Orion’s pov
I couldn’t sleep. I felt drawn to Izzy in a way I had never felt before. Part of me felt like she needed my protection. From a very young age, I was always very aware of who needed protection. I did everything I could to protect my foster brothers and sisters, but even before that time, I would try to befriend kids who were bullied. Mom used to say I had a kind heart, but would she still think that if she knew what I had done?
Another part of me just wanted to be close to her, which was crazy. I didn’t even know her. I should just stay away. It would be safer for Izzy if I kept my distance.
I started walking around the motel, hoping to tire myself out. When I walked past Izzy’s room, I heard her scream. My instinct took over, and I used the master key Erin had given me. I used it when I needed to fix something inside one of the rooms or if one of the guests didn’t want to leave and I had to force them out. It had only happened once, though.
I ran in, seeing Izzy trashing around in her sleep. She looked like she was scared to death. I tried to wake her up, and when I finally succeeded in calming her down, I noticed what she was wearing. Izzy had fallen asleep in my hoodie and was wearing nothing else. Her legs looked amazing, and I wondered if her bare breasts were touching something that belonged to me. God, she looked good.
I left her room feeling a lot calmer. While I hated that Izzy was scared of some dickhead named Jordan, I knew she was safe here. My room was near the entrance of the motel, and prison and the psychiatric hospital had made me a light sleeper, so there was no way that bastard would get to hurt her here. I would make sure of it.
As soon as I entered my room, I dropped onto my bed and fell asleep. Thankfully, Erin let me sleep in a bit before she needed me.
The phone rang, and I picked it up, still half asleep. "I’m coming. Erin."
"It’s Izzy, actually. I’m sorry; I didn’t know you were still sleeping. I can wait."
I heard Erin talk in the background, "no, tell him to wake up and get his ass here. It’s a already past ten."
"I’ll be right out." I grunted. I quickly brushed my teeth, washed my face, and put on a clean shirt. I didn’t even look in the mirror before rushing out.
Izzy blushed when she saw me, and I put my hand through my hair nervously. Women never made me nervous, but this redhead in front of me did. "Sorry, I overslept. I couldn’t sleep."
"I hope you got some rest after, you know…."
Seeing Izzy blush again made me smile. Erin looked between us and raised an eyebrow. "Orion…"
Before I could explain that nothing happened and I hadn’t broken her rules, Izzy came to my defense. "I had a very bad nightmare, and apparently I was screaming, so Orion came in to check on me."
Erin smiled at me, "good. That sounds like our Orion. Always ready to help those in need. [Even those that are too young for him.]" She signed the last part.
Too young? You could only get a room here if you were over eighteen. I was still six years older than Izzy, so maybe Erin meant the age difference was too much? It wasn’t like we did anything anyway. Or maybe Erin just didn’t want me around Izzy because she was protecting her. I am bad news, of course. I am crazy after all.
[I didn’t do shit] I signed. Knowing Erin was right pissed me off, but I also felt offended that Erin thought so little of me. I had worked here for months trying to prove myself, and she thought I would... Sneak into some young woman’s room like a creep?
[I didn’t mean,-] but I turned my back before she could sign the rest. "Let’s go, Izzy; Luke is probably waiting for you."
Izzy giggled, and I walked out of the motel with her. "Luke? And he owns a diner?" she asked.
I nodded my head, not understanding the big deal.
"Does he have another son called Jess?" she joked, and I shook my head. "No, Ezra was already too much for him to handle. He’s an okay guy, but a shitty dad."
"What do you mean, he was too much? Ezra seemed like such a nice guy." Izzy replied. So she liked guys like Ezra? Nice ones? Of course she did; she was probably just shy around me because of the way I looked, but she would never like what was inside of me.
"Luke never wanted to bother learning sign language and wanted to send Ezra to public school because it was cheaper than letting him go to school with kids like him. He was always in denial of what Ezra needed—at least that’s what Ezra told me. They’re okay now, but not very close."
The diner wasn’t far from the motel, and as soon as we entered the diner, the stares and whispers began. That’s why I usually just hung around the motel, knowing all too well what this town thought of me.
"... that’s him. Why is that young woman hanging around him?"
"You know what he did, right?..."
"…killer."
"….crazy."
I tried not to listen to the voices and remain calm for Izzy as I walked her to Luke in the back of the diner. She seemed to hear the people as well because she kept turning her head as if she were listening.
Not a lot of people had the same hearing as I did. I knew I could hear really well; I could hear people whisper from across the room, which helped a lot when I was locked up. But Izzy seemed to pick up on sounds just as well as I did.
