Page 48 of Eight Steps to Alpha

Chapter 15

Openingthe door to their apartment later that week, Fe immediately jumped. There, on the couch at four in the afternoon, propped up on a pillow with his hands behind his head, was Colton—watching TV.

He rose to a sitting position as she came through the door, and clicked off the TV, “Hey there,” he whispered, grinning in that easy way of his.

“Hey,” she said. Kicking off her shoes to the corner of the room.

“Did I scare you?” he asked, obviously not picking on the fact she wasn’t in the mood to talk.

She shook her head, picked the mail up off the floor, but ended up grinning. She couldn’t help it. His smile was infections, just like Elliot’s.

She turned toward the wall, hung up her bag, then proceeded to the kitchen. “When did you get back?”

He rose to his feet and shoved his hands deep into his front pockets. “This afternoon. “I used the key under the mat. I hope you don’t mind?”

She shrugged. “No, I guess that’s fine.”

His grin widened. “Not the smartest place to hide a key, if you ask me.”

She continued sorting mail before placing it on the dining room table. “Hasn’t been a problem until now.”

He laughed. “Are you telling me I’m a problem?”

She lifted one shoulder, knowing she should ignore him, but she couldn’t. It was Thursday, her least favorite day of the week, and after a particularly shitty experiment, she couldn’t keep the sassiness inside of her. She turned around, intending to say that maybe he was. Maybe he was her problem, because the whole reason she’d invited him to stay was to ease the tension between her and Elliot, but if anything, things had gotten worse.

But his eyes met hers then, and his smile was so sweet it was impossible to be angry anymore. Instead of the badass asshole she’d met a week ago, today, he appeared much like his younger brother. Wearing beat up old jeans, a baseball tee, and no shoes. “Where have you been?” she asked, pulling in a deep breath. She couldn’t very well blame him for everything bad in her life, even if it would make things easier.

He bit his lower lip and walked toward her. “Why? did you miss me?” he asked, his eyebrows pushing up to his forehead suggestively.

The corner of her mouth lifted, and she turned toward the kitchen. “You wish.”

“Am I that obvious?”

Ignoring his flirtation, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and took a can of sparkling water from the fridge. “Avoiding the question? I thought you were supposed to be back yesterday?”

He followed behind her and leaned against the counter. “I was working on a commercial. Called for overtime.” He glanced at her up and down, like something about her amused him.

“Must be nice.” She took the left over veggies from the top shelf and carried them to the dining room. “Find a place to live yet?” It was an easy dig, but she had to take it.

He laughed and followed behind her. She barely had the tray on the table before he took a carrot stick from the platter. “Not yet.” He took a bite. “How’s your transformation going?”

Her brows furrowed. “Transformation?”

“You know… you—becoming alpha.”

Her cheeks warmed, and she glanced down to the table. “Oh… It’s good.”

“Fe?”

“Yeah?” She looked up.

“You think I believe that story? I know it’s about Elliot.”

She rubbed her hands back and forth on her thighs and took a deep breath. “Leave him alone, Colton. It was my stupid idea, not his.”

He plopped down to a seat and made a zipping motion across his lips. “Secret’s safe with me, sweetheart.” But then he leaned forward and snatched a piece of celery before adding. “What step are you on anyway?”

She pressed her back against her chair, determined to keep her mouth shut, but for some reason, she didn’t want to. Maybe it was the genuine curiosity she sensed in his voice, or the fact she craved someone to confide in that wasn’t April. Someone who wouldn’t over react about the tiniest of things. “Seven.” She itched the top of her head. “But the farther we get, the stupider it all seems.”

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