Page 27 of With A Little Luck

Chapter Twenty-Two

Quincy

T rigg frowns and shoves his glasses up before turning to collect another bite of food to offer me.

I take it, chew, and swallow.

He puts the silverware down on the plate but stays silent.

My head tilts as I continue to wait for his answer.

I keep my eyes locked on his and ask again. “Did you put cameras in the pack bedroom?”

“If I’m not able to monitor the entirety of the house, I won’t be able to keep you safe.” His gaze darts away and quickly returns to mine, like he’s trying to assess if I’m angry. “I didn’t place any audio or visual recording devices in the bathroom. I have some boundaries.”

“Trigg,” I whisper, trying to determine how I feel about this turn of events.

I can’t say I’m shocked, considering I had a feeling he listened in on my conversation with Ridge, but it makes Hart uncomfortable.

I hate feeling torn between the two of them, and my first instinct is to coddle him, yet I don’t think that will solve anything. In reality, it would only hurt Hartley’s feelings even more.

“I’m pretty sure that’s illegal unless you have someone’s permission,” I tell him.

“Maybe in your house, since you didn’t know about them, but Ridge is aware I’m monitoring his home.” Trigg stretches back against the couch, his eyebrows rising. “Do you intend to turn me in?”

I gasp, shaking my head. “No.”

“Is Hartley planning on it?”

“Not that I know of?—”

“If he tries, I’ll have them removed before the police have the opportunity to investigate.” Trigg’s lips tip up. “I believe it’s a crime to make a false police report.”

“That was uncalled for, and you know it.” My eyes narrow, and my fingers dig into the material of his shirt where my hand rests over his heart.

“For the record, I really don’t like it when you say spiteful things.

The way the two of you fought at my house…

” A heavy sigh escapes my lips as the memories replay.

“I hated it. No more fights that get physical. You don’t have to like each other, but the whole gun thing was way too extreme. ”

“Understood,” he murmurs. “I’m sorry it upset you.”

I study his face, waiting to see if he’ll say more.

He doesn’t, so I focus on getting us back on track.

“As I was saying, the cameras make Hart uncomfortable. And I hadn’t really thought much about it, but when I did, I realized you have a recording of Hartley and me…” My lips purse, and I try to find a polite way to put it. “He’s a well-known athlete. I can understand why that would bother him.”

“I would never allow anyone to see you like that.” Trigg snakes a hand around my lower back.

“I’ve already separated out any intimate footage.

I was going to ask if you’d like to see it or if I should destroy it outright.

Hartley has nothing to worry about. You’re my soulmate. I would never do anything to harm you.”

Dammit.

It’s like he knows just what to say to make my insides melty.

The sincerity on his face is enough to make me believe him, but…

“Destroy it, please.” I give him a tight smile, running my free hand over my stomach. I didn’t eat very much, and somehow my stomach still hurts.

Trigg’s brow furrows. “Are you okay?”

I nod, then shake my head. “My stomach is upset, but I’ll be fine.”

“Is this conversation causing you distress?”

“Maybe a little,” I say, deciding honesty is the best choice. “Only because I really want you and Hart to get along.”

“But it doesn’t bother you when I watch you when I can’t be there directly?” His tone and the way his head tilts lead me to believe he means it as a question.

“If I said it did, would you stop?” I tease my fingers over his heart, not giving him the chance to reply before continuing.

“It doesn’t bother me. Maybe it should. I don’t know.

I’ve been lonely for a long time. It was scary living in that big house all by myself.

It sounds weird, but it actually gives me comfort to know you were watching over me. ”

“I’m glad. It was only ever my intention to protect you.” Trigg flashes a small smile, and it seems almost pained. “I have something I should tell you while I have the chance.”

“Okay.” My mind races with possibilities, but I have no guesses about what he might say next.

“I didn’t just break into your house to place the cameras.” His dark eyes stare directly into mine, and his hand on my back tightens. “On occasion, I snuck in to watch you sleep.”

My jaw falls, and I blink repeatedly as my mind tries to process his words. “You came into the house while I was home?”

“Only while you were asleep, but yes.” He nods, and I catch sight of myself in the reflection of his glasses. Well, at least my face accurately portrays my shock.

“And I never woke up?”

Or sensed a threat ?

God.

That’s terrifying.

