Obsessions (7 page)

“Are you are flirting with me, Mr. Banks.”

Laughing, Nolan put his hand on hers. Hearing the
growl, London turned her head. Ryder was standing behind Nolan looking pissed off
again.

Looking over at Nolan, London asked, “Did he just
growl at me?”

Nolan turned around in his chair and looked at
Ryder. “I think he did.”

Nolan laughed as London narrowed her eyes at Ryder,
then reached around and grabbed the shot glass and swallowed another. The
alcohol was taking effect and she felt bolder as she centered all her anger
toward the man who was pissing her off and making her body melt all at the same
time.

“Yeah, yeah, Alpha boy. Let me get my grandmother so
we can leave. I didn’t mean to jump on your little girlfriend but she needs to
shut her mouth and show a little respect. Maybe you need to let her fight her
own battles, especially the ones she started, but don’t worry we are out of
here.” London got a five-dollar bill out of her pocketbook and placed it on the
bar for the tip, then got up and started walking back to the dining room.
However, she felt funny, like she was walking sideways.

Before she could get to the table, Ryder was pulling
her toward a private room. “Hey…get your hands off me.” London pushed Ryder and
when she did he let her go and she fell flat on her butt. He tried to catch her
but she pushed him hard enough that he lost his balance letting her fall to the
floor. His eyes got wild looking when she started losing it. It seemed he was
enjoying her anger. Pointing up at him, London couldn’t believe what he just
did.

“You piece of shit. Arrogant bastard. You think you
can just push people around, and then throw them on the floor?” Rolling
forward, London pushed herself off the floor and jumped to her feet. However,
the motion sent her forward into Ryder’s arms. She tried to push away but his arms
only tightened around her.

“Calm down.” Ryder snapped as he held her close to
his body trying to keep her from falling on the floor again.

“Calm down? You just threw me to the floor. You calm
down and let me go.” London fired back. Her vision blurred as she glared at
him. Why was he acting like this towards her? She just met the man for God’s
sake. The fact that she wanted to take her clothes off and have sex with him
pissed her off even more. She loved the way he held her close. When he let her
go, she backed up away from him. The warmth left her as she backed up further.

Thrusting his fingers through his hair, Ryder was
about to say something when Zoey and Nolan chose that particular moment to walk
in the room.

Running over to her, Zoey grabbed London’s hand.
“Please don’t leave, London. Please stay for me. Your grandmother is having a
great time. Jena has been moved to another table. Please just stay for me. You
can pay for your meal. He thought since you had to change your plans and go
with us he would pay for the meal, but he won’t pay for yours. You can. Plus,
we just graduated and they are going to move the tables out and we are going to
dance and have fun. It’s our last night together. Please…” Zoey was pleading
with London. Poking out her lip, she could tell how much she wanted her there.

Frustrated, London blew out a deep breath and
nodded. She looked over at Ryder who looked relieved that she had changed her
mind too. She figured he was acting like that for Zoey’s sake. There was no
other reason for the look.

“Thank you. Come on, they are bringing in the salad
now. You will feel much better after you eat.” Zoey held London’s hand as she
escorted her out of the room and back into the dining room.

“Jerk,” London said under her breath, but she knew
that Ryder heard her as she walked away from him.

“Save a dance for me beautiful.” Nolan shouted as
she walked out.

Chapter 8

When Jena made that comment to London, Ryder felt
magic come across the table. He had never felt powerful magic like that before,
and then she jumped toward Jena.  No human could scale across a table like she
did. Before he could stop her, London had Jena pinned to the floor.

If it hadn’t been for Zoey, he would have pulled her
off Jena. “Stop Ryder. You don’t know London. She can handle herself.”

Handle herself? What was Zoey talking about? Jena
was a wolf and could rip London’s throat out with her claws. He feared for
London. He knew how mean Jena could be. She had been challenged before and she
won every time. The woman had a mean streak a mile long. She was a beast in
bed, but she was also a tough bitch.

“London is human, Zoey,” Ryder responded.

“She isn’t just a human, Ry. She’s a witch too. Look
at her magic,” Zoey said pointing at the magic floating around London. The
magic he was accustomed to was usually yellow in color, but London’s magic held
a red tint to it.  He couldn’t believe it but the magic was different.  He
could see the power she had inside her.

Ryder looked back at Meryl Pierson, his wizard
advisor, who looked just as shocked as he did.  Yeah, he was going to talk to
Meryl about London later. He needed to know just how powerful of a witch she
was. He said that Me-Len was a great and powerful witch but he was made to
believe that London wasn’t a practicing witch and had no power.

She was beautiful as she took down Jena. He was
getting hard now just thinking about her being so dominant. All he wanted to do
was grab her up and fuck her. She was driving him crazy acting like an Alpha.
No matter how much he wished it she wasn’t an Alpha and that was the reason he
couldn’t be with her. He wanted her so much. His best friends were flirting
with her and the anger had him acting out. This obsession he had with London
was driving him crazy and was getting out of control.

