The Loneliest Alpha (The MacKellen Alphas) (28 page)

“Hell
no. We take care of the Graham’s on our own. If we push Harry hard enough,
Marcus will flip, I’m sure of it. If not, I think Harry will admit to anything
to save Marcus. Either way, we get rid of at least one of the Graham brothers.”

“Right,”
Hart agreed.

“Let
me get Alicia home then we’ll pick up Harry. Sound good?”

Hart
nodded and headed back to his vehicle. Opening the door, he turned around. “Oh
yeah, another thing. You seen Will lately?”

Just
the mention of his youngest brother made him flinch. “No, why is something up?”

“That’s
the thing. He’s been around, but I don’t think he’s been acting too normal, you
know? You should try to talk to him.”

“I
did that. He wouldn’t listen to a word I said. He’s nineteen and thinks he
knows everything. No amount of muscles he has could have made him win that
alpha challenge. He hasn’t even grown into his body yet.”

Hart
nodded. “I know, but he’s young and has a helluva lot of hurt pride riding his
shoulders. You took over the challenge he wanted in front of the whole pack.
Just imagine if your roles were reversed.”

He
nodded. Hart was right but he still had no idea how to go about fixing the
problem. He’d just figured time healed all wounds.

He
found Alicia chatting with Alex behind a stack of lumber. A feral and
possessive sensation suddenly clutched him by the balls at the sight. A
half-dozen thoughts flew through his mind.

Get
away from her.

She’s
mine.

What
the hell are you doing with him?

Why
are you standing so close together?

Get
the fuck away from my woman!

That
son of a bitch is gonna taste blood.

He
was marching toward them as the vicious thoughts caroused in his mind like
poison. As he neared them, Alex’s head kicked up and caught the look in his
eyes. The man was smart because a second later he had his palms up in the air
and took several steps back.

“Whoa,
man, whoa. We’re just talking. Ain’t nothing goin’ on here at all, brother. At
all.”

The
words barely penetrated. Instincts had taken over and consumed him. Primal
demands that screamed at him to kill this man for standing so close to his
woman. Fear gripped him because he hadn’t claimed her yet. He needed to claim
her, then this other male would smell his scent all over her.

Something
soft wrapped around his belly trying to halt his determined steps. His gaze
flickered down to find Alicia hugging him about the waist, concern in her eyes.
“Stop this. It’s okay. I don’t even know him.”

His
jaw twitched with the need to say his thoughts, but somewhere deep inside him
where logic still reined, he knew it was stupid.
But he was standing too
close to you. And I haven’t taken you yet.

Soft
eyes beseeched him to calm down. “Honey, why don’t you give me a kiss?”

Sweet
words from an even sweeter-smelling woman. His nostril’s flared. “What?”

Alex
was stepping back, the bastard escaping. Gavin took another step after him,
pushing Alicia backward. Her arms squeezed around his waist in response. “I
said I want a kiss.”

His
chest pumped like a runners as his eyes narrowed on her mouth. Pretty little
lips with that small bow in the middle of her top lip. He knew those lips
better now. They were soft as silk and warm with life. They also liked to kiss
him back with a passion that rocked him.

“You
don’t know what you’re asking for.”

Sexy
eyes glowed up at him. As if she was trying to poke the beast inside him, she
gripped his back and arched into him, thrusting her hot little tits against his
chest as she rose up on her toes. “I don’t?”

The
scent of her arousal mixed with his saturated the air with a luscious
fragrance. She turned her cheek and nuzzled over his heart.

He
fisted her hair. “You need to get away from me now. You have no idea what I
want right now.”
My cock plowing into you, your tit in my mouth, your arms
holding me tight as you scream into my ear.

Arousal
flashed in her eyes. “Maybe I do.” She arched subtly against him, squeezing his
back muscles while rubbing her cheek against him with those pretty little tits
pressed flush to him.

Images
flashed through his mind of all the things he wanted to do to her, with her.
After tasting her last night and feeling her hand on his cock this morning, his
senses were on overload.

That’s
it.

Using
her hair, he pulled her face up to his and buried his lips in her neck. He
whispered for only her to hear, “Give me a yes and we’ll finish this.”

Excited
breaths puffed against his cheek. “Yes.”

No
hesitation. She said it in a soft and fluttery voice. A nervous but excited
voice.

Hell
if he cared. Nervous or not he crashed his lips down on hers, breathing in her
gentle moan and slipping inside to taste her. He broke off the kiss as soon as
it started.

Searching
out her eyes, he made sure she saw him. Standing here with the sun beating at
his back and his fucked up face in full view, he made sure she saw what she was
getting. And then he told her, “You know there’s no going back from this.”

She
kneaded his back with greedy fistfuls. “I know.”

And
finally, as if it had been waiting for an excruciatingly long time, the beast
inside him came out to play.

CHAPTER 18

This
was a real thing that was going to happen, Alicia realized as Gavin helped her
into his truck. Ducking in the driver’s side, he started the vehicle and they
flew off down the road without even a single goodbye to his crew. This was
real. They were really going to do this. And all she could think was—
finally
.

She
breathed in pants and his ragged breaths weren’t much better. She gazed over at
him and his eyes met hers. Eyes that held knowledge that he’d soon be touching
her, be moving inside her.

Squirming
in her seat, she couldn’t sit still and wait for it. She had to get her hands
on him and feel his warm skin and firm muscles.

With
that thought in mind, she scooted across the seat.

He
tensed but his eyes devoured her. “Sweetheart, what’re you doin’?”