I waited outside the office while Izzy and Luke spoke. I could hear most of what they were saying through the thin walls, and it looked like Izzy had gotten the job. That meant she was going to hang around here a bit longer, and it made me more happy than I thought it would.
Izzy came out with a smile on her face, "I start tomorrow."
We walked out together until Izzy seemed to realize she left something behind in Luke’s office. She hurried back, and I waited, watching everyone's eyes avoid me. When Izzy came out, a woman grabbed her arm and whispered something in her ear. But with my hearing, it wasn't hard to hear what she was saying.
"Watch out for him. He’s not a good guy."
Izzy shook her head and smiled politely at the woman, saying, "thank you for the warning, but let’s agree to disagree."
Izzy probably didn’t realize I could hear her, but I couldn’t wipe this stupid smile from my face. She barely knew me, yet she defended me.
When we reached my car, I felt it was only right if I explained some things, knowing people would probably spin the story another way. People talked in this town, and I was sure if she worked at the diner, my name would come up.
"So, you probably realized the town hates me." I joked.
Izzy shrugged, "I’m used to small town gossip."
"There is some truth to what they will say, but I had my reasons, and most importantly, I am working hard on myself." I chuckled nervously. "I don’t know why I’m telling you this, but you don’t have to be scared of me."
Izzy stared out the window, "I trust my gut over what people tell me. People can act like they’re this perfect person, but indoors they’re a monster." It was obvious she was talking about this Jordan, and I wish I could find out more about him and hurt him the way he had hurt Izzy.
"And what does your gut tell you about me?" I steered the wheel, ready to drive back into the motel’s parking lot.
"That I can trust you." She paused and quickly added. "You, Erin, and Ezra, of course. I can trust you guys."
We got out of the car, and I wasn't sure what to do or say. God, I had never been this shy around women. Mostly because I stayed away from them.
Izzy stared at her feet, "does this town have a cheap hairdresser?"
I nodded, "in town. I can drive you after lunch if you like. I have some errands to run quickly."
"Thank you." Izzy softly replied and quickly went back into the motel.
Shit, I regretted telling Izzy I could drive her immediately. If people were gossiping at the diner, they would surely gossip at the damn hairdresser. Especially since it was owned by someone I had avoided for months.
Izzy’s povThe interview went well. Luke needed someone to help during the morning and lunch rush, but I would be free after lunch was over. This would give me some time to figure out the next part of my plan. He didn’t even need my ID; he was planning to pay me under the table. At first, I didn’t realize what that was, but it meant he was going to pay me in cash and without a contract.This meant there was no paper trail to lead to me and no need to give an ID, but it was illegal. Normally I would have never done anything illegal, but did I really have a choice here? This was a safe way to earn money, and as soon as I made enough, I could find a legal job somewhere far away.While it was funny that he was named Luke and had a dinner, because of the similarities to Gilmore Girls, it didn’t mean I could trust Luke. I did trust Orion, even without having any reason to. He was there when I had a nightmare, and he only tried to help me. At no point during that night did I think he would d
Orion’s pov Maybe it was for the better. This whole thing with Izzy was crazy anyway. What was I thinking? I barely knew the girl, and I had already told her more than I had told most. I wanted to be there for her, for her to feel safe with me, but how could she? I didn’t even feel safe around myself, always worrying what would happen if I lost control again. If the sick part of my brain would take over. It made me nervous that since Izzy arrived here, I had growled and even thought I heard his voice again. I could feel him gnawing at the back of my head more than ever. I should just keep my distance. So that’s what I did. For the next two weeks, Izzy worked five days a week at the diner, so it was easy to avoid her in the mornings and afternoons. But at dinner, I was often forced to sit at the same table as Izzy. I let Erin talk to Izzy and only replied when a question was directed at me. I hated this, but it was better for Izzy if I left her alone. Izzy was off on Sunday, and I h
Izzy’s povOrion left soon after, and I felt all giddy thinking about the kiss. He liked me! And he wanted to go on a date with me. I knew Orion was avoiding me, and I thought it was because of the way I spoke to him. I had tried talking to him during dinner, but Erin was always there, and even when asked a direct question, Orion barely spoke.I wanted to go back to how it was those first two days. It was silly, I know, because I barely knew Orion. But he was someone who made me feel safe, and for some reason, I felt like I knew him my whole life. Without actually knowing anything about him. I laughed to myself; it was crazy to fall for someone like Orion. One, I barely knew him, and what I did know were reasons not to date him. I mean, it’s a pretty red flag hearing someone spent time in prison for beating up his foster father. And then the mental hospital? What would it mean to have a relationship with someone who has been mentally unstable in the past? He clearly still had moments w
