Taming the Alpha
By Savannah Stuart
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Copyright © 2011 by Savannah Stuart
Cover Art by LFD Designs
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the author.
Taming the Alpha
After a year of lusting after his sexy employee, werewolf pack-leader Grant broke his no-involvement-with-humans rule and made a move on Talia. A month later the sex is still red hot and everything between them is perfect. Or so he thought. Until the night he shows up at her place expecting their usual ritual of mind-blowing sex and finds out she has other plans. And they don’t include him.
When Talia announces she’s tired of being his last priority, Grant realizes he might lose the only woman he’s ever cared about. He has to do something fast to fix their relationship, but she’s completely unaware that he’s not human. He’s not above using sex to bind her to him, but when she wants more than that he has a risky decision to make. If he admits the truth he risks not only his heart, but the safety of his pack and the existence of all supernatural beings as well.
Chapter One
Grant steered into Talia’s driveway and tried to slow his racing heart. It was no use. Knowing he’d be seeing and touching her soon, his body simply reacted. Every Friday night for the past month he’d been going through the same ritual. Get off work at the bar, drive straight to her place and lose himself in her all night. He didn’t even bother showering until he got to her house because she always joined him.
Afterward he took her hard and fast against the slick tiled wall, they usually made it to her bed. Sometimes they’d only get so far as the floor. Then they’d eat. The rest of the night he spent buried deep inside her. He wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve her, but after a year of working with her on a sporadic basis, a month ago he’d finally thrown his no-employee—and no-involvement-with-humans rule—out the window and made a move. Technically he wasn’t her direct manager. She just worked at one of the bars he owned and ever since she’d started working there, he’d found himself making more and more appearances to see her.
Once they’d finally crossed that line, there was no going back for him. He could never be just her friend again. Hell, he’d never wanted to be her friend. From the moment she’d walked into Crescent Moon Bar looking for work, his entire body had flared to life with a raw, primal awareness that scared the shit out of him. He was two hundred years old and had always been in control of himself.
Until Talia.
The second her subtle lavender scent, combined with something else that was all her had wrapped around him, his canines had lengthened and his cock had stood at attention.
As alpha of the local pack in Gulf Shores, Alabama he always had to be in control. He owned six bars and one hotel and provided work and lodging for his entire pack. Getting involved with a human—no matter how enticing she was—had never been part of the plan. But he couldn’t seem to help himself. Unfortunately she had no idea he was a shifter or that almost everyone she worked with, were shifters too. He needed to figure out a way to tell her, but that wasn’t going to be tonight. When he was around her, talking always seemed to take a backseat.
After parking, he hurried up the walkway to her three-bedroom bungalow house. As he raised his hand to knock, the door flew open.
Talia stood there with a surprised expression on her face. Her shiny pink lips formed an ‘O’ and then she frowned. “Hey, Grant.”
As he took in her appearance, a frown fixed on his own face. She wore a halter-style red dress that hugged her slim body in all the right places. And she was showing far too much skin for his taste. Not that he didn’t enjoy looking at her. He just didn’t want anyone else seeing so much of her body. At the bar she usually wore black pants and a black tank top and even that drove him crazy. Seeing her long, tanned legs bared caused a low growl to start somewhere deep inside him. Her long black hair, which she usually pulled back, fell around her shoulders and face seductively.
She was tall, maybe five foot eight or nine and in her heels she was even taller tonight. He still had to look down at her, but damn, his throat tightened as he raked an approving gaze over her. “You look…” Stunning, beautiful, like sex-in-heels… Too many words assaulted him.
She cleared her throat and raised one dark eyebrow as she stared at him pointedly. “What are you doing here, Grant?”
“It’s Friday,” he said, figuring it was explanatory. He’d instructed the manager at Crescent Moon Bar to give her Fridays off because it was one of his few nights off. He didn’t give a shit if he was playing favorites with his employees. Spending these nights with her was something he craved.
Her frown transformed into a scowl. “I know. I also know you haven’t called the past two days and I also know you just expect me to be waiting here every Friday night for you.” She placed a perfectly manicured hand on her hip.
He pushed out a long breath and racked his brain for the right thing to say. What she’d said was true. He hadn’t called because he hadn’t thought he needed to. He’d been dealing with issues at his hotel and two of his other bars. He’d barely had time to sleep the past couple days. Right now he felt raw and hungry. For her. And she was going out? “You have plans?”
“Yep.”
“Dressed like that?” he practically growled.
Her head cocked to the side and a waterfall of her midnight black hair slid over one of her bare shoulders. “Like what, exactly?”
“Like sex.” The two words slipped out before he could stop himself.
She seemed pleased by his description which only infuriated him. Her full lips pulled up into a smile but just as quickly she glared at him, her green eyes narrowing. “Until you learn to pick up the damn phone and actually make plans with me, don’t expect me to be waiting around anymore. I’m not some whore for you to—”
“Talia!” He didn’t like to even hear that word on her lips. “I don’t treat you like that.”
