Page 91 of Alpha Theo

Maybe I’m a fool, but it’s damn near impossible to stay mad at Theo when he flashes that gorgeous smile and turns on the charm. I swore those things would never work on me, but then again, I also swore that there was no way I’d catch feelings for someone like him- and a few kisses later I’m all gooey and swoony.

I’m not sure if it’s the mate bond or his display of raw vulnerability that has my walls tumbling down again, but either way, it feels good to be with him, for him to hold my hand, to laugh and joke and for him to call me ‘kid’. There’s a warm familiarity to it all, like we’re falling back into step with one another. He has me forgetting about the pressure of the mate bond, of the ticking clock to seal it- instead, when I’m with him, I’m at ease, like we can just relax and keep getting to know each other.

And then there’s those kisses.Holy crap!I’ve never felt my body come alive like that. My wolf was definitely egging me on, but instead of having to battle her back, I felt so in sync with her, like we were finally unified. The mate bond had me itching to touch Theo, to be near him, and as soon as our lips connected, I let go. I let myself feel free and wild and sexy, lost in the moment. And the way he was grabbing me, holding me, had me so turned on that I felt like my body was bursting into flames.

I definitely didn’t feel like ‘good girl’ Brooke when I had my legs wrapped around Theo. It scared me a little how much I liked it- how much I liked feeling a littlebad. Then when I felt his hard-on against my belly, it did something to me. The knowledge that I had Theo, the gorgeous Adonis that he is, so turned on made me feel so seductive, so powerful. I had to step away because I had the craziest urge… to touch it.

Rationally, I knew the right thing to do was to stop before things went too far, but part of me didn’t want to. The ache between my legs lingered all the way to the little ice cream shop in Goldenleaf, where we both ordered two scoops and got to the register before realizing that neither of us brought our wallets. Theo sweet-talked the girl at the counter into letting us have the ice cream for free, and all the while I looked on, something ugly stirring inside of me-jealousy.

I’ve heard that the mate bond can make shifters possessive, butdamn, I wanted to claw that girl’s eyes out for the way she was looking at Theo, giggling and leaning her boobs over the counter as she flirted with him. And then my mind went to nastier places, wondering if he’d hooked up with her, speculating about how many notches were really on that bedpost of his. Debating whether I would ever feel safe and comfortable with a guy who had a past like Theo’s.

Then he touched my arm, and it’s like all of those thoughts instantly dissipated. He led me outside and pulled out his phone, unwinding the cord to his headphones. Then we sat on a bench, eating our ice-cream and sharing the headphones and listening to music. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so content.

Fast forward to this morning, and before my alarm even goes off my phone vibrates on my nightstand, a text from Theo popping up on the screen. I blink the sleep from my eyes, reaching over for my glasses first, positioning them on the bridge of my nose before retrieving my phone and unlocking it to read the message.

Theo:hey kid, you up?

Well I am nowI think to myself, chuckling as I sweep the sheets off of my body before typing a message back.

Brooke:Good morning to you, too.

He immediately fires off a response.

Theo:wanna play hooky today?

I stare at his message, unsure of how to respond. My knee-jerk reaction isabsolutely not, but like so many other things with Theo, he has me wanting to let go, step outside of my comfort zone.

My fingers hover over my phone, hesitant to agree to his suggestion. I’m the girl who has always had perfect attendance! I never missed a day of school, have never missed a day of work. I can’t just ditch my responsibilities and go off somewhere with Theo… can I?

My phone vibrates with another message.

Theo:you haven’t said no, so you must be thinking about it

I giggle, staring at my phone as another text comes in.

Theo:c’mon, kid. live a little!

I type out a response, hitting send.

Brooke:What did you have in mind?

I suddenly realize that I’m grinning down at my phone like a crazy person, coming to my senses and tossing it on the bed as I climb out, stretching my limbs. Then I hear it vibrate again and I practically dive for it.

Theo:you’ll see. meet me at the gate in 20?

Brooke:Theo…

Theo:Brooke.

I sigh exasperatedly.

Brooke:Fine.

Twenty minutes doesn’t give me a lot of time to get ready, so I rush to the locker room to brush my teeth and wash my face, then hustle back to my own room to find something to wear. Once I pull on a pair of ripped skinny jeans and run a brush through my hair, I fumble through my drawer of band t-shirts to find one in particular- myBeatlestee. It’s a nod to the song he played for me yesterday that I wonder if he’ll pick up on. I trade my glasses for contact lenses, slick some mascara on my lashes and pink lip gloss on my lips, and I’m out the door.

Always punctual, I’m at the gate by the twenty-minute mark, looking around for Theo. My heart drops to my stomach when I hear the roar of his motorcycle, snapping my head around to see him rolling up to the gate slowly. He sets the kickstand, leaving the engine purring as he climbs off and strides over to me.

I shake my head as he approaches. “No.”

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