Page 11 of Jaded Alpha

While he considered Franklin’s question, he finally met my gaze. He dropped his bags on the floor and stepped one foot back. For a split second, I thought the tall and slender man might make a run for it. My wolf picked up a tinge of sour andmetallic fear. Fear? He was scared of little old me with my half-eaten dessert in front of me?

There was something else going on.

He scanned the offerings of the table. After a long day, the food must’ve called to him, but he ground his jaw and turned back to Franklin. “Would it be okay if I went upstairs and took a quick nap? I would fall asleep right at the table.”

Franklin clapped the guy on the shoulder. “Of course, Eddie.” Eddie. Huh. The only Eddie I knew was the late Eddie Van Halen. Still, he did give that rock-star vibe.

I would bet he could be rebellious when he wanted to.

“Should we keep the food out until you come back down?” I asked, taking the liberty. Franklin and I had become fast friends and, I felt comfortable around him and in this place.

“Yeah. I’ll…eat later. Can we please go now?”

With that, the man stomped up the stairs after Franklin, nailing me with one last look before he disappeared from the room. He had two bags, but even one of them was double the size of mine.

I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms over my chest. Franklin had a legendary matchmaker reputation among shifters, but this time, he might’ve been dead wrong. The man that stumbled into this place was civil at best and rode the line between nonchalant and rude.

One more sentence, and he probably would’ve tumbled right over that line into the land of downright jerk.

“What’s his deal?” I asked Franklin when he sat down.

“Well, that’s going to be cold.” The owner frowned at his coffee mug. “He’s had a long trip and a longer day. Seems that traveling doesn’t agree with him.”

I sighed. “Still, that’s no reason to take it out on others.” Despite my ice cream making a puddle on top of and around my cobbler, I ate the rest. It was too damned delicious to waste. Ineeded this trip away. I was in a gorgeous home with a friendly host and, from what I could see earlier, I could lose myself in the land surrounding this place. A walk with no destination in mind sounded like a fantastic idea.

Franklin nodded. “People deal with things in different ways. Perhaps what’s rude for us isn’t for him. The last thing we want to do in this life is to hold others accountable for the rules we have for ourselves. Not fair to them or us, and it makes us…irritated.”

Irritated. Exactly the right word.

Mentally, I cursed. This was the man Franklin thought was my mate?

Sure, my wolf was curious, but there was no world-turning, stomach-flopping, tornado-inside-me reaction that I thought my beast would have.

“I suppose we all have bad days,” I concurred.

“It’s true.”

“We’ll leave a small spread for my new guest. Are you as good at putting things away as you are a sous chef?” Franklin paused, grinning. “You’re not one of those males who stuffs entire slow cookers and pots into the refrigerator, are you?”

I snorted. “No. I can find the ketchup and everything.”

Franklin let out a hearty laugh, throwing back his head. “Good man, Jamie. Good man.”

Chapter Eleven

Van

Franklin led me upstairs to my room. “It’s right this way, Eddie.” He opened the door on the left and waved me inside. “Make yourself at home, and if there’s anything you need, let me know.”

I looked around and peeked into the attached bathroom before facing him again. Everything about the room was as nice as the five-star hotels I was used to. Only more comfortable and less designer. The toiletries on the bathroom counter were brands beyond what even those hotels provided.

“No, I think everything looks good. I’m sorry to be so much trouble. It’s been a long day.”

“No, you’re fine. Just lie down and close your eyes, maybe even take a quick shower first. I always feel like I need to wash the airplane air off me to relax.” He moved over and opened the window a few inches. “A little breeze can’t hurt either.”

“Yeah, thanks.” I watched him leave and moved over, thinking to shut the window again then stopped. A puff of wind carried the scents of the forest to my nostrils, and my bear relaxed an infinitesimal amount. Unfortunately, Franklin was also right about the shower idea. Now that the freshness of nature was wafting in, the stale recycled air clinging to my hair and skin and clothes was obnoxiously obvious. Add in the drink that I’d spilled—I changed but it had already soaked through my pants—and a shower was more than in order. Luckily I’d brought more clothes than strictly necessary, something I’d learned to do while traveling with the band. Worse things than chai and coffee could end up staining my jeans.

The bathroom was clean and the shower pressure more than adequate after I removed all my clothes and stepped under thespray. The shampoo, conditioner, and body gel were in wall-mounted pumps, and the water as hot as I liked it—which was steaming. By the time I stepped out and wrapped the thick, soft towel around my waist, I was so relaxed, it was all I could do to stay upright long enough to land face-first on the bed.

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