The Care and Feeding of an Alpha Male (19 page)

It was going to drive her crazy. She had to do something about it, but what, she didn’t know.

The mailman dropped by with a nod and a wave, handing her
a stack of magazines. “Thanks, Doug.” She took them and flipped through the mail, frowning at a personalized envelope. From her landlord? Beth Ann pushed the stack of magazines aside and tore open the envelope.

Her rent was going up. A full six hundred dollars a month. That was ridiculous. Her landlord had included an apologetic note, citing property tax rates and how she understood if Beth Ann needed to break her lease.

Tears of frustration pricked at her eyes. Drat. What was she going to do? She was trying to save money to afford an apartment of her own so she could stop having to go to her parents to shower and do laundry. She wanted her own home, not hiding out in the back room of her salon. If her landlord knew she was doing that, she’d probably get booted for that, too. An extra six hundred a month was going to cut her savings to zero, especially now that she was losing clients to the rival down the street. She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, willing the tears away.

The cowbell on the door clanged, announcing a customer. She looked up with a smile of greeting. It faded as Allan entered, carrying a bouquet of pale pink roses—her favorite.

“Hi, Allan,” she said, softly.

“Got time for a walk-in?” He smiled at her. “We haven’t talked much in the past few days and I thought this would be a good chance to say hello.”

“Actually, I have a two thirty,” she said. “Mrs. Patmore.”

He smiled. “I saw her on the street, actually. She was heading to that other salon.”

“She was?” she said with a gasp, hating that broken little sound in her throat. “Well that’s just freaking great.”

Allan brightened, stepping forward. “So you have time to take one walk-in, then?”

She gestured to the barber chair, feeling helpless. With her rent going up, she couldn’t really afford to turn a paying customer away. Maybe she could work extra hours. Run a sale on mani/pedi combos, work on her days off, bring in some extra clients…

“So how is work going?” Allan asked as she settled the cape over him and pulled out her scissors.

She began to cut, thinking hard. She could do Allan’s haircut by heart—she’d been doing it for him for years, even before she had her salon. Even when they’d been between engagements in the past, she’d cut his hair for him. Then he’d smile at her, buy her something expensive, then beg for forgiveness. Losing her had changed him, he’d tell her. It had made him rethink his priorities and what he wanted was her. And yet every time they’d get back together, she’d find out about another girl, and nothing would change.

And it all started with another haircut. Beth Ann gave Allan’s smiling face a wary glance.

“I miss you,” he said softly as she began to cut.

“Don’t, Allan,” she said. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“It’s true. We were good together. You know we were.”

If we were so good together, how come you kept cheating on me?
she wanted to say, but bit the words back. Instead, she just continued to cut, lifting thick strands of his hair and snipping. Allan had always had thick, beautiful hair. Curse that it should be on such an unfaithful man.

“Huh.”

“What?” She glanced up at him, cutting carefully.

“Your dress. It’s rather low cut in the back, don’t you think?”

It was rather low cut. That was why she liked it. “Is it?” she said lightly. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“It’s not like you.” He frowned at her reflection for a moment, and then his easy smile returned. “You know what Mrs. D said to me last week?”

“No, but I’m sure you’ll tell me.”

“She told me that she missed seeing you with me. And you know what, Bethy-babe? I miss seeing you with me, too.”

“Allan, if you don’t stop it, I’m going to cut you a bald spot,” she warned, shaking her scissors at him.

“But…” He gave her a hurt look, one that had never failed to wring her heart in the past. “I don’t understand why you won’t give me another chance.”

“Because every time I give you another chance, you hurt me again, Allan. I’m tired of being hurt. It’s time that I have someone I trust in my life.”

And her entire body flushed just thinking about Colt. She had him, didn’t she? A man that pulled her into his arms and held her close, a man that protected her. Made her feel safe. Secure. Adored. She glanced in the mirror, saw Allan’s devastated look, and sighed. “This isn’t good, Allan. I’ve moved on. You need to move on, too.”

“I can’t move on. You’re the love of my life.” His voice dropped into a low whisper that cracked. “My life is no good without you, Bethy-babe. Please come back to me.”

