Page 13 of The Alpha's Surrogate

“I do need something,” Josie said, forcing her irritation out of her voice. “I need an extra-large pizza, with pepperoni and sausages, and lots of cheese, thank you.”

He chuckled. “Of course. That’ll be twenty minutes. If you’re in a hurry, I could personally deliver it to you when it’s ready.” He winked.

Josie didn’t try to hide her irritation this time, rolling her eyes. She guessed she couldn’t fault him for being so persistent. She’d heard that there were women who found such persistence charming. She wasn’t such a woman.

“I’ll be waiting in my car, Clyde. You’re far too kind,” she said drily. “Throw in a large soda too, will you?”

He typed on his screen for a moment. “That’ll be twenty-two fifty. Anything else?”

She shook her head and brought out bills from her wallet. She set the money on the counter and walked out of the packed room. It was warm and cozy, and the soft din of conversation was welcoming, but she wanted to be alone at the moment.

There were eyes on her as she made her way outside, and she kept her eyes on the floor, not interested in running into anyone else whom she might know.

The wind outside was as sharp as a razor, and the cold was a stark contrast to the heat inside the pizza house. She wrapped her coat tightly around her and walked briskly toward her car.

She turned on the heater and settled comfortably into her seat. Inside the store, she could see Clyde making eyes at a dark-haired woman who had just approached the counter.

From where she sat, Josie could see the woman laughing. Maybe Clyde was charming, after all. Maybe Callahan was right all along, and Josie was nothing more than a rock statue, with ice running through her veins. Maybe she was the problem. She didn’t care.

She saw him again in her mind’s eye, and for the first time since their reunion, she didn’t fight against the memory of him. She leaned back and shut her eyes.

He had always been a good-looking man, but the years had been kind to him. He had gotten bigger, the muscles of his chest straining provocatively against his flannel shirt.

His thick blond hair ran down his head like waves at the beach, and his light brown eyes were striking to look at. All in all, he was a gorgeous man, and her mouth had watered at the sight of him. While he had always been attractive, he now walked and carried himself with the confidence of knowing just how attractive he had become.

The whole day she’d acted indifferent about seeing him, but now she could be honest with herself, at least. Seeing Callahan had affected her deeply.

He was the only man she had ever allowed to come close to her, and while he may feel that she hadn’t tried hard enough, she knew that she had never tried that hard with anyone else. Callahan never saw it that way, though. And if he did, he ignored it.

There was something different, and yet very familiar about him now, and although she would have liked to deny it, she longed to see him again. She didn’t know why, and she didn’t think anything remained from their time together, but she was intrigued.

A knock on her window yanked her out of her thoughts. Clyde stood beside her window, holding her pizza in one hand. She wound down the glass and smiled at him. “Sorry and thank you, Clyde. You’re a sweetheart.”

“Don’t mention it,” he said, smiling back. “Really though, Josie. That looks like way too much pizza for one person. You sure—”

“Good night, Clyde,” she said, cutting him off. She took the box and tossed it on the passenger seat, and then took the soda cup from him too. This guy really was relentless.

In a few minutes, she was walking up the front steps to her house, balancing the pizza and soda in one hand as she rummaged in her pockets for her house keys. She found the right one and put it in the keyhole, but to her surprise, the door eased open.

She looked at the door for a few seconds in confusion. Then her confusion turned to alarm. Had she forgotten to lock the door in her haste? That seemed unlikely, but what was the alternative?

Her wolf clawed restlessly inside her, and she could sense her hackles were raised. She stepped cautiously into the house, the wood creaking with each step. The house was quiet as she made her way slowly toward the kitchen.

Light spilled out from the open doorway into the dining area, and she peeped carefully around the edge of the kitchen wall. Her heart lurched into her throat and cold sweat broke out on her forehead and neck, dripping down her back.

Klaus was sitting in one of the kitchen chairs. He tipped it backward so it balanced on two legs. His legs were crossed on the kitchen table, and he was tossing a small knife in the air, catching it casually by the blade each time it came back down.

Garry stood to the side, his arms crossed in front of him. The two men were watching her as her head poked through the gap in the door, their faces cold and hard and angry.

Fuck. I really should have let Clyde come home with me, she thought.

She considered running away, but what was the point? These men had casually broken into her home. Where could she possibly go? She stepped into the kitchen, her legs feeling heavier than lead. “What…what are you doing here?” she stammered.

Garry snickered and Klaus smiled. He dug the blade of the knife into the polished table and pointed at Josie. “You’ve been ignoring me. I know I told you never to do that. And yet… Why would you do that, Josie? Have we been anything but civil with you? Hmm?”

She scrambled desperately for something to say. “I’m sorry, Klaus. I’ve just been busy today.”

“Aye,” he said. “Busy going out to Whispering Oaks. Not busy enough to drive four hours to another town, but too busy to send a lousy text.”

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