Alpha's Arrangement (Troubled Fork Shifters (Book 2))

by Demonico, Gabrielle

  Emma had no idea how long she’d been in the bed before the sound of the television blared from living room and invaded her slumber. She propped herself up on her elbows.

  No way.

  It wasn’t possible. Was he really out there with the television on that loud? Alexander had to know she was in here asleep. No one was that rude.

  Emma was so not in the mood, not tonight. Whether she had feelings for him or not, she guarded her sleep with a vengeance.

  No one got in the way of it.

  Disgusted, she threw on a nightgown and walked towards the bedroom door.

  Emma ripped the door open to see Alexander seated on the couch. He had his feet up on the living room table, a beer in one hand and the remote control in the other.

  Emma scowled at him.

  “Hey, you’re awake!” he said. “One of my favorite movies just started. Have a seat, we can watch it together. By the way, did you get your reports fixed okay?”

  “No, I was asleep. You woke me. Yes, the reports are fine and, aaahhhh!” she shouted as she raised her hands skyward.

  Emma walked over to the couch and snatched the remote from his hand. She faced the television, turned the volume down and placed the remote on the arm of the couch.

  “Now wait. I can barely hear that.” Alexander said. He picked the remote back up and increased the volume.

  Emma leaned over him. “That’s the idea. I am trying to sleep in there.” She said as she grabbed it back and decreased the sound again.

  “Terrible idea.” he replied as he turned it back up once more.

  Emma looked Alexander in the eye. “What don’t you understand? I want to go to sleep!” she said as she lowered the sound.

  “Okay. So go to sleep. Who’s stopping you?!” Alexander exclaimed as he increased the volume.

  “Thanks for your permission. Good night.” Emma replied. She grabbed the remote a final time, turned down the sound and with the device in hand began to head back towards the bedroom.

  “Hey wait, give that back!” Alexander exclaimed as he sat forward.

  “No!” She exclaimed. Emma turned her back towards him and tried to escape into the bedroom.

  “Yes!” Alexander said. He reached out and grabbed towards the remote. As he did, Emma turned and stretched out the arm that held it. She lifted the arm as high as possible to keep it out of his reach. Alexander pulled her down into his lap and they struggled with one another for control.

  “Stop it, you jerk!” she exclaimed.

  “Give me my remote! I need it!” he said.

  As she struggled, he grabbed onto the hand that clasped the remote and pulled. Startled by his strength and aggression, Emma collapsed into him.

  “No, stop it! Let me…” she said.

  She swiveled her face towards his. In a flash, an inch of electrified air was all that separated their lips. Emma labored to catch her breath as they looked into each other’s eyes. Then, without a second of hesitation or thought she pressed her lips into his. Alexander returned it with equal intensity and for several seconds, they kissed one another. All of a sudden, the awareness of what was underway thundered into her consciousness.

  No, no, no!

  This was not good and nothing good was going to come of it. Emma pulled away from him and leapt to her feet in an instant.

  “What are you doing!?” she exclaimed as she turned back towards him. “What are you doing?!?”

  “Huh? What do you mean?” he said. “You kissed me.” And with an air of total calm, he reclined into the sofa and stretched his arms out behind his head.

  Emma scoffed. “Hah! Oh, I… I kissed you?” she said. “You are trying to tell me that I kissed you? Is that what you are saying? I did no such thing! Why in the world would I want to kiss you?”

  With a casual shrug he replied, “I don’t know why you wanted to do it. In any case, it’s nothing to get upset about, Emma.”

  Emma felt her blood boil. His smug demeanor incensed her. It was as if it was normal for women to fall in his lap and kiss him.

  The idea of it irked her.

  Emma thought she must be crazy that she wanted him.

  But, she did, and that was the part that infuriated her the most.

  Irate, she said, “I am not upset. Who said I am upset? That is so, typical. That is such a thing that a guy like you would do and think he’d get away with doing.”