She stopped. Put down her scissors. There was a dull ache in her chest. She’d loved Allan for so long. And when he was good to her, he was very good. But she didn’t matter to him. She had
never mattered to him. She was just his favorite accessory. When her feelings were hurt, he hadn’t noticed. When he’d slept with other women, he’d thought that it was a problem that could be easily fixed with enough apologizing and gifts. He didn’t understand her.

“I need a minute, Allan,” she murmured, and headed to the back room.

“I’ll be here,” he called after her, his voice sad with longing.

That just made her feel worse. She closed the door to the back room and leaned against it, willing the guilt to go away. Beth Ann breathed deep, rubbing her temples. Allan pressed her relentlessly whenever he saw her. It gave her such a headache. She popped a few Tylenol, then tucked the rest into her purse, and brought it back into the main room with her. Colt’d be picking her up soon enough. She just had to put up with Allan for a bit longer and then boot him out of the shop.

When she emerged, he was still looking at her with sad eyes. “Will you take me back?”

“Allan, please. You know I can’t have a relationship without trust. I won’t do that to myself again. Ever again. And I can’t trust you. And I won’t be in a relationship with you anymore.”

He caught her hand, stared at her in the mirror. “Then let me rebuild your trust. One step at a time.”

“There is no rebuilding,” she said. “You lied to me one too many times. I won’t be with someone who lies to me and acts like what I want means nothing.”

“And I’m working hard to change my ways,” he said, and as she watched, he pulled a long, velvet box out of his pocket and held it out to her.

Beth Ann moved to the counter and threw her scissors down. “Good lord, Allan. Not again.”

“It’s for you. I thought of you and wanted you to have it. No strings attached.”

No strings attached, her lily white butt. Beth Ann shook her head, didn’t move toward the jewelry. “I don’t want it. Even if I took it, I’d just pawn it for money.”

He brightened, and she knew she’d said the wrong thing. “I can take care of you if you’re having money trouble. Let me help you.”

“I don’t want help,” she gritted. “Allan, please. Just stop it.”

He reached for her hand again, but she sidled away. “Not until you promise to come back to me,” he said stubbornly. “I’ll change your mind.”

“She can’t come back to you if she’s with me,” Colt drawled, and stepped into the salon.

She looked up in surprise. When did he get here? She hadn’t heard. He must have sat in one of the two waiting area chairs, listening to the conversation with Allan. She froze. What had he heard? Was he mad at her?

But Colt came forward and pressed a kiss to her temple, and looked down at Allan. There was a possessive look on his face as he casually laid a hand on the small of her exposed back.

Allan looked at Colt, then back to Beth Ann. Shock and hurt flickered across his face. “I don’t understand.”

“Well,” Beth Ann said, wishing this wasn’t so tense and uncomfortable. “I’m seeing someone.”

“Me,” Colt said flatly.

“But…what about me?” Allan tugged the pink cape off, let it fall to his lap.

“Guess you’ll have to find someone else to sleep with. Sounds like you’re good at doing that,” Colt said, the words tense. His hand tightened against the small of her back, as if he wanted to pull her away from Allan.

Beth Ann flushed. Ouch. Allan’s face grew flushed with anger under his tan. He stood. “You’re sleeping with this man, Beth Ann?”

Lord, her cheeks were going to catch fire if they got any redder. “I don’t see what business it is of yours if I am or not.”

“It’s my business because I care about you. I don’t want to see you with someone that’s not…that’s not…” He paused, as if almost afraid to spit out the words. “You deserve better,” he finally bit out.

“Like you?” she said in a hard, bitter laugh. “Twenty dollars for the cut, Allan. You can see yourself out the door.”

He grabbed a twenty from his pocket and held it out to her. When she reached for it, he pulled it back, infuriating her. “So this is the man you ‘trust’? The one you feel that you can trust more than me?” He gave a hard laugh. “You’re kidding, right?”

She held her hand out for the money. “Just stop it, Allan.”

“Yeah, well, you’ll come to your senses soon enough, Beth Ann. Because we both know you deserve so much better than him. And when you do, I’ll be waiting.”

She snatched the twenty from him. “Don’t hold your breath.”

He gave Colt a hateful glare and shoved out of the room, casting her one last wounded look. Beth Ann didn’t follow. She didn’t want to follow. That was what Allan wanted.

