“Oh.” She giggled softly, “thanks.”
I took my thumb back, unsure of what I was doing or even who I was, because I put it in my mouth and licked off the melted chip. Those eyes flared wide, and before I knew it, I was leaning in, staring right at Hailey’s mouth.
“The strawberries…” What was I doing? I couldn’t stop myself, though, leaning in, hovering my lips over hers. “...remind me of you.”
And then I kissed her.
Chapter 11
Hailey
It’d been a day since Merrick kissed me, and I wasn’t even getting to enjoy it.
Migraines weren’t something I was used to. I’d had them maybe once or twice in my life, so suddenly getting them every day was absolutely debilitating. After getting the meds, I had crawled into my nest and spent the entire day there, just resting and taking periodic catnaps.
Sighing, I turned over, punching my pillow a few times in a desperate attempt to make it a little more comfortable, something I’d done a few times now.
Merrick hadkissedme. Under any other circumstances, I would have been giddy over it. He was sweet, handsome, a big boy—and I liked thembig. Only, something deep in my chest had stung afterward.
The kiss itself was amazing, the way we’d both zeroed in on each other and connected, the feeling of his large, rough hands on my face, but deep down, I knew it wasn’t right. I was bonded; my body was begging for a connection that it was so desperately missing.
Merrick… I’d always liked him. If I hadn’t been so damn stupid, we could have been more.Wecould’ve bonded.
I had so royally fucked things up because I’d let my damn pussy lead instead of my brain. Except… I’d felt so compelled by Preston. I was drawn to him too. God, I was starting to understand what Alice had said about juggling alphas.
Ugh.
The sound of the handle rattling made me still, my groggy attention shooting that direction.
I sat up, I glanced around. There was no mistaking the sound of my door opening, despite the pounding in my head. I reached over to the side of my nest and grabbed the baseball bat I kept there for emergencies.
It’d been a joke gift from my coworkers when I first rented my apartment, but it’d actually come in handy several times.
As quietly as I could, I slid out of the nest, holding the baseball bat with white knuckles, primed and ready to hit. I’d locked my door and engaged the deadbolt. No one should’ve been able to enter my space without me knowing.
Maybe I needed to invest in security cameras or a guard dog. I knew Merrick would agree. He’d mentioned it several times.
My heart hammered, and my ears began to ring as I slowly, with gentle, soft steps, made my way toward the entrance to my apartment. My vision swam, and it wasn’t due to stress. The sickness pulled on me like a sack of bricks, and even the weight of the bat in my hands felt monumental.
The apartment was bathed in darkness, but as I inched into the living room, I could make out the outline of someone wearing a black shirt and a hoodie, entering cautiously.
I didn’t think—I simply swung.
“Wrong apartment, motherfucker,” I growled as I launched myself at the intruder.
The bat made an impressive cracking sound as it collided with his skull. In the dim moonlight, I could see his form hit theground, but I didn’t give him a moment of reprieve, pulling the bat back and swinging straight for his crown jewels.
“What the fuck?” the guy cried in a muffled, pained voice.
“Whoa, vicious little thing. There’s no need to do that,” another voice said as a hand reached out and grabbed the bat.
There was a second man in my apartment.
One who smelled like paper and old books. An alpha who smelledfartoo good.
Fuck.
“Get the hell out of my apartment,” I growled, but my voice was weak and thready, somewhat ruining the effect.
