Page 50 of The Denver Alpha

That’s also right about when my concern finally shifts to irritation. I hadn’t allowed myself to get mad about the situation until I knew Juliet was okay, and now that I do, I can feel the anger bubbling up under the surface, threatening to burst through.

When I shoot Juliet a sideways glance, though, I see the way she’s worrying her lower lip between her teeth and wringing her hands in her lap and I know that before I come down on the girl, I need to make sure she isn’t traumatized by this whole ordeal.

“Are you okay?” I ask calmly.

She blows out a relieved breath, turning my way. “I am now. I was so freaked out when the police got there, I didn’t know what to do. I mean how crazy is that, and over a couple of bracelets?!”

I scrub a hand over my face. “Jesus, Juliet, what the hell were you thinking?” I groan.

“What do you mean?” she asks, squinting at me and shaking her head in disbelief. “I didn’t actually do it…”

I shoot her a look that says for her to cut the shit.

Juliet throws her hands up, doubling down on her defensiveness. “I have plenty of money, why the hell would I steal?!”

“I don’t know, cheap thrills? Some teenage girl bullshit?”

“Seriously?!” she hisses, narrowing her eyes on me. “Is that really what you think of me? That I’m just some stupid teenager?”

“Getting arrested for shoplifting is pretty stupid,” I mutter.

“I already told you, I didn’t do it!” she shouts in exasperation, throwing her hands up again.

“Then how’d that stuff get in your bag?”

She pinches the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger, giving a tight shake of her head. “I don’t know, maybe they fell in? I was waiting for a while for the others to check out, swinging my bags around. Or maybe someone put them in there, I don’t know. But it wasn’t me.”

I heave a sigh, side-eyeing Juliet. The funny thing is, I actually do believe her. She’s denying it with too much conviction. The girl may be reckless, but she’s not stupid. Far from it.

“You don’t believe me either, do you?” she mumbles quietly, and the defeat in her voice makes my wolf sit up and whine.

A beat of silence passes. Then another.

“I believe you,” I finally say, shooting her a look. “I’m just pissed off about the whole situation. I don’t like calling in favors.”

Juliet chews her lower lip, glancing at me warily. “Are you going to tell my brother?”

“No,” I say flatly.

“What if he finds out?”

“He won’t,” I reply matter-of-factly. “You heard the chief, this’ll all go away, like it never happened.”

She nods, staring down at her lap. “Thank you.”

“I think you can find a better way to thank me,” I mutter wryly.

It’s meant as sarcasm, but I should never underestimate Juliet Anderson. The little minx reaches over without warning, grabbing my dick through my slacks, and I jerk so hard in surprise that I nearly swerve off the road.

“What are you doing?” I choke, grabbing her by the wrist and yanking her hand away from my junk.

“Giving you a cheap thrill,” she purrs, winking. “Isn’t that what stupid teenagers like me do?”

I shoot her a sideways glance as I release her wrist, pushing her hand back toward her. “Okay, you’ve made your point,” I grind out.

“Then let me make another,” Juliet says, unfastening her seatbelt. “Can you take back roads home?”

“Why?” I ask skeptically.

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