Page 9 of Alpha Reid

“It is,” Reid nods.

“Hm,” I muse, still looking around. Going to great lengths to appear relaxed, even though I’m freaking out on the inside. My adrenaline is still pumping from Reid startling me, and this close proximity to him has my wolf rattling my cage and my senses going haywire. “It’s nice.”

As I make a show of looking around his office, I can feel Reid watching me, his gaze practically searing my skin. When my eyes return to his it’s disarming and intense, like a punch to the gut that knocks the wind out of me.

“I see you got some clothes,” he growls, giving me a painfully slow once-over as he leans back against the doorframe, folding his bulky forearms across his broad chest.

“Yeah.” My voice is breathy- probably because Reid is taking up all the oxygen in this damn office. “I was just about to head out.”

His eyebrow ticks up in question. “Where to?”

“Just for a run.”

He nods slowly, his eyes leaving mine to flicker over my form again. Then he pushes off of the doorframe. “Give me a minute to get changed, I’ll join you.”

“Uh…” I search my mind for some excuse, but I come up blank. It’s not that Reid isn’t nice, because he is. And if it were up to my wolf, we’d be around him twenty-four seven. But everything feels so claustrophobic right now; I just need some space to breathe. And I can’t breathe around Reid- he steals all my air.

“Sure,” I grind out, starting toward him.

Reid angles his body sideways to let me by, but he doesn’t move from the doorframe, forcing me to squeeze past him to exit the office. I hold my breath as I do, my eyes never leaving his as I scooch by, our chests brushing. Something flickers in his eyes at our contact- something raw and primal that has my wolf surging to the surface. Reid comes off as a ‘nice guy’, and Taylor confirmed as much- but the look in his eyes right now? There’s nothing ‘nice guy’ about it.

I practically leap away from him and into the hallway, gulping for oxygen as I hear Reid pull his office door closed behind me. He flicks me a glance over his shoulder before starting toward the main area of the house, my cheeks heating as I follow him. What the hell is wrong with me? Why do I keep reacting to him like this?

Duh. The mate bond.

While Reid disappears upstairs to get changed, I flop down onto an overstuffed leather couch in the living room and try to get my shit together. I let my head tip back, my eyes sliding closed as I draw slow, steady breaths, tucking my wolf back into the recesses of my mind. She keeps getting so fucking amped up every time Reid’s near, making her more difficult to control than usual. I have no doubt that a run will help.

Meditating totally works for a second to keep my wolf at bay- that is, until I hear Reid’s footsteps in the upstairs hall and she perks right back up.

“Town or forest?” I hear Reid ask.

“Forest,” I answer quickly, opening my eyes and sitting up to watch him jog down the open staircase. “Always forest.”

He hits the bottom of the stairs and turns toward me, the corner of his mouth tugging up into that panty-melting smile- andfuck me, I don’t know how I’ll ever manage to keep it together around this guy.

“Solid choice,” he remarks, dragging a hand through his hair. “Forest is always my pick, too. Though that’s probably just a shifter thing.”

“Yeah, probably.” I push up off of the couch, throwing a thumb over my shoulder toward the back patio doors. “This way?”

Reid gives a little nod and I waste no time in heading outside. I don’t have to look back to know that he’s followed; I can feel his dominating presence looming behind me. The air is cold, but us shifters run hot- even once winter sets in, the cold doesn’t bother us. I don’t feel the bite of the cold at all today… I swear that being near Reid has me running a few degrees hotter than normal.

I turn over my shoulder to ask which way to go, but without a word Reid takes off in a jog, heading for the treeline, My adrenaline rachets up as I spring forward, chasing after him to catch up. I’m fast, so I catch him quickly, and once I see which path he’s headed down I race past him to take the lead.

“Slow down, Red!” I hear him call from behind me, my heart pumping as I sprint down the forest trail.

“What’s wrong?” I laugh, hopping over a downed tree in my path. “Can’t keep up?”

I hear Reid let out a growl and his footfalls behind me pick up speed, which only encourages me to run harder, faster.

I’m surprised when he’s actually able to keep up. It’s unexpected; his agility is impressive given his size. We cover a few miles and I’m the first one to tire, my legs getting sore and my breathing becoming more labored. We reach a fork in the path at the edge of a creekbed and I slow to a stop, leaning against a tree to catch my breath.

“Didn’t think I could keep up, did ya?” Reid teases, breathing heavily as he leans against the wide trunk of a tree across from me.

I look up at him, still panting as I crack a smile. “You’re faster than you look.”

Reid shrugs. “I try to get a run in every morning. Helps clear my head.”

“Me too,” I breathe. “Gotta start the day with those endorphins.”

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