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

Melissa screamed and wrapped her arms around her tattooed rescuer’s waist as the motorcycle nearly popped a wheelie tearing down the back alleyway. He grasped her arm, as if to make sure she wouldn’t let go.

“I’ll hang on, you put both hands on the handlebars,” she shouted, squinting her eyes as the blur of trees and houses whipped past.

His abs were hard as rock under her fists. In fact, she was pretty sure his entire body strained with solid muscle. He looked like he worked hard with his hands. The worn work jeans and stained t-shirt were sexy in that rough and scruffy kind of look that was way too much her thing.

But she needed to get away from the ‘bad boy’ attraction. It had only landed her in trouble.

She twisted to look behind them and caught a glimpse of the blue car that had brought the mafia assholes to her apartment. “They’re onto us,” she yelled.

Her rescuer hit the gas again and they screeched around a corner, skidding out. He slipped between two buildings, around a corner. She couldn’t keep track of where they were going—the dumpsters and buildings flashed by too fast. She had to squeeze her eyes shut against the wind.

In another moment, he screeched up a driveway and leaned the bike all the way to the side, skidding under a garage door halfway in flight. In a flash, he dismounted from the bike and yanked her off. The garage door had already reversed directions to come down, shutting them in.

She wobbled on her heels and tugged her skirt down over her ass.

Her heart rapped against her ribs in a painful rhythm.

They were in a huge garage. More of a workshop, actually, with saws and a workbench.

Shelves lined every wall, stacked with paint, solvents, tools, supplies of every kind. Was this his workplace?

Her rescuer stalked toward her. Everything about him screamed scary tough—the bulging muscles of his arms, the tattoos that sprawled from under his short sleeves and even decorated his knuckles, the five o’clock shadow on his sturdy, square jaw, the menacing snarl of his expression.

Seriously—he didn’t look any more trustworthy than Jeremy or the assholes who’d been waiting at their place for him. Had she been right to leave with him?

She wobbled on her heels. “Who are you?”

He passed her and jerked open a door. “Get inside.”

Right. Not the time for introductions. She scooted past him, trying to ignore the size of his muscles as she brushed his hard body, or the way her body reacted to his nearness.

A flush of heat washed over her, warming up her icy fingers and face, thawing a fraction of the fear that nearly overwhelmed her back in that closet.

Of course she tripped, her heel catching the carpet as she passed him. He caught her elbow to stabilize her and she fell against his chest.

Wow.

He had slate gray eyes that were striking against his tanned skin and sun-bleached hair. As they stared at each other, his nostrils flared. The gray irises flickered to pale ice blue.

She gasped.

He shoved her away from him and blinked, averting his head. She wondered why he tried to hide his wolf—he’d already acknowledged what he was.

“What color are you?” she blurted. “I mean, when you shift?” It was a stupid question to ask. She ought to start with his name or how he knew Ben, but the glimpse of those lupine eyes had her curious.

He twisted back to look at her. The irises had returned to gray.

“Silver.”

A ripple of something went through her body—excitement, maybe. She suddenly desperately wanted to see him in wolf form. She knew he’d be incredible. Powerful and terrifying. Beautiful, even.

But no. She needed to stop this. Tamp down any attraction she had for the hot male who looked like trouble. She needed to start finding nice, upstanding men attractive. The kind without tattoos and worn-out jeans. The kind who wore ties to work and saved their money in tax-free retirement accounts.

She’d worked all year to get herself out of the party lifestyle. She’d taken the test to become a real estate agent and cut back her nights as a bartender. She’d been so close to getting rid of Jeremy and getting a real start. Now there were people trying to kill her because of him.

“You hurt?” The guttural voice sounded right behind her and she jumped and spun. Amusement flickered on his face.

She stuck out her hand, pulling out her best professional real estate agent persona, chin jutting high. “I’m Melissa, and you are?—?”

His jaw tightened. Apparently, he didn’t like that. He ignored her hand and walked to the bookshelf in the small, dimly lit room. “Cody,” he said gruffly. He shoved aside some books and withdrew a gun, which he tucked in the waistband at the back of his jeans.

She probably should have started with thank you instead of calling him on his manners, but now that he’d snubbed her, her spine had gone even straighter. She looked around the dank man cave and sniffed. “Is this your place?”