  Unfazed he replied, “Well, you can say whatever you want. I’m not upset either. Actually, I kind of enjoyed myself.”

  A wry smile came over his face.

  “But, I suppose that’s pretty typical.” he said. “You know, for a guy like me.”

  Alexander reached for the remote and turned the volume back up.

  Emma was dumbfounded. Her brain couldn’t process what had happened.

  All she could manage was a few feeble steps back in the direction of the bedroom. She disappeared for several moments and then poked her head around the corner to see that he stared right at her.

  “Good night.” he said as he raised his beer. “Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

  ***

  To say that the next few days were awkward would have been the understatement of the century. The only problem was that they only seemed to be uncomfortable for Emma. Alexander hadn’t said a word, made mention of or even joked about their kiss.

  The good news was that her destruction of Theodore’s paperwork hadn't been the disaster she’d feared. He’d kept a copy on a portable hard drive as a precautionary measure and within a day, Emma had been able to get back on track with her work.

  Even so, her progress had slowed to a crawl.

  Emma wished it was because of the task itself but it wasn’t.

  The truth was that she couldn’t get her mind over what had happened with Alexander and his subsequent disinterest in it.

  It was close to five o’clock as Emma stared out the window.

  It had been a little over two weeks since she’d arrived in Silver Gulch. Soon, things would be taking a much more awkward turn as the fake wedding date approached. Emma hoped Theodore’s plan would unfold in the time frame he’d promised since she didn’t know how much more she could endure.

  “Emma?” a voice said from across her office.

  She turned to see Alexander.

  “You, um, almost ready?” he asked.

  Emma shook her head. “Ready? Ready for what?”

  “Today’s Friday. Remember?”

  Emma stared up at him with a blank expression on her face. “No. What’s Friday?”

  “The party, hello?” he said. “What’s the matter with you today?”

  “What? Oh shit. Right, right, it slipped my mind.” Emma said as she shuffled her papers around on her desk. “Are you ready to leave now?”

  “More or less yeah, but take your time.” He said. “We have to go home and get ready anyway.”

  “Okay, I’ll be right out.” Emma replied. “Give me ten minutes?”

  Alexander nodded. He walked over to her desk and stood in front of it. “Is everything alright Emma?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  “No reason.” he said. “You seem distracted, distant.”

  Emma placed her palms flat on her desk and looked up at him. “It’s work stuff, that’s all.”

  Alexander leaned away from her a bit. “You sure?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay, if you say so.” He said. “Well, I’ll be out in the car when you are ready.”

  “Alright. As soon as I am done straightening up in here I’ll be out.”

  They arrived back at Alexander’s place after a somewhat quiet car ride and two hours later, Emma had all but put the final touches on her makeup. She stood back and took one last look at herself in the bathroom mirror. In spite of all the chaos in her life at the moment, at least she looked good tonight.

  Thank God…

  Emma walked out of the bathroom, grabbed her purse and headed out into the living room.


  Alexander was in the kitchen with his back to her. “You all set?” he said as he took a sip of water.

  “Yep.” Emma replied. “Ready.”

  He placed his glass down, turned around and froze in place. For several awkward moments he didn’t say a word to her, he just stared.

  What the hell is happening right now?

  Emma figured she must have a clump of toothpaste on her clothes or maybe her brush was still in her hair. Whatever it was, it didn’t seem good. She smoothed out her dress and touched her hair with a few nervous gestures.

  “What?” She said. “Is there something on me? Alexander!”

  He shook his head. “No.” he said. “Wow, you…”

  “What is it?!” she exclaimed.

  “Well, I was gonna say… You, um, look incredible Emma. Stunning.”

  She felt a surge of confidence rush through her. Had he said that?

  Hell yes he did.

  But hey, she knew she looked good. Now was the time to make sure that he remembered it.

  “I know.” She said with a wink. “Ready?”

  He nodded. “Definitely.”

