“Thanks,” I tell her as I take a sip. I relish in the cold, icy drink as it falls down my warm throat.
“I almost forgot that you’re only eighteen,” she jokes over the loud music. “And you, Toby…” She points a finger at him. “No alcohol for you. I need you hydrated.”
He grabs his glass and smiles. “Just let me know if you need me to drive us home.”
Amy scoffs. “No one drives my baby but me.”
“Then take it easy on the vodka tonics,” he warns.
“I will. I have to open the store tomorrow anyway.”
I take another sip of water. “Why do you work in the grocery store?” I ask. “Don’t you make enough money from the fights alone?”
Amy grins. “Yes, I do.” She leans forward. “But it’d be quite suspicious if I were suddenly raking in money without a job, wouldn’t it?”
I nod. “You live a secret cover life, too?”
“We live in a really small town, Claire,” Amy says. “If you want to blend in, you have to make some sacrifices. My personal sacrifice is twenty hours a week behind a counter for two bucks above minimum wage. My mother did the same thing.”
“And no one knew she ran the league?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “No one in town except for a few local fighters and the handful of cops she paid off.”
“Does anyone know you run the league?”
“No.”
“Not even your father?”
She brings her glass to her lips. “My father thinks I’m the checkout girl at the local grocery store,” she says. “That’s all he needs to know.” Her eyes fall on Tobias. “There are plenty of people that wouldn’t be too happy to know about our secret lives.”
I turn to Tobias and he nods softly.
“Amy!”
We look up and I flinch as a familiar face suddenly emerges from the busy crowd. He pushes through people, darting fast towards Amy’s seat.
Burt the Brute.
“Oh, hello, Burt!” she greets with a smile.
His dark eyes scan our table and rest on Tobias. “I fucking knew it.”
“Knew what?” Amy asks him.
Burt reaches for Amy. His thick fingers wrap around her little arm. “You’re fooling around on me again, aren’t you? In my town?!”
Tobias says nothing. He calmly takes another quick drink from his glass and sets it back down again before standing up.
“Burt — calm down,” Amy says with a steady voice. “I never said we were exclusive—”
“You fucking bitch!” he seethes, shouting directly into her ear.
“Burt, a word?” Tobias grabs his arm and lays another hand on the back of his neck to forcefully direct Burt away from our table. Amy and I watch with wide eyes as Tobias shoves him into the bathroom in the corner and quickly closes the door behind them.
I look at Amy and a thick grin spreads across her face. “Should we… get help, or something?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “Well… maybe.”
I stare at the bathroom door, my mind buzzing from the fearful possibilities, as she nonchalantly checks her text messages. A few moments later, the bathroom door bursts open and Burt steps outside, followed closely by Tobias. They return to the table slowly and Tobias lays a hand on Burt’s shoulder.
“Amy, Burt has something he’d like to say to you,” Tobias says.
Burt clears his throat. “I’m sorry for my rudeness,” he mutters. “And for marking up your face… even though you seemed to like it—”
“Burt,” Tobias snips.
“No, he’s right,” Amy says. I look at her in confusion. “I like it a little too rough sometimes and Burt… kinda likes to get carried away sometimes.”
“Well, next time,” Tobias says as he grabs Burt’s arm again, “make sure to avoid her face. Okay?”
“Sure,” Burt stutters. “No problem, man.”
“Now, fuck off.” Tobias shoves him away and returns to his seat at the table.
“Aye yi yi,” Amy says as she fans herself. “All hail our future Alpha.”
“Hear, hear,” I say as I bring my drink to my lips. Tobias looks at me in silence as I take a quick sip.
“I need to dance and work off this awful sexual tension,” Amy says. She grabs my hand and yanks me out of my seat. “Come on.”
I look to Tobias, half-hoping he’ll rescue me. “Wanna join us?” I ask him.
“I think I’ll just watch,” he says as he leans back in his seat.
Amy drags me away, but I glance back to catch Tobias looking me up and down.
