Trapped With the Alpha (Balfour Shifters Book 1) (23 page)

I stand still, just watching her toss shirt after shirt out of the closet. Releasing a sigh of frustration, I ask, “What the hell are you doing?”

Izzy’s quiet for a second before coming out of the closet to stand beside the pile of clothes she threw onto the floor. She reaches down and picks up a black button up that I’ve only worn a handful of times, and tosses it to me. “Do you remember a girl named Macy?” she snarls.

“No,” I mumble as a bead of sweat hits my forehead. Even though I’m not sure, I have a good idea where she’s going with this. If I’m right, I won’t have a piece of clothing left when she’s done. “I don’t remember her.”

“You sure?” she asks with a smirk. “She’s a brunette, really skanky. She likes to hang out at The Den, and basically spreads her legs the second she walks through the door.”

“I already told you that I don’t remember.”

“Well, let me enlighten you. She is one of the whores you screwed the night before I came back. There were so many that night, I don’t doubt that you can’t remember their names,” she screams before grabbing a red t-shirt from the pile. “You were wearing that shirt the night you screwed her and half the bar.” 

I shake my head but keep my mouth shut, knowing nothing I say will calm her down.

Grabbing a long-sleeved white Henley, she tosses it up into the air, all but shaking it in my face. “This one here, you wore the first night you brought one of your sluts back here. Back here to our home. In our bed.”

The shirt lands on the floor, but I don’t even bother picking it up. “You know all those women didn’t mean shit to me.”

Her hands go to her hips as she glares at me. “Maybe they didn’t mean anything to you, but you meant something to them, Brody. How the hell can you not see that?”

“No, I don’t. Every one of them knew I wasn’t in it for the long term. You are the only woman I’ve ever promised anything to, and you’re the only woman who has ever meant a thing to me. I have never given those women any inclination that I wanted with them what I have with you,” I reply, taking a step toward her. 

She raises a hand, warning me to stay back. “That isn’t what Macy told me today at the mall. She said you would always come back to her, said you loved her pussy.”

The fact than anyone, especially someone I’ve had my dick in, said things like that to my woman makes me furious. I let out a growl, and my wolf tries to claw its way out. Before I even realize how close my other half is to the surface, I feel the bones in my face begin to shift. Closing my eyes, I take a few deep breaths to calm down. Holding him back, I focus on Izzy’s anger-filled eyes. “That shit’s not true, and you know it.”

She reaches down to grab another shirt, bringing it to her chest. “This one here, you wore when you had sex with a cute little redhead. I honestly thought she might be the girl for you.” Shrugging her shoulders as if she doesn’t have a care in the world, she rolls her gorgeous blue eyes at me before continuing with her rant. “Of course, you just had sex with her and left.”

For the life of me, I can’t remember who she’s talking about. “There has never been a woman for me, other than you. Dammit, Izzy what do I have to do to make you believe that?”

She doesn’t quite meet my eyes as she says, “She was there tonight, you know. She walked past us as we were leaving.”

“Fuck,” I mumble, scrubbing my hand roughly over my face. Now, I realize exactly what changed Izzy’s mood. 

Ignoring my discomfort, she continues as if I’m not even standing here on the verge of being sick. “Her name is Sadie. She was so sweet and pretty, so happy to be with you. She spent the entire night trying to get your attention. At first, her adoration made me a little sick, but hey, to each their own, right?”

“Izzy, stop this,” I growl out, not wanting to hear another word.

“When she finally did get you to notice her, you grabbed her hand and led her out of the bar, without a word. She talked your ear off as you walked her to the car. When you got there, you just used her like a piece of trash and left her while she was still getting dressed.” Izzy tosses the shirt into the trash. “You didn’t even wait for her to put her clothes on, Brody. You just left her, as if she were nothing. As you walked away, she cried her eyes out. My heart broke for her.”

