I gently draw my hand free from his and climb out of the car, and it takes everything I have not to look back as I rush toward my apartment building.
I know he’s watching me until I’m inside as I can feel his stare on me, and only then do I hear the engine purr to life again as he drives away.
I take the stairs two at a time, heart thudding wildly for so many reasons, but just as I reach the second floor, an apartment door creaks open beside me.
“Didn’t peg you for the type to slum it with Jasper,” a voice calls out lazily.
I pause, hand tightening on the railing as I glance over to find Sandy leaning against the doorframe of her second-floor apartment. Barefoot, in tiny shorts and an oversized sleeping tee, she sips a green smoothie from a drink bottle and smiles like a woman who thinks she has the upper hand. She used to date Jasper, from what I learned on my first day in town, but it ended badly when Jasper didn’t want anything serious.
“Hi, Sandy,” I say sweetly, offering her my best not-so-innocent smile. “Ready for the day?”
“Well,” Sandy says, swirling her smoothie like it’s a martini. “Didn’t think Jasper was the type to offer rides home. But I guess everyone gets their turn.”
“Morning to you too, Sandy.” I keep my voice light.
Her smile widens, sharp as glass. “Jasper’s got a habit of bringing strays home. Makes him feel needed, you know?”
I pause a few steps up, turning to face her fully. “Guess you’d know all about that.”
Her jaw tightens, but she recovers with a shrug. “Just don’t get too comfortable. He always gets bored eventually.”
I smile, slow and sharp. “If he wanted predictable, he wouldn’t have brought me home.” Then I jog up to the third floor and disappear inside my apartment, locking the door behind me with a quiet exhale, not needing an ex’s crap when things are already chaotic in my life.
I strip off my clothes and step into the shower, turning the water as hot as I can stand. My skin flushes beneath the spray, but it’s not enough to wash away the heat coiled inside me or the echo of Sandy’s bitterness still clinging to my thoughts.
One thought keeps circling as the water pours down.
How the hell did I end up here… and why does it feel like I’m only getting in deeper?
16
ANITA
I’m breathless by the time I reach Wilde Charters, my lungs burning from the brisk walk from my apartment.
It’s after seven by about ten minutes.
I took my suppressant tablets at home before changing into Ash. Two scent patches, one on each wrist. The wig secured with extra adhesive. Facial hair applied carefully, chest binder squeezing the life out of me, and enough masculine cologne to choke a horse.
My entire apartment smells like a teenage boys’ locker room now, but it was necessary because I spent last night having sex with two Alphas, and this morning I need to pretend to be a Beta male working for their pack.
The bay is quiet this early, no sign of fog, just the sound of water lapping against the snowy docks and seagulls crying overhead. The boats rock gently, and the sun is climbing higher, painting everything in golden morning light.
There’s no one outside, so I hurry toward the office building, taking the stairs two at a time.
Please let Slater be late.Maybe he slept in and that’s why I didn’t see him at the house this morning when I was sneaking out.
I push through the door into the main office area, and my stomach drops.
He’s standing in the middle of the room with his arms crossed, steel-gray eyes locked on the door like he’s been waiting.
And he does not look happy.
“You’re late.” His words slam into me, stealing the air from my lungs.
Yet, that voice. Deep and rough and commanding. The same one that’s whispered filthy things in my ears through my headphones. Narrated every fantasy, every desperate night alone, and every moment I’ve let myself imagine what it would be like to be claimed by an Alpha who sounds like walking sin.
Joe Hamilton. My secret obsession.
