Claimed By Her Alpha by J.E. Cluney

18

Everly.

* * *

Laying in bed with Dray had felt so right, and I’d nearly drifted off in his arms until he’d mentioned breakfast.

Right, he could supposedly cook, so now it was time to see how good he was.

I headed back into the shower to clean up, offering for him to join me. He’d declined after a moment of deliberation, which I found odd.

I took my time showering, thinking about Dray. He wanted me to be his, hell, he’d called me his a number of times in the moment. Just thinking about it made my stomach swirl with butterflies. I had reverted to a damn teen with my emotions around him, like he was my first ever boyfriend or something.

I needed to get to know him more before I let it become something deeper. I would not allow a man to hurt me again, especially since I knew, deep down, I was already falling hard for Dray.

I sighed as I washed myself, rather sore after the intense session. He had some power behind him, and there were already bruises showing on my hips from last night. Not that I was complaining. I kind of liked the animalistic roughness he brought into the bedroom, it was different. Ben hadn’t been exactly rough in the bedroom, he’d just take what he wanted. Sometimes going in dry which had been painful, then he’d leave me hanging. He had been cruel, while Dray made sure to have me ready to take him.

And I’d climaxed again with him inside me, although I had touched myself to increase the pleasure. Not that I would’ve needed to, but it was something I’d wanted to try. It had brought on an incredible orgasm that had me struggling to breathe.

I smiled as I finished up in the shower and headed out to get changed, half expecting Dray to be waiting for me.

This time, the room was empty, and I got changed as I thought about him. I’d see where things went for now, although I was hopeful. I’d never felt this way about anyone before.

I headed out of my room and downstairs, following the sound of movement in the large plantation home. It really was a magnificent home, easily big enough for a large family. As a single child myself, I wondered how he’d fared growing up without siblings in such a giant home. Had it just been him and his parents here?

I found Dray in the kitchen, cooking what looked to be an omelette but smelled like pure heaven.

“Coffee?” Dray queried as I sat down at the black marble-topped island.

“Sure,” I said, enjoying the sight of him gliding around the kitchen as he prepared breakfast.

He poured me a cup of amazingly good coffee, which I sipped at happily.

“So, was it just you and your parents in this big house?” I asked as he flipped the omelette.

“Yep, we had family friends stay on occasion, like Ethan and his dad. Our dads knew each other through work.”

“Oh nice.”

“So, you told me your mother passed away, but you never mentioned your father,” he said as he focused on buttering some toast.

“Never knew him. My mom said he was a one-night stand.” I shrugged. I’d managed fine without one, and I’d fended myself from a young age thanks to my mother’s inability to do her job.

“I’m sorry, you said your mother had her problems too, how so?”

Great, now he was trying to really get to know me. I was hesitant, not because I didn’t want to tell him, but because I was afraid of what he’d think of me.

“She was an alcoholic and did drugs, brought all sorts of men home too. I took care of myself most of the time, left her when I was fifteen and got my first job. She cleaned herself up a few years back and reached out, so I entertained her,” I said as I held the mug to my lips.

“It must’ve been hard. She failed as a mother by the sounds of it, then decided to reach out. You’re a good person for not turning her away,” he said as he turned to give me a sad smile.

“I figured she was family. The only family I had really. Her own parents were gone, and I didn’t know any of her distant relatives. Then she got the cancer diagnosis and passed away,” I said softly, feeling sorry only for myself. As much as I wanted to feel sympathy for my mother, it had been difficult to allow her back into my life after everything, and losing her again hadn’t really been as painful as I’d expected. In my mind I’d never really had her to begin with.

“Life hasn’t been fair to you, has it?” he said softly as he served up the omelette and offered it to me with some buttered toast with avocado smeared on it.

“I’ve survived it, and I’m working towards my own future,” I said, noting my slightly defensive tone. I hated being treated like I was a wounded puppy.

“You’re strong, kitten. Not many would’ve made it to where you are after all that. Never doubt yourself,” he said as he turned back to the stove to work on his own omelette.

I stared at his back, pride swelling up inside me at his words.

I’d worked hard on fixing myself and bettering my life, focusing on the positives and trying to remain a cheery person despite everything.

To have someone notice that was a welcome change.

I focused on my breakfast, hunger making itself known now that the delectable omelette was before me.

I dug in, amazed at his cooking. So, he had his own home, all sorts of investments, and could cook. He certainly had good potential as a partner.

I smiled at the thought as he joined me, setting his own coffee mug down as he dug in.

“So, my mother’s out for the day, you’ve got the whole place to yourself. Will you be okay staying here for an hour or so? I’ll then show you around town if you’re happy with that?” he asked as he turned to face me, those dark eyes soaking up every inch of me.

I nodded, finding it rather odd that I’d met his mother so soon. Yet another red flag in some people’s eyes, but there had been an emergency, and he lived with his mom. That thought still bothered me.

“How long have you been living with her?” I mused, trying to keep the question casual.

“I moved back in after my father died. He’d left it to me, and my mother intends to move into one of the cottages on the property when I meet someone. Until then, I don’t mind her living here as well. It’s a big home, and we stay out of one another’s way,” he said. “Before I came back here, I owned my own place in town.”

I nodded as I finished off my coffee.

“Let me guess, living with her is a red flag in a woman’s eyes,” he said with a chuckle. “Relax, it’s nothing like that. She’s alone now and I figured she could use the support, and I wasn’t in a relationship so it didn’t bother me.”

“That’s not it,” I said quickly, hating how my cheeks flushed. Okay, I was lying through my teeth there.

“Right,” he smirked at me. “Well, I’ll be back soon. Then we can have a proper talk. You said you wanted to see where things went with us, and I know it’s because you are concerned on who I truly am, if I’m showing you my real face. I, on the other hand, want something more, so I’ll share everything with you. Then you can decide if you will be mine or not.”

“Okay, you said this last night, but things got heated. You’re not saying like… marriage?” I balked at the thought. Was that what he was hinting at?

He let out a hearty laugh as he shook his head, and I relaxed.

“No, kitten. I want you to be my partner, and if it leads to that one day, then sure, but we will talk later,” he said as he stood up, giving me a gentle kiss on the forehead.

My heart fluttered at his words.

Ben had never spoken of a future with me, and yet, this charming man had already made it clear he wanted to date me for a long-term goal.

Maybe I could let my guard down a little with him.

How else was I going to figure out if he was the right one for me?