Page 14 of The Denver Alpha

I didn’t get much of a chance to talk to Tayla last night, but she must’ve also shacked up with one of the guys since she’s here, too. I’m gonna go ahead and assume it was Bryce since I don’t particularly like the idea of Tobias taking her home after flirting with me all night. Sam and Shay insisted I catch a ride back with them, so I can’t be sure who paired off after we left.

Please don’t be Tobias.

“Morning, sunshine,” Tayla purrs, sitting up and dragging her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose. Her light brown eyes connect with mine before flickering up and down my form, assessing me. She’s a blonde bombshell- though her dark roots betray her as a bottle blonde- and her huge boobs look way too perky to be real, barely covered by the triangles of her tiny black bikini top. I’m a little surprised the simple motion of sitting up didn’t cause a nip-slip.

“Good morning,” I reply cheerfully, sinking down onto the concrete edge of the pool near their loungers and dipping my toes in the water.

Tayla’s eyes remain trained on me like she’s sizing me up, though I can’t imagine why.

Damn, maybe she really did spend the night with Tobias.

“How ya feelin’?” Tayla asks after a beat, a condescending lilt to her tone.

“Like I was hit by a bus,” Kylie grumbles.

Tayla clucks her tongue, shooting Kylie a look and rolling her eyes. “I wasn’t askingyou.” She swings her gaze back on me, flashing a smile that doesn’t quite meet her eyes. “I was asking our new friend Juliet.”

“I’m great,” I reply, maintaining eye contact and refusing to let her thinly veiled bitchiness phase me. I may be the new girl in town, but I won’t be easily cowed. Tayla seems to be the queen bee of their little trio, but I’m an alpha female in my own right, unintimidated by her snark.

“I had fun last night,” I say with a shrug, sliding my gaze between the girls on the loungers and waggling my brows. “Though not as much as you three, I’m guessing?”

Ashlyn titters a laugh, sitting up and screwing the top off of a water bottle. “That obvious, huh? Do I have that just fucked look or something?” She fluffs her hair, shooting me a smirk as she raises the rim of the plastic bottle to her lips and takes a sip.

“Mike?” I hazard a guess.

She nods as she swallows down the water, wiping her mouth off on her wrist and flashing me two rows of straight white teeth. “The man’s an animal,” she winks.

I laugh at her double entendre, leaning back on my palms.

“I feel like Eddie’s pulling away,” Kylie whines, shifting position on her lounger.

Ashlyn shakes her head, holding up a hand. “No way, girl. He’d be a moron to break it off with you, there’s no way in hell he could do better. I mean look at you, you’re freaking gorgeous!”

Kylie smiles weakly.

“And you put out,” Tayla adds with a smirk.

“What makes you think he’s pulling away?” Ashlyn cuts in, capping her water bottle.

Kylie folds her arms over her chest, pouting. “Just some of the things he’s said lately and the way he was acting last night. He’s been sorta… standoffish. Not himself.”

“Did you fuck?” Tayla asks bluntly, raising a perfectly manicured brow.

“Well yeah, but…”

“Case closed,” Tayla tuts.

Ashlyn rolls her eyes exaggeratedly.

Tayla points a candy pink fingernail in Kylie’s direction. “If he stops fucking you, then you should be worried. Until then…” She waves a hand dismissively.

I wriggle my butt to the edge of the pool and slide in, not wanting to get inadvertently dragged into this conversation after I heard Eddie’s take on it before we left for the club last night. The water envelops me like a soothing embrace, cooling my skin on contact. I close my eyes as I sink to the bottom, then kick off to spring back up to the surface, propelling myself forward in freestyle stroke.

We had a pool on our pack’s land before we joined the six-pack alliance and moved to Colorado, so I’m well versed in the various swimming strokes. My arms slice through the water, my feet kicking behind me until I reach the other end of the pool. I use the side wall to kick off as I turn, heading back the other way and catching muffled bits and pieces of the girls’ conversation as I start to swim laps.

From what I can gather, they’re debating whether a guy would still want to hook up if he’s lost interest romantically. I wouldn’t have much to add to the conversation anyways due to my own sexual inexperience, so I just keep swimming. Until I catch a piece of the conversation that makes me draw a gasp, sucking in pool water and choking on it.

“Don’t act all high and mighty just because you think you’re Alpha’s favorite.”

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