The Loneliest Alpha (The MacKellen Alphas) (31 page)

He
pulled the mating tether and diamond ring out of his pocket, held it up to her
as an offering. Maybe this was just how it was supposed to be. He was one of
those that had to see her gone before he realized his mistake. Maybe he really
would stop now.

Maybe.

She
couldn’t make that decision right now. Not when she could barely form words
over her raw throat.

He
placed the tether and ring in her palm and curled her fingers around it as he
stood, looking away as if ashamed. And then he murmured more promises, more
hopes that desperately wanted to fill the ache in her heart. And he left.

Hanna’s
senses slowly came flooding back. First, sound. She heard another country radio
station playing upstairs. Then, dazedly, she felt the scratchy texture of the
tether, the warm bite of metal from the ring in her palm.

She
trudged upstairs, numb down to her bones. Shattered and confused.

She
turned off the radio, changed out of the lingerie and into her oversized
pajamas.

Afterward,
she checked the phone. She remembered how excited she’d felt getting those
texts from Alex, from a man who made her feel weird things. Now as she opened
the phone to read the message he’d sent her she felt nothing.

Yeah,
I wanna take you out tonight. You up for it?

How
had the message made her feel such fluttery excitement before? Her earlier
reply sat there on the screen, unsent.
I’d love to.

She
looked at the mating tether on the dresser. Memories of years together spent
with someone couldn’t just be erased, couldn’t be forgotten or pushed away so
easily.

She
wrote back.

No.

CHAPTER 20

When
Gavin’s truck came rumbling up the drive, Alicia checked the time. It was late.
It had been a long day and she had a bunch of questions she needed answers to.
Such as where had he been, what had happened between Will and Marcus, and what
did she have to do with it?

However,
when he came through the door all the questions on the tip of her tongue flew
out the window. He looked like he’d been through hell. His brow was drawn low
from stress, his mouth wan and flat, face pinched, shoulders hunched as if they
hurt to hold up.

This
put a kink in her plans seeing as she’d wanted, or hoped, to continue their
foreplay from earlier.

She
wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned up to kiss him but he shied away. “I
need a shower.”

A
twinge of hurt flared but she shrugged it off. If the man needed a shower, then
so be it. “Go ahead then come back down. I got some leftover lasagna here your
sisters and I made. Trust me, it’s worth seconds…or thirds.” She tried to smile
at him but he only grimaced.

With
a nod, he plodded upstairs. While the shower kicked on, she got to thinking.
She knew what she liked when she was really stressed and that was a full belly
and a massage.

Moving
quickly in case he took one of his five-minute showers, she heated up two big
servings of food and searched for an alcoholic beverage of some kind, only to
find none. Odd, he looked like the kind of guy who drank beer.

Slipping
upstairs, she found a bottle of oil in her bathroom goodies, grabbed a soft
towel and set it next to his bed.

The
water shut off and she hurried to the bedroom door calling out, “Dinner’s
ready, handsome. Hurry up!”

If
she did one thing tonight, it was to bring a smile to his face. A few minutes
later, Gavin lumbered into the kitchen, something close to a scowl on his
scarred face.

“Handsome?”
His complete look of incredulity made her laugh out loud.

“Yes,
handsome. You know that people make an opinion on whether or not they like
someone based off the whole package: their face, their body, their mind. I
happen to like yours. So sit down and eat, handsome.” She added a wink for good
measure.

He
still didn’t crack a smile but he didn’t seem quite as tense as when he’d come
home. He took a seat mumbling about women and their foolish notions.

“People
also judge by looks first,” he said.

“Whatever,”
she said breezily. She put the lasagna on the table and ordered, “Eat.”

He
gave her an arched look but obeyed like a good alpha. Taking the seat across
from him she watched him. He gave her another look.

“You’re
not eating?”

“Already
ate with your sisters.” She made circles with her finger on the table. “So what
happened with Will today?”

He
sighed tiredly. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“Maybe
if you do, it’ll get the load off your shoulders.”

“Doubt
that.”

“Also,
why don’t you have any beer or alcohol of any kind in this house? Kind of
weird. You don’t drink?”

“I
was shit-faced the night this happened to my face. Don’t plan on drinking again
anytime soon.”

Talk
about a mood killer. “Hmm…you are a grumpy one today. Okay, I’ll give you a
break for now, but I have plans for you tonight.”

Those
beautiful blue eyes sprang to hers, alight with heat. She tried not to blush
but she would have more luck trying to stop a tidal wave from crashing down on
her by throwing her hands up and pleading
please, don’t
.

“That
sounds good.”

Her
lips twitched.

After
he finished his plate, she ordered him upstairs to the bedroom. Again, she got
that arched eyebrow and dark look that made her belly flutter.

When
he still didn’t make to move she pointed to the stairs and gave him a glare. “Now,”
she ordered.

Shaking
his head, he did as he was told. What a good little alpha, she thought with a
smile.

Upstairs,
she found him coming out of the bathroom from brushing his teeth.

“What
is this grand plan you have for me? I hope it involves the bed ’cause honest to
god, I’m tired as hell.”

He
looked exhausted, from his drawn face to the fatigue around his eyes.

“Good,
because it actually happens to involve the bed.” She pointed at it. “Get naked
and climb in.”

He
tensed.

She
understood why. They’d slept together and had been in each other’s arms, but
they hadn’t done the deed and they were both still nervous about it.

She
grabbed the oil she’d snatched earlier and waved it at him. “Don’t worry, it’s
nothing like that. I just want to give you a massage.”

