I back up until I feel the cold glass of the window against my back. “Did you just drop theLword?” I demand, shocked. “First you kidnap me, blindfold and tie me up, then you walk in here and drop thehey, I’m Alpha Bowenbomb, and now youL word me?” I ask, my voice high-pitched and squeaky.
“No,” he answers way too quickly. “I didnotLword you, I mumbledcare. I definitely said care,” he argues, and I narrow my eyes at the lying liar words coming out of his mouth. “And Trex said you came willingly in the car. I didn’t know that you thought you’d been kidnapped. I’m sorry for the tying you up part, but Trex thought you’d take a swing when you first saw me, so he was just trying to protect my face. He lost fifty bucks by the way. He won’t be happy about it,” Rook tells me, like he expects me to laugh or feel bad or something.
I just stare at him.
“You totallyLworded me,” I insist, not letting him distract me with the rest of his words. I point an accusatory finger at Rook’s face when a blush starts to bloom in his cheeks. “See! You know it’s true. Admit it!”
He scoffs. “Psh, me? Alpha Bowen, dropping theLword after just a handful of months? No, that’s not what happened. You misheard,” he defends casually as he shifts his weight from the balls of his feet to his heels and back again.
Without warning, I spring at him with a growl. He somehow manages to catch me and keeps me from putting him into the head lock I was going for. He tries to cuddle me against his chest, but I’m not having that shit, so I keep trying to grab him, and he’s forced to start wrestling me back. “Tell the truth!” I yell as I pinch at his neck and try to sideswipe his feet with my tail.
“Get your ears cleaned!” he hollers back before plucking me away from his head that I’m trying to squeeze and starts tickling my sides.
“Ah! Stop!” I screech. “This is not funny, and you totallyLbombed me. Just admit it, you little shit!”
I laugh when he hits a particularly ticklish spot right above my hip bone, but I get my revenge when I findhisticklish spot right beneath his armpit.
“Ha!” I crow victoriously as he starts laughing and writhing to get away from me. “The big bad Alpha Bowen is ticklishandprematurely dropsLbombs!”
Wrapping his tail around my ankles, he yanks my legs out from under me, taking me to the ground. His arms cradle the back of my head and back so that I don’t fall hard, but as soon as I’m down, he ruthlessly goes for my sides. I squeal and jerk around and try to kick him away from me.
“Confess!” I shout at him in between peals of laughter.
“I’m the one winning. Why wouldIconfess?” he argues as he straddles me, using his weight to hold me down as his merciless fingers dig into every ticklish spot I possess.
Knowing I need to play dirty, I lick my finger and stick it in his ear. He jerks back and looks at me with shock and disgust. “Tell the truth, or I’ll do it again,” I warn, licking a different finger and waving it in his direction as he gets off me and wipes his ear.
“You’re twisted,” he accuses playfully.
“The truth will set you free, Rook,” I retort before lunging at him and extending my drool-laden finger like it’s a sword and I’m prepared to duel.
He squeals and leaps away, and the loud ass lady-scream that exits his mouth has me bent over and barking out laughter. I’m dead. Completely finished.
“Alpha Bowen dropsLbombs and lady-screams!” I shout out between fits of giggles that have my eyes tearing up. “Oh, when people find out...” I threaten as I hold my side and cackle even harder.
“Sunrise,” Rook warns as he puts his hands on his hips. “Don’t go messing with my rep.”
I laugh even harder.
“I will. Unless you admit it,” I warn, my eyes gleaming with satisfaction at pinning my prey.
“So vicious,” he says, but I don’t miss the light or the heat in his eyes as he says it. “Fine. Istartedto say theLword before I caught it and corrected myself,” he admits, one of his eyebrows going up in challenge.
“So what you’re saying is...that I’ve got you slippin’,” I press, my gaze alight with mischief and excitement.
“Maybe,” he agrees with a shrug, and there’s that adorable blush again.
I walk over to him, my face stretched in a smile so big that it hurts my cheeks. “You totally love me. You’re, like,completely obsessed.”
“That’s it,” he warns.
I scream as he lunges for me, but before I can get away, he grabs me by the waist and picks me up to throw me over his shoulder. He slaps my ass hard, and I’m so fucking slap happy, I can’t stop laughing long enough to fight. He strides down a long hallway and into a massive master bedroom. “You need a time out.”
He tosses me onto the bed, and I nearly bounce right off, but he’s on me in a second, holding me down. His hands come to cup either side of my face, and then he just looks down at me, his turquoise eyes tracking my features like he wants to memorize every inch of me. My gleeful smile slips at the reverent way he’s drinking me in, and the thudding of my heart starts beating in sync with his.
“I’m sorry, Sinclair,” he says quietly, all previous laughter and joking wiped away. I can see how deeply he means it. I can feel it too.
“I know,” I reply.
