The Alpha

Chapter 3

Spice snuggled into Eric’s pillow and tugged the blankets over her.

Her sister led a pretty nice life. Daedalus slept all day someplace in the basement so Sugar could use part of that time for herself. She worked an occasional shift in the evening at the city library, and her friends lived under her roof. No one seemed to be sponging off of her like Spice worried.

Yesterday afternoon, Katrina took her shopping and bought her some clothes, the basics: jeans, socks, underwear, sweaters, and a thicker jacket.

“I’ll pay you back as soon as I can, Katrina. It’s very thoughtful of you.” For once, when she spoke those words, she meant them.

“No need. When I came to Chicago to live with Eric, Sugar did this for me. It is like a circle. One day you will do the same for someone else.”

At a loss for words, Spice hugged her. This wasn’t a con or a handout but something a real friend did. “Thank you, and I will.” The promise rung with truth and lightened her heavy heart, but something Katrina said echoed in her head. “You came to Chicago to live with Eric? Not Tyler?” Doubt and dread tangled themselves with her shredded confidence as she waited for the answer. If Katrina and Eric had a past, she didn’t want to complicate her life more by getting involved.

“Both. They lived together next to Sugar. It was strange to be in an apartment with only boys, so I stayed at her place a lot.” Katrina’s pager went off and she glanced at the message. “Sorry, have to go. My office needs me.”

“Sure, ah, what do you do for a living?”

“I’m a Chinese interpreter and work for many of the companies in the area who deal with China. Daedalus helped me set up a small company.”

Food for thought.

Katrina owned a business and the vampire was involved. Again.

The others had been nothing but kind to her as well. Spice had questioned each one about their lives, and they shared similar stories. All struggling to get by until Daedalus came into their lives. She wondered if any of them realized how much he helped, guiding each of them on the right career path that matched their personalities. Social working vampire? She kind of hoped he would act as her compass and send her in the proper direction too. The choices she’d made sucked, and she couldn’t trust her desires anymore.

She pulled the blankets closer around her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. The soft bed squeaked a little as she rolled over. Enough thinking, she needed to sleep. Tomorrow she had a job interview at local bookstore. Sugar set it up for her.

The flannel blankets smelled like Eric. At first, she wanted to toss them in the wash but the scent offered comfort, a reminder of his gentle, contagious smile. Last night she fantasized they were his arms wrapped around her body.

He was the only one she hadn’t questioned. Whenever they got a moment alone any coherent thoughts went south, straight to her crotch. Thank goodness the last few nights he’d been out. She didn’t want to screw up her chances by crawling under his covers the first night. Impulse control worked better when the temptation wasn’t available.

At first, she thought he went to see a girlfriend and she moped around the house, but Sam cleared all that up for her today. He told her they patrolled the neighborhood, like a volunteer watch, and this week was Eric’s turn.

If he got any better she’d have to file a patent on him as the perfect man. Warm, melting-chocolate brown eyes, strong prominent cheekbones, and thick just-tumbled-out-of-bed hair inflamed her whenever she thought about him.

Like now.

Sliding her hand inside her panties, she located her throbbing clit and tried to imagine it was Eric’s fingers that massaged the spot, but she’d never been very good at pretend. He would probably be real gentle and tease the area until it made her crazy.

All she managed to do with her thoughts was get more hot and bothered. She stuck two fingers in her pussy and pumped as she reached under the tight t-shirt. Her nipples hardened at her touch, and she clenched her thighs around her hand. His fingers would be longer and thicker than hers. He wouldn’t need to stroke so hard to make her come. Breaths coming faster, she got closer to the light at the end of the tunnel but she couldn’t finish the deed. Not when the focus of her fantasy slept on the couch at the end of the hall.

The smell woke him. Creamy and sweet, the intoxication of it would have made him swoon if he wasn’t already lying down. Every woman carried their own unique scent, this one didn’t belong to Sugar or Katrina. It could only be Spice, in his room, tucked into his sheets, and on his bed.

Did she have someone in there with her making her so heated? He sat upright and yanked the blankets off. His hard-on tented the boxers he wore. Inhaling deeply, he realized no other smells joined hers, she must be alone. He closed his eyes and leaned his head on the back of the couch.