***
I come back to the table in desperate need of something to drink.
Tobias looks up at me. “Having fun?” he asks.
“Yes,” I smile. I take a long sip from my glass and look back at the dance floor. Amy passes herself back and forth between two men, neither of whom I recognize. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t know them either. “But not nearly as much as Amy.”
“No one ever has as much fun as Amy,” he chuckles. “In fact, I think she views it as a personal attack if you even try.”
I laugh and turn back around to him. “So… what did you do to Burt?” I ask as I sit down next to him.
“Nothing.”
“That wasn’t nothing.”
He gives a small smile. “I merely reminded him that we have a code of conduct.”
“The Midwest Alphas have a code of conduct?”
“No, gentlemen do.”
“You know, Tobias,” I laugh. “You’re quite possibly the most adorable man I’ve ever met.”
He inhales deep. “I’m not sure how I feel about living in a world where treating women with respect is considered adorable rather than common.”
I pause, my eyes falling to the table. “Well, in my experience, it hasn’t been all that common.” He looks at me, his eyes soft and warm. “I spoke with my mother today.”
“Yeah?”
“I told her I wasn’t coming home yet.”
“You decided to stay?” he asks.
“What can I say? I’ve grown rather attached to Betty the cow.” I lick my lips and stare back into his bright green eyes. His gaze sends warmth throughout my body, igniting the subtle fires beneath my skin.
He smiles. “Good.”
Chapter 12
Girls And Bad Boys
I open my eyes, fighting an overwhelming urge to sleep, and see the farmhouse come into view of the headlights. I sit up and forget for a moment where I am. My eyes fall to the digital clock on the dashboard. It’s well passed one in the morning. I don’t remember the last time I felt this tired around this time. I’m usually bouncing off the walls until long after three.
Amy parks the car in the driveway near the barn. “Wake up, loser,” she teases me.
I smile at her and unhook my seatbelt. My ears still ring from the loud music and my throat feels coarse from the constant shouting to talk above the thumping bass. I love every ounce of the feeling. “Thank you, Amy,” I tell her. “This was fun.”
“We should do it again sometime,” she says. She adjust the rear view mirror. “How about you, Toby? Did you manage to break out of your dark shell for the evening and have a little bit of the f-word?”
I turn back to look at him. His eyes glare back at Amy in the mirror with a clever mix of annoyance and amusement.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Amy says. “I’m an optimist.” She claps her hands together. “Right. Now. Go to bed. Get some rest. I want you perfect for tomorrow night. You hear me?”
Tobias smiles. “Yes, ma’am.”
She turns to me. “Make sure he does.”
“I’ll do my best.” I push open the car door and step outside into the warm night air. Tobias follows me out and we give Amy one last goodbye wave before she bolts down the driveway at top speed. “She’s a real hard-ass, isn’t she?” I joke.
Tobias shrugs. “She’s a woman that knows what she wants, I’ll give her that.”
“
I’m more terrified of what she’ll do to you if you lose than the fight itself.”
He turns to me. “You don’t have to be scared about the fight, Claire.”
“I know I don’t have to be,” I say, “but I still am.”
“Come here,” he smiles. He walks over to the barn and silently pulls the door open.
I follow him in and flick on the lights as he closes the door behind us. I stand against ladder to the loft, watching him closely until he reaches into his pocket and pulls out my phone. “What’s this?” I ask.
“It’s a phone,” he grins as he takes my hand and lays it flat into my palm.
“Yeah, I know…” I say, hesitating to wrap my fingers around it. “Did you steal it?”
Tobias chuckles softly. “No,” he answers. “My dad asked me to give it to you.”
“Why?”
He shrugs. “I guess you’ve earned it back. Or, you know… it’s your birthday. You’re eighteen now. You should get what you want.”
The phone feels heavy in my hands, almost foreign. I stare at it and realize that I’ve forgotten why I clung to it so much before. It feels like there’s a past life hidden somewhere in my subconscious, begging to come back, but there’s no place for it anymore. “This isn’t what I want,” I say. I look up at him with subtle eyes.
