Page 28 of Manny's Surprise Baby

“You did, didn’t you?”

He set his fork down with a clatter. “I’d rather not talk about that.”

An unpleasant thought occurred to me. “Did this porn star of yours hit on you?” When he avoided eye contact, I had my answer.

“I don’t sleep with current clients.”

“I notice you say ‘current’ clients.” I had a bad taste in my mouth. “Maybe after the job, you can get a little something going.”

He shrugged.

“You are a player after all.” I wasn’t sure why I was needling him.

“I don’t know what the hell I am anymore.” He slumped and met my gaze. When I really studied him, I could see he looked exhausted. “All I do is work and worry about Emily.”

His heartfelt admission got to me. Yes, he was an alpha, but he was more in touch with his emotions than any other alpha I’d known. When he was like he was right now, it was hard to dislike him. His vulnerability got through to the omega in me. Just because our kind didn’t shift anymore didn’t mean our wolves didn’t still drive us. Our instincts were still very much in control. “You’re doing great.”

He closed his eyes. “Am I?”

“Yes.”

Lifting his lids he said, “She talked to me tonight. I didn’t even have to prompt her.”

I smiled. “See. You’re doing it, Seth.”

His eyes warmed. “With help.”

“You don’t need me around to connect with her. I think you feel better with me as a buffer, but you don’tneedme.”

His gaze flickered. “You’d be surprised.”

I wasn’t sure what he meant, so I just laughed.

He grimaced and pinched the skin on the bridge of his nose. “I’m not myself lately. It must be stress.”

“Has anything at work changed that makes thing harder?”

“Not really. I think it’s mostly just Emily.”

“You’re making headway with her, so take comfort in that.”

He picked up his fork and started eating again. I studied his handsome features as he chewed, noticing how thick his lashes were and the smooth arch of his cheekbones. He was one of those men where the more you looked at them, the more attractive they were. He glanced up and caught me watching him. I looked away quickly, feeling embarrassed.

He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry I grabbed your wrist last night.”

Surprised at his apology, I was speechless for a moment.

“I didn’t mean anything by it. I just wanted to talk to you, and you were leaving. I’d never hurt you. I’m not that kind of alpha.”

I hadn’t expected him to ever bring that incident up. His type usually pretended they were perfect, so there was no need to discuss the possibility that they might have fucked up. But he wasn’t shoving it under the rug. He was addressing it head-on and even apologizing.

When I didn’t respond, he continued. “I gather other alphas have been assholes to you in the past. I don’t want to be one of them. I promise I won’t ever touch you again unless you ask.”

I grimaced. “Why would I do that?”

His laugh was gruff. “Oh, you wouldn’t. I just meant… never mind.”

“You mean like for a massage or something?” My lips twitched.