by AJ Merlin
“Well, I was getting myself coffee,” he said, brandishing his own cup that he held in the hand closer to his chest. “And I remembered you talking about how much you like caramel mochas with extra cream.”
I’d said that one time. And not in a conversation with him.
I blinked at the cup, hyper aware of both Noah and Andi in the room.
And of course, neither of them were trying to hide their surprise. Nor were they trying to look busy with something other than us.
“You…really got me coffee?” I reached up slowly, wondering if he’d snatch it away at any moment and cackle about his obvious joke.
But he didn’t.
His smile softened slightly, and something in his eyes seemed to brighten when I curled my fingers around the still hot cup.
It did not escape me that he had not brought Noah coffee.
Nor did he remark on it.
Feeling like I was under a microscope, I removed the sticker that covered the hole in the lid and brought the cup to my lips, tipping it up to take a drink.
It was amazing. Not just good. Not just great. Amazing.
“Holy shit,” I announced. “This is the best coffee I’ve ever had.”
Not really surprising, given that he could probably afford to buy his own coffee farm.
“I always swing by there when I’m coming this way,” he admitted with a small, casual shrug. “I can pick you up some on my way in when you’re working.”
“That’s…really nice of you to offer, but I doubt I can pay you back,” I admitted with an apologetic smile.
Hades drew back, looking bemused. “I’m not asking you to,” he said slowly.
He wasn’t?
“Oh…okay,” was all I could think to say while Hades looked at me as if he too was confused.
“She’d love it,” Noah finally supplied. “She’s just not very good at recognizing when something is a gift.” The last two words he directed at me, eyes narrowing.
A gift?
Well of course I could recognize-
Wait a minute.
Was Noah insinuating this was a gift like the stuffed maned wolf was a gift?
No way. Coffee was just…coffee.
Right?
Noah was just romanticizing everything, no matter how mundane.
“He’s kind of right,” I admitted. “I’m not really used to…stuff like this.”
If possible, Hades looked more affronted at my words.
What had I done now?
“Well that’s-“ he bit off whatever he was going to say and changed direction instantly. “I like doing nice things,” he said instead. “And if coffee is the nice thing I can do for you, then I’d love if you’d let me do it. Okay?”
“Okay,” I agreed, meeting his eyes again. “Thank you, Hades. I really really appreciate this.”
“Don’t mention it.” He lifted his own coffee in a mock toast and turned on his heel, walking back down the hallway towards the camera rooms and offices.
Andi stalked over a second later, looking closely at the coffee in my hand.
“That’s from Grit and Ground,” she announced, as if I had any idea what that meant.
At my confusion, she went on with a sigh. “It’s in prime Ahlleron territory. They’re the best coffee shop in the whole city, hands down. Also it’s like ten dollars for a cup.”
Both Noah and I gaped at her.
“Ten dollars?!” I yelped. “For coffee?”
Andi nodded sagely.
“Why would he bring me coffee?” I asked, taking another sip of it. “Well-maybe because I helped him the other day? Possibly?”
Was this the absolute best coffee I’d ever had-along with being the most expensive?
Yes. It absolutely was.
“Maybe because he likes you?” Andi shrugged.
“Maybe because it’s a gift,” Noah said, enunciating the word in a not-so-subtle way. “From an-“
“I know what you think,” I cut him off sharply. “But he’s Hades Ahlleron. Remember? No way it’s that kind of gift, Noah. Look at him and look at me.”
“You think it’s that kind of gift?” Andi asked, surprised at Noah’s assumptions.
“Yeah, I do,” my roommate confirmed, pulling away from me and going to Andi’s receptionist desk. “Did any mail come for me?” he asked, drawing her attention away from me and my coffee.
“Hmm?” She walked towards him and the desk, plucking at an envelope. “You do, actually. Almost forgot. From a fan, Noah?”
