Page 22 of Alpha Claimed

"In the car?"

She looked at him. "On your bike."

A smile crept across his face, and he kissed her forehead. "Kitten, how do you speak my language so well?"

She gripped his large hand. "How do you speak mine?"

They stared at each other for a heated moment, and River's wolf begged her to kiss him.

"I'll tell Silas to bring my bike. You finish up here." He squeezed her hip and then walked into Walt's store.

River watched him go, remembering what his tight, round rear looked like without being covered by his jeans. She wanted nothing more than to squeeze that rear as he settled between her thighs and made love to her.

"You two make a cute couple," Walt broke through her thoughts.

River whirled around and gave a nervous laugh.

"Even an old codger like me can see when two people are meant to be together. The way he looks at you… I used to look at my wife like that."

"I'm so sorry. Did she pass?"

Walt chuckled. "Nope. Left me for a trucker about fifteen years ago. Maybe it's because I stopped looking at her like that."

River wasn't sure what to say. "Thank you for teaching me, Walt. I really appreciate it."

"You are welcome to come back and finish anytime."

She nodded. "I have a few more days here. I would love to. Of course, I will pay you for the wood and your time."

"There's no need. It's a joy seeing someone love it as much as I do. Besides, when you weren't looking, your date slipped me another handful of bills."

Walt put on his goggles and started his chainsaw again, returning to his wood log.

River walked through the backroom to his store and then out front. She looked down the street and saw Apollo talking to Silas and the others. Lachlan looked her way and gave her a small wave before getting in the car with Silas and Bennett.

River sucked in a deep breath and looked around. Small shops dotted the main road, much like an old town she might see in a movie. A hardware store. A quilting store. An antique store. A real estate office. A bar. A diner. A beauty salon. Everything people could need without the feel of big business taking over. Surprisingly, she thought about how nice it might be to live such a life. In the woods. Working on her art. Simple. Calm. If she ended up with Apollo, she wondered if that might be possible.

She smiled. A scent hit her, and she looked around. Across the street, a man stared at her in front of a hardware store. The hairs raised on her arms, and she felt a sudden chill. Grabbing her shirt from around her waist, she pulled it over her head, covering herself. The man didn't move.

River's wolf growled, and River sniffed the air again. The man didn't smell like a shifter, but that didn't make her any less uneasy.

"Hey-"

River jumped and struck out at the newcomer.

Apollo grabbed her fist, amused for a second, but then his smile dropped. "What happened?"

She shook her head and looked across the street. The man was gone.

Apollo gripped her shoulders. "River?"

"It… It's nothing," she said, trying to calm herself. "There was a man across the street, staring at me."

"A shifter?"

"No, just a human. I'm sure it's because I stood here in my cami, but still… With everything that's happened, it creeped me out."

"Of course it did." Apollo scanned the street. "Go into Walt's and wait. I'll be back in a minute."

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