Page 14 of The Alpha’s Promise (Alpha Doms #3)

Ashley was silent. “Did you just say works as a manual laborer ?”

“I don’t mean to sound snobby. I have nothing against blue collar work—obviously.

I still work in a bar to make ends meet and every guy I’ve dated has had a menial job.

It’s just… I’d decided it was time for an upgrade.

I want to date a normal, professional guy this time.

Not some dark, dangerous, motorcycle-riding head of a wolf gang. ”

Ashley snorted with laughter. “I don’t know, that sounds really hot to me. But I don’t know if I called him a manual laborer. I mean, I thought Ben said he flips houses?”

“Yeah, he works for CJ Steele Construction, the company that refurbishes houses in the Old North End neighborhood—the ones I’ve been lusting after? But you know what I mean. He’s not a doctor or lawyer.”

“You’re not even making sense. When did you ever want a doctor or lawyer?”

“That’s the point!” she wailed. Usually Ashley understood her better than this. “It’s not what I want, but it’s what I should want. I’m done with bad boys and Cody is definitely a bad boy.”

“Hmph,” Ashley sniffed. “Well, I don’t believe you, but it sounds like you need some time and space to figure out what you want next, and you’re just getting out of a relationship, so don’t rush.

If Cody won’t have sex with you, that’s probably a good thing.

You know you’re way too loyal to people you’ve bonded with. ”

“Shut up.”

“I’m not criticizing. It’s what makes you an amazing friend and a perfect sister. It’s what will make you the best girlfriend for the guy who doesn’t take advantage of you.”

“If that guy exists,” she said sourly.

“He exists,” Ashley murmured and Melissa heard the depth of her love for Ben. A pang of guilt over calling during their honeymoon made her forget her own dramas.

“Hey, get back to your groom. Your alpha wolf. Does he still bite you?”

Ashley laughed. “No, once he marked me he had more control.”

“Good to know. Not that I’m going to be getting marked or anything. Have fun. Give him a killer blowjob today, okay?”

Ashley laughed. “He’ll thank you for that suggestion. I’ll talk to you soon. Love you.”

“Love you, too,” she said softly and hung up.

Cody came home that afternoon to find Melissa sitting on the couch with the Chromebook propped on her legs, looking adorably studious. He’d rushed through his tasks for the day, not wanting to leave her alone too long.

Or maybe it was the fact that her scent still lingered on his clothes, the vision of her, glorious and naked, trying to tug him into the shower that morning kept replaying in his mind until he could scarcely think.

She didn’t look up immediately, but her cheeks colored, and he knew she was remembering what he’d done to her that morning. He smirked.

“Hey, baby. No special outfit to greet me today?”

She pursed her lips in what must be her attempt at prudish, but actually made her look even more sex-kitten. “That got me in trouble, if I recall.”

He sauntered toward her, his cock already stiffening at the memory. “And I seem to recall you enjoyed your punishment. Quite a bit.”

Her lips twitched, but she continued to play at ignoring him, clicking away on the computer.

The burner phone he’d bought her rang.

“I forwarded the calls from my old phone to this number,” she explained as she picked it up. “This is Melissa.” The blood drained from her face. “I don’t know where he is,” she croaked into the phone.

He rushed to her side and put his ear next to hers.

“You tell him Junior Rabago is looking for him, and I want my money back. He has until Friday to produce it.”

“How much money does he owe you?”

“Fourteen grand, plus interest. I need it paid in full or you and your boy both die. Don’t think I can’t find you.” He hung up.

Melissa drew a long, shaky breath. “Well… at least I know how to get a hold of him now, if we do use Ben’s money to pay him off.”

“We’re paying him off. The sooner the better. We need to get this guy off your back and out of your life.”

“Do you think it will get him off Jeremy’s back too?”

He glowered, hating that she mentioned the asshole. “Only if he’s part of the delivery,” he opined.

Her hand shook as she looked at the phone in her hand. “I talked to Ashley today and Ben said he could have the money transferred straight to your account, if you give him the routing and account number.”

“I’ll text it now.” He moved away from her, no longer able to stay so close without shoving her onto her back and having his way with her.

She returned her focus to the Chromebook and her brow furrowed.

“Oh, no!” she exclaimed, smacking her forehead.

She tossed the Chromebook down on the sofa and jumped to her feet.

