Undeniable Attraction

by Hope Stone

  Undeniable Attraction

  Insta Love Alpha Male (Book 5)

  Hope Stone

  Copyright © 2019 by Hope Stone

  In no way is it legal to produce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless written permission from the publisher. All rights are reserved. Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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  Contents

  About Hope Stone

  Chapter 1: Pete

  Chapter 2: Megan

  Chapter 3: Pete

  Chapter 4: Megan

  Chapter 5: Pete

  Chapter 6: Megan

  Chapter 7: Pete

  Chapter 8: Megan

  Chapter 9: Pete

  Chapter 10: Megan

  Epilogue: Megan

  Special Invitation

  About Hope Stone

  Thank you so much for checking out my new release. Undeniable Attraction is Book 5 in the Insta Love Alpha Male Series. These books can be read as stand alone stories in any order.

  Book 1: Curvy Obsession

  Book 2: His Obsession, Her Curves

  Book 3: Billionaire’s Party Planner

  Book 4: Unforgettable Curves

  Book 5: Undeniable Attraction

  Boxset (Books 1-3): Insta Love Alpha Males Boxset

  Here’s what reviewers are saying about the Insta Love Alpha Male Series:

  Chapter 1: Pete

  I watched the pretty blonde flirting with my boss Tommy, and I felt a little jealous. Okay, maybe jealous isn’t the correct term. I was in awe of the man and how he could turn down someone like that. He found it so easy to just say no to women he wasn’t interested in. He knew what he wanted and I liked that about him. But at the same time, I wished that girls like that would flirt with me. No one ever really flirted with me unless I expressed an interest in them first. But to be honest, I’d always been kind of bad at flirting, anyway.

  “Seriously? She was hot, Tommy. I don’t get how you can turn down someone who looks like that,” I groaned as soon as Kimberly, the pretty blonde, had left after pretty much throwing herself at my boss. “I’d kill for a girl like that to ask me out.”

  “And that’s why a girl like that will never ask you out. They want men who aren’t drooling over them to ask them out so they can prove they can get any man. Kimberly may not know she’s doing it, but it’s an ego thing. I, on the other hand, am done with flings and one-night stands. I want someone with substance and character. Believe me, I’ve been with women like that and it never ends well. They’re fun for a while, but I’m not the kind of guy she ends up with. She ends up with Chad who works in finance, I guarantee you that. She’s just going through a mid-twenties rebellious phase. I’ve seen it all before.”

  I just looked at him and rolled my eyes. “One day, I’m going to be the hotshot tattoo artist that girls ask out.”

  “Yeah, you will… as soon as you stop calling women ‘girls,’” he shot back.

  He was right. Not about Kimberly, necessarily, but about the way I spoke about women. Back then, I wasn’t as clued in to life as I would quickly become. I was young and dumb. Fresh from New York City, I’d moved to the small town of Florydale to apprentice for Tommy, who was arguably the greatest tattoo artist of his time. I wanted to be just like him. And not just as a tattoo artist, but as a person. He knew what he wanted out of life and I had no idea… yet.

  Tommy was also from New York. He was well-known around those parts for being a playboy and an artist. He’d had a massive reputation back then. But a year ago, he’d moved to the small town to live a simpler life. I didn’t get it at the time, but I soon would. He was tired of being the person people expected him to be and I could respect that.

  I, on the other hand, was 22 years old and not as smart as I liked to believe I was. I think the best thing Tommy ever taught me was to shut my mouth and listen… preferably to him. But I’m glad I was the way I was back then, because if I’d been any different, I wouldn’t have met the most amazing woman in the world. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

  The next day, I arrived at the tattoo parlor at 7 am to find Kimberly there as Tommy was opening up. I walked in on their conversation and Tommy had just said he had plans that night with me. I knew he was making excuses so he didn’t have to go out with Kimberly, but I agreed with him anyway… and then I invited Kimberly to join us and bring a friend. At the time, I was just being annoying to Tommy. Little did I know that it would change the course of my entire life.

  Tommy gave me a talking to after Kimberly left. I just laughed and told him to relax, we were just going to the local bar GamePlan for a drink. Not much could go wrong. And, anyway, I said to him, he needed to have a little fun.

  “Just because you live in a small town, that doesn’t mean you have an excuse not to live a little. It’ll be fun, trust me,” I said, sure that it would at least be fun for me.

  Tommy finally gave in, but he really didn’t have a choice. He’d already said yes in front of Kimberly and he wasn’t the type of guy to stand someone up, even if he wasn’t into her. He even agreed to go through some of my designs with me, which I’d been dying to do since I’d moved across the country to work for him.

  Finally, it was time for us to go to GamePlan to have a drink. Kimberly and her friend were already there when we arrived. Kimberly was sitting facing the door, but all I could see of her friend was her curly brown hair. Tommy followed me to the table, still a little grumpy about the whole thing.

  “Hey, Kimberly,” I said and then turned to her friend and extended my hand. “Hi. I’m Pete.”

