Page 10 of My Brutal Alpha

"What the hell was that all about?" I demanded of him, expression serious and tight with anger.

"What? Me saving you from Rory?"

I scoffed. "Saving me?"

Ezra rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Yes, saving you. You were floundering, and he wasn't catching a damn hint."

"I was fine," I muttered, bristling at his recounting of the situation from his perspective.

It was true, I was mortified, and Rory wasn't leaving despite how uncomfortable I was. But that didn't mean I was about to start thanking him for acting like a different kind of creep.

Seeming just as annoyed, Ezra forced air out of his chest. "I'm not at all convinced you were."

"That doesn't matter!" I snapped at him, unwilling to deal with his usual back and forth. "What matters is why you forced me into that bullshit situation in the first place."

He studied me for a moment, and while the truth seemed to gleam through the surface for a moment, I also noticed that internal battle behind his eyes. Then he sighed. "All right! I acted on impulse when my parents came in. I needed to convince them we were engaged to get them off my back. Besides...it helped you too. Rory left you alone, didn't he?"

I could only blink back at him then, in complete disbelief.

When I didn't say anything, Ezra took another breath and shifted slightly on his feet while looking down at me. "It was a knee-jerk decision, but it helped both of us. To be honest, I think it could continue to help us. I'm sure you get hit on by enough creeps and would probably prefer not to be."

Catching on to what he was insinuating, I narrowed my eyes at him. I wanted to refuse outright. It was so ridiculous, and I wanted nothing to do with him.

Yet, I was still too stunned to say much of anything, and Ezra took full advantage of that.

"Look, my parents are pressuring me to accept a completely bogus arrangement, and I want to stick it to them. They plan on staying around my pack grounds for a while to convince me to change my mind, and despite putting this idea in their head, I know they won't fully believe it yet. But if we manage to convince them, then I'm sure I'll be able to shake them for good," Ezra continued, sounding more sincere than he had before. "Plus, if we convince everyone, then creeps will leave you alone once they believe someone already claims you. Of course, we'd have to let close friends in, but otherwise, nobody else will know it's just a ruse."

For a moment, I felt like I was going crazy. There was no way that was his plan. There was no way he genuinely wanted to pretend to be engaged.

I didn't even want to consider it. I wanted to blow him off and leave him hanging like he did to me before. I didn't owe him anything, and I knew that.

But Ezra was showing me a level of desperation I wasn't used to seeing from him. And the more I thought about it, the reality of that situation set in for me. Ezra would never ask me for help so easily. He was more stubborn than anyone I’d ever met and wasn't the type to go to anyone about his problems.

It was obviously serious.

Letting go of a reluctant breath, I sighed. "And how are we supposed to convince them then?"

A surprised glimmer reached his eyes, but Ezra maintained his serious air. "Well, if we were really engaged, then we would probably live together. And if my parents are lingering around my territory, then it would only make sense for you to stay with me. At least, until my parents finally give up and leave."

The suggestion took me back a moment. I was not expecting it or the way it made my heart leap.

Looking up at him, I found it difficult to avoid the stirring of old emotions in me. It was painful, given that it was something I once wanted more than anything. Yet, there was something almost enticing about it, too.

As those green eyes took me in, seeming surprisingly sincere, I couldn't help but feel both irritated and pulled in by them.

I should say no. I should walk away and go back to avoiding him.

But for some reason, I couldn't say no to him.

Reluctantly, I took a breath and tried to temper the annoying stirring within me at the idea of us living together, even if it was all just pretend.

"Fine. But only until your parents leave."

I hated giving in to what he wanted, but at the same time, it was like a piece of me was still connected to him in some way, and that pesky empathy wouldn't let me just walk away.

Worst of all, that stupidly charming smile made my stomach flip, and I had a bad feeling about how the arrangement would affect my emotions.

Chapter 5 - Ezra

---