6 - Shallow Act

~Gemma~

I frowned at him from across our booth. How did I end up in this situation? Right. Alpha Devlin commanded me. And when that failed, he bullied me. It paid to have strength and size on your side. My small stature let me down once again. Alpha Devlin, the lout, had a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes to match the aggravating smirk on his lips.

My fingers twitched as I fantasized about grabbing a salad fork and stabbing the offending orbs out of his face. No. That did not make me sadistic, vengeful maybe but definitely not sadistic. One transformation to his wolf form and everything would magically heal. Oh, everything except for his disturbing behaviors. No helping that.

“Is there something specific you wished to discuss?” After two glasses of wine, my spine still felt about as firm as Jello.

“No more sleepovers with Tyson. I mean it.”

I smiled, a glimmer of hope sparking in my soul. “Is that all? Easy. Done. We could have had this chat in my office.”

“I also want to discuss the future.”

Yup. Spark dead and gone. “Look. No matter what happened in our past, I wish you and Twyla all the best." No I didn't. I hated that bitch. My soul burned bright green with envy just at the thought of her with him. "You will make beautiful babies. And I meant what I said to Tyson, just don’t ask Aunt Gemma to babysit.” I held my breath and avoided direct eye contact.

“Twyla? Damn.” He grimaced.

Crap! I picked Twyla because I thought she was his favorite bedmate at the moment. I had to be strong. I took another sip from my glass and nodded with conviction.

His brows furrowed. “I just thought…”

“Don’t think! You always overthink and complicate shit. Let life take its natural course. We have no idea when you or Sadie will bring your spawn into the world. It could be this year, or five years from now.” I covered his hand with mine. Big mistake! Why did I have to touch him?

His thumb caressed my hand. He closed his eyes and inhaled sharply. “Whenever I am close to you, all I can think about is dragging you to my room and fucking you until my wolf is satisfied.”

My mouth fell open. Yes, this was the romantic side of my esteemed alpha. I glanced at the people around us. Everyone appeared engrossed in their own little world. Yet, my cheeks burned. Alphas had a terrible habit of saying whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted.

“Rude, sir! Are you crazy? Someone might overhear you! This is my favorite restaurant. I’d like to be able to return sans humiliation.”

Alpha Devlin ran a hand over his mouth before speaking. “And when I’m away from you, I can’t stop thinking about you. It’s driving me insane.”

Um. I came unprepared for this conversation. “Isn’t Twyla satisfying you in the bedroom department? You seem very close.”

“Hell no! My wolf lost interest in her long ago.”

“Forget about your wolf. What about you?” I grasped at anything, anything but the rotten truth.

“You don’t understand. My wolf is stronger than most. Even now, if you allowed me, I would drag you on top of this table and eat your sweet cunt until you begged me to stop.”

I remained cool and kept my struggling to a minimum as he griped my arm and thigh and proceeded to slide me around the circular booth until our bodies collided. However, I protested when his mammoth hand buried itself between my thighs.

“Do you have nothing to say?” He sounded irritated.

I moaned as his thumb caressed my intimate places. “What am I supposed to say? I don’t understand what you want from me!” I shoved his hand away.

He smiled, believing me ensnared in the trap of his sexy web. “It’s simple, sweetheart. I want to take you back to my place and fuck you into next week.”

“Why your place and not mine? It’s closer.” Really? That was the question I chose to ask? Ugh. Well, my place was closer and away from the pack house. Critical details.

The muscle in his cheek twitched. He leaned down to whisper in my ear. “I want your scent to linger on my bed. Then, maybe I can pretend Twyla is you.” His lips pressed gently on the side of my neck.

Ugh! Why did he have to be so darn handsome? And charming when he applied himself? My feeble heart stuttered. My tough act was shallow at best. I remembered every delicious sensation of having sex with Alpha Devlin. I gave him my virginity, along with my heart, when I was younger and stupid. I thought sex equaled love. Those were human notions, Alpha Devlin informed me. Mating for werewolves was a bit more complex. Sometimes, werewolves mated simply to establish dominance or as a reward for good behavior. And of course, mating could be a form of punishment. Although, Alpha Devlin did not condone that behavior in his pack.

“Nope. Not interested.” I insisted. I weaned myself off Devlin sex two years ago. Like any addiction, the withdrawals had been a brutal bitch.

His lip curled. “You mistake me, witch, by giving me more credit than I deserve. I am not asking your permission. I am informing you as a courtesy that I intend to mate with you until you are out of my system.”

“And do you have any idea how long it will take to rid me from your system? You know, so I can make plans?” I took another sip, mentally patting myself on the back for the steady hand. My rising anger dulled any growing desire I might have begun to feel for him. Fucker.

“I’ve no idea if it is even possible. I’ve never gotten away from my desires for you. It’s bordering on obsession.”

I set my glass on the table. No! He could not have true feelings for me. His fated mate was out there in the world, waiting to make her appearance at the most inconvenient moment. And how many times have I been informed that a human was not good enough for an alpha?

He tilted my chin up so I had to take in every chiseled detail of his beautiful face. As if I didn’t have him memorized in my long-term storage. “You aren’t any human, Gemma. You are my human. And I would forsake all women just to have you at my side.”

Sure. They all say that to get you in their beds. And when their fated mate turned up, they abandoned you with no remorse. Cold-hearted bastards. That scenario literally happened to a friend ealier this year. Now she played single mom while daddy moved on to play house with another woman. Fucker.

“Damn you. I do my best to respect your privacy. Why can’t you do the same for me?” My voice shook and I gave no shits about it. Maybe I should take that Florida vacation all by myself. I didn’t need some stupid wolf messing it up or bossing me around during my vacay. I was strong and independent. I intended to remain that way for as long as possible.

Alpha Devlin pulled me from my musings. “I am the reason you’ve grown so cynical and for that I am sorry.”

“You are?” I couldn’t hide my astonishment at his admission. I also became suspicious.

“Yes. I am also sorry it changes nothing. I will have you. Again. And again.”

Wham! And there it was! I snorted. Loudly. Our clan should have been named Pig-Headed Alpha Pack.

“Gemma, that is not funny. My head does not look like a pig.”

I smiled. “See? That’s what I’m talking about. You have no sense of humor. This is a major character flaw I cannot overlook.” For the millionth time, I built an impenetrable fortress around my mind. I deserved my privacy. Dammit.