When he looked back at Me-Len, she was just sitting
back smiling. Everybody in the room was out of their seats watching this human put
one of the meanest bitches he knew down on the ground, but not Me-Len. No, she
seemed so self-assured or calm while watching her granddaughter take out one of
his wolves.

Jena deserved it, and much more, but he was torn on
what to do with her, because she was still one of his wolves. He turned and
made eye contact with his best friends who were also smiling, especially Nolan.
The bastard was not only smiling, but he had that look on his face that meant
he was very interested in London. Knowing Nolan like he did he knew the man
loved a challenge and he could see that London would be one.

Fuck, he can’t have her. She
belongs to me!
Damn it, what was he saying? She wasn’t his.

London slowly got up from Jena, and walked back
around the table. She whispered in her grandmother’s ear, and then walked
toward the bar.

He looked back around at Jena who laid on the ground
in shock.  She never knew what hit her. Ryder went over and held his hand down
to her. She took his hand but lowered her eyes when she got up and faced him.

“You get your ass over to the table furthest away
from here.”

“But…but.” Jena tried to explain. Ryder put his
finger toward her lips. Then he bent down and looked at her with his eyes
blazing. “Don’t you fucking say another word. You’ve embarrassed the pack and
me enough already. You had no right to say a damn word to that woman. You
deserve what you got, and Jena,” Jena slowly looked up at Ryder. “Not another
damn word.”

Ryder turned back around and found his pack was
watching him. He looked toward the bar where London had gone and saw her
sitting there with Nolan. “Shit,” he muttered stomping off toward the bar.

When he got closer to her, he heard Nolan loud and
clear. The man was making his move. Then he made the mistake of touching her,
and Ryder couldn’t stop the growl that escaped his lips. The rage he felt
toward his best friend was surprising to him. He had no claim toward her, none,
and Nolan could touch her or even sleep with her. The wolf inside him was
raging along with the human side. He couldn’t allow that to happen. No matter
what he had to do.

Ryder listened as London told Nolan off, and then
informed him that she was leaving. Shit. He couldn’t let her leave. When she
walked off he knew he needed to act fast. Without thinking it through, he
grabbed London’s arm and pulled her toward the private room.

Before he could say anything to her she pushed him
and he lost his grip. She fell backwards to the ground on her butt. He thought
she would laugh, until he saw her face, and saw just how pissed off she was.

Her expression told him to back the fuck up, and if
the look didn’t express what she was feeling, the tongue-lashing did. He
reached down, but she was already on her feet and falling toward him. He caught
her, but when he touched her and inhaled her scent, he knew. Either she was his
mate, or the obsession he had for her made him believe she was. Before he could
tell her he was sorry, she was on him telling him off again.

Zoey and Nolan came running in the room when they
heard her yelling. Zoey started pleading with London to stay for dinner. Thank
God. When London started to leave, he heard her mutter “Jerk” and that cut him
like a knife. He wanted her to like him, but now his obsession made him act
stupid toward her and anybody who came near her. He needed to fix this.

* * * *

Sitting back down at the table, London took deep
breaths to calm down. Damn man. He made her ache in places she only felt in
dreams. She had never ever liked a man who was domineering and acted like he
owned a woman.

London knew that he told Zoey what to do and maybe
that was part of Zoey’s problem. Fortunately, she wasn’t Zoey and no man would
tell her what to do. Ever!

When she walked in the room, London noticed her
grandmother was laughing with an older man. She hadn’t seen him before. He was
a nice looking man who smiled at her grandmother like she was precious. Me-Len
did look like she was having a good time, though. Glancing around the room
everyone looked happy, laughing, and cutting up with each other. It would be
wrong of her if she left now. All she needed to do was ignore Ryder. Yep, that
was what she was going to do. Operation Ignore the Prick!

Apparently her little scene didn’t make people judge
her wrongly. The members of the pack continued to smile back at her more. It
felt more relaxed in the room now that she had slammed Jena to the ground. That
seemed funny, but hey what did she know. These were werewolves and maybe it
wasn’t a party until somebody was slammed; even if it was one of their own.

Toward the back of the room, London met the narrowed
gaze of Jena. She wasn’t going to back down as she returned her glare, and Jena
turned her head first looking out toward the window.

Victory! Victory! Take that!
London sang to herself. She was
doing her own little happy dance in her head. Nope never again would she allow
someone to make her feel unworthy of anything she wanted. She was going to make
her dreams come true in New York.  Nobody was going to stand in her way. She
had a new job and a new home. Life was going to change for her. Not even the
likes of Ryder Malone could change that. Not even a good-looking prick, jackass,
oh and control freak.

“I would like to introduce an old friend of mine.” Me-Len
smiled shyly as she introduced her friend. London turned toward her grandmother
and the man she had been talking to. She almost choked when she looked down and
noticed that Me-Len had put her hand on the man’s hand before she spoke.