  They arrived at the Wobblin’ Wolf and met up with his friends. Alexander’s sister Trina was there as well. It was her first chance to meet all the people that were closest to him and as far as first impressions went, she found them all to be terrific. At the least, they didn’t seem like the types that would consort with a supposed criminal.

  Maybe they had no clue but at this moment, she didn’t care that much. Time would reveal the truth so she decided to block it out and enjoy her night. The group ate and chatted for about an hour or so when Alexander leaned over towards Emma.

  Alexander nudged her and said, “Emma, dance with me?”

  She was never much of a dancer but as bad as she was, there were few things more feminine than being held close during a slow song. She was a sucker for stuff like that so how could she refuse?

  “Sure.” She said. “Of course.”

  They made their way out onto the dance floor and as they did, a slow dance started to play. Alexander took her in his arms and held her close. As they moved, Emma looked at him.

  “Your friends are great.” She said. “They are all so nice.”

  “Yeah, they’re great people.” He said. “I’m pretty lucky, especially now.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, it’s nothing.” Alexander said. “Emma, I need to tell you something.”

  “Okay.” she said.

  “Well…” he said. “I owe you an apology.”

  Confused, she asked, “An apology? For what?”

  “For the way I insulted you when we first met.” He said. “I was, that was, out of line. I’m sorry.”

  “That’s okay.”

  “No, it isn’t.” He said. “Listen, there’s a lot going on between my uncle and I. I won’t lie. At first I resented the arrangement and you as well. What I said to you and about you came from that place of anger. That was wrong. After getting to know you these past couple of weeks, I cringe when I think of how that must have hurt you.”

  Emma looked up into his eyes as he spoke.

  “Alexander… I…”

  “No, I’m not finished.” He said. “This isn’t easy for me so please hear me out.”

  Emma nodded.

  “If I could, I would take back everything I did.” He said. “I couldn’t imagine asking for anything more out of a mate than I have with you. You are beautiful, kind, honest and loyal. Those traits, they are rare and something to treasure. I am grateful that my uncle picked someone like you.”

  Alexander paused for moment, looked down at her and smiled. There was softness in his eyes. For the first time, she gazed into them and saw tenderness where before there had been nothing of the sort.

  A rush of shame overcame her and she buried her face into his chest. She felt his cadence change. Alexander reached down and began to stroke her hair.

  “Emma? What’s wrong?” he asked. “Was it something I said?”

  Emma couldn’t speak. Choked up, she squeezed him close to her and shook her head.

  “I thought you would be happy.”

  She looked up him and tried to hold back an onslaught of emotion.

  “I am” she said. “But…”

  “What?”

  “Nothing.” Emma replied. “I need to use the ladies room. Do you mind?”

  Alexander nodded and gestured for her to walk ahead of him. “No problem. Come on.”

  As she passed by the party goers, she did her best not to make eye contact with any of them. Emma hurried to the bathroom and into a stall where she hoped to settle her nerves.

  But no sooner had she sat, then the door to the bathroom opened and a voice called out, “Emma? Is everything alright?”

  “Yes, Trina. I’m fine.” She said. “My stomach feels a bit upset. That’s all.”

  “Oh, well, okay. If you need anything…”

  “Thank you. I’ll be right out.”

  “Okay sweetie.” Trina replied as she closed the bathroom door.

  This was insane.

  For the first time in her life, Emma swore that she might be on the verge of a full blown panic attack. As far as she could tell, Theodore wasn’t any closer to a bust of Alexander than he had been when she arrived in Silver Gulch. Now, the alleged criminal more or less told her that he wanted to be with her.

  What would happen next?

  Well, Alexander would get arrested and sent to jail for a long, long time. She would have to go back to Troubled Fork with a broken heart and a ruined conscience. It seemed so unfair, so fucking unfair that she wanted to pull her hair out and scream right there.

  She couldn’t do it.

  She wouldn’t do it.

  No matter what he’d done, there had to be a way to work it out. This was everything she’d wanted in her life and once again, it was all on the verge of being ripped away from her.

