The Beta Who Bought Me

Chapter 10 - Don't Force It

Her legs wobbled a little as she stood there in shock.

“Why so nervous, princess?” He walked back to her and soothingly touched his hand to her cheek. She shivered under his touch, but unlike the cold fear she felt before, this made her feel warm and tingly inside.

“Uhm… I’m just not… sure I’m ready…” she trailed off with a tremble in her voice.

He raised his eyebrows at her. “Ready for what?” He asked her in confusion.

“Uhm… uh…” she stuttered, “the bed?”

He looked at the bed and then back to her. “Yes, it is indeed a bed.” He chuckled at her words as he finally understood what she was implying. He did just purchase her after all, and surely, he should have known what he was insinuating in bringing her to a bedroom so quickly.

“This is my guest room. I figured you would be more comfortable here. You have a private bath through that door, and I already have clothes in the dresser for you.” He pointed to the door on the opposite side and then the tall black chest of drawers.

“Oh my goddess... I am so sorry,” she blushed hard as she realized she had been severely mistaken about his intentions.

“It’s okay,” he put his hand gently on her shoulder and squeezed it slightly. “I probably should have been more thoughtful in how I presented that, given what you have just been through,” he said with an apologetic tone. “Anyway, this is your space to use, so make yourself comfortable. I’ll be in the living room if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Beta Owen,” Laurel looked at the floor again, still feeling foolish.

“I think you can just call me ‘Owen’ given the circumstances,” he smiled gently at her, his large hand cupping her cheek to bring her gaze back to his turquoise eyes. The kindness in his eyes and tone was absolutely sincere.

Without saying anything else, he walked off and left her with the remaining tingles fizzling out on her skin where his hand had just touched.

She hadn’t had a proper shower since she was brought here, so that was first on her mind as she closed the bedroom door. The en-suite bathroom was elegantly made. A large garden tub was in the center of the wall, and a shower with a waterfall head sat next to it. The left wall had a white porcelain sink with a large half mirror. Her reflection, though dolled up, felt dirty to her as she thought about her situation.

Fluffy towels and a robe were laid out on a small bench next to the shower. She reached behind herself and undid the ties of her dress, letting the silk fall into a puddle around her feet as she slid the gown off. She carefully removed the simple white cotton underwear she had on, folding everything neatly on the counter before stepping into the shower.

With the warm water hitting her skin, she sighed with some relief. Various shampoos and soaps were on a shelf built into the side of the shower. Taking a quick whiff of the scents available, she picked out some that smelled like fresh flowers and created a thick lather over herself.

After rinsing off, she stepped out with steam rising off of her clean skin. She wrapped a towel around herself and went back into the bedroom. In the drawers of the dresser, there were neatly organized and folded women’s clothes. The smaller top drawers held intimates and socks. The larger drawers down the middle and bottom were filled with shirts, pants, and dresses in various degrees of formality, from casual through more business-like dress.

In the top right drawer, she located some nightwear. Her cheeks reddened as she pulled out fabrics of satin and lace, all quite thin and revealing and not at all her usual night wear. Previously, she usually just wore a sweatshirt and athletic pants to bed. This stuff was much more elegant and mature, and certainly more expensive! One of the items was a silver-grey colored gown with sheer vents all the way down the sides. The front had a low, slight cowl neck, and it dropped low and revealing in the back. She gulped a little but quickly decided it was her best option, seeing that the other alternatives were even more daring. She had to admire the quality as she ran her fingers over the fabric of the nightdress. It felt cool and silky against her skin as she slipped it over her head.

She only noticed then how dry and parched her lips and throat felt. She would be quite uncomfortable tonight if she did not sate her thirst before bed. So, she wrapped the fuzzy blue robe from the bathroom around herself in an effort to feel more covered as she steeled herself to go ask Owen for a glass of water.

Just as he had said before, he was sitting in the living room. The room was darkened with the exception of the crackling fire. The light caused the glass of bourbon he was sipping on casually to glow a golden amber color. The light perfectly played on his masculine features, making his sharp facial structure look even more intense and somewhat dangerous.

Laurel cleared her throat to try to get his attention. His eyes flicked over to her poorly-disguised figure and a half smile danced over his lips. “Need something?” He asked casually, eyes raking over form, imagining what might be beneath that robe if she slipped it off.

“Could I get a glass of water, please?” She asked shyly.

“Of course,” he set his glass down with a light clack on the coffee table and got up to guide Laurel to the kitchen.

“You’re more than welcome to anything in here - no need to ask,” he told her as he opened the refrigerator to retrieve a bottle of water for her. Their fingers brushed as he handed the drink to her, and he closed his eyes and furrowed his brow as if he was in pain.

“Are you okay?” She asked him worriedly.

He quickly went back to his calm demeanor, as if nothing had just happened. “Yeah, of course. No worries.” He brushed off her concern and walked quickly past her back to the couch. He began to nurse his drink again as he looked over a set of papers in front of him.

Laurel didn’t understand why, but she felt drawn to go sit next to him. Perhaps she was just feeling lonely, but she was also still a little concerned about him, and she definitely still had a lot of questions. Why did he buy me? What does he expect from me now? What about my friends and family back home? Will I ever see them again? Her mind was swirling, but he didn’t look up at her as she took a seat close by on the leather couch.

“What are you reading?” She inquired, peering over at the papers in his hands.

“Pack reports,” he replied simply while taking another sip of the amber liquid.

“Oh?” she responded, unsure how to continue the conversation. She wanted to ask him so many things but couldn’t find a good way to bring them up.

The two remained in awkward silence for a while. Owen just kept reading over the reports, and Laurel knitted her fingers in her lap nervously, allowing a small sigh to escape from her throat.

“Hey,” he turned to her as he set his papers down in front of him. “You don’t need to try to force anything right now. Get some rest, and we can talk tomorrow, if you like.” He assured her while patting her on the back of her hand.

“Okay...” she nodded, unable to find the courage to ask all of the questions bothering her at that moment. She slowly walked back to her room for what would be a restless night.