Page 11 of The Alpha's Runaway Bride

Noah took a shower and then lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He had seen hundreds, if not thousands, of naked women. Clothes were optional in the shifter world and most people didn’t bother because they would have to take them off before they shifted. He had also seen his fair share of naked women who were trying to entice him or who had actually drawn him into their bed for the night. There was something about Angie though, that had instantly aroused him. He was glad that the water in the creek was so cold or he would have embarrassed himself. She looked like the Greek goddess, Aphrodite, playing in the water.

He laughed as he remembered the afternoon. Instead of getting angry when he splashed her, she just turned around and splashed him back. Every woman in the circle of people he hung out with would have been furious. They had no concept of that type of fun. She was a one-of-a-kind woman, which was a huge turn on.

His cock twitched a little as he pictured her large, perfectly round breasts with the pink rosebuds. He licked his lips as he thought about sucking on them and touching them. Her body was perfectly proportioned and curvy in the right places. She obviously worked out and took care of herself. She could probably do as many sit-ups as he could.

Electricity had snapped around him and a little fire had flared just from the hug. He loved the way her body felt pressed against his and wished that he could have made their clothes magically disappear.

“Damn, Boy. You’re going to need another shower if you don’t stop,” he told himself.

The next morning, he found Benny at the front desk. “Who can I talk to if I want to get some information about a person?”

“You want to know about Angie,” Benny said. It wasn’t a question.

“I do.”

“Leave that poor girl alone. Go back to the shifter world and forget about her,” Benny said. “She’s gone through enough lately, and she doesn’t need you to add to her problems.”

Noah looked at Benny, nodded, and walked away. No one in Angel’s Creek was going to give him any answers.

He got online, found a private investigator out of Raton who had a great reputation, and hired him, although Noah had to admit that he felt a little dirty after he sent the payment. However, like he told Elijah, he didn’t like to lose a challenge, and he couldn’t stay in the human world much longer.

Angie and Apollo were heading out when he pulled into her driveway.

“Where are we off to?” he asked, hoping it was more time at the creek.

“Apollo and I are going to the food bank. It is our day to work it.”

“The food bank?” he asked.

“Yeah. I always give a large donation of money to the folks running it at the beginning of the week so they can buy supplies. Then, once a week, Apollo and I help out.”

“I’m in,” he said. “Let me park my car.”

Apollo obligingly got in the back seat when he hopped into the passenger side of her SUV. He knew what a foodbank was but had never been inside one. There was a constant influx of people who came in.

Noah helped Angie gather supplies for the people, including diapers and formula for those who needed it. She always had a piece of candy and a small stuffed animal for the kids, putting a smile on their faces. Apollo carried bags of groceries to the folks and was happy to receive hugs and pets in return.

At the end of the day, Noah was tired but felt good. He did a lot of work for his people, but it was more in a hands-off capacity. He made allowances for funds to go to different organizations, scholarships for kids, and decisions like that but had never been in the trenches, so to speak.

“Do you want to stay for dinner?” Angie asked. “You worked hard today, and it’s the least I can do.”

“I would love to,” he said.

She preheated the oven to three-fifty. Then, she pulled some chicken out of the fridge and cubed it, putting it in the center of a long baking dish. Angie deftly peeled four potatoes and cubed those, adding them to one side of the chicken. Two cans of drained green beans were dumped on the other side. She mixed two packets of Italian seasoning dressing and a cup of butter in the food, covered it with aluminum foil, and put it in the oven.

“Now we wait for an hour,” she said. She got out two beers and handed one to him.

Noah just stared at her in amazement.

“What?”

“You cook.”

“Most people do. That’s how they keep from going hungry,” she said.

“You could hire someone.”

“Why? I know how to cook. Betsy and I usually take turns, but it’s their bowling night. Mom made sure that I knew how to cook and clean. I was well taken care of but not overly spoiled. I even got a spanking every once in a while.” She laughed.

---