Page 74 of Alpha Reid

Serena

“Hey gorgeous,” Reid drawls, leaning a shoulder against the doorframe of my bedroom.

I look up from my spot on the edge of the bed- I’ve got one leg pulled into my chest and I just finished applying a second coat of bright red toenail polish. Painting my toes may seem like a silly thing to do, given the fact that we’re on the eve of a war, but little menial tasks like this help to distract my anxious mind.

“Hey handsome,” I breathe, a smile instantly coming to my lips as I look up at him.

He’s wearing a simple white t-shirt and my favorite pair of grey sweatpants, his dark hair a little tousled and messy- and damnit if I’m not getting a little hot just looking at him. Don’t get me wrong, the man looks slick in his usual slacks and dress shirt, but there’s just something so sexy about him when he’s relaxed like this rather than all buttoned up and put together.

“What’s up?” I ask, resisting the urge to fan myself as Reid folds his arms across his chest, the sleeves of his t-shirt straining against the bulge of his biceps.Goddamn.

He grins, and I wonder if he knows how hot and bothered he’s making me by just standing there looking like that. “You down for a little date night?”

I arch a brow. “What’d you have in mind?” I glance down at my own attire hesitantly- I’m also in loungewear, a pair of cotton shorts and an oversized sweatshirt. Not exactly date worthy.

“How about a date night in?” he asks as if he’s reading my mind. “Dinner and a movie?”

“Sounds perfect,” I smile, screwing the cap onto the bottle of nail polish in my hand.

Reid gives a little flick of his head, beckoning me, and I slide my foot off of the bed and rise to stand, depositing the nail polish on the dresser before meeting him in the doorway. He pulls me in for a quick kiss, then leads the way downstairs- and as soon as I hit the landing, I smell what he’s planned for dinner.

“Is that pizza?” I ask excitedly, looking past him and spotting the pizza box from Dino’s on the coffee table in the living room. Beside it are two plates, two glasses, and a bottle of wine- and I’m completely smitten.

“Sure is,” Reid winks. He takes my hand and leads me over to the couch, and while I get comfortable, he pours the wine and dishes up a couple of slices onto each plate, handing me one.

I cross my legs underneath myself, setting the plate on my lap. “So what’s the movie?” I ask, lifting a slice of pizza and taking a big bite. My eyes slide closed- I forgot how delicious Dino’s pizza is. I can’t help but hum in satisfaction as I chew. “Mmm…”

“Serena,” Reid murmurs, and I open my eyes to see him giving me a warning glance. I nearly forgot about this little game we used to play.

I swallow the bite of food, widening my eyes innocently. “What?”

“You know,” he growls, smirking. “And as for the movie, since I chose dinner, I figured you could pick.”

“Sure,” I say, lifting the slice of pizza again and looking at it dreamily. “After we eat, though. This is way too good for me to stop now.”

Reid chuckles softly, watching as I sink my teeth in for another bite. I let another satisfied little groan slip as I chew and he darts me a hard look again- but he should know by now that those warning looks don’t work on me; not when I love to make a game out of testing his resolve.

Reid takes down two slices in the time it takes me to eat one and pops the pizza box open to replenish his plate, looking over at me in question. I nod enthusiastically, biting into my second slice while holding my empty plate out to him.

“Training works up an appetite,” I mumble between bites, smiling bashfully.

“Hey, I’m not judging,” he replies, depositing two more slices onto each of our plates before leaning back on the couch again. “Besides, if you keep baiting me with those little sounds you’ve been making, you’re gonna need your strength.” His eyes flicker silver and my heart stutters in my chest.

“Don’t tempt me with a good time,” I smirk. I take another big bite of pizza, tossing Reid a wink.

A growl rumbles in his chest as he watches me, his blue-eyed gaze as intense as ever. The air between us is practically electric, crackling with sexual tension. He diffuses it by redirecting the conversation, picking up a pizza slice from his plate and digging back in.

“You were great in training today,” he comments between bites. “You really are a natural leader.”

My wolf stands up and preens in response to his compliment and I feel my cheeks heat in a blush. “Must be that alpha blood in my veins,” I shrug.

“That Luna blood,” Reid corrects, beaming at me. “We’re going to make a hell of a team, Red.”

There’s that look again- the one from the practice field that completely disarms me. I don’t even know what to do with that look, but I do know I’ll never tire of seeing it. It’s the way every woman wants to be looked at by a man.

And he’s right- leading the battle team with him for the past couple of days has been a dream. Not only has the team been gelling really well, but it has proven how well Reid and I work together. Even though he’s technically the leader, he’s never tried to steamroll me- he seems genuinely interested in my ideas. Leading together has been a complete give and take; a true partnership. And of course I’ve thought about what that would mean for us running a pack together.

I nibble on my last slice of pizza, mind racing a million miles a minute.

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