They had this floor to themselves. Daedalus had taken Sugar out for the night. They wouldn’t be home until much later.

Spice probably lay naked on his bed, touching her body, running her hands along her smooth white skin, nipples perked and ready for tasting. He stroked his cock. Nothing would please him more than to offer to help her out with those needs, but he wanted more than a quick hump. It frightened him how vulnerable she seemed. In high school, she intimidated the crap out of him. Now, he wanted to scoop her up in his arms and tell her everything would be all right, that he’d take care of her if she’d let him.

The smell faded and he slowed his stroking, she must have climaxed without him. He sighed and opened his eyes.

She leaned against the wall, watching him.

His cock went soft, and he snatched his hand out of his boxers.

“Hey there, big guy. Don’t stop on my account.”

He stared at her for a moment, unsure what she meant. She wasn’t angry? No, she still smelled turned on. His heart raced. Could he masturbate in front of her? He did a few experimental tugs but the shock of finding her in the room with him traumatized it.

“Need some help?”

His mouth went dry. Several different comeback lines twirled in his head, but he couldn’t decide what to use. “I wouldn’t mind.” He tried to make it sound sexy, but it came out more like a croak. His fantasy was turning into a nightmare.

“I’ve been thinking about you.” She stepped across the living room, then pulled her t-shirt over her head, standing in front of him with her round, firm breasts exposed. Her nipples peaked, giving them little up-turned tips. Only a tiny pair of pink panties kept her from being naked.

He loved pink.

His cock got over its issues and returned with a roaring standing ovation. It ached with lust. He took off his shorts while sitting and continued where he’d left off. Things had gone from bad to great in seconds. He would have been happy to just look at her, but then she knelt in front of him and spread his legs so she could fit in between them and rested her breasts on his thighs.

With a held breath, he gave silent thanks to God for not letting him come right there and then. He suspected what she wanted to do, and it could be a big mistake to let her. She felt alone, he understood this, but using him to fill the emptiness would just hurt them both. They deserved better and needed to take things slow.

She replaced his hand with her own.

His beast roared inside his head and shattered any thoughts from processing. Taste, smell, and desire ruled him.

Her small, delicate fingers tightened and caressed his cock with a slow, steady pace. How could he stop now? The beast’s reaction to her shocked him. It never seemed interested in mating with anyone, only fighting, until Spice walked back into his life. Every time she touched him it wanted to surface, as if needing to touch her as well.

No matter how much he tried to distract his mind from the onslaught of pleasure, he felt on the edge of exploding. Not yet, please not yet.

Her head of short, blond curls moved forward. The rosebud shape of her mouth opened and approached the tip of his cock. Moist and warm, her tongue swirled around and around. Her lips so close to wrapping around him.

Panting, he flung back his head. Torment couldn’t be any sweeter.

She washed his shaft with long sure strokes of her tongue, then posed her pursed lips on his tender tip. Cool air brushed the scorching skin as she blew a gentle breath.

Urgent yearning swelled between his thighs. With a slight thrust of his hips, he pressed against her lips, silently pleading to let him in.

She parted them but didn’t consume him like he wanted.

He delved deeper in her mouth and was rewarded with her hungry moan. The scent of her excitement surrounded them. It was too much. He didn’t have a lot of experience with women so his willpower’s reserves were depleted.

Advancing further with each heave of his hips, he reached the back of her throat. She took all of him. His fingers and toes tingled while his breaths came hard and fast.

With voracious appetite, she began to suck and slid his cock in and out of her lush, moist mouth.

Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. Clenching his hands along the back of the couch, afraid to grab and distract her, he was so close to blowing.

“Spice.” Her name came out sounding deep, as if from the bottom of his gut. “Yes—” he croaked. “Oh, baby. I-I’m going to come.”

She didn’t hesitate or stop but continued at a more demanding pace until he poured his seed down her throat. Clinging to his thighs, she held onto him and swallowed. The ceiling spun for a moment while he tried to catch his breath. A week ago, if someone told him he’d be getting a blow-job by Spice Monroe he’d have laughed in their face.

All those wishes he’d thought wasted on her finally came true.

