Alpha Gray by C.J. Primer

CHAPTER TWELVE

Fallon

He’s here. I swear I could feel it before I even saw him- the little hairs on the back of my neck stood up and my wolf started pacing. But right after we locked eyes, he turned his back to me. Avoiding me again.

Maybe my initial assessment was spot-on, he’s just a jerk with a big ego. Maybe his little display of dominance in the shower was just his way of showing me that he could have me if he wanted me. Maybe this is just his newest form of torture, and he’s getting some sort of sick pleasure from driving me crazy.

I down the rest of my drink.

Brooke appears, back from the bathroom, and she grabs my arm, tugging me away from our friends. She’s digging her fingers into my arm as she pulls me. I jerk my arm back.

“What the hell?” I demand, scowling and rubbing the offended skin with my other hand.

Brooke leans in close to whisper. “What’s going on with you and the alpha?” she hisses.

“Huh?” I dart a glance in Gray’s direction, then back to her.

Brooke puts her hands on her hips, staring me down.

I roll my eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I start to turn to head back to our friends, but she reaches out to grab my arm again, spinning me to face her.

“I ran into him on the way to the bathroom. I think he thought I was you.” Brooke narrows her eyes.

I know I’m caught, but I also feel a little flicker of hope in response to hearing that he tried to talk to her. Maybe he decided to stop avoiding me, after all…

“Fallon!” Brooke snaps, pulling me out of my daze. I hadn’t realized that I’d been staring off in his direction again.

I feel a smile creep across my lips. “Okay, yeah, but it’s nothing. I mean, I’m totally into him, and I think he’s into me, but nothing’s happened. Well not really. Did he talk to you? What did he say?” My words come out a mile a minute.

Brooke just stares at me, dumbfounded. “What do you mean, not really?!”

“What did he say?”

Brooke sighs, leaning closer to me, wide-eyed. “I basically almost ran into him, and he got all up in my space and said I shouldn’t be here,” she whispers.

“What?” I shake my head, trying to make sense of her words.

“I don’t know, it was weird!” she says, throwing up her hands. “He realized pretty quickly that I wasn’t you, and then apologized and walked away. What the hell is going on between you two, Fallon?”

Brooke looks concerned, which irritates me. She’s supposed to support me, not parent me. Always the sensible twin.

“There’s nothing going on,” I sigh. I take a beat, looking to Gray, then back to Brooke. “Yet,” I add, waggling my eyebrows.

Brooke gives me another stern look and I elbow her playfully.

“Aw, c’mon, sis, lighten up,” I say, laughing. Her icy look slowly starts to melt into a smile. I swear, when one of us is laughing, it’s impossible for the other to stay serious.

“Just be careful,” Brooke warns, smirking. She’s trying to be a good sport, but she can’t hide the lingering hint of concern in her voice.

“Don’t worry,” I say, tossing an arm around her shoulders and leading her back over to our group. “If something actually does happen, you’ll be the first to know about it.”

“Promise?” Brooke asks, her eyes wide.

I nod. “Promise.”

“Come on!” Vienna beckons as Brooke and I approach our little group by the bar. “I thought we were gonna dance!” She does a little spin and nearly teeters off of her heels, but Boyd is quick to come to her rescue and steady her.

“I’m gonna need one more drink,” I say, grabbing Brooke’s hand to pull her up to the bar with me.

Vienna and Boyd slide out of the way to let us in. Davis is reclined against the bar chatting up Hannah, and from the way she’s giggling and touching his arm it looks like she’s enjoying it. Good for Davis.

Brooke and I order drinks and sip them while we chat with our friends. I keep sneaking glances over at Gray. A few times, I swear I catch him looking back at me, but with the amount of people on the dance floor between us I can’t be sure. I wish he’d just come over and say something to clear the air.

Vienna asks us to dance for the millionth time, and I finally break down and agree. Being on the dance floor puts me closer to Gray, so maybe he’ll actually come say hello. The dance floor is crowded now, and the six of us make our way through the bodies just as a new song comes on. It’s a hip-hop song- one of my favorites- and I immediately start swaying my hips to the beat. I steal another glance at Gray, and our eyes lock this time, but he looks away just as quickly.

Damn. What do I have to do to get this guy’s attention?

Hannah, Vienna, Brooke, and I make a little circle, all dancing with each other while Boyd and Davis sway on the periphery. I start to move my hips more exaggeratedly, trying my best to look sexy while I dance. It doesn’t seem to get Gray’s attention, but it does get Boyd’s, and he comes up behind me, cautiously approaching and setting his hands on my hips.

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t return Boyd’s attention, but it occurs to me that maybe it’ll make Gray a little jealous. I lean back into Boyd’s chest, swaying my hips and rubbing my shoulders against him to the beat of the music. After a minute or two, I really get into it, throwing my head back and stealing a glance in Gray’s direction.

Bingo.

He’s looking right at me, no question about it. His eyes are narrowed and he doesn’t look pleased.

Could that be jealousy?

I dart my gaze away, smirking to myself as I close my eyes and continue to move to the music. Spinning around to face Boyd, I slink my hands up his shoulders and wrap my arms around his neck, grinding my body against his as I dance.

