Just one of the guys. Just one of the guys. That’s the mantra I have in my head as he climbs in the driver’s side. How can he make sitting in a truck seat sexy? Well, being shirtless is working in his favor. There is not an ounce of fat on his cut body. I wonder if he just flexes all the time. He clears his throat. Oh sh*t! He caught me staring, but I can’t help the elevator eyes as I look up to his face. My matra goes flying out the window when I make eye contact with him and he smirks. He knows exactly what I was doing and his ego just grew three sizes. I have to break this silence somehow. What is it about him that makes me tongue tied? He’s just a hot guy. I’m around hot guys all the time. I clear my throat while trying to get my brain to restart.
“How do you seem to know what I am thinking?” I blurt, wanting to cringe at my slightly aggressive question. Not as smooth as I wanted to be, but here we are and that could be taken so many different ways. I am officially a loser.
“What do you mean?” That stupid smirk.
“Well, last night…” I hesitate and he stares at me, eyes going a darker shade. Nope, not going there while it is just the two of us stuck in this confined space. I clear my throat again. “You seemed to get that I was nervous to dance and you helped me out. I don’t usually do the slow dance thing outside of my guys. I try to avoid it actually, too many guys get handsy. Not a big fan of random people touching me.” I swear I can hear him suppress a growl in his chest. “And then when you offered me a ride back to the packhouse just now. It had literally just crossed my mind that I walked here and I wasn’t sure if my friends had room. You offered, kind of, before I could even ask.” I shrug, like it was that simple. It’s not, but I also want to know if he will bring up the other situation last night, cause he definitely knew what I needed then too.
He makes a sound that could be a grunt, or maybe just talking himself into having a conversation with me. He knows where my thoughts went, maybe his have been stuck on that loop too. It’s a great loop. “Umm, well as far as dancing. That was easy, everyone else had paired off and you and I were left, so…” He just shrugs.
He pulls out and starts driving before he finishes. “As for the ride, I saw you walk up with all the pups. I mean who wouldn’t notice an entrance like that?” He didn’t smile, but huffed what I think was a laugh. “But you walked, so I figured you would need a ride back.” He gives me a side eye that I pretend to ignore, looking out the window at the pack as we drive by. His non-dismissive dismissal is frustrating. He clears his throat, “How did you get them all to follow you like that, by the way? Like the pied piper. We can’t seem to corral them for sh*t at training. Getting them started takes forever and it’s exhausting.”
I fully looked at him this time, confused. “Really? I played a game of soccer with them, they are really coordinated together, then I asked someone to show me the fastest way to get to the training grounds so I wouldn’t be late.” I shrugged. “I guess they thought I needed all hands on deck as an escort.”
He makes another sound that I can’t place, nodding his head and looking annoyed.
“What?” I don’t think I really want to know his opinion, but he clearly has a strong one.
“I know what those boys thought.” He grumbles, hands flexing on the steering wheel.
“What is that exactly?” I cross my arms, fighting the frown that wants to take over my face. I should not be getting into this with the Alpha of the pack we are visiting, but I also will not let him talk down to me.
He looks sideways at my tone and his face falls. “Uh.” Cough, “You are a new face in the pack and a beautiful woman. Then you asked for help after giving them your attention. Every one of those boys wanted to be your hero, and you fed right into it.” He presses his lips together, eyebrows raised, hoping I will take the compliment wrapped in an insult. That is not what went through his head originally and we both know it. Then he implies that I led them on or tried to manipulate them. Asshole. I did not miss the way he said ‘boys’ either.
He pulls up to the garage next to the pack house without saying anything else on the subject.
“Good save, Alpha.” I emphasize the word like I did last night when I told him goodnight, Then jump out of the truck, not looking back. His overwhelming scent is making my head spin and I’m liable to do or say something stupid in my irritation if I don’t get some distance soon. I won’t let him make me feel like cheap entertainment or gloss over what we did, even if he doesn’t want to talk about it. I’m going to keep it in the forefront of his mind. Because to be honest, I really want a repeat no matter how irritating he is. I have never felt so good after an org*sm and he didn’t even touch me. It was so good, in fact, that I didn’t have one nightmare. I don’t remember dreaming at all for the first time in three years
Ryker
“Why don’t? you just go and talk to her?” My wolf’s question has been the same everyday. Today we are watching Kennedy, Rayna and some of the guys play with the pups. It’s fascinating. It didn’t take much to convince him to stop on our border run.
“I can’t trust you to behave yourself, that’s why.”
“So you’re just going to hide like a p*ssy and then follow her around like a stalker instead. That makes so much more sense.”
“I am not stalking her. I’m trying to understand her. Besides, she hasn’t made any effort to come to me either.”
“That’s what you’re going with? Leaving your balcony door open hoping to hear her moaning your name is not an invitation to come talk to you. She’s also human and doesn’t have the same senses that we do. You’re going to have to be in the same room as her for her to talk to you, dumbass.”
“I swear to the Goddess if Danny hugs her one more time, I am going to rip his arms off.” They know I am here and he’s doing it to get a reaction. It’s working. I lock all of my muscles resisting the urge to follow through on my threat.
“And you say I can’t be controlled. They are playing a game and clearly she likes to win. You can’t make everyone stay away from her. Based on our stalking, I have noticed she’s not a fan of being told what to do.”
“Jeremiah told us that. I’m not shocked it has been confirmed. I really hate you sometimes, you know that? Josh, any news about Claude? He went dark after the meeting last week. We should have heard some type of complaint by now.” I can’t focus on her any more. We need a distraction from our distraction.
“Nothing Alpha. Where are you? I’ve been running for thirty minutes. I should have passed you by now.”
“I stopped for a minute. Needed to get a better look at something.”
“That something wouldn’t happen to be 5’5″, blonde and playing soccer way too close to your delta would it.”
My wolf laughs right along with Josh. Dicks.
“I think I hate both of you.” He’s obviously close, so my wolf gets up and we continue to run the border checking for signs of distress from our neighboring packs.? lezn? the
“What’s the deal bossman? You’ve never been interested in blondes or women outside the bedroom.” His tone is playful, like he knows damn well what the deal is. I won’t say it out loud to anyone, not yet.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.