Page 21 of Alpha Claimed

The man shrugged and pocketed the cash. He held out his hand to River.

"I'm Walt."

"River. And this is my…" She looked at Apollo. "This is Apollo."

Apollo shook the man's hand, taking stock of his firm grip.

"Well, come on," said Walt. "I just put a couple pieces of fresh wood outback."

"Now?"

Apollo shrugged. "Unless you want to wait."

She shook her head vigorously, and Apollo smiled for making her happy.

"How about I get us some coffee from across the street and come back and join you?"

"Strong and black," said Walt. "Denise knows how I like it."

Apollo nodded and looked at River.

"Just a large soda, please."

"What kind?"

"Surprise me." She smiled at him and then followed Walt into the backroom. The two began to chat as they went, and Apollo's wolf grumbled.

"Oh please, he's old enough to be her grandfather."

Mine.

"Fine. If he touches her, I'll let you eat him. Happy?"

His wolf wasn't happy. Not one bit. And if Apollo was being honest, he wasn't either, but he knew one thing for sure– if he wanted to win over River, he needed to be patient. Patient and calm. The two characteristics his twin did not possess.

CHAPTERSIX

RIVER

River spent four hours with Walt having him teach her how to wield the chainsaw to make the precise cuts needed for her design. She couldn't stop the joy that learning a new art form gave her.

To her surprise, she picked it up fast, and under Walt's tutelage, she was quite proud of how her sculpture was turning out.

For the entire four hours, Apollo watched her work. He drank his coffee, made a couple of phone calls, and talked to Silas for about five minutes at one point, but other than that, his eyes remained on her. The idea that Apollo had seen what she loved to do and had allowed her to do it turned her on.

But the longer he watched her, the more agitated her wolf became. She didn't just want Apollo's gaze on her. She wanted other parts of him as well. Strangely enough, River found herself doing things she'd never done before. She flirted with Apollo.

First, she'd taken off her shirt, tripping to her cami, exposing her arms and upper chest to him. Then she'd put her hair up, exposing her neck and throat. Finally, she'd made an effort to bend over in front of him to give him a perfect picture of her rear end.

After bending over, she'd stood to find him directly behind her. He pressed his body into hers. Her flirting ?worked. His lips fell close to her ear, and his warm breath tickled her neck.

"I think it's time we get back to the cabin."

He slid an arm around her waist, and she laced her fingers into his. "Could we do one more thing first?"

"I'm not sure I have the self-control for one more thing," he breathed, making her skin pebble.

"I want to go for a ride."

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