Taming The Alpha - BBW Paranormal Romance (3 page)

And
with that, the desire to mate was almost uncontrollable. While Nikki
had danced and gyrated against him, it had taken all his control not
to throw her down on the floor and take her right there.

Jax
pushed angrily away from the building, jamming his hands in his
pockets, striding down the dark street. Coming to the club in the
first place had been on a dare from Bec, goading him into looking for
a mate in a place full of women. He’d said if he couldn’t
find a mate there, he’d never find one.

Bec.
His rival, his greatest critic, his younger brother. Always at him,
after him, pushing him, biting at his heels. And now, that Jax had
become alpha male, Bec had become absolutely relentless.

“
You’re
not ready, Jax. You’re not mated. You’re not blooded…
you haven’t even made a kill since you’ve been alpha.
You’re not what this pack needs. You’re not alpha male
material.”

Jax
had rounded on his brother, lashing out, raking his nails across
Bec’s face. They were alone, and it was all Jax could do not to
tear Bec’s throat out.

“
I
am the alpha male of this pack, Bec. There’s nothing you can do
about it. Either accept it, or move on.”

Bec
had touched his fingers to his face, pulling them back, looking down
at his blood on them, as a snarl curled his lips. “Don’t
think I won’t, brother. Blood’s not enough to keep me
here. There are others, too, that don’t think you’re the
right one to lead us.”

Jax
knew talk like this was dangerous. Any pack member who spoke against
the alpha male…any pack member who wasn’t his
brother…would have found himself with a slashed throat,
bleeding on the ground, left to die.

But,
as always, because Bec was his younger brother, his only remaining
family, Jax held back. Because he knew Bec was right. He needed to
make a kill as alpha. And he needed a mate. Desperately.

And
now here he was, wandering around in a seedy neighborhood in Philly,
the scent of a woman all over him, rubbed into his clothes, on his
hands. And as much as he tried to tell himself, to make himself
believe she wasn’t the one for him, every time he took a
breath, his body told him otherwise.

He
sighed, turning down an alley, breaking into a lope, heading for
home.

*

For
Nikki, the rest of the night passed in a blur of thumping music and
sweaty men. And for the first time that she could remember, she was
distracted, more than ready to call it a night. Most nights got
tedious at the end of her shift, doing the same old bump and grind,
the same lap dance, only with a different guy pinned to the chair.
But tonight she found herself wandering around in a daze,
mechanically taking men to and from the private rooms, turning them
on and taking their money.

It
wasn’t until almost closing time that she had a chance to take
a break in the back room. Lori was there, dressed in casual street
clothes, or what passed for street clothes for her. Her top revealed
just as much cleavage as her working outfit. The only piece of
clothing that was any different were the jeans and those were
practically painted onto her long legs, hugging her firm ass.

“
You
headed out early?” Nikki flopped down on the couch, dropping
her feet onto an old plastic chair. Her feet were killing her, always
did. Fuck me pumps were great for the show, but for a night of being
on her feet, they were hell.

“
Yeah.
Mack said I could. I’ve got a date, wanted to at least get
there before that bar closed, maybe get a little drunk on someone
else’s dime.” Mack’s rule of one free drink per
shift put a damper on Lori’s enjoyment. She’d claimed she
danced better drunk, but Mack firmly held by his rule. He said he was
tired of picking her up off the floor as the night went on.

“
Someone
I know or someone new?” Nikki was never sure who Lori was
seeing these days. She seemed to have a string of boyfriends, none of
whom lasted more than a few weeks.

“
Dunno.
Does the name Mark ring a bell?” Lori frowned, pursing her
lips.

Nikki
shook her head, leaning back and closing her eyes. “Did you see
the new girl? I missed her set. And Neon? What’s up with the
name?”

“
You
didn’t see her set? You really missed something then. She’s
got these crazy ass tattoos that only show up under black light. Mack
put in special lighting, just for her. Some trippy looking shit, if
you ask me.”

“
Wonder
how long before she trips off the stage in the dark.” Nikki
laughed softly, to herself.

“
Hey,
I saw you with your mystery man. Got to give him a private show. How
was it? You get a good tip?” Lori sat down at the lighted
mirror, touching up her make-up.

“
Oh,
shit. I never got paid!” Nikki thumped her head against the
wall in frustration.

Lori
turned around to look at Nikki for a long moment. “Wow. Must
have been some guy, if you forgot to ask for the cash. That’s a
real newbie mistake, Nikki, not something you would do. Hope you made
enough in tips to cover with Mack.”

“
Yeah.
I did.” Nikki shook her head. She’d been stupid, so
engrossed in the guy she totally forgot he was a paying customer. And
she’d never even got to finish the dance.

But
what had happened with Jax was still playing through her mind. She
could still feel his lips beneath hers…still feel the sense of
barely controlled passion or power or whatever the hell that was
lurking under that calm exterior. Besides the obvious sexual arousal
that came off of him in waves, he’d radiated pure animal
magnetism.

Lori’s
laugh interrupted her thoughts. “You’ve got it bad, don’t
you?” She’d turned around, facing Nikki, lighting a
cigarette. She blew out a puff of blue smoke, flicking the match into
an overflowing ashtray.

“
I
haven’t seen you this out of it since that guy….what was
his name? The guy from France or Germany or some place? He had an
accent and I swear, the minute he said your name, you turned into a
big puddle of mush. He was such a prick to you. And he smelled bad,
smelled like those horrible little black cigarettes he smoked all the
time.” She waved her own cigarette, suddenly animated.

“
And
you even said the sex was horrible! Remember? I said he was like…”

Nikki
raised her hand. “Yeah…Lori, I remember. I was there, it
was me that had sex with him. I don’t need a blow-by-blow
recount of my own sex life.” Nikki pushed herself up from the
couch.