If
anything, he grew even more tense. “Don’t think that’s such a good idea,
sweetheart.”

“It’s
a great idea. You’ll see. Now strip.”

The
objection rang loud and clear in his eyes, yet he started pulling off his
worn-in jeans and tugging his shirt over his head. Leaving one very strong man
in nothing but white cotton boxers. He started toward the bed.

“Ah,
ah, ah,” she tsked. “All of it.” Okay, maybe the boxers didn’t
need
to
be off for what she had planned, but did she want to see his beautiful body
naked again—yes.

Grudgingly
he shoved them down his legs. When he stood back up, he crossed his arms and
spread his legs wearing a purely masculine expression that said:
go on then,
check me out.

So
she did.

He
hung heavy, though not hard, between his legs. She bit her lip and eyed all of
his beautiful body. All the sinewy hard lines and curves and dips. A manly
spattering of hair drifted from his pecks down a thin line that dipped over his
naval and mixed into the thatch around his groin. When her eyes trailed back
over his shaft it hung at half-mast.

“Okay,”
she said suddenly feeling quite warm. “Get on the bed, back facing up.”

He
sent her a knowing smirk and while it wasn’t the laugh or the full-blown smile
she was looking for, it’d do. She grabbed a towel and straddled his taut
buttocks, making him send her a warning look over his shoulder.

“What,
don’t you trust me?”

He
snorted. “I do, so don’t do anything to make me lose that trust.”

“Aw,
baby, don’t be so tense,” she whispered in her best sexy voice. “Let me help
you to loosen up a bit.”

She
squirted oil in her palm then rubbed her hands together to heat it up. She
started on his shoulders first.

“Now,
just relax and let me make you feel good, big boy.”

“I
am not a boy.” His reproach was dulled by the pillow he had his face shoved
into.

“Boy,
man, alpha, whatever. It’s all semantics.” She got deep into his shoulders and
arms rubbing the hard muscles until they softened under her touch.

His
breathing deepened and he let out a husky groan. The sexy sound made her even
more determined to elicit as many of those erotic noises as possible.

Her
hands hurt from the work but she kept on through it. By the time she reached
the middle of his back he was putty in her hands.

“Damn,
sweetheart, you are somethin’.”

Her
mouth twitched. “You know what they say…flattery will get you everywhere.”

A
snort. “I don’t wanna be anywhere but here.”

Melting
on the inside, she leaned down to kiss his temple. “Whenever you’re ready,
baby, you talk.”

Her
slickened hands moved over the dip of his lower back, rubbing firm warm skin
and muscle, trailing up his spine and down it. She scooted to hover over his
knees as she cupped his taut cheeks and squeezed. This was all too much fun and
she couldn’t stop herself from spanking one cheek, watching the way it bounced.
Oh very nice, she thought wickedly.

“Careful
there,” he growled.

“Don’t
worry, Gavin, I don’t plan to do anything more than massage some muscles.”

He
growled another warning that softened as she began rubbing tight muscles in his
ass and around his hips.

His
thighs tensed under her but she got another of those delicious groans out of
him.

Then
he just started talking.

“I’ve
got Marcus and his brother, Harry, in custody. Will’s back at his apartment,
but I ordered a watch on him. Fuck, on my own baby brother. I feel like
traitor.”

She
didn’t pause her massage as she moved between his lower back, hips, and butt. “I
suppose that’s natural to feel that way when you have to do something to your
own family.”

“Yeah,
and I had to. One of the witnesses said the fight seemed spontaneous. Will
works at the butcher shop and as he was outside on break as Marcus was headed
in. Marcus says he was there to have a few words with his brother.”

“Harry,
he’s the one who works at the butchers?”

A
grunt of agreement. “Yeah, but Marcus started some shit with Will. Will got
smart with him and it broke out into a fight. Luckily, some bystanders stepped
in and broke it up. Will’s only nineteen. He could have gotten himself killed.”

Scooting
down further, Alicia moved off to the side of him so she could work on his
hamstrings and calves. “What were they fighting about?”

“I
didn’t believe it at first, you know. But Marcus said the same story. Don’t see
why the bystander would lie. Will wouldn’t talk to me. He still hates me from
taking over the alpha challenge.”

“He’s
young. I’m sure he’ll get over it.”

“It’s
been over three months. Nearly four now. Fuck, that feels good,” he said on a
groan.

Stifling
a laugh, she worked over that particular calf muscle until his hands were
fisting the comforter. The visual made her thighs tighten with arousal. “But
what was the fight actually about?”

His
muscles tensed and she slapped his tush in warning. Laughing softly, he
relaxed. She could have cheered just then. No matter what, she’d count tonight
as victory. She’d made him laugh.

“Marcus
said something to Will about knowing what he’s been doin’ with you. Typical
provocation bullshit from Marcus. The man has it out for us MacKellens.”

“Been
up to what with me? I assure you, I’ve only been around him a few times.”

“Heck,
I know. Will wouldn’t speak to me ’cept to say he was leaving work early and going
home and Marcus just gave me that fuckin’ grin.”

“You
make it sound like it’s a specific kind of grin.”

“Because
it is. It’s the kind that makes you wanna punch it off his face.”

“Ouch,”
she said. “So Will and Marcus got into a fight but you still aren’t sure what
it’s about except maybe Marcus told Will that he knows what he’s been up to with
something regarding me, possibly.”

“About
sums it up, sweetheart. At the very least, we have Harry and Marcus in custody
and an extra watch on their youngest brother, David. You should feel safe now.
None of them will be able to piss without us knowin’ it.”