Page 50 of Alpha Theo

Brooke shakes her head adamantly. “No way.”

“Aw, c’mon,” I chuckle. “It’s not as scary as you think it is. I’ll take it nice and easy.”

The thought of Brooke on my bike with her long legs spread behind me and her body pressed to my back has my dick straining against my jeans.

She shakes her head again.

I roll my eyes. “Fine, I’ll think of something else. I’m gonna get you on my bike someday, though.”

“I doubt that,” she scoffs.

Brooke turns back to her computer, setting her hands on her keyboard. She doesn’t start typing, though- she pauses and glances over at me again.

Shit, is she gonna back out?

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

I blow out a breath. “Shoot.”

“Do you like Queen?”

I furrow my brow. “Like the queen of England?”

She laughs, andfuckit feels good to hear her laugh after I was a dick and made her cry.

“No, like the band.”

“Ohhhh. I’m not sure. Wait a minute, are they the…” I trail off, searching my mind for the melody. “Don’t stop me now, cause I’m havin’ such a good time…” I sing quietly.

Brooke’s eyes light up. She beams at me, nodding her head enthusiastically.Fuck, thatsmile. It makes me feel like a goddamn hero.

“Yeah, that song kicks ass,” I laugh. “Why?”

She just shrugs, still grinning. “No reason. Just curious.”

I narrow my eyes, studying her.

Whatever test that was, I think I just passed it.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Theo

“Keep em closed!”

“Theo, Iswearif you’re taking me to a hotel or something, I’m gonna kill you.”

“C’mon, don’t you trust me?”

“Not even a little.”

I laugh, turning onto the road that leads out of the six-pack territory. I should be paying Gray rent for how much I’ve been borrowing his Jeep lately, but it was necessary for this non-date with Brooke. I racked my brain for a full day before I came up with a plan of where to take her, and now that we’re almost there, I’m actually a little nervous.

Which is crazy, right? I don’t get nervous. Then again, I don’t take girls on dates, either. But this isn’t a date, Brooke made that very clear. Even so, my palms are clammy, my heart’s beating fast in my chest.

I pull into the parking lot of Cedar Ridge, the ski resort that sits right on the edge of the six-pack territory. The packs work together to run it and it’s a great source of income for us during the winter months, but in the summer it basically sits dormant. I had to pull some serious strings to execute this plan- I even roped my sister Quinn in on it, though I didn’t tell her who or what it was for. One of her friends works here in the winters, so she had to call in a favor. Now I owe her one.

I’ve never been here in the summertime and it’s a little eerie to see the big lodge and the parking lot completely empty. I glance over at Brooke to make sure she still has her eyes closed, slowing to pull into a parking spot in front of the lodge.

---