Alpha Theo by C.J. Primer
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Theo
I probably should’ve looked at the weather forecast before I took Brooke out on this hike. It started out well enough- we went out to the forest after dark, started up one of my favorite trails. Chatted about the new border security system and Brooke’s program. I’m still in awe that she’s building something like that from the ground up- the girl’s brilliant. Even though I’m not, conversation with her is always so easy, so natural. I don’t regret skipping out on the bar one bit.
I love being in the forest at night- the sounds, the smells, the stillness. Shifters have great night vision, so even though the forest’s dark, we can see clearly and appreciate its beauty. Being out in nature pleases our wolves, too- helps them settle. From the way Brooke describes her wolf, it sounds like this is the perfect activity for her.
I didn’t account for the weather, though. We’re well over a mile away from the complex when we hear the first rumble of thunder, see the first bolt of lightning crack across the sky. I didn’t sense the weather changing- this storm must’ve rolled in fast. A few minutes later, I feel a few heavy raindrops hit my skin and I know there’s no way we’re making it back without getting soaked.
“Come on,” I say, reaching out to grab Brooke’s hand and spin her around. That damn static electricity catches me off guard again when I touch her, but I hold on, changing direction and pulling her down the path.
“Should we make a run for it?” she asks.
I turn back to look at her, considering, as she blinks at me through the darkness. She’s not wearing her glasses tonight- she must’ve switched them out for contact lenses. She looks great, but I kinda miss the sexy nerd look.
“How attached are you to those clothes?” I ask, giving her a once-over. She’s rocking an Eagles t-shirt and a pair of yoga pants.
“I’m not shifting,” Brooke says adamantly.
“Hope you don’t mind getting wet then.” I wink.
Brooke rolls her eyes at my innuendo and makes a face, pulling her hand away from mine.
“Let’s just hurry back,” she says, pushing past me and heading down the trail.
I follow her- and honestly, I don’t mind this view one bit. I get to watch her cute little ass in those yoga pants.
Another rumble of thunder sounds, louder this time, and the rain picks up.
“Ugh!” Brooke groans, trudging down the path in front of me.
She shouldn’t make those sounds around me- my thoughts about her are already dirty enough.
The raindrops start getting bigger, coming down faster. Within a minute or two, it’s an absolute downpour.
“You sure you don’t wanna shift?” I call out to Brooke.
She spins around, arms folded, eyes narrowed. Damn, she looks cute when she’s mad.
“Yes, I’m sure,” she huffs. Her shirt is soaked through and tendrils of wet hair cling to her face and neck.
A laugh escapes my lips at the sight of her all drenched and pouty.
She throws her eyes wide. “What’s so funny?”
“You are,” I chuckle. “Getting all worked up over a little rain. Lighten up, kid!”
Brooke whips back around, starts to stomp down the path again. The rain’s coming down hard, already turning the dirt path into mud. I swear it’s like things move in slow motion when I see Brooke’s foot slip and she starts going down.
I lunge forward to try to catch her, but I’m too late and the ground’s too slick. I grab for her waist, but my own damn feet slip out from under me. The next thing I know we’re both on our butts in the mud.
I blink at Brooke beside me through the darkness, sliding an arm around her waist to try to help her up. I’m expecting her to be pissed, but…
She laughs.
She plants her hands in the mud behind her, throws back her head, and lets out a loud, full, beautiful laugh.
I freeze, staring at her, completely in awe as she tilts her head down again and turns to peer over at me.
“What’s so funny?” I ask as my face splits into a grin.
“This is ridiculous!” she exclaims, bringing her hands up in front of her and trying to fling the mud off of them.
“It’s just a little rain,” I tease. “C’mon.”
I find my footing, reach down to scoop her up off of the ground and plant her on her feet. She steadies herself, tries to lean back and shake her hair out behind her to get it out of her face. Speckles of mud dot her cheeks- it must’ve flung back at her while she was trying to shake it off her hands. She catches me staring at her again.
“What?”
I chuckle. “You’ve got mud on your face.”
“Oh yeah?” she arches a brow, blue eyes mischievous. Then she darts out a muddy hand, smearing it across my jawline before I can dodge out of the way.
I stumble back, laughing. “Hey!”
Brooke smirks. “Now you’ve got mud on your face.”
Where have I heard that before? A song from Brooke’s playlist pops into my head- a Queen song.
I look down at the muddy path, singing under my breath. “Mud on your face, ya big disgrace.”
