Once An Alpha (The S Files: Paranormal Investigation Agency – Book 1) (4 page)

Chapter Four

After finally getting back into town, we headed to the same steak house that we’d gone to the night before and ate in silence, both of us still trying to process what we’d seen out there in the wilderness. It was one thing to hear about people disappearing, but to actually stand in the same area where they’d vanished gave us a whole new feel for it.

As we ate, a familiar voice startled us. “Agent Peyton! Oh, and Agent Lyndon.”

I whirled around to see Deputy Ted standing near our booth. I couldn’t help but inwardly snicker at the way he’d added on Lyndon’s presence as if it were an unpleasant afterthought, and I flashed him a bright smile. “Hey, Ted. How’s it going?”

“Good, good,” he replied, walking up to our table. “Find much out there today?”

“Not really,” I said. “Although I don’t know what we were expecting to find, honestly.”

“Myla found what might be a blood spatter on a tree,” Lyndon interrupted, reaching across the table and firmly patting my right hand with his left. “She’s one of the best, just too modest for her own good.”

The tension in the air was palpable as I slowly pulled my hand away from Lyndon’s. What the hell was he doing? Trying to make it look like we were together so that Ted would back off? And if so, why? Was he actually jealous at the thought of seeing me with another man? So many questions and so few seconds to comprehend it all.

Ted affected a slightly cooler gaze. “That’s great,” he said, staring straight at Lyndon now. “And I’m sure she is the best.”

He turned back to face me. “So I was wondering…if you aren’t too busy tonight, maybe I could show you a few of our local bars. Have a few drinks and maybe dessert or something.”

“Sure!” Lyndon boomed. “I’d love to come. Thanks, man.”

I hissed through my teeth at him. “What the hell are you doing?”

The invitation had clearly been directed at only me, but by now it was too awkward for Ted to say anything about it.  Lyndon smiled beatifically at me and pretended he hadn’t heard what I’d said.

“Well, great then,” Ted said, managing to look only slightly nonplussed. “If you’re done eating, we could head off now. Or I could meet you outside the police department in a while.”

“Let’s go now!” Lyndon said, clearly not wanting to allow me any opportunity to give him the slip.

I rolled my eyes, and we settled up our bill before heading out with Ted and then following his car to a side street which appeared to be a small café and bar strip.

“So Ted,” I said after we were settled into a crimson leather booth at a dingy yet homely establishment that was clearly a town favorite, judging by the crowd.  “How long have you lived in Bakewell Springs? Must be so nice, all this fresh mountain air all year round.”

“Sure is,” he replied. “I’ve lived here my whole life. Born and raised.”

“What was it like growing up here? Must have been fun.”

“Oh yeah, it sure was,” he replied. “Such a beautiful place. It’s a shame people keep leaving. Our population has been dropping more and more every year since the mining boom ended.”

“Yeah, I read about that,” I said.

“But still,” he continued. “Beautiful place for a kid to grow up. Mountains, parks…”

“Well, isn’t that nice,” Lyndon once again interjected. I seethed inwardly. Seriously, what the hell was he playing at? He’d stood me up and rejected me years ago, and what, I wasn’t allowed to move on from that or something? It was fairly obvious that Ted was interested in me, yet Lyndon seemed to want to take every chance to screw that up for me.

We all chatted for a while longer over tumblers of whiskey, and Ted put his hand across the table and grabbed mine in the exact same way that Lyndon had back at the steak house. “You know, when you’re done with the investigation, you could always come back here as a tourist. There’s so many nice places around here that only the locals know about, and I’d be happy to show you.”

I was waiting for Lyndon to interject, but he said nothing. Instead, he ‘accidentally’ knocked over his glass, forcing Ted to jerk his hand away from mine as the amber liquid ran in little rivulets all over the wooden surface of the table.

I could have killed him. Lyndon and his damned pissing contests. “Hey Lyndon,” I said with a faux simpering smile. “Looks like you’ve had too much to drink. Why don’t you head back to the motel and get some rest?”