“
Listen,
have a good time on your date. And be careful in the alley. Eden said
she saw some guy hanging out by the dumpster, that he said some
pretty rude things to her.”

“
Yeah.
I know. It’s China’s druggy ex-boyfriend. He’s
stalking her or something again. I’ll be careful…always
am.” And then she was gone, leaving behind a cloud of smoke.

*

Jax
rolled over, his arm across his face. The sun was high and he was
reluctant to leave his bed. He’d managed to slip into the house
without Bec noticing and he wanted to avoid his brother for as long
as possible.

The
girl from last night…Nikki. Nikki haunted him. He’d
taken a shower but her scent still clung to him. There was something
deeply satisfying—and very arousing—about it and he
shifted in bed, her scent and memory having a definite physical
effect on his body this morning.

But
no matter how arousing, that scent and those memories were attached
the wrong girl. There was no way the pack—and especially
Bec—would accept a stripper as alpha female. Right now, pride
wouldn’t let him bring her home, pride in his pack, in their
history and heritage.

Jax
and Bec had had that heritage drilled into them for as long as he
could remember. They were the first pack of the New World, their
ancestors stowing away on ships that crossed the Atlantic, with the
doomed Roanoke Colony in North Carolina.

He
knew the truth the history books didn’t. The colonists didn’t
starve that first winter or seek refuge with native tribes. They were
the first kills made by his ancestors, the first on this new land to
be blooded into the pack.

From
there, they’d spread out across the country, splitting,
creating new packs as the old ones grew too large or fighting led a
group to strike out on their own. Jax and Bec’s pack had been
in the Philadelphia area for well over two hundred years, before this
country even existed.

They
were proud of their heritage and, if truth be known and had become
somewhat elitist over the years in who they chose to add to their
pack. Jax wasn’t sure how that had happened, but it was the
fact of the matter that, right now, bringing back a stripper would
never be accepted by the pack, even if he chose her as his mate.

Pack
numbers were dwindling because of this attitude, combined with more
awareness of their numbers by mortals. They’d always been
reclusive, but now were almost driven underground. Jax knew it would
be up to him to break with tradition, but he knew also that could
divide his family, and possibly cost him his life.

“
Still
in bed? Rough night?” Bec was in the doorway of Jax’s
room, arms folded across his massive chest.

Jax
slid out of bed, planting his feet firmly on the floor. “Bec,
I’m not in the mood right now for your comments. If you haven’t
got anything positive to say, then just shut up.”

“
So
the search for a mate didn’t go so well?” Bec took a step
into the room, sniffing loudly.

“
I
smell her…and she smells like sex.” Bec looked at his
brother. “Are you taking them for a test ride now?”

Jax
was instantly on his feet instantly, hands balled into fists. “Bec,
out. Out of my room. And while you’re at it, out of the pack.
I’ve had enough of your insolence. If you’re so sure of
what it takes to be alpha, by all means, go be one.”

Bec
snorted. “You really mean it this time? Or is this more
posturing?”

Jax
took a step closer to Bec. “With all my heart. I mean it. Out.”

“
You
realize you’re splitting the pack. I’ll take with me
those that want to go. And there are more than you think.”

Jax
blew out a breath. “You seem to forget I’m splitting the
family as well, Bec. Or does that not factor into your plans?”

Bec
frowned. “You’d really let me go?”

“
Really.
I’m alpha now, Bec. And I get that it’s hard for you,
that you think by some means it should have been you. But it’s
not. You can fight me for it, and I’ll win. You know it, and I
know it.”

“
You’d
really fight your own brother?” Bec’s frown turned to a
look of disbelief.

“
Bec,
what do you want from me? You’re not happy I’m alpha.
You’ve let everyone know how you feel. I give you the chance to
go…hell, I tell you to go, but you stay. I tell you I’ll
fight, you don’t believe me. Just what the hell do you want
from me?”

Bec
shook his head. “If you don’t know, then I guess it
really is time to leave.” He turned, pausing in the doorway. He
spoke without looking back.

“
You’re
not going to make it alone, Jax. You need us, as a pack.”

“
I
don’t need anyone. Close the door on your way out, Bec.”

The
door slammed, the sound echoing in the room. Jax sat wearily on the
bed, head in his hands. This was so much harder than his father had
made it look. But his father hadn’t had a little brother
dogging his every move. He found himself lost in a sea of memories
for a long time, finally rising, pulling on jeans and a t-shirt
before padding downstairs to see exactly what he had left with for a
pack, knowing he was now left without a family.

Nikki
usually had Wednesday nights off, but by early evening she’d
found herself either restlessly wandering around her apartment, or
just as restlessly flicking through television channels. She was
distracted and irritable, and annoyed with herself. With a frustrated
sigh, she tossed down the remote, grabbed her bag and headed to the
club.

“
Hey,
thought you were off tonight.” Lori was in her usual place on
the couch, smoking her usual cigarette.

“
I
was, but last night was slow…so, you know…” Nikki
hoped Lori would back off, but she wasn’t counting on it. Lori
knew her better than anyone, and saw through her like a pane of
glass.

“
So,
you’re picking up an extra shift because last night was slow?
Yeah…they were packed in like sardines out there. You,
however, were in a private room with your new man.”

Lori
leaned forward, stubbing out her cigarette, blowing smoke toward the
ceiling. “But, you know, it’s just as well. That Neon
chick didn’t show up tonight and Mack’s just about
busting his balls. He’ll be glad you’re here.”

“
So
the tattooed light-show chick baled after one night?” Nikki
shook her head. Girls came and went here all the time, but she knew
if Mack invested money in her in any way, he must have thought she
had some kind of longevity, at least be around long enough to make
the lights worth his investment.