  The first thing I noticed about her friend was her large green eyes; it was like they were looking straight into my soul. She cocked her head, smiled and shook my hand. “I’m Megan.”

  That smile could have ended wars, I swear it. I’d never seen anyone as unintentionally cool as Megan. She was wearing very little makeup, but she didn’t need it. And she was wearing a simple white T-shirt and a brown leather jacket. Everything about her was beautiful, from her eyes and smile to the way she said her own name. She was so self-assured and secure in who she was, I felt almost unworthy of being in her presence.

  “I’m Pete,” I said again.

  “Yes, you mentioned that,” she laughed. But she wasn’t laughing at me in a cruel way; it was almost like she was laughing with me at a joke I didn’t even know I’d made.

  “How about a round of drinks to start this party off?” I asked, seeing as I was still standing and everyone else was seated.

  “I’ll come with you. I might need to give the bartender instructions. It’s hard to get an Old Fashioned done right in small towns,” she said.

  Chapter 2: Megan

  Being dragged to drinks with Kimberly and her crush wasn’t how I was planning on spending my evening. I was studying for my MBA online and I really just wanted a night in the books. But I could never really say no to Kimberly. And when she had a crush on someone who wasn’t particularly interested in her, she was more difficult than usual.

  She was a good person and she’d been my best friend since we were little kids. But she had a habit of finding the one man who wasn’t interested in her and pursuing him. In high school, my cousin Derek had to come out as gay to the entire family before she’d believe that she didn’
t have a chance. She was great and one day she’d find someone who understood that, but until then, I would be dragged to drinks with her crushes and their friends.

  I didn’t bother getting dressed up. GamePlan was the local bar in a small town and I felt like it didn’t really matter what I looked like. I threw on my old brown leather jacket over the fitted white T-shirt I was wearing and headed out to meet my friend. If I’d known what was going to happen that night and who I was going to meet, I think I probably would have put more of an effort into my appearance.

  We got to the bar early because Kimberly was too excited to hang back and wait. But, of course, she wouldn’t let me order us drinks until they arrived. She had silly rules about things like that. I didn’t mind, but I couldn’t help feeling like I should be at home studying instead of on some kind of blind date.

  “They’re coming in,” she whispered excitedly to me. I didn’t get why she was so into this guy. He was some bigshot tattoo artist who’d run away from the big city life for some reason. She probably liked the mystery surrounding him. All I was told about my date was that he was Tommy’s apprentice.

  Suddenly, the two men were standing in front of us. I’d already met Tommy, but his friend, Pete, introduced himself. He was kind of handsome in a sort of tall and lanky way. But the way he was looking at me was sort of sweet. I smiled up at him and he smiled back with this really cute lopsided grin. It was hard not to like someone with a face like that.

  “I’m Megan,” I said, shaking the hand he extended toward me.

  “I’m Pete,” he said for the second time.

  “Yes, you mentioned that,” I replied. There was something so genuine about him that I laughed unintentionally. I wasn’t meaning to be cruel; it was more like I was laughing with him than at him.

  He offered to get a round of drinks and I said I’d go with him. My excuse was that I wanted to give the bartender instructions in case they didn’t know how to make an Old Fashioned. But that wasn’t the real reason. I didn’t really care all that much whether or not they made my drink right. I just didn’t want to be alone with Tommy and Kimberly.

  “I’m not that fussy about my drink,” I said once we were alone in the line for the bar. “I just thought I’d leave those two alone for a bit. Didn’t want to be the awkwardly silent third wheel.”

  “What’s in an Old Fashioned, anyway?” he asked as we waited for our turn.

  “Bourbon, bitters, sugar, water, and a twist of citrus rind,” I said with a smile. “It’s a little bit pretentious, but I was introduced to them while I was studying at Harvard and I really liked them. They seemed sophisticated when really I just felt like a kid who someone let inside a bar. Sometimes, I think I enjoy them more for the memories than the actual taste.”

  He smiled at my response as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. “I guess I will have to try one,” he said. And then he turned to the bartender, “Two Old Fashioneds, one Pink Cosmo and a double shot of whiskey, no ice… please.”

  I laughed as I heard him ask for a Pink Cosmo. It was Kimberly’s favorite drink simply because it was bright pink. I couldn’t believe anyone would drink something that sweet. But then again, Kimberly was a rather unique person and I loved her that way. Even if she could be a bit much sometimes.

  We took the drinks back to the table. The conversation had obviously run dry and Tommy seemed distracted. I watched his eyes as they followed a woman in a red dress walk in. This won’t be good, I thought to myself. But it’s better that Kimberly learns sooner rather than later that this guy isn’t into her. There were so many guys out there who would kill to be with her, but he wasn’t one of them.

  I took a long look at my default date for the night. He was cute and interesting. And absolutely nothing like the men I’d dated at Harvard. He was tall with brown hair pretty much the same shade as mine, only his wasn’t nearly as curly. His left arm was covered in tattoos, which made sense since he was apprenticing to be a tattoo artist. But there was nothing at all on his right arm.

