Taming the Alpha Read Free Page A

voice.
    She swiveled to look at him then cursed herself for moving too fast. The world spun for a moment but she gained her balance. “Excuse me?” He had no right to question her.
    “You heard my question,” he growled, his jaw set.
    Okay, now his tone annoyed her. Adrenaline spiked through her, knocking some of her hangover right out of her system. “What I do in my free time is none of your business.”
    “Oh, it most definitely is.” Slowly, he stood up and set his cup on the table. His voice might be angry, but the way his gaze roved her robed body—like he was hungry for her—made her falter slightly.
    In an effort to mask her insecurity, she snorted and turned back to the coffee. “I don’t know why you’re here and I don’t really care,” she said as she poured a cup. “I said everything I needed to say last night. Those flowers are nice but they don’t change anything.” Talia might be pleased he’d bought them for her, but she wasn’t going to tell him that.
    She turned around to find him less than a foot away from her. She sucked in a deep breath. Nearly sloshing the coffee, she set it back down with a shaky hand. She hadn’t even heard him move. Why did he have to smell so good? Her eyes grew heavy for a moment as his scent messed with her head. It was earthy and spicy and made her dream about sex. Hot, raw primal sex that left her panting for more.
    “Did you enjoy yourself last night?” he asked in a deceptively soft voice as he stepped closer. Using his big body, he effectively caged her in. When he placed both hands on either side of her, she hated that the first instinct she had was to hoist herself up against him and wrap her legs around his waist. Then she’d run her fingers up and down that muscular chest of his with abandon. She inwardly groaned at her thoughts. Her body was a traitorous bitch.
    Instead of doing that , she placed a hand on his chest and slightly pushed. He didn’t budge, and his heart was racing beneath her palm. She wasn’t sure what that was about but she didn’t push again. Instead she yanked her hand back and glared at him. “I had a great time last night.”
    Something predatory flashed in his eyes. “I’ll just bet you did. If it wasn’t for Derrick bringing you home, God knows how you’d have gotten here. Anything could have happened to you. Anyone could have taken you home! What the hell were you thinking?” Now he was shouting.
    She hated that he was right because she’d had the very same thoughts last night as she slid into the passenger seat of Derrick’s car. Sarah had decided to hook up with some guy and if Derrick hadn’t been there, Talia would have called Grant. He might be a lot of things but he’d never have left her stranded at a club.
    She still couldn’t believe how fast she’d gotten drunk, but she hadn’t eaten dinner and it had been a long time since she’d had that much to drink. Usually her life was so consumed with work, school and lately, Grant , so everything else took a back seat. But she sure as hell didn’t need a lecture from him, especially when her skull was threatening to come apart. “I was thinking I’m a grown-ass woman and can do whatever I want.”
    “Oh yeah, when I carried you to bed last night you really seemed like a grownup.”
    Gritting her teeth, she didn’t back down. “You’re not my father and you’re sure as hell not my boyfriend so what the hell is your problem? If you stuck around to lecture me this morning you can get out. Actually, I don’t care why you’re here. Get out anyway. I’ve got a massive headache and just looking at you right now makes me so mad.”
    His dark eyes flared and for a moment it almost looked like they changed to dark amber. Sometimes they seemed to do that, usually when he was turned on, and it always stunned her. But when she blinked, she realized it was the light playing tricks on her.
    “If I’m not your boyfriend, then what am I?” Oh yeah. He was