Falling Together (The Omega Haven Book 1)

by Claire Cullen

  All he saw of Jake for the rest of the night was the Omega scurrying back and forth, his head down as he collected glasses and mopped up spills. He never glanced Will’s way, though the Alpha was sure he’d felt his eyes on him.

  They all pitched in for the clean-up and Will left them to it to go through the night’s takings and get them ready to go to the bank the next morning. Dave would be back to take care of that, and he’d take one of the security guards with him. He’d joked more than once about never feeling as important as when he was carrying the night’s takings to be deposited. Will would never be able to admit that the most worthwhile he’d felt in years was when he’d freed Jake and carried him out of Forbidden Fruit.

  Chapter Eight

  Every time he paused to take stock, his hands were shaking. It wasn’t just the threat of losing his job, it was the anger that had poured from the Alpha, in his face, his voice, how he held himself. It was all Jake could do to keep from going to his knees and begging forgiveness.

  When he got back out on the floor, he put his head down and worked like a demon, clearing glasses as fast as the patrons could drink them. He didn’t dare look at Will again, though he knew the Alpha was there, could sense his presence, catching his scent as he moved across the floor.

  The frustrating thing was how much he wanted the Alpha’s approval. Wanted to be told he was doing a good job, wanted forgiveness for his indiscretion. Wanted Will close to him so that his scent would envelop him, draw him in. Except Will had made it pretty clear he didn’t want Jake. Didn’t want any Omega, if what Andy had told him was to be believed.

  That sick feeling in his stomach didn’t abate as the night drew to a close, even when Will disappeared into the back to count the night’s take.

  “I’ll finish up here,” he offered Laurie, taking the mop from the other Omega’s hands. Laurie smiled. “Thanks. Mel’s picking me up outside.”

  The others had finished up their jobs, and either left or gone to bed, leaving Jake alone. He went around moving the tables to the edge of the room and lifting the chairs on top of them to give him as clear a space as possible to clean before fetching a bucket and a scrubbing brush. It was going to be a long night.

  After an hour, he settled into a rhythm, even though his knees ached and his arms burned from the back and forth motion of the brush. They had an industrial cleaner that was brought in once a month and scrubbed and polished the floor back to brand new but otherwise, they kept it clean with mopping and brushing, only scrubbing when there were stains that needed extra effort.

  When it passed five am, and the sun began to rise, exhaustion started to get the better of him. He was filthy, his arms black from the dirt, his pants worn through at the knee from the constant kneeling and shuffling, the skin on his hands torn from the rough bristles of the brush. It was tough going but then, it was a punishment after all. It wasn’t supposed to be pleasant.

  After a while, to keep himself awake, he started humming, giving his mind something to distract it from the pain and tiredness. Humming became singing when a particular tune floated to mind.

  Was he even halfway through? He didn’t pause to take stock, again and again giving himself another milestone to work to. Just to the end of this tile. Just to the line of that pillar. Just to where the light falls on that bit of the floor. On and on and on. He kept singing, knowing it would disturb no one but himself, the bedrooms too far away for a quiet sound like that to carry.

  The distant creak of a door was all the warning he had before a voice broke his concentration.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  Standing at the bar, looking almost as angry as he had been earlier that night, was Will.

  He usually counted the take twice, to be sure. He felt it was good practice. If Dave was there, they each counted once, unless there was a discrepancy. But tonight was different. Every noise, every sound in the distance distracted him. Every scent seemed sharpened as if he was subconsciously searching for something. After losing count a second time, he wound up doing the total three times until he was satisfied it was correct. He wrote the number down on the brown envelope, underlined and dated it, stuck the cash inside and secured it in the wall safe behind his desk. Then he stepped through the back and into his bedroom.

  It was late and past his bed time. Only his mind didn’t seem too interested in sleeping. It seemed much more concerned with doing a run-through of the day, lingering an indeterminable amount of time on Jake and how he’d looked when Will had pulled him into the corridor, all flushed, with those deep red lips that only served to highlight his dark eyes. He’d been wearing navy pants and a white button-down shirt, and he’d looked good, curves in all the right places.

  He tried to settle down to sleep again, but it was clear his mind had other ideas. Tossing and turning fitfully for an hour, he finally gave up the pretense and got out of bed. He needed a drink. A sure way to knock him out when his mind wanted to play ‘what if’ games.

  He checked the drawer of his desk where he kept a bottle of whiskey for the rare times he and Dave had something to celebrate or commiserate. An empty bottle taunted him, reminding him that he’d drank a glass alone the first night Jake had been there. Seeing the Omega hurt and bloodied like that had brought back too many memories. It hadn’t been his fault that time either, yet the guilt clung to him like a second skin.

  A drink. He definitely needed it. There was an open bottle of something not as fancy, but equally palatable, behind the bar. He’d get some from there, rather than traipse through the stockroom in the dark. As he neared the bar, he could hear a sound that seemed out of place. Slowing to a stop, he tried to work out where it came from. His first thought was the kitchen, the food sure to be a lure if any of the group had stayed up late. But it was definitely coming from the bar. Curious, he kept going, drawn to the sound which was as melodious as any they’d had on stage that evening. Which wasn’t necessarily saying a lot. What was popular or the flavor du jour in Snakes could vary wildly from what was considered conventionally good.