“Well you don’t treat me like someone you’re proud of. When’s the last time we went on a date? When’s the last time you called just to talk to me? Don’t get me wrong, the sex between us is good—”
“Good?”
She rolled her eyes. “Figures you’d focus on that. Fine, it’s fantastic and we both know it. But that doesn’t change anything. I need more and I’m tired of waiting for you to pull your head out of your ass and realize that. Until you figure some things out, I’m no longer available for you.” Turning her back to him, she stepped completely outside, pulled the door shut then locked it.
He started to say more when the short burst of a horn made him glance over his shoulder. One of Talia’s girlfriends—one of his pack members—sat in a black two-door sports car. Before he could turn back to talk to Talia, she was brushing past him and striding down her walkway toward the curb. She didn’t even give him a backward glance over her shoulder.
Just slid into the passenger seat and slammed the door.
“Well, shit.” Grant scrubbed a hand over his face. Everything she’d said was true. And when she put into words exactly what kind of relationship they had, guilt bubbled up inside him. It tasted bitter and foreign and he knew if he wanted to keep her in his life, he needed to make some changes. Fast.
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Talia fought the nerves rushing through her. She couldn’t believe what she’d just said to Grant but it felt so good. She cared for the sexy and sometimes annoyingly bossy man more than she’d admit. Didn’t mean she had to put up with his crap anymore. He definitely cared for her too. That much she knew. But it wasn’t enough. Sex when he was available just wasn’t going to cut it. Sure she saw him at the bar sometimes when she was working but the man owned a handful of other bars and a hotel and he was always so damn busy. And just seeing him wasn’t the same as going out on dates. She was tired of taking his leftover time. It was like she was an afterthought in his life.
And she was busy too. She wasn’t going to be working as a bartender forever and once she finished with the Masters program in Marine Sciences, she’d be even more strapped for time. If Grant couldn’t manage to take her out on a date, then she had no hope for any sort of future with him. Not that he’d ever mentioned a future. The man was always so horny they rarely talked.
“Uh oh, your man looks pissed.” Sarah whistled low under her breath as she pulled away from the curb.
“He’s not my man.” Talia didn’t know what he was.
“Hmm.” Her friend shook her head as she made a left turn.
“Don’t ‘hmm’ me.” Talia crossed her legs and when her knee hit the dash she cursed and adjusted the seat. “Jeez, do you have hobbits riding around with you?”
“Sorry we’re not all tall and leggy like you. And don’t change the subject. So I guess you finally, uh…had that talk with Grant?”
“Not exactly. I told him I was tired of waiting for him to pull his head out of his ass and I think I might have told him I wasn’t available anymore.” She bit her bottom lip. She’d meant to talk to him in a civilized manner. Call him, talk things out. Explain how hurt and upset she’d been lately.
But when he’d shown up on her doorstep on Friday night like clockwork, expecting to pick up where they’d left off, she’d seen red. She hated that he assumed she’d be waiting and willing for him.
And his assumptions were her own fault. She’d been working for him for a year and in the past month they’d somehow morphed into more than employee and employer. She’d never once told him she didn’t like their arrangement. God, the word arrangement made her feel even crappier. It also didn’t help that he’d looked so good when he stopped by tonight. But when didn’t he look like walking, talking sex appeal?
She’d always thought he was hot in a dangerous, edgy sort of way. Hell, she’d have to be blind not to notice that. He stood well over six feet. Maybe six three or four. His dark hair was always a little too long on the sides and those piercing brown eyes of his…she shuddered even thinking about that gaze. All he had to do was pin her with a heated stare and her body turned to mush.
Shaking her head, she tried to banish visions of him but all she could see was the way he filled out his clothes. The man had muscles to die for. Not an inch of fat covered that hard body. His shoulders were broad and muscular and always pulled at whatever he wore, whether it was a T-shirt or a dress shirt. As if his body ached to be stripped down to nothing. Whenever they were together, he was always more comfortable naked than she was. Of course if she had a body like his, she’d probably want to run around in the buff all the time too.
“Damn. No one ever talks to Grant like that.”
She shot her friend a sharp look.
Sarah’s shoulders raised in a slight shrug as she quickly met her gaze. “I’m not saying they shouldn’t. I’m just saying they don’t. He is the alph…uh, our boss, after all.”
Talia frowned at Sarah until her friend continued. “I’ve known Grant for a long time and I’ve never seen him so smitten over someone.”
“Smitten?” She wouldn’t use that word. Horny? Sexually fixated? Yes.
“That’s right. That man is head over heels for you even if he doesn’t know how to show it. He’s a freaking Neanderthal, what do you expect?”
“So he’s not…dating anyone else or anything?” She felt so lame asking her friend but Talia and Grant had never outlined whatever their relationship was and screw it, she wanted to know.
Sarah snorted loudly. “I can’t believe you even asked that. No. He’s definitely not dating anyone else. He’s a one-woman kind of man. Trust me.”