“Well, Claire…” he says. “Tell me what you want and I’ll see what I can do.”
I slide the phone into my back pocket. “Will you let me kiss you if I do?”
He pauses with temptation in his eyes. I move in closer to him, saying a silent wish for him not to wander away from me. Luckily, he stands still and licks his lips. I push myself higher onto my toes and he leans down to welcome my kiss.
A magnet binds our lips together. His are soft and warm. The hesitation I felt on them before has completely disappeared. He lays a hand on my cheek and the other against my waist to hold me against him. I don’t fight his perfect embrace. I lean into it, eager and happy to be under his control as he sits me back against the ladder.
My hands move across his hard body. I feel him tremble beneath my touch. I never want to let him go and I can feel his desires driving him to hold onto me forever, too. I kiss him harder and open my knees to him to pull him in closer to me. His hand falls to my thigh and I quiver as his fingers travel up my bare leg.
I moan against his lips, blocking out all other senses. Passion drives me further than ever before. I reach for his belt. His hands push my jacket off my shoulders and his lips fall to my neck. Bolts of electric sex course through me. I can’t think of anything other than this pleasure.
“Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
Rick.
My blood runs cold as I look towards the door. “Rick?” I ask. He stands in the doorway, the same tall, dark, and handsome boy I was torn away from just a few weeks ago. Now, he seems taller and darker, but not in a good way. “What are you doing here?” I ask. I jump off the ladder and pull my jacket back up onto my shoulders.
Rick steps into the barn, his feet dragging softly across the ground. His eyes fall on Tobias before he speaks and he stares at him like an unwanted pest. “I came to see you,” he tells me. “I’d never miss your birthday.” He pauses a few feet away from me and glances down my body. “You look nice.”
I look between the two of them as fear rises in my chest. Now that I see them standing together, I see the similar features of their bloodline plain as day, but I also see the subtle differences in the way they move. Rick strides like an unpredictable animal, eager and twitchy in his boots. Tobias stares back at him, stiff as a board, but prepared to strike at a moment’s notice.
“Hey, Tobias,” Rick mutters. “It’s been awhile.”
“Rick,” he replies, offering nothing more.
“How did you find me?” I ask Rick.
“Where else would they send you?” he jokes as his eyes wander the walls of the barn. “Uncle Charlie’s halfway house.”
Tobias shifts slightly on his feet.
I take in a quick, deep breath. “Tobias, can you give us a minute?” I ask him.
He flicks his green eyes at me, but doesn’t move.
“Yeah, cuz’,” Rick grins. “Give us a minute.”
“It’s okay,” I say to Tobias. “Tell Charlie thank you for the gift for me.”
His eyes find mine again and I nod, hoping he understands my hidden meaning. Finally, he steps back and turns towards the door. “Okay,” he says before walking outside.
Once he’s gone, I look back at Rick and watch as his smile slowly stretches the length of his face. “What are you doing here?” I ask him again.
“I missed you,” he says, moving in closer to me. “It’s time for you to get out of here and come home with me. Remember? Like we planned.” I counter him with a quick step back and he tilts his head in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not going home with you,” I say.
A soft chuckle massages his throat. “Yeah, your mom mentioned something about you extending your little vacation,” he laughs. “Stop joking around.”
“I’m not joking.”
He flexes his jaw and his smile drops. “Come on, Claire,” he says. “Go get your shit and let’s go.”
I shake my head. “I can’t.”
“You can’t? What do you mean you can’t?”
“I mean… I can’t,” I stutter.
“You don’t belong here, Claire,” he says. “You belong with me.”
“Not anymore.”
“What the hell has gotten into you?” He gestures behind us, pointing towards the house. “My fucking cousin?”
“This has nothing to do with him,” I say. “This is between us and… I’ve realized that this isn’t what I want anymore.”