Izzy’s pov"That customer, Tom, can be a bit handsy, but he tips very well." Luke said, pointing to an older gentleman sitting at one of the tables by himself.I wasn’t sure if he was telling me to warn me or just to accept it because of the tip. After working here for a few weeks, it was obvious that Luke ran his business very differently from Erin's.Erin’s motel staff was like her family; she was kind to everyone and really showed that she cared. But Luke ran a business, and although he wasn’t a bad guy, he didn’t really care how any of his staff were doing. He wasn’t asking if you had a good day, like Erin did every time a cleaning lady or someone from the kitchen came over.While I wasn’t exactly looking forward to handling this customer, I decided to suck it up and do my job. In thirty minutes, Orion would be picking me up from work, and we’d go on a date.A date!Although I knew it couldn’t last, that didn’t make me less nervous and excited. Goddess, I had fallen for this man qu
Orion’s povThis date has been perfect so far. So perfect that we lost track of time and missed the movie. Izzy suggested watching a movie in her room, and despite the obvious temptation it would be for me, I said yes.I wanted to touch Izzy all the time, wanting to kiss her and more, but we were going slow. Mind over matter, right? She went through a lot, and I was pretty sure she was still a virgin, so rushing things was a bad idea.We packed up the blanket and cutlery, and I drove us back to the motel. My hand was resting on Izzy’s leg, making circles with my fingers. For a moment, Izzy looked sad, and I quickly moved my hand."Are you okay?""He did that too…. He put his hand on my leg while we were driving. But when you do it, it feels so different. I am trying not to think about that day, but my mind keeps going back to it." Izzy replied, fidgeting with her hands."I know you’ve said you don’t want to talk about it, but maybe you should. Not necessarily with me, but with someone.
Izzy’s povI woke up, not remembering when I fell asleep. It must have been halfway through the movie. Despite liking the movie, Orion’s scent and his arms around me made me a bit too relaxed.Orion! His arms were still around me. He fell asleep here!I turned my head and saw Orion look so peaceful. I can’t imagine anyone being scared of this man. He looked so cute, and he even snorted a little. Goddess, he was adorable. How lucky was I to have someone like him like me?Or unlucky, since I couldn’t keep him. I laughed to myself. Keep him. As if he were a stuffed animal that I could keep in my bed forever."You have such a beautiful smile; I wouldn’t mind waking up to that every day." Orion said, stretching his arms before taking me in his arms and giving me a tight hug."Goodmorning, Orion." I said, hugging him back and feeling slightly embarrassed to feel his morning erection during the hug. That man was big."Goodmorning, beautiful." Orion replied, kissing me on the neck. It must hav
V Izzy’s pov "So, I will do some strength training with you. to get you stronger, but I think taking a few lessons in self defense would be great." Orion explained. "You've never been taught to fight?" I was kind of surprised since in our pack, every man was taught to fight, even the omega males. Women got some training, but not enough, in my opinion. Orion chuckled, "well, that cost money, and Richard didn't want to spend any money on us. I always used my height and strength to frighten people, and the rest was just instinct. But maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to get some training too." "But you don’t want people to start saying stuff about you?" I asked, knowing what people would say if they knew he was learning to fight. "Exactually." Orion replied, but got right back to focusing on me. "So, I was thinking something like Judo or Jujitsu, because it’s mostly self-defense and you learn to get out of grips and how to use someone’s weight against them. It will give you some time to c
Orion’s povLife was perfect. I mean, maybe to some, this wasn’t enough, but for me, it was. I went to work with Erin, who seemed to be getting used to the idea of me and Izzy. Then I’d see Izzy and spend the evening with her. We would talk or watch movies; I’d learn her some sign language; we’d make out; or we would read side by side on her bed and then fall asleep in each other’s arms.As much as I wanted to have sex with Izzy, I wasn’t in a hurry. We had time. It was important to me that it would be her choice when we took that next step.And then on the days Izzy and I didn’t have to work, we would train, and after that, we spent the whole day together in the woods. We both seemed to love nature, and an added benefit was that there were no people here to judge us. Not that Izzy was hiding our relationship from anyone.Every time I had the chance to pick her up from work, I did, and she would give me a kiss in front of everyone there. People either thought she was super naive or had