by Bonnar King
I stared at him retreating back for all but a few seconds before following. Frustration rose inside me as I realized Tony didn’t get it.
“I don’t want you back for the job,” I called out. Tony stopped walking, then turned to look at me incredulously.
“Are you firing me?”
“No!”
“It sounds like you are.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You’re a good personal assistant but that’s not all you’re good at.”
His eyes flared in warning. “What else am I good at, then?”
“Get your mind out of the gutter. That’s not what I meant,” I shot back.
“Then what did you mean? What are you trying to say?”
“Tony…”
“Because if you can’t even say it, then what’s the point, right? Just leave me alone on my time off and go back to your life and—”
“You’re a good friend! And a great lover! And the best goddamn omega I’ve ever known.”
Silence followed my statement. I watched Tony freeze. Then he gave me an unreadable look.
“I’d do anything to have you back in my life in any capacity,” I said, because the silence was unnerving. “Even if you don’t want to be with me romantically, I want to support you and our baby. I want to be present. I’ll buy you whatever you want, take you wherever you want, just…Christ. Just come back. And that’s not a request. That’s an order. I don’t take no for an answer—”
My words were interrupted by a sharp sting on my arm. I looked down in shock, then looked at the hand that punched me. Tony had fisted it at him side now, and it looked red.
“You blundering idiot. I am not for sale and I don’t need any of those things,” Tony hissed at me.
“Then what the hell do you want?”
“I just want you!” Tony blurted out. Then he snapped his mouth shut, as if realizing he shouldn’t have said that.
But it was too late. He already did.
Whatever tenseness I felt inside me disappeared completely as I stared at him in wonder. My confidence surged back in, and it allowed me to take a step closer. He kept backing away, but I persisted until him back pressed against a building wall and he had nowhere left to go.
Slowly, carefully, I lifted his chin up and waited for him to meet my gaze fully. His green eyes were filled with vulnerability and uncertainty, but I kept the eye contact and let him see what was in mine.
Realization flickered in his. Before he could say a word, I leaned my head down and captured his mouth in another kiss—an extra slow one this time, savoring this moment for what it was.
Discovery.
When I pulled back from the kiss, Tony had a dazed expression. I couldn’t exactly blame him, because I wasn’t that steady myself.
“You love me,” he asked. It wasn’t a question.
The world stopped for a second as the word floated in my mind. Then I slowly, grimly nodded.
“Not only am I head over heels in love with you, but I also love our unborn baby,” I said.
Tony looked at me quietly.
Then he smiled—a full-blown, beautiful smile that did me in.
“Well. It’s a good thing I love you, too,” he said, a teasing tone in his voice.
I chuckled. I pulled him back in my arms, letting my head settle on his hair. We stayed like that for a moment, ignoring the people passing by.
Then I noticed the outfit he was wearing, sexy and cute at the same time—and an idea formed in my mind.
“Hey. Tony?”
“Hmm?”
“I like your outfit. Can I remove it in your apartment?”
Silence.
Then Tony laughed—a bright, husky sound that was like music to my ears—and I knew everything was going to be okay with us.
I mean, why wouldn’t it be?
I got the omega I loved.
He loved me back.
And I we were having a baby.
All was right in the world.
The End
The Omegas Unexpected Alpha
The Omega’s Surprise Baby: Book 4
Book Description
ROBIN:
The library meant everything to me, and I wasn’t going to let anyone take it away—not the government cutting off our access to taxes, not the board members voting to sell if off, and certainly not the billionaire alpha who thought he was the best thing to ever walk this planet.
Sure, this alpha was gorgeous. And sure, I was very attracted to him. But I wasn’t going to let that get in the way of my goal to save the one place that felt like home.
And if I needed to deal with him to get my way, then so be it.
Not even his charm would sway me.
Getting pregnant by the alpha wasn’t part of the plan…
NICHOLAS:
I wanted that property more than I wanted anything else, so I could start destroying it and building the luxury apartments I’d been envisioning for years. It’s a piece of cake really, trying to convince the board to consider me as a buyer.
Until I met the hot omega librarian.
Until I couldn’t get him off my mind.
He's openly against the negotiation, and he has a whip-smart mouth that’s too hot to handle.
So I asked him on a date, confident he would say yes. Imagine my surprise when he kept resisting me.
But Robin had one thing to learn: no one refused me, not for long.
And I was going to have him and the library in no time.
1
Robin
“Did you bring coffee?”
I grinned at the question directed at me, knowing those were going to be the first words uttered the moment I got in. It was still six in the morning, and I was just as bleary-eyed as everyone as we gathered in the reception hall of Ford Spring’s public library. The smell of coffee warred with the scent of old books as I placed the to-go container on the table and watched as my co-workers dove for it like moths to a fire.
“Oh, you are such a savior, Robin,” Charles Pellet cooed out the moment he took his first sip.