“This is Meryl Pierson. He’s the wizard that advises
Ryder in Alpha City.” Me-Len smiled shyly as she introduced the man. London
couldn’t believe the blush that showed up on Me-Len’s face. She looked excited
and happy. It was odd seeing her grandmother flirt with a man. Never in a thousand
years would she have believed that Me-Len would act like this, but London loved
the look on her face. The glow that appeared shined brightly as she smiled back
at the man.

Meryl Pierson was a handsome man. He looked to be in
his fifties, and he was tall with a big build. When she looked at him, it
wasn’t his looks that got her attention, but the beautiful lights that
surrounded him. If he was really a wizard then he must be a powerful one. He
was practically glowing. She wondered why she had never seen it before.
Has
magic always been around me? Why haven’t I ever seen it?

London held her hand out and shook the man’s hand. “It
is nice to meet you, Sir.”

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, London. I knew
your parents for a long time. You look like both of them.” Meryl Pierson made
her day with the compliment. He seemed sincere when he spoke.

She could see now at how much her grandmother was
enjoying herself, so she smiled back at her letting her know that she approved.
Me-Len was a strong willed woman and she wouldn’t let anyone run over her. The
way they were looking at each other was sweet and hot-in a gross kind of way.
Damn, she didn’t want to think about her grandmother and Meryl Pierson
together-together. The thought made her a little sick. Then she looked over at
Zoey, she was watching Me-Len and Mr. Pierson too. Zoey smiled and winked at
London.

Her stomach growled letting everyone know she was
hungry. If she didn’t eat something soon she was going to give the people in
this room another scene when she threw up all over their nice table.

The waitress had perfect timing when she brought in
the salads and London watched as Nolan Banks walked back into the dining room with
Ryder trailing behind him. Ryder continued to look mad, but Nolan just smiled
and winked at her as they sat down. She glanced over at Zoey who also noticed
how her brother was acting.

Shrugging her shoulders, London looked down at the
best salad she had ever seen. It was filled with everything. Nuts, cheese,
dried fruit, and even bacon. Without waiting for everyone to sit back down and
start eating, she took her first bite. When the flavors of all the ingredients
hit her palate her eyes closed as she moaned tasting the food. She opened her
eyes and continued to eat with gusto.

Swallowing the last bite was disappointing as London
put her fork down and glanced up. All the men sitting at her table were staring
at her. Immediately, she wiped her mouth with the napkin thinking that she had
food on her face. When that didn’t stop them from staring, she looked over at
her grandmother. She was smiling like she was going to laugh.

Leaning over trying to whisper, London had to find
out why everyone was staring at her. “Why are they staring at me?”

 Me-Len couldn’t stop the small laugh that escaped
her lips.

Smiling, London whispered again, “What’s so funny?”

“You were making the sweetest sounds while you ate
your salad and it has gotten a lot of attention.” She nodded toward the Alphas,
as London’s face turned fire engine red. Then she looked back up at Ryder. His
eyes were glowing yellow. They looked like they were on fire. Usually the looks
he gave her were tight with pain and irritation, but this look was different.
Maybe
because you feel it too, dummy.

London dropped her gaze then peeked up at the other
Alphas who were also staring at her.
Jeez, I was famished and I enjoyed it,
so what
, London thought.

“Uhm sorry. I was hungry.”

Zoey and Me-Len laughed out loud enjoying the scene
that was playing out in front of them.

Nolan Banks leaned forward. “You make the best sounds
while you eat, beautiful.”

London smiled, her face glowing with embarrassment,
and then she made the mistake of glancing back at Ryder who was scowling at her
and Nolan.

What is wrong with him? He is
always frowning at me. He acts like he hates my guts. I need to hurry this
along so we can get out of here. No matter how good looking this man is it
doesn’t give him the right to treat me like he has. Like I’m a piece of shit
that he smells. I just met him for god’s sake.

She needed this night to end. Finally having enough
of all the strange looks she was getting, London looked back down at her plate
until her steak arrived. Slipping bite after bite into her mouth, she let her
hunger take over as she enjoyed every bite she took.

Her hunger had made a huge appearance tonight.
London always had a big appetite but this place was ranked with having the best
steak around and they didn’t disappoint her tonight. The steak was tender and
the juices were flowing in her mouth as she chewed.

Lost in her meal, London continued to eat, until
finally, she felt full. The grumbling in her stomach had stopped. She didn’t
want to eat anything else and now all she wanted to do was lie down and go to
sleep. It had been a whirlwind of a day. Getting up at the butt crack of dawn
to pack the rest of her stuff and put it in her car. Then she had to get ready
and go fill out the papers to have her mail transferred to her apartment in New
York.

Then graduation and passing out in the bathroom
after graduation, now all of this with Ryder, plus the three shots of tequila
was weighing heavy on her.