Page 26 of Perfect Alpha

I can’t decide if she spent hours achieving the look that mentally brings me to my knees, or if she really doesn’t give a shit. Of course, it’s the latter because I’m the only one still obsessing about what we should be doing right now.

Every single one of those activities takes place with us both naked.

Whenever I think that I can do the right thing and fully let her go, she comes home and rocks me again. Rinse and repeat, ever since the day I pushed her away.

Victory completely ignores me, which is fine because I couldn’t string any words together if someone offered me a million dollars. All I can do is hope my tongue isn’t actually hanging out of my mouth.

She hugs Hannah, who is on her way out the door to go to work, and shares a few words with her parents that I can’t hear over my racing heart.

Victory also chats with my dad, who is sitting quietly at the table, overwhelmed by all the people in the house and likely wanting to retreat to the security of his room.

I hope he doesn’t give Julia and Kevin a hard time tonight. Reflecting on just how full circle life comes before it ends catapults my mood straight into the gutter.

Victory drops to the floor to play with Aidan, apparently going with the “Cade doesn’t exist” routine tonight.

I clear my throat several times before she finally meets my eyes, her expression perilous.

“Maybe you should have a drink of water,” she suggests sweetly.

“That would be great. Why don’t you get me one?”

Rolling her eyes, she turns her attention back to Aidan. “Where do you want to go for dinner tonight, little man?”

“Donalds?” Aidan asks, with a cat-ate-the-canary grin that exudes the same hope inside me.

“No way,” Victory replies. “How about where Mama works? But the deal is you have to choose one vegetable with your chicken fingers.”

I snort because Victory isn’t exactly the queen of eating her vegetables, but at least she’s trying to maintain Hannah’s rules.

Aidan’s face lights up and he quickly agrees, which I’m secretly disappointed about. Giving Hannah some bonus time with Aidan is the right thing to do, but I also really like Big Macs.

Victory is always withholding pleasure from me.

She glances at the delicate rose gold watch on her pretty little wrist. “We better go if we want to make it in time for the movie.” She’s talking to me but refuses to even glance in my direction.

Aidan saw a commercial for a comic book IMAX movie that he’s decided his very life depends on seeing. I’m sure it’s not age-appropriate and Hannah would object, but that’s what uncles are for.

Victory scoops up Aidan and the bag Hannah packed for him before breezing right past me and heading to the truck without another word.

“You better hurry, Cade, or she’ll leave without you,” Kevin suggests jovially.

I say a quick goodbye to her parents and my dad before chasing after Victory, enjoying the view of her sexy ass on my way toward her.

“Are you planning to walk to the restaurant?” I ask.

“No,” she replies, still not looking at me. “I knew you’d follow me.”

I chuckle and take Aidan from her arms so I can secure him into the car seat. When I open the passenger door and bow, she rolls her eyes before climbing in and affording me another perfect view.

“Stop staring at my ass, Fenway.”

Aidan already has the DVD player in the back of the headrest on, the familiar sounds of Paw Patrol filling the truck.

There’s no chance he’ll learn any bad words from Auntie Victory. Uncle Cade, on the other hand, has already taught him the appropriate point in a conversation to say, “shit.”

I found it a lot more amusing than Hannah did.

“Yeah, right,” I scoff. “You wish.”

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