Page 17 of Alpha Reid

“What do you like on your pizza?” I ask, arching a brow.

Serena shrugs her shoulders. “Anything, really. I’m not picky.”

“You like spicy?”

She licks her lips and my eyes track the movement. “Love spicy.”

“Pepperoni andjalapeño?”

“Mmm, that sounds amazing,” she moans, and the inflection in her voice makes my dick twitch in my slacks. I wonder if she has any idea how fucking sexy her responses sound to my ears or how affected I am by her delivery.

I suck in a breath, turning back to Dino. “The usual,” I mumble, giving him a little nod.

He tosses me a thumbs-up in acknowledgement, heading through the kitchen door to the back of the restaurant to prepare the pizza. Right as he disappears from view, the chime on the front door sounds out. I turn over my shoulder to see who entered and I’m met with a familiar pair of eyes and a smile that matches my own.

“Hey old man,” I grin, my arm slipping from Serena’s shoulders as I turn around to greet my father.

“Son,” he greets with a nod, throwing an arm around me in a half-hug and slapping my back.

I return the gesture, and as soon as we step apart I move beside Serena again, sliding my arm around her shoulders once more. “Dad, meet Serena,” I say, gazing down at her proudly. “Serena, this is my dad.”

“Erick,” Dad says quickly, extending a hand to Serena and flashing her a suave smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

She places her slender hand in his, giving it a shake as a rosy blush creeps across her cheeks. “Likewise, sir.”

Dad’s eyes return to mine, and though I can tell he’s got quite a few questions, he keeps them to himself for now. He knows better than anyone how quickly anything said in the presence of pack members can become gossip.

“Sorry I haven’t been over in a few days,” I grumble, suddenly realizing how long it’s been and feeling guilty over it. “I’ve been busy. How’s Mom doing?”

“She’s alright,” Dad replies. He steps a bit closer and drops his voice low. “She’s had a rough few days, you know how that can be.”

I swallow hard, nodding in understanding. “Yeah, sorry to hear that. But that means she’s due for a good one, right?”

Dad winks. “Exactly.”

Dino emerges from the kitchen, greeting my father warmly before slipping away again to retrieve his order for him.

“Hey,” I murmur, leaning in toward my dad again before Dino returns with his food. “Next good day, why don’t you bring Mom over to meet Serena?”

“I sure will,” Dad replies with a knowing grin, clapping me on the shoulder.

I hear the kitchen door swing open and Dad quickly masks his expression, shuffling past me to the counter to collect and pay for his pizza. Every time one of us comes here, Dino puts up a fight about us paying for our dinner, insisting that our money is no good to him. When I was younger, I used to ask my father why we didn’t take more goods and services for free when offered by members of our pack- I mean it seems like a pretty sweet Alpha perk, right? But Dad always said that it’s important for us to lead by example and support our pack, not take advantage of their generosity and abuse our position.

Like many of his lessons, I didn’t realize the value of that one until I got older. As I watch the familiar back and forth between him and Dino, I can’t help but chuckle. Dad, of course, wins, and Dino rings him up, depositing his change on top of his pizza box and handing it to him.

Dad spins back around, pizza in hand, giving me a little nod as he moves past me to the door. “Good to see you, son. I’ll bring your mother by soon, huh?” His gaze shifts to Serena and he flashes her another charming smile. “It was so nice meeting you, Serena. If this guy steps out of line, you be sure to let me know.”

Serena lets out a soft little giggle. “Nice to meet you too, sir.”

“Erick,” he corrects with a wink, turning away and exiting through the door.

My dad may be in his forties, but I have to hand it to him, he’s a smooth sonofabitch. I glance down at Serena to see her blushing as she watches after him. Maybe I should be taking pointers from my old man on how to charm her.

I lead Serena over to a pair of empty stools at the counter across from the register, both of us taking a seat while we wait for the pizza to cook. Curious gazes continue to flicker in our direction while the two of us make quiet conversation, leaning in close to one another for some semblance of privacy. It’s the closest I’ve ever felt to Serena, and I don’t mean in a physical way- it feels like we’re just a normal couple, out for a casual date night. It’s nice.

I finally learn some more about her. I learn that her favorite color is green, that she loves to listen to Taylor Swift, and that she likes to draw and once won an award for her art- though I already knew that last one from the file Theo brought over earlier. I learn that her family raised horses and she once considered becoming a veterinarian, until she realized she’d have to euthanize animals on occasion and decided she couldn’t do that. Brick by brick, her walls slowly come down as I earn another smile, another soft laugh.

After ten minutes or so, Dino brings out the pizza and we engage in our usual back and forth before he accepts my money. I tell him to keep the change, balancing the pizza in one hand and grabbing the door with the other, ignoring the whispers of speculation from the other patrons as Serena and I exit and get back in the Mustang to head home.

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