Page 71 of Slick Trip

Grandpa was watching us like a hawk.

The welcoming smell of coffee filled the air inside, but instead of serving us some, Grandpa turned to Jon. Not to me, his beloved grandson, but to Jon. “Walk with me,” he said.

Excuse me? I was literally right here, alive and related. And where was he coming from with that ominous suggestion?

I stepped forward. “Grandpa—”

“You go sit,” he said, his voice slightly softer, but he wasn’t looking at me. “I’ll be right back.”

My jaw dropped. Oh, absolutely not. I opened my mouth, but Jon squeezed my hand.

“Stay here,” he said. I scrunched up my nose, half tempted to argue. But something in Jon’s demeanor made me relent.

“Fine.” I crossed my arms. “Go. Have your exclusive Alpha meeting.”

Grandpa’s expression didn’t change, but Ian’s lips twitched. Good for him for having a sense of humor. That was probably needed in his marriage.

“Don’t forget the secret Alpha handshake!” I called out after them.

“Gerald means well,” Ian said, gesturing toward the kitchen. “Coffee?”

“I—yeah.” I took the mug and thanked him politely, but my attention stayed on Jon as he followed Grandpa out onto the back patio. They looked like they needed privacy. Which meant I obviously needed to not give it to them. Creeping closer, I stopped by the open window. Jon had told me to stay, and I was staying. Not because he’d asked, but because I—well, because he’d asked. Who was I kidding? Jon giving me instructions made me feel safe.

“Hmm,” I heard Grandpa say. “And your intentions?”

I bristled. Did he really just ask Jon that? Glancing behind me, I gave Ian an incredulous look as if to say, “Can you believe this guy?” But he just smiled as if Grandpa was a gift to humankind. Weirdo.

Jon sounded tense. “I intend to take care of him, sir. Keep him safe and happy. Cooper’s my number one priority.”

Holy hell, that was sweet. But why wasn’t anyone interested in my intentions? I intended to take care of Jon too. He was my number one priority. I looked at the coffee mug. “Just so you know, mug, my intentions regarding Jon Beckett are both honest and extremely filthy.”

I took a sip, feeling a spark of satisfaction for confiding my intentions, although the mug didn’t seem that interested. Then I returned to my task of spying on the Alpha club.

“Finding the right balance with an Omega can be tricky,” Grandpa was saying, sounding more cautious than a moment ago. “Their instincts can be triggered easily. You don’t get to be careless with them. Especially not a fresh one like Cooper.”

Fresh? What was I, a baguette?

Jon didn’t answer right away. When he did, his voice was angry.

“With all due respect, Cooper’s the same Cooper I’ve known for years. I’m not comfortable talking about him like this—like I’m somehow his superior.”

I smiled. Gold star for Jon—and another kind of reward later.

“Of course you’re not his superior, but maintaining an Omega is a big responsibility—”

I shoved the door open.

“That’s such a bullshit Alpha thing to say!” I declared, gesturing so wildly that a few drops of coffee splashed onto the patio floor. “And I’m technically still inside!” I added, looking at Jon, my sore ass suddenly worried for its well-being.

He looked bemused.

I turned back to Grandpa. “What gives you the right to interrogate Jon like that? Would you like it if I went and interrogated Ian? Oh, I’m going to! IAN!”

I stomped back into the kitchen, but not before hearing Grandpa blow out a breath.

“I forgot what he’s like.”

Jon followed me inside.