The tips of his ears turned red at her teasing and he shook his head, plucking it from her grip. “It’s a secret,” he said, and I fell into step with him as we walked down the hallway in the same direction that Hades had gone.
Who in the world was that letter from?
Hayley, perhaps?
“I don’t think it’s that kind of gift,” I said, once we were alone. “Hades isn’t…Come on, Noah. I’m not trying to be self deprecating here, or anything, but it’s pretty obvious he isn’t interested in me. We barely live on the same mortal coil.”
“Why do you think he’d care about stuff like status or money?” Noah asked, dipping into the break room for his morning donut. Rita had never failed so far to bring pastries in, and usually had enough in the break room to feed an army.
“Uh, because he’s an Ahlleron alpha?”
“An Ahlleron cam guy with a huge following, a love of showing off all of his assets, and who has never ever held his status above any of us,” Noah pointed out.
“Whatever.” I shrugged my shoulders, letting them fall hard. “But I feel like, when it does end up being just coffee and just being nice, you’re going to be really disappointed.”
I wouldn’t add that maybe-possibly-I’d be disappointed as well. For all that I was expecting it.
“Have you watched any of my videos lately?” The question was posed innocently enough, sure, but Hades’ tone rang with devious intent.
From my spot cleaning the mirror of the large bathroom, I paused.
I could see him in the mirror, of course. Hades sat on the edge of the black tub behind me, dressed casually in his long-sleeved v-neck and jeans. He watched me with interest, his long lashes giving him an allure that neither I nor his million-and-a-half followers could resist.
God, this is such a trick question, I whispered internally. I should have probably made up some polite answer, something that didn’t sound incredibly obsessed.
But I’d been doing that all along, and so far things were still confusing between us.
“All the damn time,” I said plainly, and my answer clearly shocked the panther shifter.
His eyes widened incrementally, his long, dark lashes no longer so close to his cheeks. “That’s not the answer I was expecting,” he admitted with a low chuckle, recovering his composure with grace.
“Well-you are you,” I pointed out, and gestured at him like that made all the sense in the world and I wasn’t just trying to explain myself to sound less crazy. “Who doesn’t watch your videos all the damn time?”
“A lot of people,” he replied easily.
“They have no taste.” Hesitating, I considered my words before pushing onward. “Hades, did you….”
I trailed off and he watched me, tipping his head to the side as he waited for me to finish.
“No, it’s dumb,” I denied, losing my nerve and turning back to the mirror.
“Did I send you a subscription to my premium content after the first time we met?” The alpha filled in, his complacent smile never once falling from his beautiful lips.
I froze again and snuck a glance at him, as if he wasn’t staring straight at me and saw the movement for what it was.
“Well…yeah. Actually. Noah and Ryann think you did, but I replied that if you really did, it was just professional, and-“
“It wasn’t professional,” Hades cut in. “I’d venture to say it was rather unprofessional. But to be fair…” he raised his shoulde
rs, and let them fall. “It was also selfish. I thought maybe you’d tell me what you thought of my videos. But you haven’t.”
Oh.
“So you…wanted me to tell you what I thought of them?” I confirmed.
“Yes. Which I remember saying to you at Sadie’s house.”
Well. Yes. He had. But I hadn’t thought he’d meant it.
“I thought….” I trailed off again, trying to put into words that I thought he was just being flirtatious because that’s how he was in real life.
What if I’d been wrong this whole damn time?
What if a gift wasn’t just a gift?
“You thought what?” he didn’t push it, past that bit of prodding, and his expression was tinged with curiosity.
“Well I just thought you were being nice. At Sadie’s. With the…” I lifted my hand and did an exaggerated ‘come hither’ motion. “Why wouldn’t you be?”
“You thought I was joking,” he went on, and the look on his face was one I couldn’t read. Amusement, maybe? Surprise?
“I just figured you flirted with everyone. I mean-that you were nice to everyone,” I amended quickly.