I should feel a little guilty, leading Boyd on like this, but any shred of guilt I have is replaced by satisfaction when I steal another glance at Gray and find that he’s still watching.

Sweet victory.

If he wants to avoid me, I’ll show him what he’s missing.

After a little while, the DJ switches to a slower song, and we all head back to belly up to the bar. We’re all a little sweaty and out of breath, but I’m riding the high of my triumph over Gray.

Boyd starts calling out drink orders to the bartender. “Whaddya want?” he asks, turning to me, but I just shake my head.

“I’m gonna grab some air,” I say, fanning myself with a hand.

“Okay. Well what do you want when you get back?” Boyd grins, and that guilty feeling that I had for leading him on returns.

“Ummm… surprise me!” I say, clapping him on the shoulder and spinning around.

I head for the door, pushing it open and drawing a long breath of the cool night air. I’m still a little sweaty, and the air feels so good on my skin.

I take a few steps away from the door alongside the building, leaning back against the outside wall. It doesn’t take me long to cool off and catch my breath, and I’m thinking about heading back inside when the door swings open and someone comes out.

It’s a guy I don’t recognize, but he looks to be in his early thirties. Most wolves stay in shape because of how active we are, but this guy has a little bit of a beer gut and he stinks like booze. After he staggers out the door, he looks around and his face splits into a big grin when he sees me leaning up against the building.

“Well hey there, sweet thing,” the guy drawls, stepping toward me. “What brings you in here tonight?”

He’s flirting. Gross.

“Just here with some friends,” I mumble, folding my arms over my chest and looking away. Hopefully this guy will take the hint.

He doesn’t. Instead, he takes another step toward me and I’m overwhelmed by his stale alcohol smell.

“You lookin’ for some fun?” he asks, closing the distance between us.

I turn to him, narrowing my eyes. I’m thinking about cocking back my fist to punch the guy when the door of the bar flies open, loudly colliding with the outside wall. Gray steps out, steam practically coming out of his ears.

“Is this guy bothering you?” he growls, looking at beer-belly guy menacingly.

The guy immediately steps back, throwing up his hands and showing his neck in submission. “No, Alpha!” he chokes, eyes wide.

Gray gives the guy a steely look, taking a step toward him. “Why don’t you head on home, Trent.” From the tone of his voice, it isn’t a suggestion.

“Yes, Alpha,” the man stammers, taking a few more shaky steps back. “That’s just what I was about to do. Have a good night.”

Gray nods and the guy retreats quickly, heading away from the bar in the direction of the town. Once he’s out of eyesight, Gray turns back to me, rubbing the back of his neck and shaking his head.

“That guy’s a menace,” he mumbles.

“Yeah, well I can take care of myself,” I snap, annoyed at this little knight in shining armor act that Gray’s trying to pull off. “I had it handled.”

Gray smirks, dropping his hand from his neck and giving me a once-over. “Yeah, I’m sure you did,” he breathes. “Though a simple thank you would suffice.” He folds his arms and tips his chin up, looking cocky as ever. His arrogance is so irritating.

I scrunch up my nose, scowling. “Thanks for what? Stalking me?”

Gray’s jaw twitches and flecks of gold start swirling in his eyes. Got him.

He takes a step toward me, then another. My breath hitches as he positions himself right in front of me, staring me down.

“Always so defiant,” he says, his voice velvety and low.

He reaches out, running the backs of his fingers lightly down the side of my arm. I swear I feel sparks on my skin where he touches me.

“I thought you were going to try to be a good girl?”

His words send a flood of heat straight down to my core. I bite my lip, looking up at him through my eyelashes.

“Being good’s overrated,” I breathe, my voice barely audible. His gaze feels like it’s burning through me. I look away.

Gray traces his fingertips back up my arm to the top of my shoulder. He cups my chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting my head up to look at him again.

“What do you want, Fallon?” he asks, his voice gravelly.

I’m a big caught off guard by his question- and completely flustered by the way he’s touching me. I bite my lip again and almost unconsciously lean my body away from the wall and toward his, craning my hips in his direction. Showing him what I want.

Before I even know what’s happening, Gray grabs me by the waist and spins me around, pinning me between himself and the wall and pressing his body against mine from behind. He slams one of his palms onto the wall to steady himself and runs the other down my side gently, craning his head forward beside my ear.

“Is this what you want?”

Oh, yes.

I press backwards into him, throwing my head back into his chest as the sparks that his touch leaves behind ignite my skin. “Yes,” I whisper, closing my eyes and giving myself over to the sensation.

“Yeah?” he asks, his breathing growing ragged. He snakes his hand around to my belly, then down to my hip, then my thigh. When his fingertips come in contact with the bare skin of my thigh, fireworks explode behind by eyelids.

His hand is inches from my pussy and I’m practically writhing with need. It’s like he can read my mind, because he slides his hand over slowly, underneath the front of my dress, cupping my sex through my lacy underwear.

“How about this, is this what you want?” he murmurs.

Fuck. Yes.