  But, not this time.

  Emma vowed that somehow she would figure out a way to get this resolved. She had no clue how she was going to do it only that she would. Determined, she straightened herself up and went back out to join the party.

  As she reached the table, Alexander stood and said, “Everything alright?”

  She nodded and smiled. “Yes, I’m fine.”

  Over the next hour or so, the party guests began to leave in dribs and drabs until at last, only Emma, Alexander and Trina remained. Trina had enjoyed herself a good deal that night, perhaps a bit too much.

  Her condition did not go unnoticed.

  “Trina…” Alexander said. “How much have you had to drink?”

  “All of it!” Trina exclaimed. She looked at him and smiled as she raised her right index finger skyward and made a small circular motion with it.

  Alexander shook his head.

  “Okay.” he said. “You are coming with us.”

  Trina pouted. “I can drive!” she exclaimed.

  “No, you can’t.” He said. “We aren’t having a discussion about this. I am telling you what is going to happen.”

  “Pooh!” Trina said.

  “Trina…” he replied.

  “Okay, fine.”

  A few minutes later, the three of them got up from the table and headed out to the parking lot. It was already late by the time they exited and there weren’t many cars left by that point. As they walked, Trina leaned against Alexander for support. It turned out that she was a bit more drunk than she had appeared.

  Trina exclaimed, “To the happy couple, Alexander and Emma! May your marriage fever be filled with love!”

  “What?” Alexander said.

  “No, no! Oops, I mean… forever be filled with love!” she said as she laughed.

  They both shook their heads at Trina’s inebriated proclamation when a voice from behind said, “Marriage!? Who the fuck is getting married?”

  Without even having to turn around, Emma knew who’d sa
id it.

  ***

  She turned around.

  “Devon… What are you doing here?” she said. “How did you even find me?”

  “Easy. I installed a tracking app on your phone.” Devon replied.

  “What!?” she exclaimed.

  “You don’t return my texts anymore.” He said. “I told you I wanted to see you and it turns out that I was right all along! What the fuck, Emma?”

  Alexander interjected. “Hey, take it easy. Emma what’s going on here?”

  Without looking at him Emma replied, “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Yeah, don’t worry about it asshole.” Devon said.

  Alexander’s body stiffened.

  “No, Alexander.” Emma said as she grabbed on to his arm.

  “Emma, what is going on here? Who's he?” Alexander asked.

  “It’s my boyfr… ex-boyfriend.” She said.” I’ll explain later. Please don’t do anything.”

  Alexander relaxed his posture as Emma turned her attention back towards Devon.

  “Is this him? Is this the guy?” Devon said. He was growing angrier by the second.

  “Devon, I told you. I didn’t want to see you anymore.” Emma replied. “Why have you come here?”

  “Because you are mine, Emma. Nothing and no one is going to stop that from happening.”

  “Devon, I am going to ask you one time. Please leave. I don’t want to be with you. It’s over.”

  In a sudden movement, he lurched forward and grabbed her. Emma shrieked. He spun her body around so that she faced Alexander and Trina.

  “I will decide when it is over, Emma.” He said as he pulled her into his torso. “Do you hear me you cheating little bitch?”

  Emma struggled in his grasp. “Let me go Devon, you lunatic! You are hurting me!”

  Alexander rested Trina against the trunk of his car and stepped towards them.

  “Take your hands off of her right now.” He said.

  “Or what?” Devon replied. “What the hell are you gonna do about it?”

  “No, Alexander, please.” Emma begged.

  “Let her go or I promise that you will find out.” Alexander said.

  “Man, fuck you!” Devon exclaimed. “What? You steal my girl? Do you think I am just going to let that happen? You’ve got another thing coming dirt ball.”

  “Hey, easy pal. No one stole anything from anyone.” Alexander replied. “Emma doesn’t want to be with you anymore. Why don’t you just take it like a man and let the lady go?”