Page 4 of Manny's Surprise Baby
“Yep.” I was putting on a brave front, but I was also extremely nervous about trying to reassimilate into life here in Los Angeles. The three years before I’d ended up at the compound had warped me and made me far more jaded than I wanted to be. I had emotional walls up that a tank couldn’t smash through. But I wasn’t looking for love, so maybe that didn’t matter. I pretty much considered love to be a joke, especially for omegas. In our society, alphas got everything they wanted, and the omegas had to pop out babies and say thank you for the pleasure of it.
“So what kind of work are you looking for?”
“I like kids, so maybe something like that.”
“You’re good with them too. You’re very nurturing, so long as you’re not dealing with an alpha.” He pursed his lips. “You’d probably be a good nurse.”
I snorted. “Sure. Now all I need is money for nursing school and someone who will feed and shelter me while I go to college for two or three years.”
“Right. So something more immediate.”
“Yes.”
He snapped his fingers. “Riley probably has some celebrity friends who need childcare. I mean, don’t all celebrities have nannies?”
“You don’t.”
“We do on tour. Remember, I’m watching over Riley. We have a girl who travels with us and takes care of Garrett during the shows.”
“Oh, yeah. I forgot you still wanted to work.” I studied him. “Riley’s pretty enlightened for an alpha.”
“I keep telling you he’s different. That’s one more reason I love him. He doesn’t expect me to only take care of Garrett. He knows I love my job too much to give it up, and no one will watch out for Riley like I will.”
I frowned. “I’m not sure I feel right about asking Riley for a favor.”
“He’d be happy to help.”
“Ha. I’m not so sure.”
“Stop that. I know he’d be fine with seeing if his friends need anybody.” The doorbell rang inside the house. Colin frowned. “Who the heck could that be?”
“Don’t look at me. I’m not expecting anyone.”
He stood with a scowl and headed toward the house. “I’ll be back in a sec.”
I closed my eyes and listened to the breeze blowing through the queen palms that surrounded the pool area. The temperature was warmer here than I was used to, and it made a nice change. I heard the french doors click, and voices floated across the patio. When I opened my eyes, I found Colin coming back, but he had someone with him.
The minute my gaze fell on the man with him, I knew he was an alpha. The proud curve of his neck and confident stride made that obvious. He was really attractive with blond, cropped hair and dark eyes. I was annoyed when my pulse sped up as we locked eyes. I reassured myself it was simply my omega instinct and nothing more. Just because I didn’t trust alphas didn’t mean I wasn’t still physically affected when they were sexy like this guy.
“Pierce, this is Seth.” Colin ran his hand over the back of his neck. “He’s a buddy of mine from Shield.”
“Hey, how are you?” Seth held out his hand as if on autopilot. I kind of got the feeling he barely noticed me, until I hesitated to shake his hand, and then he frowned. “I don’t bite,” he said, narrowing his gaze.
“Never know with alphas.” I took his hand in a brief clasp, and a snap of electricity seemed to buzz up my arm. I pulled my fingers away quickly, puzzled by his effect on me.
He gave a funny laugh but then turned his back on me so he could talk to Colin some more.
I stamped down my irritation that he would barge in and take over the conversation, as if the world revolved around him. His behavior was so typical of alphas, it immediately put my back up.
I met Colin’s gaze, feeling annoyed, and maybe he noticed I wasn’t happy because he said, “Sorry, Pierce. Didn’t mean to exclude you from the conversation. Why don’t you come closer so you can hear better?”
Seth glanced back at me as if he’d just remembered I existed. “Oh, yeah. Sorry. This is kind of personal.”
“Okay.” I frowned. Did he expect me to leave or something?
Colin quickly interjected. “Pierce is a good listener. Maybe you should sit, Seth, and start from the beginning.”
Giving me a wary look, Seth moved to sit near Colin. “I don’t usually spill my guts in front of strangers.”