“Good idea,” he agreed. “But you need to drive. Like you said, I’ve had a bit too much to drink. And I can hardly drink and drive in the presence of an esteemed Bakewell Springs Deputy, can I?”

He patted Ted on the back, a little too hard to be friendly. If looks could kill, my icy expression would have vaporized him, but he simply grinned and stood up.

“Thanks for showing us around, Ted. I’m sure we’ll see you tomorrow at the office.”

Ted stood up too, with a dejected air hanging about him. “Yeah, sure thing. It was great catching up with you guys tonight.”

He gave me one last lingering look before leaving, and I glared at Lyndon as we headed out to our car. “What the hell are you doing?” I demanded.

“Nothing,” he said. “Just trying to have a good night and make some new friends.”

I was too angry to say anything, so I concentrated on driving, and when I finally pulled into the parking lot of our motel, I jumped out of the car, yanked my things out of the back and then furiously stormed over to my door without another word to Lyndon.

Only a second after I stepped inside and put my bag down, there was a knock. I hadn’t even had a chance to turn the light on yet. Rolling my eyes, I flung open the door. Lyndon was leaning against the wall right next to it.

“What the hell do you want now?” I asked.

“I think you’ve got my key in your bag,” he replied. “Sorta need it to get in my room.”

I stomped over to my bag and rifled through it before locating his key and then practically throwing it in his face. At this point I couldn’t take it anymore, and I started shouting at him, fury etched into my face.

“You know, what you did tonight is so unfair!” I said. “You knew that guy was interested in me! You knew he was only inviting me out with him, but you tagged along anyway. Why?”

“Because I don’t like the guy,” he replied. “Smarmy little blond prick.”

“You don’t even know him,” I said, jabbing my finger into his chest. “And he seems perfectly nice to me!”

“Oh, of course he does. Because he’s trying to get in your pants. And you deserve better. Trust me, Myla, I can tell when a guy is only pretending to be nice but is secretly a massive tool.”

“Yeah, because it takes one to know one,” I replied, practically spitting venom at him.

He paused and then stepped closer, towering over me. “You know, I have pretty much fucking had it with your childish bullshit, Myla. Like I said, if you had ever just given me five fucking minutes to explain what happened when we were back at the academy, then we wouldn’t be in this situation right now. But you’re a snobby, arrogant little know-it-all, and you’re so convinced that you’ve got everyone around you figured out that you never even bothered giving me a chance!”

I shrank back, slightly crestfallen. He was right. I never had given him a chance to explain. He’d left four voicemails on my phone after that night, asking me to call him back. He’d said he was deeply sorry about missing our date and that there had been a reason. But I’d been so convinced that he was a womanizing jerk that I’d deleted the messages and then practically run away every time I happened to run into him around the academy. He’d even written me a letter, and I’d tossed it into the garbage unopened without a second thought.

He was absolutely right. I was being childish as all hell, carrying around a vendetta against a man who’d stood me up and treating him like shit without even giving him the time of day to try to explain his side of things.

I crossed my arms. “Fine. Let’s hear it. Let me guess, the woman I saw you with on a date that night was actually your sister? Or something else just as convenient?”

Lyndon ran his hands through his hair with an exasperated sigh. “It wasn’t convenient,” he replied. “And no, it wasn’t my sister. It was an old friend.”

I snorted and threw him a scornful glance. “You were holding her hand across the table. Seemed like more than just an old friend to me!”

“Her name is Eva, and she called me that evening because she had just broken up with someone and been kicked out of her apartment. We go way back; went to high school together. I knew she needed me to be there for her, so I spent the night trying to comfort her and talk through her problems, and I let her crash at my place till she sorted herself out.”

“I’ll bet you did,” I mumbled, looking down at my feet.

