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But that's his job, right? To notice things.
It's not like I'm going to act on it.
Chapter three
Milo
It'smyjobtonotice things--which is why it becomes very clear, very fast, that this assignment is about to get messy.
I've never met Nathaniel Reeves, but I've read his file. Enclave rebel turned Secret Service agent, a few years in an ACB prison...and now this. He's good at what he does, and as far as I can tell, he's a good guy--but that doesn't change the fact that, even with Sloane's synthetic mark, he's thirsty as all hell for her.
I watch him out of the corner of my eye as we settle in and flip channels, chatting on and off as we eat Thai food. Arjun has taken first watch since he finished first, and he's doing a perimeter check of the fancy brownstone Sloane calls home. And me...?
Well, I'm on watch, too.
As a beta, I've seen lots of alphas fly off the handle. When I was bartending, I watched it happen in drunken brawls over pretty omegas who were just trying to get a drink; and now that I work security, I've seen worse. I've sat in courtrooms where men had to explain why they killed other alphas or omegas, and they chalk it up to fucking pheromones.
I don't know if Nate Reeves is the type to do something like that.
I sure fucking hope not.
Because he's been entrusted with the safety of the first omega senator since the Great Mutation.
Sloane lets out a big yawn and covers her mouth, stretching her other arm overhead. Her shirt rides up, and I watch Nate's eyes flicker down to where her creamy skin is on full display between her shirt and her sweatpants. I prod him in the ribs with my elbow and he comes back to himself, staring down at the floor.
"Well, I'm beat," she says. "Let me get you two all set and you can tell Arjun where he'll be sleeping later...unfortunately I only have the one guest room and a couch."
"That's okay--one of us will be up at all times to keep an eye on the place," Nate says. "Two places to sleep should work just fine."
She stands up and walks down the hall, looking over her shoulder to bring us with her, and I'm certain Nate sees it as more of a come hither look than I'm necessarily comfortable with. I take the lead and put myself between the two of them, crossing my arms and listening as she gestures at the guest room--a comfy space with a big fluffy bedspread and tons of pillows.
"Lucky for you, the bed's all made since this is where my sister and mother stay when they're in town," she says. "There are throw blankets in the linen closet in the bathroom--for the sofa, I mean. My room is at the end of the hall, and the bathroom is between the two rooms."
"Sounds good," Nate says.
"I think I'm gonna stay up a bit if you want to get some rest first," I tell him, then grin at Sloane. "Still want to break into that DVD collection."
"You're more than welcome to it," she says. "Well...I'm gonna get ready for bed then try to get some sleep. I guess just wake me up if someone tries to kill me?"
Nate chuckles. "That's not happening on our watch."
As Sloane disappears into her bedroom, Nate and I exchange a look. He's tense, and I can practically feel the pheromones emanating from him. It's a heady scent, powerful and overwhelming, and it takes all my willpower not to give in to it myself. If an alpha gets horny enough, they can make betas like me do all kinds of crazy things, too--and I won't deny that she's beautiful.
But I won't be swayed.
It's why the Enclave put me here with the two of them--not necessarily to watch out for enemies, but to make sure the alphas tasked with watching her don't fly off the handle.
Nate clears his throat. "Look, I know what you're thinking. But I'm not going to do anything stupid. Sloane is under my protection, and I take that very seriously."
"I hope so," I say. "Because if anything happens to her on our watch, it's on us."
Nate nods, his jaw clenching. "I know that. And I won't let anything happen to her."
I huff out a laugh. "I'll make sure of that."
I settle in on the couch, flipping through the DVDs aimlessly as Nate paces the room. The tension is palpable, and it's getting hard to ignore. I can tell he's struggling to keep his thoughts in check, and I can't help but feel a pang of sympathy for him. Being an alpha isn't easy, and I'm sure it's even harder when you're tasked with protecting the most important omega in the city--maybe even the country.
"You want to talk about it?" I ask, breaking the silence.
