With his parents more focused on marrying him off, Zeller needed Valentin to acknowledge that they were more than friends. Once that was out in the open, they could figure out a way to thwart his fathers’ intentions.
He had played the dutiful son for his entire life. Father and Daddy had no idea he planned to marry the alpha of his choosing. Not theirs.
Now all he had to do was get that alpha on board.
Chapter Six
Valentin
Valentin finished mowing around three o’clock. The Parkensons’ lawn was enormous, acres of grass that seemed to go on forever. He’d been working since lunchtime to get it all trimmed. The sun beating down on his shoulders hadn’t helped. Summers were always this way in Warburton. Hot and humid.
He put the lawnmower back in the shed and wiped his palms on his pants. Looking up at the house, his gaze drifted to the east wing of the mansion.
To the last window on the third story.
The one his eyes never failed to find.
He sucked in a breath when he saw Zeller sitting in the windowsill, smiling down at him. That smile did something to his heart. Not to mention his dick. He shoved the thought aside.
Just friends, he reminded himself.
Zeller waved, then motioned for Valentin to come into the house.
He shouldn’t. Every interaction with the omega felt riskier than the last. Each time they spoke, his feelings grew more intense.
Valentin kept finding new things to admire about him. There was his beauty, of course, and his curiosity and cleverness, but after six months of knowing him, Valentin was most in awe of his unmatched resilience, the inner strength that lit him up from within.
The degree to which the omega had been kept from the world would have broken many men. But not Zeller.
He maintained an easy laugh and rarely displayed any bitterness. Valentin was charmed by his enthusiasm for, well, everything. Zeller exclaimed over beautiful leaves on the ground, book covers, cloud formations, movies he’d watched, a new word he’d discovered, and one time, an exceptionally good bowl of pasta. Despite his situation, he found reasons to be happy. To stay positive. It was a lesson Valentin was trying to learn.
They talked often about the omega’s greatest passion—making art. The mansion received regular deliveries of canvases, paints, and other materials, although Valentin had yet to see one of Zeller’s paintings in person. The hallways of the Parkenson home were filled with austere landscapes and black and white photographs. Without being told, Valentin knew the dreary artwork was not Zeller’s.
It was becoming difficult to hide his attraction. If Valentin were smart, he would simply stay away. Keep his distance and hope his feelings faded.
His inner alpha balked at the notion. Clearly, Valentin was not smart.
And Zeller was still waving from the window, beckoning him inside.
Valentin surrendered to the inevitable, heading toward the rear of the mansion.
He expected to find Zeller waiting in the back hallway. But no one was there.Did he expect Valentin to come to his bedroom?They’d never done anything so brazen.
After another minute, Valentin ignored all pretense of self-preservation and climbed the grand staircase to the third floor. He tiptoed to the room at the end of the hall, taking care to avoid being seen by the other staff.
Outside the entrance to Zeller’s suite, he inhaled, attempting to calm his nerves.
Before he could knock, the door swung open and Zeller yanked him inside. Clearly, despite his bravado, the omega also recognized the risk.
Valentin froze beyond the threshold. Thesnickof the door shutting behind him echoed in the sizeable room.
Zeller’s bedroom.
The silence grew heavy. The air was tangible, like it belonged to them alone.
Private. Intimate.
The closed door created the illusion of a barrier. Everything and everyone else on the outside.