Page 7 of The Alpha's Addiction
I’d be more satisfied if you bit her already!my wolf chimes in.
Her blue eyes are wide.“What… was that?”
I clear my throat and gently ease back, though every cell in my body protests.“Just… chemistry.”I take the dessert boxes from her without asking as she sways slightly.“Let me carry these.”
“Oh, you don’t have to,” she argues.
“I want to.”
“Oh, o-okay,” she stammers, clearly still rattled.
“Are these for the diner?”I ask, already turning toward the entrance.
“Yeah.”
I open the door for her with my shoulder and lead her inside.My wolf is purring like a damn cat now, pleased to be near her.This woman is human, completely unaware of the world she’s stumbled into, but that doesn’t change a thing.She’s our mate, and I will do whatever it takes to make her mine.
Inside the diner, the usual clatter of plates and the murmur of conversation fill the air.The scent of coffee and fried potatoes tries to compete with the sugary perfume radiating from Adeline—because that’s her name.I heard her tell it to me, but even if I hadn’t, I would’ve known it.Somehow, it fits her.Soft and sweet, just like she is.
I set the boxes on the counter as Sally, the owner, bustles over with her usual beaming smile.“Rhodes, twice in one morning?What’s the occasion?”
“Just helping with a delivery,” I say, stepping aside so she can get a look at Adeline.
Sally’s eyes brighten.“You must be the new baker I keep hearing about.These pies are magic.”
Adeline blushes, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.“Thank you.I’m glad you like them.”
Like is an understatement.Sally’s been raving about these deliveries for weeks.Which now makes sense because they’re from my mate.
“I was about to head back,” Adeline says quickly, like she’s trying to put space between us.
“Let me walk you out,” I say before she can escape.
She blinks at me, clearly flustered.“Oh.Um.Okay.”
I nod at Sally and hold the door for Adeline, stepping back into the morning sun.
As we walk to her car, I take in every detail of her.The way her breath fogs in the crisp air.The pink on her cheeks from the cold—or maybe from me.Her cardigan is too thin for this weather.
“You should wear a jacket,” I say quietly.
She glances at me, surprised.“What?”
“It’s too cold for a sweater.”
She shifts the keys in her hand, frowning slightly.“I was rushing this morning.Didn’t realize it was so chilly.”
I slip out of my coat without a second thought and wrap it around my mate.It dwarves her, but at least she’s warm.
“Oh, it’s okay,” she says, trying to hand the jacket back to me.
“Put it on,” I order.
She blinks.
Bite her!my wolf shouts.
“Not yet!”I yell back.
