Page 11 of My Shy Alpha

After taking a deep breath, I swing open the door.

Noah’s head perks up from behind the side of my house, and I try to hide my relief.

“Here you go.”

Noah takes the clothes with one massive hand. His grip encompasses clothes that took two palms for me to hold. It makes me realize how small I am compared to him, let alone when he unfurls my oversized shirt and it looks like children’s clothing.

“Um, sorry, I can–”

“T-thanks for this,” he says simultaneously.

We stare in silence. I expect him to return my clothes, but when Noah disappears beyond my cottage’s siding, I don’t know if he understood I was offering to find something else, or if I should speak up a second time.

Words escape me as he sidesteps past the cottage’s cover and I catch an expanded glance at his thigh. No, not his thigh. That’s his ass, Aliya. My heartbeat ticks into the roof of my mouth.

He slips the shorts over one foot, cussing and disappearing behind the cottage. All at once, I realize I’m gawking at this poor stranger changing and I avert my eyes.

I need to get a hold of myself. Why am I so drawn to him?

My heart pounds into my ears, unsure if Noah caught me. But stepping into view, Noah gives me a soft smile. Then my eyes catch on his built chest - threatening to burst from my tight shirt.

I gasp. “Oh, gosh, I’m sorry–”

“No, it’s perfect. Thank you.”

It’s not perfect, and we both know it. But with a delicate touch on my back, Noah guides me onto my porch. I follow with more curiosity than concern; I was already hoping he’d join me inside anyway. But when I open my front door, Noah stops at the threshold.

“There’s... Something I didn’t get to say yet.” He won’t meet my eyes, staring at my muddy teaching sneakers as he shuffles before my doorway. “You asked if I was rejecting y-you?”

“Oh. Yes.” My speeding heartbeat threatens to implode.

Noah shakes his head, struggling to steady his breath. “I-I’m not. And I wasn’t. I’d never–” Noah swallows hard. “I know I’m not good with words, b-but I have a lot to say, and...”

He’s anxious. I want to comfort him like he comforted me.

Running my fingertips down his arm, I give Noah a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, Noah. You’re doing great.”

Noah opens his arms for a hug. I’m lightheaded from my anxious heartbeat, but I step closer to his chest anyway. He doesn’t waste a second before embracing me, cuddling his head against mine.

“Thank you.” Noah boops my neck with his nose, and my heart soars. “I’m just worried I’m scaring you more. You haven’t stopped shaking.”

He’s right – my teeth are chattering with nerves.

“Maybe we can continue this tomorrow, after you’ve rested?” Noah asks.

He pulls away to give me space, but my heart screams not to let him go, even an inch.

Okay, heart. I think it’s time I listen.

I rush back into his chest, throwing my arms around him. “Please, don’t go. Stay with me tonight.”

Noah exhales. “Oh, thank the Goddess.”

He wraps bulky arms around me, pressing my forehead to his thumping heart. I can’t believe this. His heartbeat says this is just as beautifully overwhelming for him, but I don’t get the sense it’s for the possibility of sex. Noah strokes my hair until my breathing slows.

Trauma roadblocks my freedom to trust, so I’m not used to experiencing instant attraction. But pressing against Noah stirs sensations I can’t deny.

I shift my feet, trying to stifle the flash of heat pulsing through my groin. But the second I do so, Noah’s eyes zip to mine. They’re heavy-lidded, and I can guess he feels similarly by the bulge emerging against my stomach.

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