“Absolutely,” Lance Michaelson agreed wholeheartedly. My third co-worker, Richard Jones, pretty much said the same thing as he took his iced coffee in three huge gulps.
I sat down beside Charles and took a transparent cup—a cold Americano for this insanely hot weather. Today marked one of California’s hottest days, and I knew it would just get steadily worse later. My three companions enjoyed their drinks in relative silence before Charles finally turned to me.
“So why exactly were we called early today?” he asked.
I shrugged. “David said to come early. He has an announcement to make.” I shot Richard a look. “Didn’t your father tell you?”
Richard laughed. His father was David Jones, the public library’s director and one of the board members. Richard wasn’t much into books before, but his father had forced him to work here when he was a teenager to keep him out of trouble. Now, four years later, Richard worked here because he liked it.
“How would I know?” he asked. “I was out partying last night and have a terrible hangover.”
The others laughed and so did I. At twenty, he was the youngest out of us all and still pretty absorbed in college life and partying. I shook my head and turned to Charles.
“And how was your weekend?”
Charles smiled. “It was great. I had a date with this really great alpha and he’s just the hottest thing ever.”
Richard rolled his eyes. “And isn’t this the fourth alpha this month—ow!”
I stifled a laugh as the two proceeded bickering. It was no secret that Charles liked to date around and basically dated any alpha he found cute, so long as they weren’t committed. He was twenty-five, single and obviously enjoying his life to the fullest. Sometimes I envied his free spirit, but I didn’t think I could date around like he did. I was awkward with alphas on dates. Charles, in the meantime, was a spitfire and a bubbly cinnamon roll rolled into one
.
The oldest in our little group, Lance, watched the bickering in amusement and exasperation. At thirty-eight, he was perhaps the most matured one of the lot, as well as the quietest. I remembered when I was new and he showed me all the ropes in utmost patience, then did the same for Charles and Richard. As if he felt me watching him, he turned to me and gave me a soft smile, one that crinkled the corners of his brown eyes.
“Any idea what this meeting is about?”
I shook my head. Maybe I had my suspicions, like the funding again. Last I heard from David was that we had been repeatedly getting low funding this year, and he had to cut back on employee salary twice to compensate. That had resulted in some employees leaving, and I dreaded it happening again now, especially with only a few of us left. I reviewed in my mind the list of fundraising concepts I had in mind to help boost things up, hoping David would be open to the idea.
Again, the low fund thing relating to this meeting was only a guess, so I didn’t say anything yet to the others. And that was good, too, because David arrived a few minutes later, calling us over to one of the library tables where we sat in a small circle. The noisiness generally died down once the director was around, and this was no different.
We all greeted him cheerfully despite the early hour, and David returned the greeting. He was a middle-aged alpha with an affable demeanor, but now he just looked…tired.
Suddenly my worries were back.
“I have some news I want to announce to you alphas before the word spreads,” he began after the greeting, and I could see everyone sit up straight in anticipation. There was a pause. Then he dove in. “The board has made a unanimous decision to sell the public library to a private businessman.”
You could have heard a pin drop for the silence that passed through right after. I could feel coldness rush through my bones as I absorbed the words, and I heard Charles gasp in the background of my mind. There was some grumbling after, but I furiously tried to search my mind for a positive thing to say.
“David, if it’s because of the funding, I have some great fundraising concepts I want to test out,” I said, forcing myself to smile. “I’m pretty sure we can get more money by the time we’re done.”
But David shook his head. “It’s not about that.”
“Then what is it about?” Richard demanded.
Father and son looked at each other before David spoke again. “The government has pulled out their share of funding—all of it. They’re giving us a month or two to find someone to sell to. In the meantime, I’m going to have to do another salary cutback so we could survive for the next two months alone. I’m really sorry, but not even a fundraiser is going to help us out now.”
I reeled back in shock. A month or two? I’ve worked here since I was eighteen and still doing part-time, and that was six years ago. And now…the place I loved was just going to be declared bankrupt with the snap of a finger?
I should have seen this coming, except…I didn’t. I felt stupid for not doing so, when the signs already led to this point: the cutbacks, the lack of renovations and such. But I loved this place so much, and I guess I didn’t expect it would become this bad, what’s with the effort me and my remaining co-workers had put in here.
Apparently, it wasn’t enough.
I thought that was pretty much it—as bad is things could get. But David had more news in response to Lance’s question.
“Who’s buying the library?”
“A businessman. His name’s Nicholas Chambers. That billionaire playboy that’s always on the news. I believe you all may have heard of him?”
We have—or rather, I have. Nicholas Chambers was one of the hottest names in business magazines and tabloids, what’s with his self-made wealth and the buzz he created with a different omega in his arm at every time he was snapped by the paparazzi. I personally didn’t ever pay attention to what he looked like or what he was all about, and it was usually only Charles who gushed over him repeatedly.