I glance back at Brooke and her eyes light up, lips spreading into a gorgeous smile.
So I sing the next line, a little louder this time. “Kickin’ your can all over the place…”
Brooke laughs, reaching out and pushing at my chest playfully. Fuck, that smile, that laugh, the rain… I’m so fucking attracted to her in this moment- I just want to grab her, hold her, kiss her within an inch of her life…
“We will, we will rock you!” she sings, turning back to the path and taking a cautious step.
I echo the song, chanting the line back to her as I start to follow her down the trail again.
The rain’s starting to let up, but the ground’s still slick as hell. I’m so busy watching her to make sure she doesn’t fall again that my own damn feet keep sliding around in the mud.
“Sorry this all went to shit,” I sigh.
“Only you, Theo,” Brooke giggles, ambling down the trail in front of me.
“Only me what?”
She darts me a glance over her shoulder, wet hair swinging. “Only you could turn a disaster like this into something fun.”
She turns back around, keeps on walking, and damnit if I don’t feel like a million bucks right now. So this wasn’t an epic fail after all- despite the interruption of the storm and the fact that we’re both covered in mud right now, she’s smiling, laughing, having fun. And I feel like a fucking hero for being the one to put that smile on her face.
We keep making our way down the path, chatting and laughing together, making light of the disaster that the evening turned into. I see the dull glow of the lights of the complex through the trees ahead, and I’m a little disappointed that we’ve made it back already.
Brooke squeals as one of her feet slides in the mud again. I’m on her in an instant, grabbing her hand, yanking her up before she falls. I don’t let go of her hand the rest of the way back. Not until we pass through the gate, step onto the practice field.
The dim lights overhead cast a glow down onto the field and I finally get a good look at how disheveled Brooke is after our hike. Her soaked t-shirt clings to her body, wet tendrils of hair framing her face. Sticky brown mud stains her hands and forearms, splattering her face like freckles. Even so, she looks as beautiful as ever as she strides beside me to the doors of the barracks.
We pause before going inside, turning to look at one another. Her pouty lips tip up into a smile as she gives me a once-over.
“You’re a mess.”
I chuckle. “Yeah? You should see yourself right now,” I tease.
Brooke giggles, looking down at her muddy clothes. She shuffles her feet as a silence stretches between us. Then she looks up at me again with those big blue eyes and I feel like my heart’s going to beat out of my chest.
“I think I’m gonna hit the showers,” she says quietly.
“Me too,” I murmur.
Another pause.
“Okay,” she breathes.
“Okay.”
We just stand there, staring at each other, so much tension hanging in the air. Fuck, is this an invitation? Should I try to kiss her or something?
If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t think twice about going in for the kiss. But this isn’t just some random girl- it’s Brooke. She’s different. I don’t want to screw this up.
I reach out to pull open one of the double-doors instead, gesturing inside.
“Ladies first.”
Ugh, that was so fucking cheesy. Who the fuck am I right now?
Brooke darts me a flirty little glance, her wolf showing herself in her irises. She tucks her wet hair behind her ears as she walks in past me. I follow.
Fuck, is this really happening? Am I about to see Brooke naked in the shower? My head’s spinning, all of my blood rushing straight down to my dick.
The complex is eerily quiet- most everyone is out at the bar in Goldenleaf tonight whooping it up. We walk the hall to the locker room side by side, neither of us venturing a word. My heart’s beating so fucking fast.
I pull the locker room door open, let Brooke go in ahead of me again. The bright, overhead lights aren’t on at this hour- just the dim glow of the nightlights that are built into the walls every few feet. I consider flipping on the overhead lights but quickly think better of it. I already feel like a voyeur- the mere thought of Brooke stripping down has my dick getting harder by the minute.
The showers in the locker room aren’t exactly private. Quite the opposite- there’s just a wall lined with showerheads- no stalls, no curtains. There’s no need because we’re shifters; we’re used to nudity. We’re around it all the time, with every shift. I’ve showered in here countless times around female squad members and never thought a thing of it. And yeah, sometimes I’d sneak a peek of their bodies, but it wasn’t some big fucking thrill. But Brooke…
Something about the idea of seeing Brooke naked seems so taboo.
She grabs a couple of white fluffy towels off of the rack, tossing one to me. Then she walks into the shower area, along the bench to the far side.
Should I follow? What’s the protocol here?
As if she’s reading my mind, Brooke glances over at me, giving me an awkward little half-smile.
“You stay on your own side, mister,” she warns, cocking a brow.