  The voice was compelling for all that it was quiet, singing something familiar and popular but with a sweet and steady take on the melody. He stepped through the door next to the bar, noting that half the lights were still on, meaning the room was ringed in darkness. In the center of the bar, on his knees, brush in hand and scrubbing the floor, was Jake.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  The Omega just about jumped out of his skin at the question, the whites of his eyes standing out as he stared open-mouthed at Will.

  “Well? I’m waiting. Why the hell aren’t you in bed?”

  The look of confusion and near-horror on Jake’s face was almost comical.

  “I… I haven’t finished yet, Alpha.”

  “Finished what?”

  “You… you told me to scrub the floor. Every inch. Until it shined.”

  Damn. He had said that, but he hadn’t meant it to be taken so… literally.

  “I was angry. Everyone knows I’m a bastard when I’m angry. I didn’t mean you to spend all night at it, I just wanted you to make up for the work you were supposed to be doing while you were off flirting with that guy. Surely the others told you that.”

  Jake looked down, shrugging one shoulder. “I didn’t tell them what happened, I was embarrassed.”

  “Okay, but you should have known…”

  Jake glanced up again. “How would I have known that? You said-” He closed his mouth abruptly, as if realizing he was being argumentative and not wanting to get himself into more trouble.

  “Christ, have you been doing that since we closed?”

  “I started when the others went to bed. I should be finished in another hour… maybe two.”

  “You’re finished now. Come on, up you get.”

  Will stepped forward as Jake got to his feet with difficulty, wincing as he moved.

  His pants had worn through at the knees and Will could see the skin beneath was
dirty, abraded and bleeding. He had a good idea that Jake’s hands wouldn’t have fared much better, catching hold of them and turning them over to see them near black with dirt, the top layer of skin gone from the bottom of his palms, his fingers red and raw looking.

  “This is a mess,” he stated flatly. He wasn’t sure if he meant the situation, Jake’s hands and knees, or both. Jake clearly thought he meant him, his cheeks flushing as he bent his head again.

  “Come on,” Will said, urging him towards the door. The Omega moved with difficulty, a grimace of pain crossing his face with every step. “I’d wager you’re pretty stiff and sore after that. Not to mention you’ve done a number on those palms. I’ll need to get a better look at those knees to see the damage, too. What were you thinking cleaning the floor with your bare hands?”

  “You said…”

  “I didn’t say get down on your knees.” But he hadn’t exactly given him other options, had he?

  He turned away from the staff bedrooms, leading Jake towards his office. Halfway there, Jake seemed to realize their destination, flashing him a look of fear. “Are you firing me?”

  “What? No. There’s no bath in your bathroom. There is one in mine. You’ll need to soak those hands and knees to get the dirt and stuff out of them. Plus, it’ll ease those muscles. You're so tense right now you look like an old man.”

  He expected a glare or even a smile at his joke. Instead, he got a look of apprehension and barely concealed fear. He couldn’t still believe Will intended to fire him?

  “Your job's safe, I promise. As long as you keep your hands off the patrons during work hours.”

  He opened the door to his office, guiding Jake through and into his bedroom.

  “Sit here while I run you a bath. Lie down if you want.” He sat Jake down on the end of his bed and went through to his en suite.

  He didn’t have a lot by way of products in there. But he found something he thought his sister had given him, smelling faintly of vanilla, and threw that into the bathwater, watching the bubbles building as steam wavered through the air.

  Once it was full enough and warm enough, he shut off the taps and went back for Jake. The Omega was still sitting upright, holding himself tensely. That wouldn’t do anything to help his tight muscles.

  “Come on, bath’s ready. Let's get you situated.”

  Jake stood and crossed the room readily towards him but his face was an odd, blank mask.

  Will ushered him into the room. “Go on, get undressed.”

  The look Jake shot him had him huffing out a laugh. “I hate to break it to you Jake, but it’s not like I’ve never seen you naked before. Come on, better let me look at these wounds so I know if I need to call Heidi in the morning.”

  He didn’t think they’d be that bad, but there was something in Jake’s hesitation that didn’t sit right with him.

  Jake turned his back, his hands going to his shirt which he unbuttoned quickly. He shrugged out of it and set it on the counter. He reached for his pants next, unbuttoning them and pushing them down his hips. He paused then, his hands letting go to wrap around his stomach.

  “Jake?” Will asked, trying hard to keep a lid on his impatience. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  The Omega turned slowly towards him, until he was facing Will, though his eyes were trained on a spot near Will's feet. His arms lowered to lie motionless by his side, baring his chest, stomach, and hips. The gentle swell of his stomach was unmistakable. So, this was what Jake was hiding.

  “Finish getting undressed, your bath’s getting cold.” Those weren’t the words he wanted to say, but they were all he could get out.

  Jake turned away, one hand brushing across his eyes as he did. He slipped off his pants and climbed into the bath. Will waited until Jake was settled before stepping back out into his bedroom.