Talia was curious how Sarah knew that. Actually, she was curious how everyone else they worked with seemed to know Grant so well. And they talked to him like he was more than a regular boss. Their respect for him was almost reverent. It was kind of weird sometimes but she’d gotten used to it. And the money she made at Crescent Moon Bar was too good to pass up. Bartending there, she made the kind of money she imagined strippers made. Even with a scholarship, she still had books and her rent to pay for and all that added up. “Whatever. I don’t want to talk about him anymore. Tonight we’re going to have a good time and not worry about Grant.”
Sarah shook her head. “I don’t think we should go to any of Grant’s bars then. If he finds out where you are, I guarantee he’ll show up.”
Talia doubted it but didn’t comment. “Wherever you want to go, I’m game.”
Her friend looked at her and gave her a positively wicked grin. “I know just the place, then.”
* * * * *
Grant shoved his phone back into his pocket and glared at Talia’s house. It was close to two in the morning and she wasn’t home. After she’d left with Sarah—who hadn’t answered his phone calls either—he’d left and gotten some paperwork done at the bar. He’d tried not to think about Talia but that had been a pointless effort. All he’d done was think about the tall, sexy woman. The entire day—okay, past couple days—he’d been fantasizing about tonight. Imagining what it would be like when she wrapped her legs around his waist. And his face. God, he loved her taste. Sweet and perfect, just like her.
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat then turned around when he heard the sound of a car pulling down her street. Thanks to his extrasensory abilities, he could tell the vehicle was a truck. Not the car Talia had left in.
Hope waning, he started to turn back when the flash of lights blinded him for a moment, then shut off. Turning again, he realized a truck had pulled into Talia’s drive.
And she was sitting in the passenger seat next to a male.
Growling, he got out and slammed his door. As soon as he saw who was behind the wheel, he froze.
Derrick, one of the bouncer’s at Crescent Moon Bar, sat there and he looked just as surprised as Grant felt. Instantly, the other male got out of the vehicle. He grinned good-naturedly when he saw him. “Hey, boss. Everything okay?”
It took a moment for him to find his voice. His throat clenched impossibly tight and he had to physically restrain himself from not shifting into his animal form and attacking Derrick. “Why are you with Talia?”
The blond man shrugged and glanced over his shoulder and she started to get out. When she slightly stumbled Grant made a move toward her but stopped himself. First, he needed to find out what the hell she was doing with Derrick.
“Ran into her and Sarah tonight at Klub Kink and they both got a little tanked. Sarah left with Randy and I offered to take little miss drunk home.” Derrick chuckled under his breath and hurried toward Talia. Immediately he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and helped her stand straight.
All the air rushed from Grant’s lungs. Talia had been at a bondage club? And now Derrick was actually fucking touching her.
A growl built low in his throat, causing Derrick’s head to snap up. Talia wasn’t paying attention. It looked like she was struggling to simply keep her eyes open, but Derrick’s eyes widened as he stared at him. For a moment he looked confused, then he looked at Talia. Then back at Grant. His eyes grew even wider.
“Oh…oh, shit. Boss, nothing’s going on. I swear. I was just bringing her home because she needed a ride—”
Grant cut him off as he covered the distance between them. “I’ll take it from here.” He knew nothin
g had happened between them because he’d be able to smell it on Talia. And Derrick wasn’t that stupid. Still, his inner wolf didn’t like seeing anyone touching what was his.
Talia didn’t struggle or even argue as he wrapped his arm under her shoulders. Instead, she snuggled up next to him which only infuriated him more. How much had the woman had to drink? If it wasn’t for Derrick, anything could have happened to her.
“Grant. What are you doing here? I think I’m supposed to be mad at you.” Her words were slightly slurred as she nuzzled his neck and raked her teeth against his skin. His cock throbbed painfully against the zipper of his jeans but some of his anger dissipated. She knew exactly who was holding onto her. That counted for something.
“How much did she have to drink?” he asked Derrick quietly.
“I don’t know, boss. I got there pretty late and I was surprised to see Talia. Sarah, not so much. From what I gathered Sarah dragged her there but there was enough of the pack…” He trailed off as he looked at Talia, who thankfully wasn’t paying attention, then back at Grant. “There were enough of us there that no one messed with her. I assumed you knew they were having a girls’ night out and were working or something.”
Grant shifted and pulled Talia closer to him. Plucking her purse from her hands, he fished her keys out. “If you ever see her out again at a place like that with Sarah or anyone, call me.”
Derrick nodded and quickly shuffled toward his truck.
“And, Derrick?
Eyes still wary, his chin notched up a fraction higher. “Yeah?”
“Thanks for getting her home safe.”
The tension in Derrick’s shoulders loosened as he nodded. “Any time.”
When Grant looked down at Talia he realized her eyes were closed and she was barely awake. Even though she bartended, she rarely drank and in the year he’d known her, he’d never seen her drunk. Tipsy, yes. But nothing like this.
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