Page 79 of Slick Trip

Cooper didn’t pull away, but I didn’t care about that—I knew what the brat was after. And he was going to get it later. What I was more interested in was asking that guy who the hell he thought he was. I crossed the room in a few strides, stepping straight into the stranger’s space. Before he even registered my presence, I slammed my hand onto the counter next to his elbow and let my scent flare—a massive wave of territorial Alpha. I didn’t usually do stupid Alpha shit like that, but I was too pissed off to care.

The guy went completely pale.

I slid my other hand around Cooper’s waist from behind and dragged him backward until his spine was flush against my chest.

“Oh, hi, Jon!” Cooper’s voice was high and a little breathless, his sweet pre-heat scent spiking eagerly. “I thought you were too busy to come.”

I didn’t look at him. I was fixated on the jackass who’d touched my Omega. A low, vibrating growl rolled through my ribs.

“Beckett?” he stammered. He looked like he was about to throw up. “Shit. Man, I didn’t—I swear, I didn’t know he was yours.”

“Excuse me,” Cooper said unhelpfully. “I’m my own person.”

Ignoring him—for now—I glared at the guy. “You have three seconds to get the fuck out of my sight. Three. Two . . .”

He didn’t wait for one. He scrambled backward so fast he knocked over a chair and fled the kitchen as his life depended on it.

A pleased flush had crept into Cooper’s cheeks. He looked at me in delight, like I’d just performed for him. I spun him around, pinning his lower back against the edge of the counter. My gaze dropped to his bare midriff. Hooking my fingers into the waistband of his sweatpants, I tugged them down just enough to expose the full stretch of that pink lace.

He lifted his chin.

“Caveman much?” He tried for a smirk, though it was starting to dawn on him I wasn’t particularly amused. He took a shaky sip from his cup—water, I noted with a flash of relief.

“We’re leaving,” I said through gritted teeth, leaning down until my mouth was a fraction of an inch from his scent gland.

“Hmm.” He leaned his head back against my shoulder, intentionally baring his neck while testing the length of his leash. “Not sure I want to. The party’s just getting started.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. I’d been in the middle of a shower, trying to think of my next move because it affected Cooper too. It affected our whole fucking future. How comfortably we could live, how much he’d need in student loans, and if we could rent a bigger house. I was not in the mood for arguing with my boyfriend, who was standing in a stranger’s kitchen wearing pink lace and hijacking my every thought.

“You have two options,” I said evenly. “You follow me, or I carry you to the car.”

His lips parted in a mix of shock and wicked excitement, and his thighs rubbed against mine. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me, brat. Done it before, haven’t I?”

“Sure, use your size against me, why don’t you?” he snapped, squirming against me. “Or I have a better idea—just sprinkle some Alpha magic in the air and boss me around. It would suit your psychotic behavior.”

I leaned in, my teeth grazing the sensitive skin on his neck. “Don’t fucking tempt me.”

We stared at each other until he finally set his cup down, rolling his eyes. “God forbid I have some fun.”

He dragged his feet the entire way out, deliberately stopping to chat with every half-familiar face just to see my knuckles turn white.

We didn’t speak on the drive home.

The second the front door shut behind us, I turned and pinned him against it.

“You think sneaking out while I was in the shower was clever?” I rasped. He tipped his head back, baring his neck with a whimper. He smelled heavenly—overstimulated and so needy. He was already desperate for me. “Letting some random bastard touch what’s mine?”

“I got angry,” he whispered, his bravado starting to crack.

“Yeah,” I said. “I noticed.” I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him tight against my chest. “I’m sorry I was neglecting you,” I muttered into his hair. “But lying to me? Sneaking out in pre-heat?”

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “But I needed to know.”

“Know what?”

“If I’m more important.” The uncertainty in his voice felt like a slap.