Page 37 of His Reward
Oddly enough, his outburst and the subsequent sound of him blowing his nose diffused all the tension we’d both carried into the condo.
“You probably just need a nap,” I called to him as I fetched his bag and walked it through an open doorway into an absolutely gorgeous bedroom. I would have thought Lucien, as an omega and a figure skater, would have his room decorated in frothy shades of light blue and silver or something, but it was a deep, almost subversive hunter green with bronze accents. “I can snuggle into bed with you if you’d like,” I added over my shoulder through the bedroom door as I set his bag on a long, mahogany bureau.
Lucien’s laughter came from the other room. “You need to get back to the firehouse,” he said as I heard the sink turn on. When I walked back into the room, he had poured himself aglass of water. “I really don’t want you to get fired or something because of me.”
“It’s fine,” I lied, walking with him as he took his glass of water to the large, cushy sofa in the middle of the main room. “I can sweet talk my way around the district chief.”
“You’re in trouble with the district chief?” Lucien said, sitting down, his eyes wide.
“No, no, I didn’t say that.” I sat next to him.
Lucien stared flatly at me.
“I’m not in trouble with the district chiefyet,” I said.
“Boston.” Once again, he sounded exactly like his mom. He also sounded seriously tired.
“Okay, okay,” I said, holding up my hands. “I’ll spend more time at work and less time with you. Is that what you want?”
I could tell from the immediate emotion in his expression that was the last thing he wanted. “I can take care of myself,” he said. “I’ve been doing it for years.”
I hummed doubtfully, then shifted closer to him, and like the possessive alpha I was, I slung my arm around his shoulders, resting it against the back of the sofa, while he reached for the remote and turned the TV on.
The last thing he’d watched must have been some skating program. The TV turned on to what looked like an entire skating channel. A pair of commentators were sitting at a desk talking about some national competition from Europe over the weekend and the various skaters who had won.
“This means that Strauss will be entering the Winter Games next month as the European champion,” the male commentator said.
“And with Lucien Monteverdi out of competitive skating for good, Strauss will be favored to win gold,” the female commentator said.
I could feel Lucien bristle beside me, but he didn’t say anything.
“You want to change the channel?” I asked quietly.
Lucien didn’t answer me. Instead, he said, “Wilhelm Strauss is a great guy. He’s been working just as hard as me for just as long. He deserves that gold.”
I nodded, not really knowing what to say. I could feel frustration and grief radiating from my omega.
“What do you want to do?” I asked once the program was over and Lucien turned off the TV.
“I want to take a nap,” Lucien sighed, reaching for one of the bigger pillows at the side of the sofa. “Right here, where I can look out the window at the ocean.”
“Do you want me to get you a blanket or something?” I asked, getting up and immediately looking around for one.
“Yeah,” Lucien said, swinging his body around with a wince and lying on the couch. “And then I want you to go back to your firehouse and do the work you need to do so you don’t get fired.”
I laughed, but warning bells went off in my head. “I swear, Lucien, I’m fine,” I said.
He’d closed his eyes, but he opened one and arched an eyebrow at me as I brought the blanket I’d found on a chair at the side of the room to cover him with. “Don’t make me scold you again for lying,” he said.
I grinned. I couldn’t help myself. Lucien was so perfect in so many ways. All I wanted to do was to spend the rest of my life taking care of him.
And wouldn’t Mr. Monteverdi just love that.
I covered him with the blanket then bent over to kiss his lips. My heart thrilled a little when he kissed me back freely. “I’m going,” I said. “But you have my number. Promise me you’ll call me if you need anything at all.”
“I will,” he said with a sigh, settling in for his nap. “Don’t get in trouble because of me,” he charged me as I walked over to where I’d set my phone and keys on the counter in his open kitchen.
“I won’t, I swear,” I said.
