Cravings: Alpha City 2 (5 page)

Zoey got up and turned on the light. She could have cried when she saw the Alpha of the Las Vegas pack lying on the floor.

“Oh God, please tell me you’re okay. I didn’t know it was you. I’m so sorry, Alpha,” Zoey pleaded as she dropped down beside him.

Johnny laughed softly at first then he got louder and louder until he was rolling on the floor laughing so hard he was holding his stomach.

“I knew you were tough, but damn, girl, that was wonderful,” Johnny howled. He continued to laugh until he saw the serious look on her face. “But if you insist, you could make it better for me.”

Zoey arched her eyebrow and asked, “How?”

Johnny pointed his finger to his cheek. “You could kiss it here.” Zoey smiled then leaned down and kissed where Johnny pointed. Zoey inhaled his scent as she got closer to him.
Boy, he smells good.

“And here.” Johnny pointed to his other cheek. Zoey complied and leaned over and kissed him. “And it hurts real bad right here.” This time Johnny pointed at his lips.

Zoey hesitated for a second then leaned down and softly kissed his lips. Leaning back up, she could see the look in his eyes. He wanted her and wanted her right now.

She was about to kiss him again when her thoughts turned to Kayden and what it would be like to kiss him. Sighing loudly, Zoey got up and held her hand down for Johnny.

Johnny kept holding her hand as he got off the floor, then leaned over, and kissed her hand.

“It has never hurt so good before, Zoey. I’ll wait in the living room until you are dressed for dinner.” Zoey glanced at her watch and saw it was already one in the morning.

“It’s one in the morning. I was only going to take a nap. I never meant to sleep that long,” Zoey explained.

“You looked so peaceful. I didn’t have the heart to wake you up until you started moaning in your sleep, and that, my dear, I could listen to forever, but in a different position. Instead, I was sitting on the couch waiting by myself having all kinds of dirty thoughts,” Johnny teased, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

Zoey giggled. “I love your laugh. You should do it more often, beautiful.” Johnny turned around, walked out of the room, and shut the door, allowing Zoey to have some privacy.

Her thoughts turned to Kayden as she looked at herself in the mirror. “Why can’t you talk to me like that?” Zoey whispered to the mirror. She wondered what he was doing now. He was probably playing poker at Ryder’s house.

London and Donnie held their cards close to their chests and smiled at each other.

“It’s not fair if you two are helping each other win, because that has to be what you two are doing. You have won almost all the hands,” Nolan grumbled.

Putting her hand on Nolan, London teased, “Don’t be a spoilsport, Nolan. Zoey taught me how to play when we were in school, then I taught Donnie how to play. So blame Zoey for doing such a great job,” London replied with a smirk.

“Where is Zoey? She should be here to even things out,” Nolan asked.

“She is on a work trip in…” London stopped midsentence before she gave Zoey’s location away.

Everyone including her watched as Kayden scooted forward in his chair. He was very antsy. Every ten minutes he would look at the door. London knew that would get his attention when she didn’t give Zoey’s location away.

“Where is she?” Nolan asked again.

“On a work trip. She is meeting a potential new client that needs a video game turned into a virtual reality system. He already sent me the designs he wants to use for it, and Zoey is doing what she does best by closing the deal,” London added. She glanced up to see if Kayden was paying attention, and he was. Score, London thought.

“Who is the guy?” Nolan asked.

London looked over at Ryder. She loved this man because he knew what she was trying to accomplish.

“Johnny Ringo.” Ryder answered this time. London watched as Kayden’s head jerked up. She wanted to laugh at Kayden. He looked like his head was going to spin around.

“Johnny Ringo. You let her go talk to Johnny Ringo by herself? What the hell are you thinking, Ryder?” Kayden asked.

“What? I like Ringo. He is a good Alpha and from the messages he has sent me already, he likes Zoey,” Ryder answered sharply.

“Ringo is a…a,” Kayden couldn’t get out what he wanted to say.

London wanted to laugh but held it in as Kayden took the bait. “What the hell is wrong with you, Kayden? The other night you bitched because Zoey’s skirt was too short, and everybody was drooling over her. Now you’re telling me Johnny Ringo isn’t a good guy. You know he is, and if he is interested in my sister, then I’m all for it. She deserves someone who is actually interested in her and wants to make her happy for a change. You of all people should know how bad it was for her growing up, and if Johnny Ringo wants to shower her with gifts then I’m stepping back and allowing it.” Kayden didn’t know how to answer Ryder. He looked like a fish out of water when his mouth began opening and closing. London almost felt sorry for the guy but not enough to stop what she was planning. If he didn’t get off his ass and tell her best friend how he felt about her, then she would get her someone else. Johnny Ringo seemed like the perfect candidate.

London and Donnie took all of the Alpha’s money as the last hand was laid down. London giggled as she scooped all her chips up putting them in the big bucket.

“Cash me in, baby!” London announced loudly. Between Donnie and her, they were taking home three hundred dollars of the Alpha’s money, and she loved it.

****

Kayden needed some fresh air after the bomb Ryder just dropped on him. He walked outside to clear his head. Zoey was being courted by none other than Johnny Ringo. The man was a billionaire many times over and from what he had heard, loved the women. If he mated Zoey, that meant she would move to Las Vegas to be with him. Laying his head against the porch beam, Kayden closed his eyes. Thinking of Johnny and Zoey together was driving him insane.

Ryder stressed that Zoey needed someone to be good to her. He could be good to her, but what would his pride and his father say. He father would pitch a fit and most likely cut him off, but it’s not like he needed him for anything, and if he cut his son off, what did that say about him?

Kayden bounced his head against the beam. “Stupid, stupid,” he muttered.

