Page 56 of The Alpha's Pen Pal

I sped up my steps and grabbed the handle at the same time she did, pushing against the door so she couldn’t pull it open. Her back pressed against my front as she tried and failed to strong-arm it open, and I didn’t even try to take a step back to give her space. I was too focused on the feel of her body against mine. And distracted by my lycan fucking purring again.

She turned her face and glared up at me, her blue eyes sparkling with a hint of fire and defiance.

“You’ll have to be faster than that, Twinkle Toes,” I teased, bringing my hand to her hip to brace our bodies as I pulled the door open. “After you,” I muttered with a smirk.

She stepped away from my body and into the crowded cafe, stopping in her tracks as she looked around at all the people sitting and standing at the tables. The line went almost to the door, so I squeezed in between her body and the table nearby, keeping close to her without touching her.

Almost half of the shop had their eyes glued to us as we stood in line and worked our way to the register. Most of them were wolves from my pack, but a handful were from one of the two neighboring packs that also bordered the national park.

I could sense she was uncomfortable with the crowd, but I didn’t know what was appropriate to do to put her at ease. If she was a wolf, I wouldn’t hesitate to wrap my arms around her and hold her close to calm her with my touch.

But she was a human, so I did the next best thing I could think of, and let a bit of my alpha aura slip out, forcing the lower wolves to turn their eyes away from us. The wolves who weren’t part of my pack were still affected and went back to their business. Even some humans bristled and shifted in their chairs. Haven was the only one in the cafe who wasn’t affected at all.

I stepped up as close as possible without touching her, using my body like a shield and letting her sweet scent fill my lungs. I was still trying to place the fruit mixed with the jasmine in her scent. It was right there, at the edge of my mind, on the tip of my tongue…

The teenaged wolf working the register caught my eye, and I realized we were the next customers. I placed my hand on the small of Haven’s back as we stepped up to the counter, and she gave me a shy smile. I blinked at the contrast from the Haven who gave me sass as she ran out of my truck and to the cafe door. Had I imagined that whole thing?

“What did you want?” I asked, leaning down to speak to her.

“Oh, you go ahead. I’m still deciding,” she muttered, looking back at the menu and the case of baked goods and sandwiches.

I smiled at her and placed my usual afternoon coffee order—a cappuccino with extra foam and a hint of caramel. In the mornings, I was a black coffee guy, but any other time, I liked to have a foamy, slightly sweet cappuccino.

“Haven?” I asked, gesturing at the barista.

She glanced at me and the barista and then me again and laughed. “Oh, no, it’s ok. I can pay for my own order,” she said, waving me off.

Cue angry lycan in my head. Like hell, we were letting her pay for her own order. “Haven,” I said again, a bit more sternly.

“Seriously, Wes, I can buy my own cup of coffee. They do pay me at the ballet company, you know,” she replied, shaking her head.

I gritted my teeth to keep the growl from spilling out. She sure did like pushing my buttons.

“Remember what I said in the car? About letting me be a gentleman?” I reminded her.

She stared at me, then sighed and relented, stomping over to the barista at the register. I smirked and then had to press my lips together to prevent myself from muttering “good girl” to her as she stepped in front of me.

“I’ll have a medium vanilla oat milk latte with cinnamon sprinkled on the top. Extra hot, please,” she rushed out in one breath.

Her eyes flicked over to the case of food, and then she turned to look at me.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” I asked her.

“No?”

“Food?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Funny,” I said, stepping closer to her and leaning my elbow on the counter as I bent to her level. “Because your stomach was growling almost the entire time we were in my truck.”

“It’s fine, Wes,” she said, crossing her arms.

“Order some food, or I will order it for you,” I threatened with a teasing smile.

I didn’t know her that well. Not like I used to, anyway, but I could already sense she wouldn’t like someone ordering food for her.

We locked eyes in a staring contest, both of us stubbornly holding our own and not backing down. When she blinked, I grinned in triumph. She furrowed her brow and turned to place the rest of her order, and I’m pretty sure I heard her mutter, “The audacity,” under her breath.

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