His eyes narrowed. “Sorry it’s not the Taj Mahal, princess. I didn’t know I’d be hosting Ben Stone’s hoity-toity human sister-in-law.” He sneered the word human like it disgusted him.

She bristled. Did he think because Ben was rich, she was too?

“I appreciate the rescue, but you don’t need to entertain me.

If I could just borrow your phone—” She’d dropped hers in the closet when he’d grabbed her.

She needed to warn Jeremy about those guys before he got killed.

She may not love the guy, but she owed him her life.

He already had his phone out and up to his ear. “Yeah, I got her.”

She heard the intonations of a male voice on the other end.

Was it Ben? A slice of fear ripped through her.

What if this guy hadn’t been sent by Ben?

Maybe it was another enemy of Ben’s, like the South American pack that had tried to kill her twin Ashley last year?

He hadn’t told her anything other than that Ben Stone had sent him.

And he sure as hell looked like trouble.

She inched toward the door.

“You didn’t tell me how bad her trouble is.

” He paused as Ben said something. “Yeah, Junior Rabago and his guys… you know—the mobster. They were camped out at her place. They own one of the local dispensaries—push heavier drugs through it. I found her hiding in the closet and got her out of there, but they saw us leaving. Don’t think they can trace us, because we lost them and the plates on my bike aren’t good…

Yeah, I’m ready for them, if they come.” He peered out the blinds without moving them.

It wasn’t a good sign that the plates on his bike weren’t good. Definitely another lowlife. She leaned her back against the door. She wanted to hear this conversation, in case it was with Ben, but also needed to be ready to run.

Cody glanced over and narrowed his eyes, as if he knew exactly what she was doing. “You didn’t mention she was human.” Again, he said it like she was a stinky piece of dog poo that he’d gotten on his shoe. He stalked toward her with an expression of dark intent.

This time she heard the response from the other speaker on the phone loud and clear. “ You got a problem with that? ” That definitely sounded like Ben.

“No.” Cody threw a hand out next to her head to lean against the door, caging her with his body. Awareness lit up her skin, a wash of prickles heating everywhere he came close to touching her. “Where do you think you’re going?” he growled.

“Hey. You’d better treat her right,” came Ben’s bark from the other end. Her brother-in-law was as gruff as this guy—he just seemed more refined because he wore a suit and owned a half billion dollar company.

Cody lowered his face, almost leaning his forehead against hers, eye to eye. She had a feeling it was a wolf thing. He probably wanted her to drop her gaze and submit, but the challenge only made her grit her teeth and stare back with more daring.

“If I’m going to keep her safe, she’s going to have to follow orders.”

“Mistreat her and there will be hell to pay,” Ben gritted. “Put her on the phone.”

Cody flicked his brows and held his phone to her ear. She snatched it away from him and ducked under his arm, stalking away with the haughtiest pride she could muster, which of course, was ruined when she tripped again on her damn high heel. Fucking shoes! She kicked them off.

“Hi, Ben,” she said breathlessly.

“Melissa. Are you hurt?”

“I’m okay. Just… scared.”

“Who were those guys, do you know?”

“No. Jeremy and I weren’t really talking since we broke up. We just sort of cohabitated out of necessity.”

“Dammit, Melissa, I said I would help you buy a house.”

“I know, I know. I’ve been looking. I was already half packed to move out.”

“Listen, Ashley and I will fly back early and?—”

“No,” she interrupted. “Do not cut your honeymoon short for this. I’m fine. Cody got me out of there.” She flicked a glance at her hot rescuer. “You don’t need to come.”

She already hated herself for needing—once again—to be rescued by her sister, whose life was always together, who always did the right thing. If Ashley and Ben came home early on account of her, she would be the asshole who ruined their honeymoon for the rest of their lives.

Cody peeked through the closed blinds again. He looked so damn alert and capable, like a bad-ass Navy SEAL, or Special Ops agent. If he was truly on her side, she’d be safe.

Ben cursed. “You need to stick with Cody. Do everything he tells you. He’s alpha there, do you know what that means?”

“Not exactly.”

Ben blew out his breath. She heard her sister say something in the background and then her voice came on.

“Am I on speaker?” she asked in a low voice.

“No.” Melissa walked to the far side of the room, facing away from Cody, as if that would prevent him from hearing her conversation.

“Hey, wolves are all about the pack order, you know. So he’s going to be overbearing and dominant. He’s the boss, if you know what I mean. Just try not to let it get to you.”