Chapter 6

• ALPHA HARDEN
• The bathroom tiles were cool against my palms, a clear difference to the heat raging through me. “Fuck you, Harden.” The words were a low growl, ripped from my throat as the towel slipped, pooling at my feet. My cock, thick and painfully erect, sprang free. I wrapped a hand around it, the friction sending a sharp gasp escaping my lips. My other hand joined, fisting and jerking with a desperate, urgent need.
• “You need to get a fucking grip on yourself, you idiot.” I cursed, my voice hoarse. Alicia’s face, etched in my mind from just moments ago, burned behind my eyelids. Her wide, innocent eyes. The slight blush on her cheeks.
• “How can she be so fucking hot just from staring at me?” The groan was deep, animalistic, as I watched a bead of pre-cum seep from the head of my cock. My breath hitched. “How could I think of fucking her just from staring?” Another groan, heavier this time.
• I just wanted to taste her. To pull her close, feel her body against mine, spread her out on the bed and just… lose myself. But Carmen. My friend. How could I even think about doing that to Carmen? Even now, the phantom taste of Alicia's lips lingered on mine, igniting a fresh wave of need. I sped up my strokes, desperate for release.
• “Shhhhhhh… yesssss!” A guttural sound tore from me as my body tensed, teeth gritted. The climax hit, a tidal wave, washing over me, and I came, hot and heavy, all over my hands.
• “Fuck, Licia!” Her name ripped from me, a raw, primal roar of pleasure. I came harder than I thought possible, my vision blurring. Her soft voice, the little stutter she sometimes had – it all just twisted me up, made me want to devour her.
• “Oh… Arggg.” I bent over, hands on my knees, chest heaving. The cold spray of the shower, turned on for the third time today, was a welcome shock against my heated skin. I stood under it, letting the water pound down, trying to wash away the forbidden thoughts.
• Years. Years of searching for that one person, that one scent, that one touch that could make me feel this kind of wild, uncontrollable desire. And it had to be Carmen’s sister. The irony was a bitter taste in my mouth. How in the hell was I supposed to push down this lust every time I saw her around the house? Every time my eyes landed on her, my mind went to places it shouldn't. I ran a hand through my wet hair, pulling at the roots in sheer frustration.
• After what felt like an eternity, I finally felt clean, or at least, cleaner. I turned off the shower, grabbing a large towel to wrap around my waist, then a smaller one for my hair.
• I walked into my bedroom, my eyes immediately scanning the empty space where Alicia had been. She was gone. Good. Maybe some distance would help. I continued to rub my hair dry, trying to force my mind onto Pack work. I had a stack of documents waiting for me, important stuff. I picked up the thickest one from the study table, flipping through the pages, trying to absorb the words.
• But it was no use. Her thoughts, her image, the feel and taste of her lips – it was all a jumbled mess in my head, a constant, buzzing distraction. Work has always been my anchor. Nothing, absolutely nothing, ever got in the way when I was focused on my duties as Alpha. But now, here I was, struggling, trying to force my brain to concentrate, all while being completely consumed by thoughts of her. A girl who was completely, utterly off-limits.
• Fuck!
• My phone rang, the sound slicing through my tangled thoughts. For once, I was grateful for the interruption. I reached for it, snatching it from the table. It was my Beta. My jaw tightened. I put the phone to my ear, leaning back into my chair.
• “What news do you have for me?” I asked, my voice flat, devoid of the turmoil churning inside me.
• “Your father has threatened to give your position to someone else if you don’t come back to the Pack, Alpha. He keeps talking about the stunt you pulled before leaving.” My Beta’s voice was strained, clearly under pressure.
• “Do you have something better to tell me about?” I cut him off, my voice stern, leaving no room for argument.
• “The Alpha of the Blackwood Pack… he wants to set a meeting with you, Alpha. He says he needs help with rogues attacking his borders!” My Beta’s tone shifted, becoming more serious.
• “I won’t be free to have a meeting with him right now!” I snapped, cutting him off again. A brief silence stretched across the line before he spoke again, hesitantly.
• “He says he’s going to invest a huge amount in our pack business, Alpha! I don’t think we should turn him down.”
• My grip on the phone tightened. “I’m your Alpha, and I have told you I won’t be free. My order or your order?”
• “Forgive me, Alpha. Your order.” His voice was resigned.