“Oh crap, oh shit, crap shit crap!” She paced a rapid circle around his living room, shaking her fists in various directions.

“What? What is it?”

She whirled on him. “I forgot my little’s birthday.”

He stared at her. What in the hell was she freaking out about? “Your what?”

“My little. I’m in the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program.

I was supposed to have a date with my little to celebrate her birthday last night.

With everything that’s going on, I totally forgot.

She probably tried to call my phone but of course I don’t have it—it’s probably dead by now. I feel like such a schmuck.”

He stared at her, surprised at how much she seemed to care about this.

She’d just taken a phone call from a guy who’d threatened to kill her without freaking out, and now she was upset?

Over a missed date with a charity case? Was the woman he’d pegged as superficial, if not selfish, actually this upset about an underprivileged kid?

Just the fact that she participated in the program shocked the hell out of him.

“So tell her you’ll make it up to her.”

To his alarm, her big blue eyes swam with tears.

“You don’t understand. This is a totally underprivileged kid.

Her mom’s a stripper crack whore who barely keeps a roof over her head.

She’s probably never had a decent birthday in her life.

I’d bought her a great gift and I—” She stopped, her chin wobbling.

“Baby.” The need to comfort her made him want to howl.

He wasn’t any good at soothing women—he sorely lacked practice—but he sure as hell had to try.

Tucking her against his side, he rubbed circles over her lower back.

“Beautiful girl, don’t cry. We’ll go over there right now and explain.

Well, we can’t explain about people wanting you dead, but we’ll tell her you had an emergency. ”

“But her gift,” she moaned. “It’s at my place.”

“We’ll get her a present on the way and you can tell her you have something else for her later. She’ll get two birthdays. What kid wouldn’t love that?”

Melissa sniffed. “You don’t mind taking me there now?”

He cupped her chin and lifted her tearstained face.

The sight of the moisture still tracking down her cheeks was unacceptable.

He wanted to crush anything and everything that had ever made her cry.

It unnerved him how much power her tears commanded over him.

“As long as you stop crying,” he muttered.

She gave a half-sob, half-laugh and shoved him away, dashing at the tears with the back of her hand.

They drove to Dairy Queen and picked up an Oreo ice cream cake, decorated with her little’s name—Margot—because Melissa said she probably didn’t get much with her name on it.

With the cake on her lap and a Target gift card stuffed in her purse, Melissa sat rigidly beside him, shoulders square and stiff.

“How long have you been her big sister?” He wanted to know more about this side of Melissa. This unexpected and generous side.

“Not long.” She raked her teeth across her lower lip. “Six months. It’s a project of Brown Realty. I didn’t want to do it at first.”

“Why not?” He expected her to say what a pain it was or to enumerate the problems with the program, but she stared out the window, still worrying her lip between her teeth.

“I get too attached,” she said finally, with a sigh. “I don’t do casual relationships. I’m all in and I never know when to quit.”

Somehow he thought she might be talking about her ex-boyfriend, too.

She heaved another sigh. “I can’t believe I missed her birthday date. I’m such a fuck-up.”

His eyebrows shot up. That was his line. Did Melissa really see herself that way? If so, she’d been looking in the wrong mirror. “How are you a fuck-up?”

“Always have been,” she said softly.

He hated the dullness in her voice, in her blank stare out the window. “I keep trying to better myself, but I just don’t ever seem to get it right.”

“I thought I said no more crying,” he said, hoping to lighten the mood. It didn’t work. She didn’t even seem to hear him.

“Hey… I’m sure you’re an amazing big sister. Margot’s going to be thrilled.”

“Ashley wouldn’t have forgotten.”

Ashley. Was that her twin?

“Melissa, you’re being too hard on yourself.”

“Ashley was the good twin. The one with perfect grades and high test scores. The one who got everything right.”

His lip curled. He knew something about not measuring up to siblings. Quite a lot, in fact. “So what does that make you?”

She gave a harsh chuff of laughter. “I was the one cutting classes in high school. Trying drugs in the lower parking lot with the rough crowd. Dating assholes like Jeremy.”

Ah. He hated that her asshole ex took up so much brain space for her, but at least she knew it had been a mistake.

He pulled up at the address for a low-income apartment building she’d given him and turned the truck off, twisting to face her. “Comparisons will fuck you every time, my friend,” he said, trying to make his voice light. “Next to me, you were probably the golden child.”