Maybe I’m overthinking this, turning it into something it isn’t. We all shower in this locker room daily- it shouldn’t be a big deal.
I toss my towel onto the bench, toeing off my mud-caked gym shoes. I pull my shirt off overhead, drop it on top of my shoes. Then, hesitantly, I glance over at Brooke.
She’s shimmying out of her yoga pants, revealing those long, tan legs. She’s still got her t-shirt on, but I can see the bottom of her bare ass cheeks skimming underneath the hem. Fuck, she’s got a great ass.
Brooke looks over her shoulder, her eyes meeting mine.
“Hey!” she objects. “No peeking.”
“Uh… sorry…” I grumble, turning away. This is fucking torture.
I yank down my shorts and boxers, my erection bobbing in front of me. I try to focus on the task at hand. This is just a shower, not some form of foreplay. Brooke’s not that kind of girl.
I head over to the last showerhead on the wall, bare feet slapping against the tile floor. I twist the knob to turn it on, stand back while it heats up. It takes every ounce of willpower I have to not look over at Brooke again- it’s fucking agonizing to resist. I reach out, test the stream. It’s still cold, but I step underneath it anyways, hoping a cold shower will shock my system, knock some sense into me.
It doesn’t. I hear another shower turn on across the room. I press my eyes closed, letting the water wash over me, straining to resist a glance at Brooke. My wolf’s going fucking crazy, clawing at my insides.
Slowly, I turn around, eyes still closed. I run my hands through my hair, over my shoulders and forearms. And when I absolutely can’t fucking take it anymore, I open them.
My breath catches in my throat when I see her. She’s all the way at the other end of the shower wall with her back to me, standing underneath the stream of water. I rake my eyes over her bare body, take in the expanse of smooth, unblemished skin, her tight little ass, the curve of her waist, the indent of her spine.
She must feel my eyes on her because she snaps her head around, her eyes meeting mine. I quickly dart my gaze away, reaching for the soap dispenser on the wall and trying to play it off. I suds up the soap in my hands, scrub it into my chest. Then I venture another glance.
Her eyes are still on me, over her shoulder. She’s fucking watching me! I hold her gaze, still moving my hands over my chest and abdomen, soaping up.
Slowly, Brooke swivels to face me, her eyes still burning into mine. Even from across the room, I can see the silvery shimmers in her irises.
Holy. Fuck.
I’ve been dying to get a glimpse of her boobs since I saw them through her shirt in Denver- and they’re fucking gorgeous. They aren’t very big, but they’re round and perky with the sweetest little peach-tipped nipples. If my dick wasn’t all the way hard before, it definitely is now.
My breathing grows ragged as I just stare at Brooke from across the dimly-lit locker room. Her body is fucking stunning- I want to touch it, own it, claim it. I want her so badly that my cock is fucking throbbing.
Her eyes trail down my body, land on my dick. I hear her draw a shallow gasp as they fly back up to meet mine.
Oh yeah, baby. That’s for you.
Even in the dim light, I can see her face flush in embarrassment. She steals another glance, though, slowly trailing her hand between her soapy breasts. Like she wants me to touch her there, like she’s considering touching me. My lips tip up into a smirk- for a second, I think it’s on…
And then she spins back around. Wrings the water out of her hair. Turns off the shower.
Without a word, Brooke trots back over to the bench and wraps herself in a towel, covering up that beautiful body of hers. She wastes no time in scooping up her dirty clothes and shoes in an arm, heading for the door.
I open my mouth to say something, but no sound comes out- I don’t know what the fuck to say. She probably thinks I’m a perv- and I totally am, I’ve got a raging hard-on right now from just looking at her.
The door of the locker room swings closed behind her and I’m left alone with my thoughts. And this fucking boner.
I reach down to stroke it, the image of Brooke’s wet, naked body so fresh in my mind. I’m a horrible fucker for watching her like that, but it’s almost like she wanted me to…
My breathing grows ragged as I continue fisting my dick, picturing those perky little tits, that round ass. I imagine she’s beside me, her hands up on the tile wall, bending over and sticking that ass out for me. I’d grab her by the hips, take her from behind, and she’d let me fuck her hard, rough, begging me not to stop…
My eyes roll back in my head as I come, blowing my load on the tile wall of the shower. I throw a hand up, steadying myself, panting. Then I reach up for the showerhead, angling it to wash off the wall, still trying to catch my breath.
This girl is going to be the death of me.