The brush of her nipples on his thigh caught his attention. She crawled onto his lap. Flawless, milky white skin covered her voluptuous curves.

He pulled her close. During that whole time he hadn’t touched her once. She wouldn’t get away without him getting at least a taste. He trailed his fingers from her shoulder to her collarbone, then down her breasts to her nipples.

She arched her back as he touched her.

“You’re so beautiful.” Life started to return to his cock, not a full hard-on but it definitely filled.

He laid her on the bedding and bent to take the hard nub in his mouth. The small mewling moans she made rekindled his passion. Her other breast jiggled as she wiggled under him. He massaged the soft globe in his hand; he could spend the rest of the night just playing with them, but she had other ideas.

The pink panties came off and she flung them to floor. “Fuck me.”

Those two words acted like a bucket of ice-cold water dumped on his crotch.

She must have noticed his hesitation. “What’s wrong? If you don’t have a condom, I’ve got one in my purse.”

Of course, she would. He sighed. His beast wanted to but he’d let it have its way already tonight. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

Her hands gripped his shoulders. “What?” The question snapped like a whip, but he knew she hid her hurt behind the anger.

How did he explain himself without pushing her away forever? With no experience to draw from, he decided to stick to the truth, even if it embarrassed him.

She started to slide out from under him, but he gripped her ass and yanked her back. “I want to…but…but we need to take things slowly. If you’re just looking for someone to fool around with, you’re better off with Sam. I’m not a one-night stand kind of guy.”

She blinked at him for a moment, then a shy smile replaced the angry frown. “How much more do you want from me, Eric?”

The way his name slipped off her tongue sent a shiver up his spine. “I want it all, baby. Body, heart, and soul—forever.” She tensed in his hands. “Spice, I know people have hurt you but I don’t play games. If anyone is going to end up with a broken heart, I’m afraid it’s going to be me.”

She took his face between her hands. “I’m scared.” With a light touch of her swollen mouth, she gave him a small tender kiss. It meant more to him than the blow-job ever could. “You’re offering me everything I’ve been looking for and I’m going to screw it up. I always do.” She glanced around him at the hallway. “Maybe we should talk about this in your bedroom.”

He chuckled. “No. I want our first time to be special.”

“How?”

“I don’t know. When you’re sure about us, then I guess we’ll figure it out.”

She grinned. “Then I’m sure about us. Let’s go.”

“Spice, I’m a virgin.” It wiped the smile off her face.

“Was-was that your first BJ?”

He pressed his body on hers and returned the tender kiss, hoping to relieve some of the anxiety in her eyes. “No, but it was the best.”

“So, you fool around?”

He nodded as he nibbled on her ear lobe. “But I don’t go all the way.” A quiver made her tremble in his hands as he whispered in her ear. He liked it.

“I want to be the one, Eric.” Her voice shook.

Lifting his head from kissing her neck, he stared down at her. “I don’t want to fuck, I want to make love. Do you love me?”

She chuckled. “I just met you.”

“No, you’ve known me most of your life. Maybe you should try to remember that.”

The vulnerable girl hiding inside the angry woman peeked out through her eyes. “I will.” She sighed and tried to wiggle out from under him.

“Where are you going?”

“Well, I’m not going to steal your virtue tonight. I may as well try to get some sleep so I’m fresh for my job interview.”

“But I’m not done.” He forged his fingers between her folds. “Let me at least repay the favor.”

She gasped as he slid inside her tight pussy. Being a virgin didn’t mean he lacked the skill to make a woman beg for mercy. Becoming an alpha had its perks, but the novelty of fooling around with the willing females of the pack wore away quick, especially when one of them got angry for not going all the way.

With each thrust, her hips met his hands. She whispered dirty encouragements in his ear, and it surprised him how much he liked it. “Harder,” she pleaded.

Oh, how he wanted to replace his fingers with his cock. For once, his morals pissed him off.

He twirled his fingers inside her, searching for that magical spot. The way she cried out told him exactly where it lay, and he worked it until Spice became a mass of thrashing limbs.

Her cries probably woke the others downstairs and maybe the neighbors. Smug with her satisfaction, he hugged her close and waited to wake up.