  “Why is your right arm completely blank when your left one is fully inked?” I asked him.

  He laughed. “Because I wanted to finish one completely before I moved on to the next. Plus, I have to choose a theme for that arm. I want all my ink to work together.”

  “Ah, kind of like an art gallery,” I said with a smile.

  “Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I do think of my tattoos as art. Some people fail to see the beauty in them, but I feel like some people love art enough to put it on their walls and I love art enough to put it on my body.” His answer was thoughtful and I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach that I knew meant I definitely liked this guy. I hadn’t felt that feeling in a long time and for once I just let myself enjoy it.

  “I’ve been thinking of getting one. I know it’s kind of a cliché, but I want a butterfly. Not in pink or purple or anything, but sort of one that looks like a sketch. I’ve just always loved butterflies… they’ve been through a lot to become that beautiful.”

  “How about I draw you a sketch of a butterfly? I’ll make sure it doesn’t look like a cliché. You can come by the studio to check it out.”

  I nodded, but was quickly distracted by Tommy excusing himself from the table to go speak to the woman in red, who he’d been staring at the whole night.

  Chapter 3: Pete

  I knew that it was kind of my fault that we were all having drinks together. Okay, so it was entirely my fault. But I wanted to hit Tommy when he walked across to talk to the woman who owned the bakery when he was supposed to be talking to Kimberly. Although, to be fair, he hadn’t really wanted to be doing either. He’d originally faked plans with me, so I guess he was planning on talking to me the whole night. But I was far more interested in speaking to Megan.

  There was something special about her that I couldn’t put my finger on. I guess maybe it was that she was so effortlessly cool without even trying. I’d spent my whole life trying to be cool, but she didn’t even seem to give it a second thought. I don’t think she cared at all what other people thought of her.

  When Tommy left the table, I could tell that Kimberly was irritated. And Megan was the friend who had to try and comfort her. I got the hint and got up to order us another round. It was best to leave them to discuss what was happening without the awkwardness of having me there. I just hoped that they didn’t leave. I didn’t meet women like Megan every day.

  I watched Tommy flirt with the woman in the red dress across the bar. Something about her made it clear that she was more Tommy’s type. She wasn’t exactly his age, but she appeared more mature than Kimberly and I think that was a big thing for Tommy these days. I knew he was looking for something serious. I didn’t think I was, but when I looked at Megan, I started to reconsider what I thought I wanted.

  As I was bringing the drinks back, I saw Tommy storm back to the table. As I sat down, he announced that he was leaving because he had an early day the next day. I knew that wasn’t really the case, but I left it at that. I was glad when Kimberly asked if he’d walk her home. I knew that Tommy would never let a woman walk home on her own in the dark, even though I could tell he didn’t want to be seen leaving with her.

  Suddenly, it was just the two of us. I was happy that Megan hadn’t decided to leave. I took Tommy’s drink and pulled it over to my side of the table.

  “I’m not going to waste a good drink,” I muttered.

  Then we both stared at the Pink Cosmo and then looked at each other and burst out laughing.

  “Maybe we can send it over to one of those teenagers with fake IDs over there,” Megan said and pointed to a group of ambiguously aged girls.

  “You’ve got a good eye. I would have just assumed they looked young for their age. Can you even get fake IDs in Florydale?” I genuinely didn’t know.

  “Yes, believe me, you can. I got my first one in the parking lot of the old video shop when I was 15,” she laughed.

  “How do I know you’re
not using a fake ID right now?” I joked. “I mean, next thing I know, your father could walk in yelling at you and I could be in a lot of trouble.”

  “Well, for starters, I think I may actually be older than you. So, if one of us should be scared, I think maybe it should be me. I just turned 25 and here’s my driver’s license to prove it. It’s harder to fake a driver’s license than an ID, I promise.” She winked at me as she handed over her ID.

  “Well, this looks legitimate. I’ve never had one of these myself, though, so you could be pulling the wool over my eyes.” I laughed and slid the card back in her direction.

  “You don’t have a driver’s license? Now I’m concerned. How do I know you’re over 21?”

  “I’m a city boy, NYC born and bred. In the city, you don’t learn to drive, you learn to hail a cab or read a public transit schedule.” I smiled at her. “But, to be honest, I’ll be 23 next month.”

  “Okay, well now, that changes everything. You’re practically a fetus. I couldn’t possibly date anyone younger than me. Just feels wrong,” she replied in a deadpan voice.

  I guess I took a few seconds too long to reply because she quickly added, “I’m only kidding.”

  “I’m just glad you think this is a date.” I smiled at her broadly.

  “I think it became a date when both of our friends left and we stayed,” she said simply.

  We both just sat there grinning at each other and then her phone started vibrating on the table. She looked at the caller and turned it over.

  “Just my MBA advisor from school. He tends to think everyone spends all their time working like he does.”