riding me hard for over a year now, but I wasn’t going to let my internal baby pressure lead me to a bad alpha decision. If I wanted a sucky life with a horrid alpha, I could’ve had that long ago.

  The crash had only been the plastic food bowl he’d bought Princess Buttercup landing on the floor, and had seemingly been still half-full of food. I had put it on the utility counter thinking it would prevent Sally from eating it all and making herself sick. I had misjudged the destructive force nature that was cats. I needed to figure out a solution for the food problem after I cleaned up.

  “You need to behave, Princess Buttercup. This is a good home, you don’t want to lose it by being destructive,” I scolded in the most sickeningly sweet voice ever, making the reprimand less than effective. If any reprimand was ever affective against cats.

  The kibble was everywhere, but I finished cleaning it up just as Killian came back. Sally immediately found three more pieces.

  “I thought I had that all cleaned up.” I settled the broom on its hook.

  “Sally is quality control for food clean up.” Killian scratched behind her ears. “Anything break?”

  “Naw. She just decided to play hockey with her dish. Little rascal.”

  “So the counter isn’t going to work?”

  “No. I was trying to think of a better place to put it where Sally couldn’t get at it. Do you have any rooms that are closed off to her?”

  “I could put a cat door in the basement.”

  I refrained from voicing the awws that were forming in my mouth.

  “Sally never goes down there. It houses the laundry machine, and that’s about it.”

  “Perfect.” Because I was beginning to think he was. The idea was perfect too, but that was my secondary reaction.