“It is my family’s motto to at least try to put on a pleasant face to anyone that might be important….” Hades acquiesced. “Speaking of, how is Wilder doing these days?” His tone remained the same as it was, though he watched my face with rapt attention.
“Wilder?” My voice rose and I pressed my palms to the sink, not bothering with the mirror any longer.
His smile widened, but he didn’t say anything else.
“How do you know-wait. What exactly are you asking me?” I said finally, turning and facing him with a tilt to my head and semi-narrowed eyes.
Smitten I might be with the Ahlleron alpha, but I would not let him think I was a pushover.
“I’m asking how Wilder is,” Hades shrugged, getting to his feet. “Anytime he kills someone, my mother sends her liaison out to see why.”
“But your family allows him to do that? To rule the Heights like that and–“
“Wilder is a family friend, as it were. And the mystery of why he’s allowed to do as he does is a conversation best saved for gaudy offices and people who care much more about politics than I do. I just wanted to know how he’s doing.”
“He’s…fine, I guess,” I replied. “Not that I’d know. I was only at his apartment for-“ I broke off, realizing my mistake.
Hades was an alpha. If he really was interested in anything more, then my words had burned that possibility to the ground.
But I supposed it was better this way, wasn’t it? I’d always wanted more than one alpha. And anyone who wasn’t of the same mind wouldn’t very well be happy with me, would they?
I’d expected him to leave. Or to say something unkind. Instead he just watched me, his gaze never leaving mine. “I think I’ll put you out of your misery,” he said at last, heaving a good-humored sigh. “I’m very aware that you talked to the enforcers smelling like Wilder. And that he brought you from his apartment.”
“And that makes you feel…?” I lifted my brows in question, unsure of what he was getting at.
“Honestly?” he rolled his eyes up to the ceiling and pursed his lips dramatically. “Honestly, Alek. It makes me feel a little hurt.”
When he looked at me again, his eyes were slitted like a cat’s, the green brightening until they looked lit from within.
No longer was I looking at Hades-the-friendly-cam-guy.
No, now my mouth fell open as I took in Hades, the panther-alpha.
“Hurt?” I repeated, fingers curling in the counter behind me as my heart raced in my chest.
“Yeah.” He stepped forward once, then again, until only a few inches remained between us. “I thought, the first time we met, you smelled better than any omega-any shifter-I’ve ever laid eyes on. And the way you reacted…” he shrugged, though the movement was really just a predatory roll of his shoulders that somehow put him closer to me. “I thought you felt the same way about me. I thought you felt it too.”
My insides curled, but it was very far from unpleasant.
It? What was it?
“Sadie’s was bad timing, I think,” he admitted with a frown. “And I haven’t wanted to scare you away.”
Swallowing, I absently wondered when my mouth had decided to mimic the Sahara desert. “What…is there to scare me away from?” I asked.
Hades snorted in a completely undignified manner. “You’re so sweet, princess.” He stepped forward again, completely eliminating any space between my body and his as he reached up to press his hand against my jaw.
“I should probably play the long game,” he admitted. “With the coffee and whatever else I think you’d like. That was my plan, but-“
“I slept with him,” I said, my mouth forming the words before my brain could rein in my impulses.
Hades blinked, and then waved his free hand at me in invitation to go on.
“Well-I just think you should know. I’ve always-Roman and Wilder know about each other. And if you’re actually interested, then you should know too. I know it’s probably not negotiable to you, and I get it-“
“Do you?” he shifted his hand to run it through my hair, and I wanted more than anything to press my face against his neck and let him finger comb my hair all day long.
But I was an adult. With responsibilities and an appearance to uphold.
Or something.
“I know you slept with him,” Hades said. “I thought I was pretty clear about that too, actually. And…Roman, was it? The enforcer whose scent was all over you at Sadie’s last time?”
