Page 8 of Possessive Alpha

He nudges it closed.

It falls open again. Amusement stirs in his eyes as he moves to do it again.

I back up, snapping my mouth shut before stuttering, “Y-you can’t just decide on something like that without asking me first.”

He raises a brow. “I did ask you. You said that you preferred somewhere quieter than the house. Like me.”

“But I didn’t know you were talking about this.” I gesture wildly toward the patch of earth that Ty has decided is going to be our new home.

“Why else did you think we were out here?” he snorts.

“To do Regan and Jackson a favor,” I remind him.

“Well, there’s no reason we can’t kill two birds with one stone.” He takes a step toward me, eyes darting to my lips. “Or maybe three birds.”

The way he’s focused on my lips makes it clear exactly what else he intends for us to do in the forest this bright, crisp morning.

“Clara seems more your type,” I blurt out as I back up. “She’s chatty like you.”

He doesn’t snort this time. He outright laughs. “Are you still pretending we’re not mates?”

I look away, on a desperate hunt for a buffer, a distraction, some thing for Ty to focus on so he isn’t focusing on me.

As if I summoned her, I spot Clara through a gap in the trees. She’s with another group, happily chatting away.

“Clara!” I lift my hand and start to call her over, but the second we make eye contact, she whirls around and sprints away, arms pumping, before she disappears from view.

What the…

I stare after her, stunned.

“Was there a reason your sister just took off like someone set her panties on fire?” Ty’s voice is dry as he takes advantage of my inattention to nudge my gaping mouth closed.

I back up, knocking his hand away. “Quit doing that.”

While Clara distracted me, he was busy closing the distance between us, and he’s not the least bit contrite. “Quit giving me a reason to touch you and maybe I might stop.”

“Might?”

“No promises, sweetheart. If there’s ever an opportunity to put my hands on you, I’d be a fool not to take it.” He prowls toward me.

“She’s beautiful,” I tell him as I continue backing up. “Maybe you could go after her and ask her why she ran off like that.”

I don’t know what I’m saying. Or even why.

No, I know why.

Desperation. We’re alone out here. Just me and Ty, and I don’t know what I’m supposed to say or even do.

His gaze doesn’t move from my face. “Don’t care where she’s run off to.”

I look desperately about for something else to save me. When I find nothing, I clear my throat and turn toward the house. “Since we’re done out here, I actually have somewhere I need?—”

A large, muscled hand circles my wrist. Dark tan to my light olive.

Slowly, I lift my eyes to Ty’s face.

“I wasn’t done talking to you.” His voice is a soft growl.

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