Page 31 of Alpha Reid

“Training was great!” Serena replies, practically glowing. I’m not sure what has her in such a great mood- probably the endorphins from her morning workout- but I’ll take it. Her smile is gorgeous, it lights up her whole face. And once again, I’m captivated and can’t look away.

I smile back at her, turning off the tap and flicking water droplets off of the piece of fruit. “Glad to hear it. You hungry at all?”

Serena gives a little shake of her head as she starts to make her way toward me. “Nah, I ate lunch at the complex.”

I lean against the kitchen counter with one arm, bringing the apple to my mouth with the other. “I heard you were off territory yesterday,” I comment, sinking my teeth into the fruit. I bite off a piece, crunching, carefully watching Serena’s reaction.

She stops in her tracks, looking a bit like a deer in the headlights. It’s only for a moment, though- her demeanor quickly shifts. “I got lost,” she says nonchalantly, shrugging a shoulder.

Damn it’s hard to get a read on her. I swallow down the bite of apple, smirking. “Always getting lost, little wolf.”

A faint blush spreads across Serena’s cheeks as she peers back at me, and I’m amazed at the way her expression can simultaneously convey both wide-eyed innocence and devious sin.

I hold the apple up to take another bite, extending a finger to point toward her. “I’ve got a solution for that.” I bite down and chew, tossing her a wink.

Serena lifts a brow, waiting for me to go on. Impatiently waiting- she starts to fidget as she watches me chew the fruit. “Well are you gonna tell me?” she finally asks, unable to hold it in.

I smirk. She’s a feisty little thing sometimes. Swallowing the bite of apple, I take a step toward her, then another. Invading her space until our bodies are mere inches apart, dropping my head beside her ear and my voice low. “Careful with that attitude, Red, or I’ll have to take you over my knee.”

She gulps as I pull back to look at her, the blush on her cheeks deepening. “I…”

I swear I can feel the heat coming off of her body, my own body heat ratcheting up like it’s absorbing hers. Still clutching the apple in one hand, I reach up with the other, sliding my index finger underneath her chin and tipping her face up toward mine. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I growl out, searching her eyes.

Something flickers in them in response to my question. Something dark, dangerous, intertwined with the silver swirl indicative of her wolf rising to the surface.

Her tongue darts out to wet her lips and my eyes track the movement. My own wolf pushes forward as the scent of her arousal hits my nose, a low growl rumbling in my chest. I drop my hand from her chin, snaking it around to trail down her spine until it lands on her ass. Giving her ass cheek a demanding squeeze, I yank her closer.

Serena’s plush pink lips part and she lets out a little puff of air. I nearly shudder when I feel her touch me, her fingertips dancing across my abs. “I…” she breathes again, like she can’t get her thoughts together.

I don’t blame her. This proximity has my own head scrambled, and there’s only one thing on my brain right now- bending her over the kitchen counter and yanking her leggings down to her ankles. I need to get it the fuck together, so I release my grip on her ass and take an abrupt step backwards, putting some space between us so we can both think clearly.

“C’mon,” I say with a nod of my head, taking two more big bites of my apple before turning to toss the core in the trash. “I’ve got a little surprise for you.”

“What kind of surprise?” Serena asks skeptically, but I can hear the excitement in her tone.

I don’t answer her, just toss her another wink and start for the door to the back patio of the packhouse. I draw deep breaths to calm my erratic pulse, my heart pounding in time to Serena’s quick footsteps on the hardwood floor behind me as she catches up.

I hope she’s into this. I know she likes being out in nature and she seems to be the thrill-seeker type, so it should be right up her alley. I pull open the back door of the packhouse and Serena follows me outside, around to where a large storage shed sits behind the garage. The door is standing open and two matching ATV’s are parked outside of the shed with helmets perched on the seat of each. I hear Serena draw a breath.

“Up for a ride?” I ask, swinging around to take in her reaction.

Oh yeah, I nailed this.Serena is grinning from ear to ear as she stares at the four-wheelers, her excitement palpable.

“Figured this would be a fun way to show you around the territory,” I continue, smiling smugly as I watch Serena advance toward the ATV’s, wide-eyed and eager.

“Yeah, let’s go!” she exclaims, reaching out to touch the handlebar of the nearest one. She whips her head around to dart me a glance over her shoulder, and I’m not sure if she means for her gaze to convey so much sexual energy, butdamn. There goes my pulse again.

I clear my throat, stepping up beside her and moving the helmet off the seat to reveal a black bandana underneath. “Have you ever done this before?” I ask.

She shakes her head, buzzing with anticipation.

“This,” I breathe, picking up the bandana, folding it lengthwise, and bringing it up to tie around her head, “is so you aren’t inhaling dirt the whole time.” I secure the bandana so that it’s covering her nose and mouth, tying it off. Then I rock back on a heel, smiling to myself as she looks back at me with the bandana in place like the cutest little bandit I’ve ever seen.

I turn to grab the helmet next, unbuckling the strap.

“Do I have to wear a helmet?” Serena protests, eyeing it as I lift it up over her head.

“Safety first, little wolf,” I murmur, bringing it down over the crown of her head. I make sure it’s snug, tightening the strap and then placing my palms on either side to ensure it doesn’t wiggle too much. “All set.”

---