“Out of everyone here, I thought you were the most sensible.” Kayden turned around to see Brody King sitting in the rocking chair. He should have smelled him, but his thoughts were on Zoey. “Even with your upbringing and how controlling your father was, I knew, well, we all knew, you would change your pride and make it better for your people. We all had faith that you would stray from the old ways that strangled your people. Telling them that they could only mate with their own kind is foolish thinking, if you ask me. The only way for your pride to grow is help them, be there when they need leading, but never take away their free will to mate with whom they wish. Your father did that, Kayden. He might as well have put collars on your family the way he guided all of you around like puppets. You, my friend, are a true leader, but if you let her get away, then I take back all the good things I just said about you.” Kayden watched as Brody got up from the chair and walked back inside the house.

Brody King was a man of few words, but when he spoke, he told you the truth, even if it hurt. It always seemed to put a person right back on track. Kayden took off running for his vehicle. He was going to Las Vegas to get his mate.

Zoey couldn’t stop laughing as Andrew divulged all the funny stories of when he and Johnny were in the military together. She laughed so hard her side hurt. She was having the best time with the Alpha and his Beta.

“The food was excellent,” Zoey responded, changing the subject. “The steak was cooked to perfection, and all the sides were just as wonderful.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I like a woman who will eat in front of a man. There are too many women who starve themselves. I believe a woman should have a healthy appetite,” Johnny explained then offered her more wine.

“I agree. Take this woman walking in with what’s his name. He’s an actor, but look at the woman. I think the front desk said she was a model. Watch how little she eats, knowing she wants more,” Andrew added. They watched her eat to see how much she consumed. They all scooted closer to each other, so they could count how many times she put the fork to her mouth. They counted four times, and then she acted as if she was full.

“The man spent a fortune on her meal, and she only ate four bites,” Zoey muttered.

Zoey ate all her steak and potatoes. She saved a little room for the dessert they were bringing out. Johnny and Andrew raved about it, and she wasn’t going to pass it up.

“I think the model is fixing to eat her own arm. Look at her face. She wants that dessert so bad,” Andrew suggested.

“Lord, woman. Why doesn’t she eat? I don’t understand humans,” Johnny remarked.

Zoey’s eyes turned a different shade as Johnny’s remark echoed. “What do you mean, ‘humans’?”

It must have dawned on him that what he just said angered her. “Shifters are different. We view family differently, and we eat when we are hungry. Now I have seen some fat shifters, simply because they don’t run much anymore or take care of themselves, but it’s rare. Take that woman for example. Why humans think that her body style is appealing to men, I can’t understand it. Women should have curves, and eat and run it off or do other things to exercise.” Andrew had good enough sense to keep his eyes averted and stay out of the disagreement.

“You know my brother’s mate is human,” Zoey replied as she twirled the fork around her fingers.

“Yes, I believe I heard that,” Johnny answered.

“And you don’t have a problem with shifters mating humans?” Zoey questioned Johnny. If he did, then she couldn’t do business with the man. She wouldn’t do business with a bigot. Her eyebrow arched waiting for his answer. She must have touched a nerve because he cleared his throat and smoothed down his tie.

“No I don’t, but it can produce non-shifters in the children they have, and that’s not what we want to achieve.”

Zoey pounced on that. “Now Johnny, I never took you for a bigot. No matter what my brother and his mate have, the pack will love and care for them. They will also have the same opportunities as children who are shifters. I would hate to know that you dictate to your pack who they can or can’t mate with.” Zoey was pissed now. She put her fork down hard on the plate making a clanking sound.

“I think you are misunderstanding what I’m trying to say here, Zoey.”

“No, Johnny, I think I understood you just fine,” Zoey responded quickly and harshly.

Johnny took Zoey’s hand before she could get up. “I killed a man for that kind of thinking. I don’t and never will make my pack members marry only wolves. I took an oath to never do that. I have kept my promise, and I always will. However, I know your brother’s mate  is a human, and I don’t judge her for being one. I only meant that it is our instinct to mate and produce shifters to carry on the pack. I have many members who have humans as their mates, and I love each and every one of them just the same as the others who are shifters. So please, forgive me if I made you believe otherwise.” Zoey nodded. Maybe she did jump to conclusions, or maybe she was trying to find something wrong with Johnny Ringo.

“Hey, I just built a game room here in the hotel. I haven’t had a chance to enjoy it yet. I know it’s kinda unorthodox to take you to a game room. I just thought it would be fun, but we can go somewhere else if you’d like,” Johnny blurted, quickly changing the subject.

Zoey’s eyes lit up. “Are you crazy? I would love to go. I love video games, especially the old ones. Do you have any of the old ones like Pac-man, Asteroids, or Galaga, my favorite? London and I went to arcades all the time in college. We had a blast,” Zoey explained. Johnny’s eyes sparkled when she agreed.

“Great. I have a lot of mine in there too. When your partner makes the chip that will make the virtual reality game work, then I will put it in this hotel first and then market them. Let’s go play?” Johnny stood up and held his arm out for Zoey to take. She liked the way he touched her as she wrapped her arm around his. She snickered and shook her head. “What are you laughing at?” Johnny asked.

“Well, if Andrew will get on the other side of me, and we interlock arms, we can start singing, ‘We’re off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz’. Your floor is too beautiful to paint it yellow, but it would be a sight to see.”

Johnny and Andrew laughed then Andrew did something that shocked Zoey. He walked around and got on her other side then interlocked his arm with hers. He turned, smiled at her, and arched his eyebrows up and down. Then as if they had planned it, both the men started singing.

“We’re off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of O
z
.” Their voices got louder and carried across the restaurant. Everyone in the restaurant started laughing. Even the tall model started laughing. Zoey loved every minute of it and started singing too. She was having so much fun that for a brief few moments she forgot about Kayden Lynn.