Page 37 of Fur-Ever Home

I was still nervous about meeting his family. They all sounded wonderful, and he was so proud of them, even if he acted as though he could do without them. His parents and alpha brothers seemed more protective than overbearing. His sister sounded like an absolute delight. She made naughty confections in her bakery. Penis-shaped cookies, vulva-shaped pies, and cupcakes filled with baby batter. I'd spent the morning giggling nonstop as Ben shared story after story. I felt like I knew his family better than my own, which wasn't saying much. I hadn't seen my family since I turned eighteen.

Thankfully, Ben hadn't asked about them.

The wail of sirens made me cringe. I glanced around to make sure our bus wasn't smoking this time. Two intersections beyondthe corner station, flashing lights crossed a closed street. Behind that, a green car with a giant green top hat tied to the roof announced it was the Barstow St. Patrick's Day parade.

People filed back onto the bus, and the alpha who had tried to steal Ben from me stood beside the driver's seat. He hunched over our omega driver with a menacing glare.

"Is everything all right here?" Ben asked from behind the alpha.

"Yes. Just taking out the trash." The driver stood up. I couldn't place his scent, but his size marked him as a shifter. The human alpha didn't stand a chance.

"What? Me? I'm not?—"

"You're the alpha who refused to stow his bags, right?"

The man nodded.

"Could you all pass this gentleman's bags to the front, please?"

When the army duffle and backpack got to me, I stood and carried them to the driver.

"Thanks." The omega gave me a head nod and took the bags. "Any alpha that tries to intimidate me can take the next bus."

"Intimidate you?" Ben asked from behind him.

"He wanted me to leave without all my passengers."

I grabbed the alpha's shoulder and turned him toward the door, shoving him down the steps. Ben backed up and gave us space. With my second shove, the alpha stumbled onto the pavement. As much as I would have liked to let him fall, my hold kept him from dropping face first to the wet pavement.

Ben wasn't even the last person to return. Two women emerged from the gas station, each carrying a giant bag of popcorn and a fountain drink.

The driver handed the alpha his bags and stood between him and the door, allowing Ben and the two women to board.

I nodded for the driver, keeping a firm grip on the alpha's shoulder. He returned to the driver's seat. Then, it was my turn. I let go with a shove, not enough to knock the alpha over but enough to force him a step back. I hopped onto the bus and the driver shut the door in his face.

"My hero," Ben joked as he let me back into my window seat. He took a deep breath and let it out, and then another. "I've been thinking."

My heart pounded against my rib cage. Whenever someone thought about me, it usually ended badly.

"I have a spare bedroom."

Not where I thought this was going. I relaxed my death grip on the sides of my seat and took a breath.

"Instead of getting a hotel room tonight, I'd like you to stay at my place."

I made him repeat it, to be sure I heard what he said over the rush of blood in my ears and the roar of the bus as we rolled out of the parking lot.

"I'd love that," I said. "What made you change your mind?"

He shook his head. "I know that guy is no reason to change my mind. He barely did anything to me."

"He wanted the bus to leave without you and the others. I'd say that's a dick move."

"True, but … before I met you, I thought all alphas were like that. You're not." He stuck his bottom lip out in a pout. "I almost wish you were. You're destroying my worldview."

I chuckled and caressed his cheek. He leaned into the touch, toward me, and I captured his bottom lip between my teeth for a quick nibble before letting him go. "I will happily continue to dismantle all your alpha stereotypes for as long as you'll have me."

He opened his mouth to say something else, but the bus stopped a block from the gas station, jarring us against our seatbelts.

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