“Yeah, that’d be him,” I breathed, giving in just a little and leaning into the feeling of his fingers in my hair. “How’d you know he was an enforcer?”
“How did you not?” he chuckled. “They all smell the same.”
“To you,” I pointed out, wondering if he could hear my madly drumming heart.
“I have to work soon,” Hades sighed after a few minutes of finger combing my long red hair, prompting me out of my relaxed state and making me open my eyes.
When had I closed them?
“I hope I haven’t scared you off. And I’ll do better than the coffee,” he explained with a rueful grin.
“Do…better?” I asked, confused at his words. “But I loved the coffee. The coffee is great-“
“Coffee is not an appropriate gift to let an omega know you want to court them,” Hades cut me off with finality, sounding affronted. “I’ll get you something better.”
“You don’t have to-“ I began, my fingers tingling as a decidedly giddy feeling shot through my brain.
“I’m going to,” he stated firmly. “So don’t argue, princess.”
His nickname for me caused heat to curl in my belly and made my mouth go dry all over again.
By the way his eyes darkened, he absolutely noticed.
“You’ll tell me later what you like watching me do, won’t you?” he asked, for the first time sounding almost unsure.
“Yes,” I promised, wanting to chase the thought out of his head that I wasn’t interested. “I really really will, Hades.”
“Good.” His cheeky smile was back. “Then maybe when I know what you like, I can give you a real life demonstration. You know, if that’s something you think you might enjoy.”
I was pretty sure ‘might enjoy’ was an understatement.
Chapter Twenty-Two
While I’d wanted to tell Ryann and Noah post haste what had happened with Hades-even though Noah was going to tell me he was right and I’d been wrong-that wasn’t an option.
Both of them were in their respective studios, and I knew from recent experience that they’d be at least another hour.
“Oh, good timing, Alek.”
Rita’s voice drifted down the hallway, prompting me to turn and glance at her over my shoulder.
The door to her luxurious office was open, and the woman leaned agains
t the doorframe with a friendly smile and relaxed posture. “Do you think I could get you to run an errand for me? I have some calls to make and I’d rather not leave now.”
“Yeah, I don’t mind,” I agreed, dipping my head in acquiescence. Running an errand and having some time to myself would be nice, actually.
“I just need this to go a couple blocks down,” she explained, striding forward to hand me a small envelope. “To the printers on seventeenth and Main.”
That was easy enough. The whole errand shouldn’t take me more than forty-five minutes, I figured.
“No problem. Just this?” I took the envelope from her and tucked it into the pocket of my unzipped hoodie, glad once more that this job called for casual, comfy clothing.
Frumpy, a certain raccoon might say.
But I loved wearing my leggings, t-shirts, and hoodies to work every day. Especially when it meant I got to wear comfy sneakers with them. No matter what Noah thought about my fashion choices.
Besides, apparently Hades didn’t mind much.
“Just that. Drop by when you get back and give me the receipt, please,” my boss requested, before disappearing into her office once more.
No problem.
I turned on my heel, walking to the end of the hall and swerving into the entryway of Prowl.
Andi was on the phone, though she waved at me as I passed.
“Well, sir, I don’t think we’re interested in a partnership with uh, The Tactile Tush, but I can ask,” she was saying, and rolled her eyes when I glanced back in surprise.
“The Tactile Tush?” I mouthed, but she shook her head with a grimace.
Yeah, I definitely needed to know what that was when I got back.
The day was unseasonably warm, and as I walked along the building I pushed the sleeves of my hoodie up to my elbows before pulling my hair up off my neck.
I loved my hair, but having it be so long was a bitch when it was also unreasonably thick.
My footsteps slowed slightly and I frowned at the thought of cutting it. I hadn’t done so in years, except to trim off dead ends, and remembered clearly the pain of growing it out from the unfortunate pixie cut I’d given myself when I was thirteen.
The mere thought of that look sent shivers up my spine, and I vowed not to touch it for at least another six months.