He paused in the doorway of the shop and turned to look back at her. “Your father wanted me to tell you that the Halloween committee meeting is tonight. He needs you to be there.”

He slammed the door.

“Fuck!” Beth Ann said, clenching her hands into fists.

Colt looked at her in surprise.

“Sorry,” she said, and then bit her fist in frustration. “That man makes me so mad that I want to spit nails.”

“Do I need to scare him off?” The look in Colt’s eyes was deadly serious.

She shook her head. She could only imagine what Colt would do, and Allan would call the cops in a heartbeat. “He just needs to get it in his head once and for all that I’m not with him.”

Colt pulled her close, his hand sliding against her back. He pressed a light kiss to her mouth. “Maybe we should be more public with our relationship.”

“Sex in the football bleachers?” she asked wryly. “We could ask Allan to hold the condoms and he still wouldn’t grasp that I don’t want to be with him.”

He chuckled, brushed a hand down her back. “Nothing quite so public as that, I don’t think. We could start with your committee tonight.”

She groaned, leaning against him as if the thought sapped her will to live. “I don’t want to go. Don’t make me go.”

“I won’t make you go,” he said, his hands cupping her ass through her skirts.

Beth Ann sighed. “And if I don’t go, my father will thunder in like a hurricane and want to know why I’m sabotaging his campaign for reelection by being so publicly unhelpful when he
needs me now more than ever.” She rolled her eyes. “He trots out those excuses every other year around this time.” Her arms wrapped around his neck and she lifted her face for another kiss. “I have to go to this stupid meeting.”

“I’ll go with you. If that dickhead is going to be there, I’m not leaving your side.”

A warm, fuzzy feeling crept down her belly. So protective of her. She loved that. But he had to know what he was getting into. “I’m warning you. It’ll be boring.”

“I’ll think of new ways to make love to you. I’ll make a list. They’ll think I’m taking notes.”

She laughed and her hand slid to the front of his pants. “Well, I wasn’t entirely against the sex on the bleachers idea. I’ve never made love in public.”

“I’ll put that as number one on the list,” Colt drawled, smiling down at her. “Though it’s probably not as scandalous if everyone thinks we’re in a relationship.”

She kissed him again, her heart fluttering. He’d said
relationship
twice now. Is that where they were going with this? They hadn’t put a name on what they had yet. And she was afraid to ask, for fear she might ruin it.

After all, Allan had showed that she wasn’t good with relationships. But she trusted Colt, and he knew how important that trust was to her. So maybe she could hope, just a little.

The committee meeting was every bit as boring as she’d thought it would be. She’d been assigned the costume bash in the town square, and it was her task to set guidelines for costumes, contests,
awards, and sponsors. Easy enough—why did they have to have four more committee meetings before Halloween to determine things? She complained as much to Colt on the way home, who agreed.

He’d been a perfect gentleman that night, she’d decided. He’d sat at the back of the room, just enough of a reminder for Allan to be quiet about his proclamations of love. Others had seen her enter with Colt, and the looks they’d given her were disapproving to downright confused. Wasn’t she supposed to be with Allan? They had to be thinking it.

She’d take their confusion. Eventually people would get the picture, and if she had to trot Colt out everywhere she went, she would.

The meeting went on for three hours, killing any hopes she’d had of going out with Colt after the meeting had ended.

His expression when they met afterward was grim. “They don’t like me with you.”

“That’s crazy.”

He shook his head. “It’s not crazy. You saw the way they were all looking at me. Like I’d come between the two of you.” His jaw was clenched with fury. “So we either fuck in secret like we have something to hide, or when we’re together, people act like I’m the bad guy.”

“I don’t care what other people think,” she told him. Her voice echoed in the halls of the school and she quieted. “They’ll get used to it.”

“Will they?” The look he gave her was shuttered with anger. “This entire town thinks you belong to
him
.”

She stopped, took his hand in hers. “But I’m with you,” she said softly.

He turned her, then, pushing her up against the lockers with a bang. His mouth dove on hers, kissing her with fierce intensity. She gasped as his tongue thrust into her mouth, the sensation pouring liquid need through her body. She moaned against him, her hand sliding to the front of his pants to cup his cock.