But one thing did seep through my mind: the fact that Nicholas was in the business of purchasing land and buildings…so he could demolish them and build his high-rise luxury apartments.
As if Charles came to the same conclusion, he gasped again.
“No freaking way!” he exclaimed, his eyes widening. I stood up and eyed David worriedly, trying not to panic.
“David,” I said, “Are you telling me the board has decided to sell the library to someone who’s going to tear it down?”
A part of me wanted him to say no or shake his head, but I knew that was wishful thinking. My heart dropped when the director nodded grimly. “I’m sorry, alphas. The board has already decided.”
I sat back quietly as he filtered the others’ questions before finally dismissing us to our day. Whatever cheerfulness we had earlier was now completely drained, and I could see dejected expressions in the faces of the others. I knew no one would volunteer to work here for free, because we all had bills to pay. Still, even if we did, we didn’t have enough cash to keep this up if the financial situation was really that bad.
But I wasn’t going to give up—especially not when the library’s future was at stake. Plus, what about the people who came here to study and read? Those that came for the free tutorial sessions? Those who couldn’t afford to go anywhere else to learn? Free education had always been our goal, and to have it taken away like that…
God, I loved this place. I didn’t want to see it go down in tatters.
While everyone moved on and went about to go to their designated areas, I quietly picked up my coffee cup and threw it in the trash, then followed David up to his office. He wasn’t around here much aside from events and meetings, and he trusted me as the head librarian and Lance as the head accountant to keep things managed properly.
Well, this was my one way of managing it.
I reached his office just as he opened the door, and slipped in right away. David raised a brow but didn’t comment on it, already used to it. He sat down on his chair and looked at me as I stood in front of his desk. Then he waited—something he was used to, too, as I always voiced out my concerns and opinions to him no matter what.
“What if we come up with a bigger fundraising project this time?” I suggested. “Something that involves the whole community…maybe the neighboring ones?” We had a pretty small community, and my mind worked a mile a minute. “Something bigger?”
“It’s impossible,” David replied.
I shook my head. “No, it’s not. We have could make it online, using social media or something. Heck, I could travel with some of the others to make it city-wide and promote whatever fundraiser we can come up with…”
In response, David shook his head. “Robin, it’s done.”
“What’s done?”
“I’m meeting Mr. Chambers half an hour from now. We’ll be finalizing the deal,” he said.
“Why so fast?”
“Mr. Colt wants to buy this place at a very low price,” he said, referring to one of the board members. “And he wants to turn it into…a strip club.”
I wrinkled my nose. Typical Mr. Colt. He was an old alpha who was already on his seventh husband and fifth affair, so I wasn’t surprised. I stared at David for a few seconds. “I’m joining in,” I blurted out.
“In what?”
“Your meeting with the businessman.”
David looked surprised at that, though he didn’t shake his head right away. I often joined in on important meetings that involved the library, anyway, and this was no different.
But this was one of the most important meetings there was.
“Fine,” he finally said. “But please behave, Robin. Don’t get carried away with your emotions. If he backs out of the deal and we have no buyer by the end of the government’s funding, we’re going to have to live with Mr. Colt’s strip club. And I know you alphas wouldn’t want that. I could help keep the library for a few weeks, but that’s about it.”
Guilt prickled me at h
is words. David had money, but he wasn’t wealthy by any means. I nodded my head, trying to look affable. He looked suspicious for a second before reluctantly telling me to go ahead and prepare whatever questions I had, because he knew I had some, anyway.
“Keep it polite,” he reminded.
I shot him a sweet smile. “Of course. You know me.”
I thought I heard muttering as I left his office, but I didn’t mind. I wasn’t even listening, anyway, as a plan was already forming in my mind.
I was going to take my last shot with Mr. Chambers whether he liked it or not.
2
Nicholas
At first glance, he looked just as nerdy as any other librarian I had ever met—not that I could claim I met a lot.
“Good morning, Mr. Chambers. My name is Robin Olsen and I’m the head librarian for Ford Spring’s public library.”
I paused on the steps on the way to David’s office, looking at him almost lazily. The omega, Robin, was standing a step on top of me to the far right, and in this position, we were almost the same height. It put the top of his head up to my mouth, which was impressive. I was a tall alpha, and not many omegas—unless they were supermodels—even reached past my chin. I took in the sight of his mousy brown hair and the black-rimmed glasses. Then I looked down at his outfit: a straight pair of black pants, a shirt that was starch-white and long-sleeved…and an intriguing body hidden underneath.
It took me a while to notice the curves, but they were there—not obvious, but I had a feeling that firm body underneath the shirt was even more impressive naked. I felt the first stirrings of interest travel inside me as I finished my perusal by looking back at his face, where I noted the freckle just beside his lip and the full mouth in lip gloss. It was a mouth that I could…do things to, so to speak.
Then there were the eyes, which were blue like glaciers and surprisingly very seductive.
Hmm. I liked what I was seeing.