Page 47 of Alpha Theo

It’s…nothow I thought it would be. It’s clumsy and awkward and…oh good lord, he’s trying to dart his tongue into my mouth like a snake!I tilt my head, try to open my mouth a little bit more, massage his tongue with mine softly.

He’s not responsive to my efforts. He just keeps flicking his tongue in and out of my mouth like a dang lizard, sucking my lips like a goldfish, slobbering like a saint bernard. Ugh! Is this really what kissing is like?! Why the heck do people enjoy this?!

Just as quickly as it started, it ends- Connor pulls away, wipes at his mouth with a sleeve. Gives me a goofy, lopsided grin. I stare at him, catching my breath.

I force a smile. “Goodnight, Connor. Thanks again for the date. It was really…nice.”

Connor blushes, pushing his bangs out of his eyes with his fingertips. “Yeah, anytime. Goodnight.”

He gives me a little wave, turns, and starts down the hallway.

I watch after him, blinking, then take a step back and close the door.

What the heck was that?!

I cross the room to my bed, kicking off my heels before flopping down on it. Then I start combing over the evening in my mind, picking apart every detail.

The date was nice, but I’m so…disappointed. I looked forward to that kiss all night, expected it to be magical. I expected there to be fireworks, dangit! Instead, it was messy, clumsy, lackluster.

There was no chemistry between us. No…spark.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Theo

I barely fucking slept last night- just thinking about Brooke out on a date with that idiot Connor had me all twisted up inside. I blame it on my wolf- he’s all fucked up; thinks he has a claim on her for some reason. It must be because she’s the only female I’ve spent an extended amount of time around, the only one that my wolf and I have really gotten to know that isn’t family.

It’s a problem.

Sutton was eye-fucking me across the dining hall all through dinner, tried to get me to go back to her room with her afterwards, but my wolf wasn’t having it. It’s a damn shame because Sutton’s a great lay. I just couldn’t do it. I had to let my wolf out instead, go for a run.

It took the edge off, but only minimally. I ran for hours, gave over control and let my wolf lead me around the forest. In the end, he led me back to the complex, around the side to the edge of the parking lot. Right as Brooke was returning from her date with that fucking guy.

I hid in the brush, watched Connor go around and open her door for her. Watched him take her hand, help her out of his crappy car. She looked fucking incredible. Blue dress, a shade darker than her eyes. Coiffed hair and tan heels that made her calves look fantastic. She may not be the ‘type’ I usually go for, but she’s beautiful in her own right, fuckingstunning. And seeing her walking with Connor, hand-in-hand, made me want to tear the guy’s arm off.

My wolf wanted to follow them, wanted to rip Connor apart for touching our female. He already thinks she’s ours, which is absurd- a girl like that would never actually mate with a guy like me. My wolf’s delusional, and I must be, too, if I’m letting myself get jealous over her.

I don’t do jealousy. If I want a girl, I go for it. If she doesn’t want me, I move on to the next one. I don’t get hung up on women. That doesn’t gel with my playboy image.

I had to run for another hour before my wolf calmed down enough for me to shift back, tuck him away. And then I spent the next several hours laying in bed staring at the ceiling, listening to that damn playlist Brooke sent me, chasing sleep.

Even when it came, I tossed and turned, woke up fucking exhausted. I skipped out on training with the squad this morning, thought about skipping rounds in the IT hub this afternoon. I can’t, though, because even though the mere thought of Brooke Eastwick is driving me fucking crazy right now, I still wanna see her.

When I get to the hub, I make my rounds quickly, then pull a chair over to Brooke’s desk to settle in.

She’s wearing the same grey sweatshirt that she put on that night we hung out in her room in Denver, along with a pair of skinny jeans with the knees ripped out. Her long blonde hair is tucked behind her ears, black-framed glasses perched on the bridge of her nose.

She doesn’t look nearly as perky as I’d expect her to be after a date with mister nice guy- she’s staring at her computer screen with her brow furrowed, nose scrunched, gnawing on her bottom lip. That look of intense concentration that I’m starting to find so fucking adorable.

“Hey kid,” I breathe as I sink down onto the chair, peering over at her.

She turns to me almost like she’s startled-was she really so focused that she didn’t hear me pull the chair over?– and then her expression softens, pouty pink lips spreading into a smile.

“Hey.”

As quickly as the smile appeared, though, it fades. She turns back to her computer, long fingers gliding across the keyboard as she taps the keys.

I stretch out, kick my boots up on her desk. Lean back in the chair and get comfortable.

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