When I see the tears in her eyes, I can’t hold myself back. Rushing to her, I pull her into my arms. “Pixie, she wasn’t into me. She didn’t even know me.”

She looks up, tears streaming down her gorgeous face. “She wanted to know you, though. She was willing to do whatever she could to get you to notice her, even if they were things that made her feel like garbage afterwards.”

Her tears have the same effect on me that they always do, pulling a deep growl from my wolf as he too shows his disgust regarding my actions. Deciding to tell her what every man knows and women just can’t seem to get, I drop a kiss on the top of her head. “If a woman wants a man to think she’s more than just an easy fuck, she can’t be an easy fuck. She has to make him work for it, to prove he deserves her. She threw it out there, without me even saying a word.”

“So, you’re saying if a woman sleeps with a man, she’s nothing but a whore? That she basically asked for it? Brought it all on herself?” she asks, her lips in a tight line.

“No,” I reply, shaking my head. “I’m just saying a man needs the chase, especially a man like me. If a woman gives it up too easily, he’s gonna take what he can get then walk away. Fuck, especially with the way I was feeling back then. I know it’s no excuse, baby, but I was so lonely. I just needed someone, even if it was only temporary. I get that it makes me a dick, but I can’t change it now. I can’t take it back, no matter how I wish none of it ever happened. I just kept taking and taking, hoping that one of them would eventually fill the void and emptiness in me.”

“You sure took enough. I don’t think there’s an unmated woman within a hundred miles that you haven’t screwed,” she huffs out, leaning into me. “
I know this isn’t your fault, in my mind I know that.  My heart tells me different though. I can’t handle seeing them anymore, Brody. It’s bad enough that I have to see them in my dreams, but I can’t stand being in the same room as women you’ve been with.”

Her words send a chill down my spine. Closing my eyes to avoid her seeing the horror in them, I ask, “What do you mean, see them in your dreams?”

Moving forward, she lays her head against my chest, releasing a deep breath. “Every night, I dream of you with them. One after another, these women star in my nightmares.”

Tightening my arms around her, I lay my cheek against the top of her head and release a deep sigh. “How long has this been going on?” 

“Every night since I came back. I can’t even take a nap without another nightmare coming my way.”

I can’t imagine that. I’d go crazy if I were dreaming about her with other men. No wonder she is so damn angry with me. No matter what she does, she can’t escape it. “Maybe you need to talk to someone.”

“Like who?” she asks, pulling out one of her tank tops. “Who would even believe me, anyway?”

I watch as she removes her dress and pulls the tank over her perky tits. Turning away from her, I have to fight to keep my dick from getting hard. “How about the girls? You could talk to Blair and Elise.”

 “They know everything that has happened, but they have no idea how to make my pain go away.” She shakes her and walks to the bed. “The only idea either of them had was wearing those stupid dresses, but the only thing that did was cause another fight and make me feel uncomfortable all night.” 

Just mentioning her dress has my anger pushing to the forefront. “Well, then, don’t listen to their shit. Talk to me, then. You know I’m always here for you.”

She strides past me and gets into the bed, lying with her feet crossed at the ankle while leaning back against the pillows. “Every time we talk, we fight. The only time we don’t fight is when we’re having sex. I’m beginning to think all we should ever do is fuck. It would definitely help prevent us both a lot of stress and heartache.”

Wishing she wasn’t right but knowing she is, I unzip my pants. “I don’t want to fight with you, Pixie. It tears my heart apart to hear that pain in your voice. I just can’t handle it, and it throws me right into a fit of rage.” 

She lets out a huff, crossing her feet. “How do you think it makes me feel?”

Walking over to the bed, I sit down on the edge and cup her face in my hands, before leaning forward and placing a lingering kiss on her sexy mouth. “But if you think fucking is all we should do, then I have an easy fix for that.”

Rolling her eyes at me, I watch her struggle to keep from grinning. “Oh, really, and what’s that, smart ass?”