“You didn’t,” he says, almost sounding amused. “Clearly. Otherwise, we would have had this conversation before now.”

My chest rises and falls in rapid pants as it really clicks. He could have murdered me in my sleep.

But he didn’t.

It’s still scary.

How does he even have the skills to do that? To get in and out without leaving any damage? And without me or any of my neighbors noticing…

“How much practice do you have breaking into houses?”

“A fair amount.” His nostrils flare, and his head tilts ever so softly. “Your scent changed. Are you frightened of me now?”

A horrible scoffing sound leaves my lips.

I have no idea what I’m feeling, but my instincts still don’t view him as a threat. It probably means my system is broken.

My head shakes, and I hear myself whisper, “No, but I need you to explain why you did it.”

“Unbonded pregnant omegas are rare. At first, I wanted to see if you had a pack. I intended to leave immediately upon gaining that information, but…” His cheeks turn pink.

“You were peaceful, and you smelled nice. I’ve never felt attraction to another person, and it intrigued me.

More than that, I felt a deep need to watch over you.

To say it’s out of character for me would be putting it too mildly.

” He shrugs. “It made me wonder if something bigger could be at play. I did more research about female omegas and pregnancy, and after learning about all the complications that can occur, my instincts were even more convinced I was doing the right thing. I had to be sure you had access to my pheromones, so I would simply stretch out next to you as you slept. I never touched you in inappropriate ways?—”

I pull my hand off his chest, bringing my fingers to his lips. “If I was asleep, that makes any touch inappropriate unless you had prior consent.”

On one hand, I’m freaking out a little.

If Trigg could break in and lie next to me while I slept… That means I could have slept through a burglary or something even worse, like someone breaking in to try to kidnap me simply because I’m an unbonded omega.

That’s blowing my mind.

Another big part of me wonders if my system was trying to entice him to stay close.

Alpha and omega biology is crazy sometimes.

Compatible pheromones can induce emotional attachments way faster than for betas.

Not to mention, my system flipped out the other night with Hart.

It was almost like it mimicked a mini heat.

“Does this bother you?” he asks, brushing his fingers down my arm. “How about this?” He runs his thumb over my cheek and tucks my hair behind my ear.

“It doesn’t, but I’m also awake and consenting.”

An almost predatory smile takes over Trigg’s face. His fingers spread on my lower back, and he leans closer, erasing nearly all the space between us. He dips his face close to mine, and his warm breath fans over my neck.

“Then give me permission.” His glasses push against my cheek as his nose dances across my jaw.

“Tell me I’m allowed to touch you whenever I want, even if you’re asleep.

” He pulls back, keeping his face close to mine.

So close, in fact, that his lips almost ghost over mine as he speaks.

“Tell me you trust me to take care of you, in all ways, at all times.”

His eyes darken, and it’s almost like he has me in a trance.

I can’t look away, and he drums his fingers over my spine, indicating that he’s waiting.

Why does it feel like I’m about to make a deal with the devil?

I might need to have a serious talk with my body, because that thought shouldn’t send a steady thrum of arousal to my core.

Damn.

Trigg looks good with that cocky little smirk tipping at his lips.

“Let’s make a deal,” I offer. “You stop purposely tormenting Hart, and I’ll give you that blanket permission, even when I’m not awake. But you don’t get to touch me sexually, unless we’ve taken that step while I’m conscious.” I lick my lips, and my fingers dig into his shoulder. “D-Deal?”

My heart thumps against my rib cage as he dips his face to mine once more. Our mouths meet, and he licks at the seam of my lips.

I gasp, and he shoves his tongue into my mouth. It’s not the most coordinated kiss I’ve ever experienced, but smelling his electric scent and feeling how tight his muscles are only seem to spur me on. My hand moves to his jaw, and my fingers dig into his short, pokey stubble.

Trigg growls, the sound vibrating out of his chest as tongues clash. It gets hard to breathe all too soon, and I’m forced to pull back to suck down deep lungfuls of air. It doesn’t help my head get any less foggy.

I don’t know when I stretched up on my knees to kiss him, but I settle against his lap. His eyes are wide as my eyes meet his, but a sexy smile quickly overtakes his face.

“Yeah, angel.” Trigg chuckles. “You’ve got yourself a deal. Now, you need a few more bites of food before I’ll be satisfied you’ve had enough to eat.”