“Look… Claire…” He steps forward and grabs my shoulders. “I know you’ve been out here in the boonies for a little while and you’re confused, but I can help you with that.” He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a small baggy of white powder. I cringe when I see the blood-red X on the bottom corner.
“Where did you get that?” I ask.
“A friend of a friend I stumbled upon in St. Louis on the drive down here,” he grins. “Should be more than enough to kick-start some fun, eh?”
“No.”
Rick sighs and drops his hands. “What the hell happened to you out here?”
“I’m sorry, Rick,” I say. “That’s just not who I am anymore.”
“Yes, it is,” he argues. “People don’t change, Claire. Especially not girls like you.”
“Well, I have.”
He stares back at me, his face filled with anger. “So, that’s it then? You’re staying out here in Hickville?”
I swallow the bile back down my throat. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because… I’ve seen where that path ends up, Rick. I’ve turned back and you should, too.”
Rick scoffs. “One month on the prairie and suddenly you’re as square as a book?”
“It’s not that simple,” I say. “Why didn’t you ever tell me about your cousin?”
“What about him?”
“Not him. I’m talking about Mary.”
“Mary?” He shakes his head. “Mary was a lightweight. She’s not like us.”
“Wow…” I breathe. “Rick, you really need to leave now.”
He stuffs the powder back into his jacket pocket. “Okay, fine. Say I did quit. Say it was going to be different from now on. Would you come home with me then?”
“I… I don’t think so,” I mutter.
“Why not?”
“Because I can’t trust you.” I bite my bottom lip. It has long since healed, but I can still feel the pain of it in my memory.
He closes in on me, forcing me backwards with quick steps. “Come on, Claire. You remember what it was like to be together…” He leans in and brushes his lips across my cheek. “You know how I can make you feel—”
“Rick, pl
ease don’t,” I beg. I put my hands against him to push him away, but he locks his fingers around my wrists and pins me against the wall.
“I love you, Claire,” he whispers. “I’m the only one that does. I’ve missed you—”
“Rick, stop—”
He forces his lips against mine. I try to pull away, but he uses his brute strength to hold me in place as reaches for his belt.
“Rick, no!”
“The lady said no, Rick.”
Rick glances towards the barn entrance, his eyes falling on Tobias’ massive form. He keeps his fierce grip on me and grins back at him. “That’s the thing about Claire, cuz’,” he jokes. “Get her buzzed enough and you can talk her into just about anything—”
“Let go of her. Now.” Tobias steps forward, his hands rolled into white-knuckle fists.
“Hey…” Rick releases me and raises his hands to his ears in surrender. “Your house, your rules. I’ll even give you first dibs at her—”
“Back up,” he growls, his face red with rage.
Rick refuses to move and giggles softly. “What are you gonna do? You gonna hit me?”
I reach out to Tobias, scared of what he’ll do. “Tobias,” I say his name, my voice shaking.
He takes my hand and pulls me away from Rick with a lightning fast jerk. “You don’t want to fight me, Rick,” he says, moving me behind him.
Rick rolls his eyes. “I didn’t come here to start a fight,” he says. “I just came to claim my girl and go home.”
“She’s not your girl,” Tobias says. “Best be leaving now.”
“I’m not leaving here without her.”
“You’ll be leaving disappointed then.”
Rick smiles at him. “I’m curious… how long did it take before she dropped her panties for you?”
“Rick, don’t,” I warn, watching Tobias’ trembling arms.
“I’m honestly really impressed if she has. It took me almost a year to talk her into it…” Rick pauses, amusement dancing on his lips as he watches Tobias’ reaction. “Oh, have I struck a nerve, Tobias? Maybe I’m wrong and she hasn’t yet. She always has been a little tease—”
Tobias grabs Rick’s jacket with both hands and slams him against the barn wall. “Get out of here and don’t come back…” He releases his jacket and Rick falls to the ground. “Get inside the house, Claire,” he says to me, touching my shoulder.
UNTOUCHED (Midwest Alphas) (Book 1) Page 11