Trailing my hands down her neck, I grab her tits and give them a gentle squeeze. Bending my head, I suck her earlobe into my mouth before pulling back and whispering, “Let’s fuck.”

Izzy

THE FOG
of sleep is just beginning to leave me as I feel soft kisses whispering across my shoulders. Releasing a contented sigh, I whisper out a breathy, “Morning,” without even opening my eyes.

Brody chuckles behind me, placing another kiss on my bare shoulder before saying, “Morning, baby. It’s time to wake up, gorgeous. I brought you breakfast.”

As soon as I hear him mention breakfast, my eyes snap open, causing him to burst out laughing. “I knew the mention of food would wake you up.”

 Looking over my shoulder, I shoot him a glare and ask, “Something funny there, wolf man?”

Attempting to contain his laughter, he sits up and throws a wink at me before replying. “Nothing funny at all. I just love how excited you get for food. If I didn’t know any better, I would swear you were part wolf yourself.”

“Well, if you didn’t eat for hundreds of years, you would find yourself pretty eager for food as well,” I quip, shooting him a smile and doing my best to forget about our fight last night. 

“True,” he mumbles through his laughter.

Sitting up and leaning back against the headboard, I immediately start to glance around our room in search of the food he brought with him. “Where is it?”

Leaning over to give me a kiss, Brody rolls to his side, gets off the bed, and walks across the bedroom to the dresser to grab the tray containing our breakfast. “I hope you’re in the mood for pancakes, babe?” 

“Always.” I’m determined that my anger won’t get away from me today. If he’s willing to try, so am I. I’ll do my best to control myself until I can visit the woman who helped Molly. 

Sitting back down on the bed, he adjusts himself beside me, appearing to try to get as close as possible. He doesn’t seem satisfied with his position until we are literally sitting hip to hip, shoulder to shoulder. His big frame takes up the majority of the bed as he moves the tray to settle it on both of our laps. ”Eat up.”

Throwing a smile his direction, I look down at the spread laid out before us, and instantly, my mouth starts to water. He’s brought me my absolute favorite—pancakes, whipped cream, and strawberries—and I‘m ready to dig into them. As if seemingly wanting to prove its own desperation, as well, my stomach lets out a loud rumble, causing Brody to chuckle and place a light kiss on my temple. 

Twisting toward him, I lean in and kiss his full lips. “Thank you, Brody. This looks amazing.” After giving him one last quick kiss, I turn back to the food in front of us and begin to dig in with gusto. 

I have barely placed the second bite in my mouth before his hand wraps around my wrist and he pulls the fork back from my awaiting mouth. Glancing at him, my brow raises in silent inquiry. He knows better than to get between me and my food. 

“You may be the one typically doing the biting, but come between me and my food, and I have no fear in taking a chomp out of you,” I say, imitating his growl.

His lip quirks as he struggles to contain a smile, causing my heart to melt at how happy he looks this morning. “Let me feed it to you, love. You haven’t let me do that for the past few weeks, and I find I miss it. Let me take care of you this morning.”

My insides melt at his words and the obvious love radiating around him. It’s times like these that make me want to live in the moment and forget the past. If I could only turn my back on all the other fears and worries that are mingled throughout our lives, we could be happy. 

“Okay, I’d like that, too,” I breathe out, a smile on my face.

He grabs the fork from my hand and stabs a bite of pancake, making sure to grab a bit of strawberry as well, before swiping the lot through the whipped cream. Raising the fork to my mouth, he twists toward me slightly. He then lifts his other hand to cup under my chin and gently places the bite in my mouth. 

Closing my eyes, I soak up the taste of the juices from the strawberry as they explode on my palate. As it mixes with the sweetness of the whipped cream, I am unable to contain the moan that slips past my lips. “That is so good.”

A strangled groan comes from Brody, causing me to open my eyes and watch in awe as the blue slowly begins to take over the amber of his eyes. “I love to watch you eat.”