She
loved it when his raspy voice went all country on her. When his words got
shortened and drawn out.

“Touching
you,” she answered.

Her
hands flew over his flannel, unbuttoning it and spreading it open. Thank god
her hands didn’t shake with excitement. She’d seen his body in all its
stunning, muscle-packed glory that morning had even felt his shaft throbbing in
her hand but that hadn’t been enough.

Not
after seeing his reaction.

She’d
seen alphas react similarly before and it’d always made her smile. But now it’d
happened to her. Something that went far beyond excitement blossomed inside her
at the thought because when an alpha acted so, it was always toward his mate.

Was
this what it was like to be with a mate? This wild, incredible connection as if
they were joined by an invisible tether in some invisible dimension. That’s
what it felt like. Like no matter where either of them was on the whole planet
they would know where the other one was.

The
feeling both frightened the living daylights out of her and made her yearn to
tell him her feelings. To spill her guts and tell him that only he had ever
made her feel like this.

She
unbuttoned the last of his flannel and spread it. A vicious curse left her. “Why
did you wear an undershirt?”

Something
close to a laugh rumbled out of his chest. “Sorry, sweetheart, didn’t think I’d
get your hands on me so soon.”

She
nipped at a flat brown nipple through his shirt. “Next time, plan better.”

“Anything
you want.”

She
touched all over his steely chest, groping over hard, flat planes and rounded
muscles in his stomach that twitched and rolled at her touch.

As
if drawn to that part of him, her eyes fell to the zipper of his blue jeans.
His shaft strained against the material. A wicked thrill swept through her
taking her breath away.

She
molded his hardness, squeezing him. The growl that came out of him lit her
blood on fire.

She
was contemplating pulling his zipper down and getting really busy with him when
something vibrated. Not a growl from Gavin but a sound that came from the phone
clipped to his belt.

He
cleared his throat. “I have to take that.”

Unable
to completely hide her pout, she leaned back as he took the call.

“What?
You’ve got to be kidding me.” His body tensed. “Yeah, yeah. I’m coming.”

And
not in the way she’d hoped he’d be.

Ending
the call, he frowned down at her. “I’m afraid we have to postpone.”

The
severity in his voice had her sitting up straight. “What’s wrong?”

“Marcus
just attacked my brother, Will. I have to get over there now.”

“Is
he all right?” A grave nod. “What were they fighting about?”

He
didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he looked at her and said, “About you.”

A
few minutes later they pulled up to the house. He gave her a swift kiss before
kicking her out and speeding away.

About
me?
What on earth
could they possibly have to fight over her about?

“Well,
hell,” she muttered.

More
than a little irritated she wasn’t currently skin-to-skin with Gavin, she headed
back to the house. Movement caught her attention though and she spotted Jo
making his rounds around the house. She waved and he started to turn away as if
he hadn’t just seen her wave at him. At the last second though he turned back
and came over.

“How’s
it going?” she asked. For some reason the big burly MacKellen didn’t like her
that much. Or so it seemed. It might have to do with the fact that he had to
kick down a door and chase after her when they first met. Not the best of
impressions, she supposed.

“My
job.” The blunt words were quickly forgotten as he said, “So you and Gavin are
a real thing now. Are you going to mate with him or what?”

She
swallowed. Well, isn’t he a frank one. “Mating…that’s a serious word there, Jo.”

“No
shit, and he wants to mate with you. You’ve known it this whole time. You gonna
do it or what? You’ve seen his face. You got a problem with it?”

She
bit her tongue because his accusation nearly made her burst out with
if I
had a problem with his face would I have been about to jump into bed with him?
However,
that wasn’t the smartest quip.

Instead
she said, “No, I don’t, and you can drop the attitude. I’ve never done anything
to you.” She crossed her arms.

He
eyed her and smirked. That same damn MacKellen smirk Gavin and his sisters had.
It wasn’t so cute on Jo. Of course, she didn’t care for Jo like she did Gavin.

“Never
done anything? Lady, you’ve done nothing but cause chaos since you got here.
First, it’s two dead kids---”

“I
had nothing to do with that,” she interrupted.

He
continued without pause, “The yappin’ at the bar, and then it’s the damn car
accident, and now this.”

She
waited. “What’s ‘this’ and what the hell did I do?”

He
leaned down, his big frame covering her in his shadow. “
This
is you
leading him on.”

She
sputtered. “Excuse me?”

“Looking
at him all happy and shit with you outside, smilin’ like he’s got the world in
his pocket. But I see it. You’re gonna flee. You’re gonna run and take his
bleeding heart with you.”

Inwardly,
she staggered back a step. “I would never hurt him like that. I care for him. I’m
not some vicious woman who’d do that.”

One
eyebrow cocked. “Oh, really? So tell me what your plans are at the end of your
little stay here. A month, was it? It’s coming up rapidly. Before you know it,
you’ll have to make a choice. Stay or go. Which will it be, Alicia? You gonna
stay here with Gavin and mate with him?”

Pressure
like too much air filling up in her lungs left her reeling. “What? You don’t
know what you’re saying. Shut up.” Gotta get out of here. Gotta get away from
him. She started toward the house on quick steps, her eyes only seeing the
ground moving beneath her feet.

He
followed after. “Think about it. You’re so scared you’re runnin’ from me just
asking you about it. What do you think’s gonna happen when you actually gotta
make a choice? He fuckin’ loves you.”

Her
feet slammed to a stop so hard her upper body swayed. “What?” she asked, her
voice hoarse.