  Chapter Nine

  He lay in the bath, feeling numb despite the warm water surrounding him and the stinging of the cuts on his hands and knees. Will had seen his body, seen what he’d been trying to hide. Jake couldn’t stay here now. Not in Snakes, not in the city. An unattached Omega was one thing. A pregnant Omega was something different altogether.

  Will was moving around in the bedroom. It sounded like he was pacing. He’d have questions. Questions Jake did not want to answer. But maybe there was a chance, however small, that he might be allowed to stay.

  The Alpha returned, dragging over a stool to sit next to the bath. Jake couldn’t meet his eyes.

  Will sighed. “What kind of game are you playing, Jake? This city is no place for an Omega and certainly not one in your condition. A pregnant Omega needs their Alpha.”

  “There isn’t one,” he said, snaking one arm protectively across his stomach.

  “There’s no way for you to get in that condition without one. That was a stupid risk you took last night, with that other Alpha.”

  He looked over to find Will staring intently at him.

  “Get an Alpha like that all riled up, let them think they have a chance, and then they learn you're someone else's? That’s a surefire way to get hurt, maybe even killed.”

  “I’m no one else's,” he insisted, and the tears fell, betraying him.

  The Alpha leaned over, slipping a hand into the water and under Jake's arm to press against his stomach.

  “This tells me different. You need to go back, Jake, patch things up with your Alpha and get ready for the birth of that baby. You have to think of what’s best for the both of you now.”

  Jake’s quiet insistence that he didn’t have an Alpha jarred him.

  “I can’t go back. He’s not my Alpha.”

  Will pulled his hand back, resting it on the side of the tub. “You had an affair with someone else’s mate?”

  That was risky, given how possessive the average shifter was.

  “No, I…” Jake trailed off, tears brimming.

  “Then tell me how it is.”

  By giving Jake permission to stay, by giving him a job, he’d taken some responsibility for him. He needed to know the score if he was to work out what to do next.

  “My father was our Pack’s leader. He died six months ago. I was… there was a plan. I’d worked in his business since I was a teenager, studied in the local tech at night. Got my diploma and saved to go to college, with my Dad’s approval of course. He didn’t believe Omega had to be stay-at-home parents if they didn’t want to be. I was supposed to go live with my uncle and cousins in their Pack while I went to college. But a few weeks after my father died, everything changed.”

  Jake drew his knees up, looking small and vulnerable, and Will had to tamp down the automatic Alpha response to protect. He needed to hear Jake out.

  “My father only had me and my sister, Kelly. Her mate, Rick, took over the Pack after Dad died. Kelly and Rick had been trying for a baby since they mated but it turns out she couldn’t get pregnant. What I didn’t know, is that she and Rick had talked to my Dad about my carrying a kid for them. He’d refused outright, wouldn’t even let them speak to me about it. But once he was gone, they asked me.”

  Jake met his eyes again, a mixture of fear and defiance. “I said no. I had plans. College, a career, furthering the Pack business. I couldn’t do that and have babies for them. And make no mistake, they didn’t want just the one.”

  He took a ragged breath and kept going.

  “So, Rick started changing the rules. Slowly, so it wasn’t too obvious to anyone but me what was going on. Said I couldn’t leave the Pack territory unaccompanied. Then kept ensuring no one was available when I needed to go out, like to college or running errands. When I protested, he banned my going to college outright. Hid my mail, so I missed application deadlines. Took my phone away. Soured things with my uncle so I couldn’t even talk to him and my aunt. I had a joint bank account with my dad where all the money I’d saved for college was. They emptied it, made me dependent on them for every little thing. And still I refused, I wouldn’t give them what they wanted
.”

  He was looking anywhere but at Will now. “They got impatient. Waited until I was in heat, had the Pack doctor sedate me, and inseminated me. Said they’d keep doing it until it took. I mean… it could have been worse, right? He could have… but my sister’s the jealous type. I guess, in one way, I was lucky.”

  When he looked back at Will, the tears were falling freely down his face. “I can still feel their hands holding me down while they did it. I didn’t want it, I didn’t want this. I just wanted a life of my own. I—”

  His words were lost in sobs and Will shifted closer, reaching in, and wrapping one strong arm around Jake, propping him up so that his upper back was pressed against Will’s chest.

  “Easy, now. I’ve got you, Jake. Just let it all out. I’m so sorry this happened, sorry there wasn’t someone there to put a stop to it. But you got away, you got out, and you’re not going back.” Will found himself making that vow before he'd even thought it through. Jake was so broken, so defeated, that he would have promised him anything right then. The Omega just sobbed harder, clinging to Will’s arm with both hands.

  Once Jake’s tears had dried, Will quickly checked his hands and knees, pleased to see they didn’t look too bad, the skin already healing.

  He lifted an exhausted and nearly limp Jake from the bath and dried him off with a towel before leading him back into the bedroom.

  As Jake sat on his bed wrapped in a clean towel, Will searched his dresser for something for Jake to wear.

  “I’m sorry about last night, with that Alpha.”

  “What were you trying to do?”

  “I thought, if I could find an Alpha, and they were mad about me, they might overlook this.” He waved at his stomach. “I guess it was a stupid idea.”