• I dropped the phone back onto the bed with a sigh, staring blankly at the door. Being an Alpha was a relentless burden, constantly pulling me in a million directions, yet I was a force to be reckoned with. I hated opposition more than anything. And yet, I had so many enemies. It was a simple truth in our world: the stronger you are, the stronger your enemies become.
• •
• •
• ALICIA POV
• “Honestly, Licia, you’re going to love him!” Lisa chirped, taking a sip of her soda. We were at our favorite lunch spot, and she had been on about this all morning. Her childhood friend, Vince, who she’d invited to join us. I wasn't really interested, but she had laid out five "very good reasons" why he was my "perfect match."
• “Hey, I grew up with this guy, and even if I don’t think of him in a man-type of way, I want you to know he’s drop-dead gorgeous. And I know for sure that he knows how to take care of a woman!” She said, winking conspiratorially.
• I took a bite of my burger, chewing slowly. “Guys like that are usually the ones who break women’s hearts the most.”
• Lisa shook her head. “No, Vince is never like that. We haven’t been in touch for a while, but I know he’s a genuinely nice guy!” She sighed, probably reliving old memories.
• Honestly, Lisa was trying her hardest to play matchmaker, but my mind was miles away. The idea of meeting someone new just felt… pointless.
• “I should perhaps leave so you both can talk,” I suggested, making a move to stand up. But she grabbed my arm, her grip surprisingly strong.
• “What’s the use when he’s already here!” Lisa said, a wide grin spreading across her face as she straightened up in her seat. I looked behind me. And there he was: a gentle-looking man, wearing glasses, walking toward our table with a polite smile.
• “Hello, pretty ladies. Care if I join you?” he asked, his voice soft and pleasant.
• “Sure!” I heard myself say, almost automatically. He glanced at the empty chair beside me, then back at my face.
• “Thank you!” He said nicely, then sat down on the chair opposite me.
• “Alicia, this is Vince. And Vince, this is my best friend, Alicia!” Lisa beamed, introducing us like a proud parent.
• “Finally met the gorgeous Alicia,” Vince said, his smile widening. “You look beyond stunning!” He extended a hand across the table for a handshake. His hand was warm, but not overwhelming.
• “You are handsome as well,” I replied, a small, polite smile on my face. “Uhmm… Lisa wasn’t lying when she told me you looked good. I think she was more than right!” He chuckled, a pleasant, soft sound.
• “I told you! The both of you seem like a perfect match from heaven,” Lisa declared, her eyes sparkling. She then stood up, giving me a quick wink. “I’d love to get something. You two should catch up better!” And with that, she vanished, leaving us alone.
• “Uhmm, would you want something else?” Vince asked, looking at my half-eaten burger.
• I wiggled my head. “No… I’m just fine!”
• He leaned back, a thoughtful look on his face. “I don’t know if anyone told you this, but you have beautiful eyes. I just keep getting lost in them.” He muttered, his voice quiet.
• Normally, a compliment like that would have made me giggle, or at least sent a little flutter through my stomach. But nothing. Absolutely nothing. Because the only person I could think of right now was my brother’s friend. Harden.
• I couldn’t help but compare them. How different their voices were – Vince’s soft, Harden’s a deep rumble that made my insides clench. How much taller Harden was, how much bigger his build. Vince, while handsome, just couldn’t compare to Harden.
• Shit!
• The only reason I had even agreed to stay and talk to Vince was in the desperate hope that maybe, just maybe, if I sat here and spoke to someone else, I might miraculously stop thinking about Harden. About how hard he had kissed me last night. About how much I suddenly, desperately wanted that man.
• And honestly, it clearly wasn’t even working.
• “Hey, are you okay?” Vince’s voice, gentle and concerned, broke through my thoughts.
• “Sorry,” I stammered, trying to pull myself back to the conversation. “I was just thinking how I never knew you and Lisa have been close since you were little!”
• He chuckled. “We grew up in the same neighborhood, played around a lot of times!” He mumbled. “I later found out about you when she got to college, and I hoped she would introduce you to me, but she told me you had a boyfriend!”
• “Oh,” I managed to say, feeling a dull ache in my chest.
• “Yes, I mean, you are really beautiful!” He said with a slight laugh. Again, nothing. When Harden chuckles, something inside me flips, a knot forming in my stomach. But with Vince, nothing.
• All through our conversation, my entire attention was completely zoomed out. The only thought that crossed my mind, the only image that filled my head, was that of my brother’s friend. And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get him out of my fucking head.