“Oh, and did I forget to mention? She’s a lesbian, Myla. She has no interest in me, and I have none in her. So yeah, I fucked up. I was so caught up in it that I honestly spaced on our date, even though I was pretty fucking excited for it until she called. I tried contacting you as soon as I realized, and you never answered. Yeah, I really fucked up. But you could have at least given me a moment to explain!”

“Oh,” I replied, my mind going numb. I felt like a heinous bitch for never having listened to him, but on the other hand, he’d forgotten about me…just like that.

Seemingly reading my thoughts, he stepped even closer to me and grabbed one of my hands, enclosing it tightly in his powerful grip. “I know I screwed up. I shouldn’t have forgotten about our date the way I did. There’s no excuse for that. You’re worth so much more than that. And believe me, I spent a long time kicking myself for being so fucking stupid. I would never have been so stupid again. All I wanted to do was make it up to you.”

“Really?” I asked, looking up at him. “Why? There’s nothing special about me. I’m just a chubby nerd. I honestly wasn’t surprised when I thought you’d bailed on our date for someone else.”

He caressed my cheek with one hand before wrapping the other around my waist, pulling my body against his. A half-strangled moan almost emerged from my throat, but I managed to swallow it.

“First of all,” he said. “You aren’t chubby. You’re curvy and wonderful. Most women would kill to have that hourglass shape you’ve got going on. When I first saw you my mouth was practically watering. And secondly, you aren’t a nerd. You’re just intelligent; probably one of the smartest women I’ve ever encountered. I could tell that just from that speech you made that day, and I asked around about you a bit too. Graduated from high school early, master’s degree in some sort of genius science field. Believe me, smart women are hot as hell.”

He said each word slowly and clearly to make sure I understood, and my cheeks flushed a volcanic red. I was glad I hadn’t had a chance to turn on the light, because even though my skin was a dark caramel shade, I could have sworn he’d still see the blush. Gazing up into his eyes, I saw only honesty and blazing lust, and I almost swooned in his arms.

“Please, Myla. I want to know that it’s not just me who feels this…thing between us. Whatever it is.”

Lyndon’s voice was husky with need, and he grazed my cheek with his hand again. Part of me wanted to cry for some reason, and another part wanted to scream with elated excitement.

My pussy was practically throbbing in my panties, and lightning bolts seemed to streak through every vein. I bit my lip, trying my hardest to push away the primitive urges that were growing in my mind and failing miserably as the wanton heat burned deep in my core. I couldn’t just give in to the wild demands that were pouring through my system; couldn’t give in to the need for sex that was sweeping through me more and more with each passing second… could I?

“Yes,” I finally whispered breathlessly with a nod. “I feel it too.”

Lyndon leaned down and kissed me with all the desperation we had both been keeping locked inside all this time, and heat pooled in my core until the dam of wanton need exploded within me. He tasted of an intoxicating combination of whiskey, spices and sheer maleness that made bolts of pleasure ripple through me as we deepened the kiss, and my fingers itched with the need to touch him.

His kiss became harsher, more demanding, and I could no longer fight the urge to run my fingers over his skin, reaching up and inside his shirt and over his hard muscular frame. Sliding his tongue into my mouth, we stayed locked together in our embrace, and I furiously kissed him back. I slid my tongue along his and then gently nipped at his lips as I pulled back slightly, and he let out a groan.

“Fuck, you drive me crazy,” he muttered, and I murmured something incoherently back to him that clearly meant,
yes, me too.

I let out a ragged moan a second later, and he moved his mouth down to the curve of my cheek and then up to my ear lobe, licking and nibbling it until I groaned at his tongue’s velvet touch. Fireworks were rapidly going off in my stomach, and I pressed myself even harder against him, inwardly cursing the fact that we were both still clothed.

I desperately craved that warm skin-on-skin contact with the man that I’d already pictured naked hundreds of times in my deepest fantasies, and my hands were almost lost in the pleasure of feeling the tensing muscles of his arms and the hard contours of his chest and abs. Below that, I could feel something hard digging into me through his pants, and I almost lost my mind.