Instead, she’d watched him.
Kyle was odd. He worked as though he didn’t care about anything, as if he moved to his own music. He’d toss glances at her, as though making sure she was okay, but otherwise? He seemed unaffected by anything else, as though the world didn’t touch him.
He’d cooked scrambled eggs—hers mixed with veggies and everyone else’s with ham—and sliced fresh fruit. By the time he’d finished, movement in the rest of the house implied the other two had woken.
Daniel came into the kitchen, dressed in a pair of slacks and a button-up shirt. “Smells good.”
Kyle grabbed one of the plates he’d made and handed it off to Daniel, who pulled a stool into the kitchen.
Trent came in next, wearing only a pair of jeans, his feet and chest bare.
And holy shit…the man was built.
His skin was darkly tan, as though he spent a lot of time outside without a shirt. Then again, if someone had a body like that, why not?
Kyle took a plate of his own and hopped onto the counter, handing one off to Alison and balancing the other on his lap.
Trent pressed his lips together for a moment before he got a plate from the cabinet and served his own food. He piled on the fresh fruit, then came over to lean against the counter on Alison’s other side.
It left her between the two alphas, with Daniel across the way.
It was nearly as unsettling as it had been every other time. It wouldn’t be so bad if they weren’t so large, butit was as though there was no room for her in the kitchen, not with them there.
Trent shifted and offered her a piece of pineapple clutched between his fingers.
“I can feed myself,” Alison snapped.
“But I like doing it. Stop arguing, pet.” When he lifted his eyebrow, Alison reminded herself to fall into her role.You’ve only got so long to get used to it, so stop being difficult.She took the piece of fruit from his fingers, careful not to actually touch him. It was tart and juicy, and Alison nearly moaned at the taste.
Trent went back to talking as if he hadn’t done that, as though it weren’t weird as hell. “Gregory is putting in our information today. Any idea when to expect a visit?”
Daniel shook his head as he ate, finishing his bite before speaking. “Probably pretty soon.”
Kyle shrugged as he balanced his plate in his lap. “I bet you anything they’ll have someone come check us out before then. I don’t care how good Gregory’s rec is, no one as careful as this slavery ring is going to just accept some no-name trio from out of town.”
“They’ll accept us,” Alison said after swallowing another bite that Trent offered. “They need us. With the problems they’ve had here, they’d love some more scouts. This is going to be the last chance to make any good money, so if they think you’ve got something worth selling, they’ll risk it.”
Which brought her back to Anne, again, back to the reality that she was missing and Alison was still no closer.
Is she even alive?
A bump to her shoulder had her turning to find Trent staring at her. Being watched so carefully, having people who saw so much of her feelings, unnerved her.
She only offered a quick shake of her head, so he shrugged and picked up another piece of fruit—cantaloupe, this time—and offered it.
Alison took the piece, but it had become so normal already that she wasn’t quite as careful. Her lips slid against Trent’s warm fingers, tasting the juice from his skin.
Which heated her up in far too many places.
Not that he mentioned it. Did he even notice it?
He continued to feed her pieces, always giving her the best of the fruit on his plate, while her own food in her lap became forgotten.
Trent discussed the case with Daniel while Kyle ate—rather loudly—and chimed in from time to time. None of it required Alison’s advice. Not being the direct topic of conversation or focus for once felt nice. It seemed as though every moment spent with the three alphas made her the center, and she’d grown tired of it.
Other than the show she’d put on in the bars to tempt the scouts, Alison was far more of a ‘work from the shadows’ sort of woman. She didn’t care to be looked at, to be noticed.
Being noticed doesn’t tend to go well, in my experience.
