N. Walters - Alexandra's Legacy

She heard it then. That note in his voice that told her he was berating himself for not anticipating what she would do. He figured he should have known even before she did what she was going to do. It annoyed her. “I told you earlier this evening that you weren’t God.”

“So you did.” Pulling something out of the bag, he tossed it to her. She caught it reflexively in her free hand, curious as to what it was. It was definitely some form of clothing. She laid the Glock on the bed and shook out the fabric. It was a white T-shirt with “Gino’s Authentic Italian Pizza” written in blazing red across the front. “I thought you might want something clean to wear.”

“Thank you.” She clutched it to her chest. Once again, he’d done something incredibly sensitive. It hadn’t even occurred to her he would think to get something like this for her.

He shrugged. “It’s nothing. You should put it on and come eat before the pizza gets cold.” He was watching her with an unreadable expression in his eyes. “I promise I didn’t get anything yucky.”

She smiled at him, feeling as if he’d given her the world instead of just a T-shirt and pizza. It was the fact he’d thought of the shirt in the first place and tailored the pizza to suit her tastes that moved her. “Okay. I’ll be right back.”

Hurrying to the bathroom, she slammed the door behind her.

The second the door closed, Joshua let out a pent-up breath. His temples were pounding. Slamming his fist through the wall while he howled sounded like a good way to release some of his fury, but he did neither. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t realized she’d take a shower as soon as he was gone. If he hadn’t been so concerned with getting some food for her, if he’d only thought the situation through, he’d have guessed she’d want to get clean after everything she’d been through today.

Instead, Alex had left herself open and vulnerable while he’d been gone.

Pushing open the door and facing a determined Alex aiming a 9mm at his chest was an experience he wasn’t likely to forget. She’d been willing to face down whoever was at the door with only a skimpy towel wrapped around her.

He didn’t think she had any idea just how much the towel enticed more than it hid. She might have been covered, but the thin towel had clung to her curves, outlining her waist and the flare of her hips. It had taken all his discipline not to rip the towel from her body, toss her on the bed, mount her from behind and fuck her until they both yelled with pleasure.

Digging the palms of his hands into his eyes, he pressed hard. His cock was throbbing like a damn toothache with no relief in sight. He sank down on the bed and yanked his cell phone out of his back pocket. It was a disposable one he’d dump once he was home. All of them used disposable phones, changing numbers frequently. Bounty hunters might not trust authorities, but they did love their electronic toys and he knew they’d have hackers who could get into phone records with no problem at all.

He punched in a number and waited. It was picked up on the first ring. “What?”

Joshua grinned even as he growled into the receiver. “Your day couldn’t have been as bad as mine so shut up and listen.”

The man on the other end snorted. “I saw just how hard your day was, little brother. I saw you talking with the woman in an alleyway this morning. If you’re smart, you’ll claim that woman you’ve been running all over town with. Fuck her so long and hard, she’ll never want any other wolf but you.” He paused. “It’s what I’d do if I were in your position.”

“You’re not in my position.” The thought of his brother fucking Alex brought a red haze to his eyes. “It wouldn’t be fair to Alex.”

“And you’re all about honor, are you not, my brother?”

Joshua swiped a hand down his face, suddenly feeling very tired. “Isaiah.” He didn’t quite know how to answer his brother. It was a touchy spot between them that Isaiah had felt no sense of duty toward the pack, refusing to take his father’s place as Striker after his death. It had fallen to Joshua, the next in line, instead. He loved his brother fiercely, but he didn’t always understand him. He turned back to the business at hand. “The car was compromised.”

“Shit. I pulled Simon off it as soon as I knew you were headed that way. I figured it would be more productive for us to hunt rogue wolves instead.”

“It was hunters.”

Isaiah swore long and loud. “Son of a bitch!”

“I got a vehicle from Damek.” He gave his brother the location, hating to do even that over the phone, but knowing it was necessary.

“I know where it is. We won’t be far behind you.” He sensed his brother’s momentary hesitation. “Joshua. Don’t allow honor to deprive you of what is yours. Do not be afraid to reach out and take something for yourself.”

“Isaiah,” he began, not quite certain what he was going to say. But it didn’t matter. His brother grunted and broke the connection. Joshua snapped his phone shut.

“Who was that?” Alex was standing in the open door of the bathroom watching him. She looked adorable in the shirt, which skimmed the tops of her thighs. He stared hard. If he wasn’t mistaken, she wasn’t wearing a bra.

“No one.” He shoved the phone in his back pocket as he stood.

She raised one eyebrow and glared at him.

He sighed. It would be easier if she was a submissive female, but then he probably wouldn’t be attracted to her at all. Shaking his head, he resigned himself to the inevitable. He held out one of the chairs. “Come and eat and I’ll tell you.”

Alex tugged at the hem of the shirt as she walked to the table. Thankfully, Joshua didn’t seem to be paying her any attention as he was occupied digging drinks and napkins out of the bag. Now that she had something clean to wear, she’d decided to take the chance and washed her bra and panties, hanging them over the rod in the bathroom to dry. The thought of having clean underwear in the morning was heavenly. The only problem was that the shirt wasn’t quite as long as she’d have liked. It just covered her behind. Barely.

Hurrying over to the table, she pulled down hard on the hem, tucking some of the cotton fabric beneath her as she sat. Relaxing now that the table was covering her from the waist down, she eyed the small mound of items Joshua was unpacking. He’d been busy and had obviously gone to more than just the pizza parlor. There were two toothbrushes, a small tube of toothpaste, a comb and a bottle of lotion. She knew he hadn’t bought the lotion for himself. Again, she was touched by his thoughtfulness.

“You were busy.”

He shrugged as he unscrewed the top off a bottle of water and laid it on the table in front of her. “There was a convenience store next to the pizza joint. They didn’t have much, but I got what I thought you might need.”

“Thank you, Joshua.” Reaching out, she touched his hand.

His fingers twined with hers until their palms were pressed together. “You’re welcome, Alex.”

The tension in the room rose dramatically each second their hands remained clasped. A feeling of anticipation filled Alex. A yearning grew deep inside her. Her breathing became shallower, her chest rising and falling quickly. The motion caused the fabric of her shirt to brush her nipples, making them pucker. A trickle of liquid flowed from her core and she made a tiny sound of distress in the back of her throat.

Joshua dropped her hand as if her skin suddenly burned his. “Have some pizza,” he ordered gruffly as he opened the box. “You’ve got to be hungry.”

Alex nodded, unable to speak. She’d forgotten all about being hungry for food. Her hunger was for something else all together, but something told her that particular appetite wasn’t going to be appeased right now.