Page 17 of Temporary Omega

Linc looked behind him and saw Luca had placed his hand protectively on his stomach, and for some reason the move had Linc’s heart stirring, or he was having indigestion.

Indigestion would be a safer option at this point, he told himself.

He cleared his throat and motioned for the stairs, “The rooms are this way.”

Linc made sure Luca was in a room, and had everything he needed. Then he retired to his own room. For the first time since he’d stumbled across the crying omega, Linc finally took a moment to question his sanity. He wasn’t sure what he’d been thinking asking an omega he barely knew to not just move into his home, but also pretend they were happily dating to his papa.

He wasn’t an impulsive man, not by any definition of the word, but every action he’d made had been just that. Luca… just thinking the man’s name made Linc feel…. Oh he wasn’t sure what he felt but he decided it was way too late or early, depending on how one looked at it, to be delving into his feeling or the reasons for his actions.

All he needed was a shower and his bed, and things would hopefully make sense when he woke up.

8

Luca

Linc had shown Luca to his room, pointing out the bathroom and a walk in closet. Not that he had enough for a drawer, let alone a walk in, and where the towels and extra pillows were. Then the man had bid Luca goodnight and taken his leave quickly, or maybe it was just Luca’s imagination. But it had almost looked like the alpha wanted to get away from him.

When he was finally alone, Luca sat on the bench at the end of the bed, and placed his head in his hands. Luca took several deep breaths trying to center himself. He wasn’t sure he’d known the meaning of exhausted until his life had spiraled out of control.

Luca let the events of the day playback and he couldn’t believe all that had happened. When Lester the creepy had started knocking on Luca’s door at random times, it’d had him buying an extra lock, but then the man had gotten to cornering him when he got home like he was waiting in the bushes for Luca.

It had all made him feel very uncomfortable.

Then the man had asked him out. Ewww like he would ever. He reeked for Christ’s sake. Luca would rather sleep under a bridge. He hadn’t taken the threat the asshole made seriously but apparently he should have.

Most people would look at his current predicament and think there was an obvious solution, get rid of the pregnancy and return home. But the very thought had his heart contracting painfully in his chest.

Luca decided to take the night off from all the decisions he would surely have to make.

Be honest, you’ve made them already.

He ignored the voice that was calling him out, and decided a shower and bed was what he needed. He just needed to be done with this day. Then maybe things would start looking better.

Luca stood, but his whole body protested the move. Fuck he felt like he was twenty-one going on eighty-one with how bone weary he was feeling. Luca considered skipping the shower part and crawling into the large queen sized comfortable looking bed. But after the encounter with his former landlord, the tears, well he felt like he needed to wash the day off of him. Plus the thought of a genuine hot shower was enough to get him moving.

Luca walked into the en suite, and he wasn’t surprised by what he found. He may have been living frugally the past almost two years, but this was the luxury he’d grown up surrounded by.

The bathroom had a large walk-in shower that could easily fit four people, six at a squeeze, as well as a large freestanding oval tub, two sinks, and a bidet.

There was also toiletries, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and little washcloth. Fuck, he was in heaven. Luca had given up all the expensive lotions and creams he used to use before, and when things were good with Frankie, he hadn’t missed them. Hell, he knew he would have happily spent the rest of his life with Frankie perfectly middle class. But after everything had gone to hell, Luca couldn’t help but think of everything he’d given up.

He sighed. None of those, thought Luca, they won’t get you anywhere, except even more depressed.

Luca stripped off his clothes, turned on the shower and walked in. He stood under the hot water for a full minute, luxuriating in the sensation of the hot water on his body. The feeling of the water on his weary body warming him up, and not just on the outside. Fuck it had been so long. Usually Luca would have had to lather and rinse in the time he’d been standing still. But for the first time in so long he got to take his time.

Luca stepped back then squirted a dollop of shampoo into his hand. He took a moment to smell it before working it up into a lovely rich lather in his hair.

Fucking bliss.

Conditioner followed and Luca could feel his hair being revived. It wasn’t that he hadn’t had shampoo or conditioner, but he had gotten used to buying the ones with no names that were both shampoo and conditioner; that had been the later part, while he was with Frankie.

Living by himself and barely surviving without him, Luca had started to use the soap he’d bought for his body on his hair too. It had dried out his hair and only an overabundance of gel had managed to keep his usually wavy locks from looking like straw.

After taking his time to get his hair feeling the way it used to, Luca soaped himself with the body wash. He stood rinsing way longer than he needed, but when he was done, Luca finally got those commercials that showed a flower blooming when advertising body wash or lotions. That was how he was feeling now.

He turned the water off reluctantly, and got out of the shower. Luca grabbed a towel from the heated rail so it was all nice and warm. He didn’t have to look at the label to tell him these were Egyptian cotton.

He walked to the sink and stood in front of the large mirror. He had to open the bathroom door to let some steam out before he was able to see himself in the mirror. He took in his reflection, and sighed. Gods he looked tired.