Page 45 of Step Alpha

I love the way her cheeks and neck flush pink. When I catch the scent of her arousal, I have to turn away to hide my hard-on. I cover by looking through her shit.

On the dresser is a stack of books and papers. I pull one of the school flyers out of the mix to read it.

“Wait. What in the fuck is this?” I turn it around to show her. The flier is a list of the nominees for Homecoming royalty, and somehow, incomprehensibly, Rayne made it onto the ballot.

Her jaw sets in a stubborn line. “That’s Abe Oakley thinking he’s funny.”

I study the list again. “Who’s Lauren?”

“A human. Lincoln’s twin.”

“Huh. I don’t get the joke.”

Rayne shrugs. “I don’t know. I guess it’s just so the entire school can have a huge laugh about how ridiculous it is that we’re on the list? I don’t see what’s so funny, either.”

I catch a whiff of hurt from Rayne, and it does something itchy to my skin.

I crush the paper in my hand and toss it in the trash can. “Yeah, it’s stupid.” I’m not sure what makes me agree with Rayne over Abe. Especially out loud.

I continue my search of her things, pulling open drawers. Rooting through her panties. I stop when I find a little plastic case of pills.

My body reacts with a jolt of electricity that both fries and freezes me at the same time. I click open the pills.

Yep. Birth control.

A nuclear level of rage flushes through my body. “Who are you fucking?” I snarl, barely remembering to keep my voice low, so the parents won’t overhear us.

If it’s that human, I’m going to pound him into the ground. I will break every rib in his chest.

Rayne drops her pen and stares at me, a mixture of shock and outrage in her expression. “Excuse me?” Her chest and neck are blotchy with a pink flush and anger shoots out of those blue eyes.

I stalk over to the bed and shake the pill pack in front of her face, careful not to actually touch her when I’m so angry. “Who. Are. You. Fucking?”

She tries to snatch the pills away, but I jerk them out of her reach.

“Who, Rayne?”

Probably realizing she can’t win at the physical contest of taking back her pills, she gets sassy. “Your Daddy, Wilde.”

I nearly combust, even though I know it’s not true. Still, the idea of it makes me want to level the entire house.

“Who is it?”

“You really are an asshole, aren’t you?”

I’m the asshole who is going to kill whoever touched Rayne.

“Tell me, Rayne, and I won’t tell the parents.”

She throws me off when her lips twitch. “Go ahead. Please. By all means, go tell the parents. Since my mom already knows I’mon the pill for cramps,they’re going to love hearing how you barged in here and searched my underwear drawer.”

It takes a second for the words to cut through the fog of rage around me.On the pill for cramps.

She’s on the pill for cramps.

Oh for fuck’s sake.

“You have cramps,” I repeat like an absolute idiot.

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