Downpour (Alpha Love - A Paranormal Werewolf Shifter Romance Book 1) Read Free Page B

intimidated. This conversation is getting weirder by the minute , she thinks. She opens her mouth, but isn’t quite sure what to say. She gets the feeling that this guy knows her, like he knows more about her than he has any right to. But that’s impossible, we’ve only just met, and I’m too old to believe in fairy tales. Life just isn’t like that .
     
    “That’s not really any of your business,” she says in a low and cold voice, hating how his throwaway comment has dredged up her defensiveness and all the thoughts she’d been avoiding on the run. It was one of the things that Tyler had hated, the way her mood could change in an instant. She couldn’t really blame him for that.
     
    The mystery man doesn’t reply, just looks her up and down from the feet of her dirt-stained trainers, up her toned runner’s legs, past her flat stomach that’s visible under her tight technical t-shirt, and back to her face, which now holds a thoroughly pissed expression. The way he looks at her brings Luke to mind—the man who thinks he owns her. However, there’s something so different about this guy’s gaze. There’s a hunger to it that warms her between her thighs.
     
    “You should be careful out on these trails,” he points out, taking a few steps back, breaking the tension between them. “Hardly anyone comes out here. If you’d fallen or gotten hurt, it would be days before anyone ever found you.”
     
    There’s no threat in his words, but it still makes Sofie uneasy. Please don’t let him be a serial killer, please don’t let him be a serial killer, she silently repeats.
     
    “Thanks for the tip. But I can look after myself,” she says, as she crosses her arms and catches sight of the time. Dammit, I’m going to be late if I don’t sprint all the way back to the motel .
     
    “I bet,” he says under his breath, mimicking Sofie’s words from earlier. “Just figured, as you’re not from around here, you could use some friendly advice.” He’s breezy as he says the words, but it’s clear that he’s analyzing her reactions.
     
    Sofie feels herself stiffen. The first rule of Shale Corporation is that you work under the radar and keep yourself to yourself. The last thing the company wants is angry townsfolk protesting over a big corporation drilling for oil in their back yard. She knew the rules, and she’d learned how to play by them. It didn’t mean that she had to like it though. As far as she was concerned, people had a right to know what was going on in their town and how it was going to affect their lives. When she’d taken her opinions up with Luke, he had called her an idealist and dismissed her; but, that had been the start of his interest in her. Sometimes she wishes that she’d just kept her mouth shut and towed the line, maybe then she wouldn’t have to deal with a stalker for a boss.
     
    “Thanks, but I’m just passing through. I won’t be here for long. Anyway, I better get back. The guys will be wondering where I am.” She throws the last phrase out there, just so that he’s sure someone is waiting for her—in case he does have any serial killer tendencies. Mr. Ten-Out-Of-Ten laughs, and the reverberations come from deep inside his broad chest. What a great sound , she thinks.
     
    “This isn’t the big city, little lady. You’re safe here.” As he says the words, it’s as if he’s making a promise that he’ll keep her free from harm. Even though Sofie had never been the kind of girl that wanted to be looked after, there’s something so comforting in what he’s saying. In fact, her desire to take care of herself was probably why she and Tyler had been together for so long. He had made it clear from the beginning that her problems were hers, and he didn’t want anything to do with them.
     
    “Good to know.” She defaults to flippant mode and walks towards the entrance to the trail quickly, head down. She doesn’t want him to see what his words have stirred up