Red Hot Alphas: 11 Novels of Sexy, Bad Boy, Alpha Males (Red Hot Boxed Sets Book 2)

by Jo Raven

  “But fuck, she’s the most exciting woman I’ve ever seen,” Prince says between clenched teeth, “and I feel it in my bones—she’s a sub.”

  “On a scale of one to ten, how suicidal are you feeling today?” I ask Prince, watching Betty come toward us arm in arm with Captain Black.

  “About one hundred,” Prince says.

  “Then come on. This may be your only chance to approach her safely,” I grab a diet soda, which seems to be what she’s drinking, and walk toward Juliya. There are empty chairs at her table, and I think we’re safe enough to sit down. As long as Prince doesn’t press his luck too much, her brothers shouldn’t barge in. They won’t want to spoil David’s party. I put the soda bottle next to Juliya’s glass and rest my hand on the empty chair to her left. “Do you mind?”

  “Of course not. I’d love some company until Sally returns,” she says. “That is, if Everest doesn’t keep her to himself all night.” Her insolent smile tells me she’s provoking me, and I enjoy watching it waver when she sees Prince standing by the empty chair to her right. She looks away from him and manages to keep smiling.

  While I sit, Prince takes one of her tiny hands and locks it in his. Juliya turns her face back towards him, and I think she’s about to frown at him when he surprises the both of us by bringing her hand to his lips. The startled look on Juliya’s face is priceless.

  “Dance with me, princess,” he says, pulling her up.

  She whispers, “What’s wrong with you, Dmitry? Do you have a death wish?”

  “Dying in your arms would be a happy death,” he answers as she follows him to the dance floor.

  I watch the various reactions as Prince and Juilya approach the other couples. Ice and Everest glare at them, but Lisa and Sally appear delighted. David and Mimi are oblivious to the rest of the world. Seeing David and Mimi so lost in each other, I feel a pang of jealousy. I never thought I would want to get married, but now I realize that I want what they have. I know who I want it with, but I don’t think I can make that happen.

  David confessed to me that he wanted to elope, but Mimi wanted a party so Toussaint would feel included. So the party is mainly for the kid and maybe a bit for David’s family. After all, they believed he was dead for almost a year. Letting them throw him a party is the least he could do for them now that he’s back from the dead, so to speak.

  I guess David will never tell anyone in his family that we had to fake his death because Mimi couldn’t just take the key like we asked her to. Her stupid initiative almost blew our entire operation.

  The place is filling up. If the age of the guests is any indication, they’re mainly friends of David’s mother. Captain Black is chatting with a beautiful blonde—Catherine something—she’s also a part of Captain Black’s special unit. I scan the crowd, but I can’t find Catherine’s partner. Maybe she finally ditched him. He was a pretentious ass I instantly disliked. She, on the other hand, is a smart cookie. She deserves better.

  Captain Black notices me looking at them and catches my eye. She tilts her head toward the house, inviting me to join her in there. I wait for her to go first, and I follow.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Sally

  I’m the first one to spot Juliya and Prince walking toward us, hand in hand. Uh oh. I wonder how her brothers will react. When we’ve turned enough for Everest to see them, he growls.

  “Did you just growl?” I ask, trying to stifle my laughter. “I can’t believe you just did that!”

  Everest’s frown relaxes just a bit, and the corners of his lips twitch. “I guess I did.”

  I put a hand on each side of his face to make him look at me. I have no doubt he could resist my gentle pressure, but he doesn’t. He just stares at me with surprise. Did hanging around subs make him forget there are other types of women?

  “You realize your sister is a grown woman,” I say.

  “A grown woman with no common sense,” he snaps back.

  “Actually I think your sister is pretty sharp. And while Dmitry isn’t my type, I have to admit he’s a very striking man.”

  Everest seethes, “What sort of friend are you? You wouldn’t want him for yourself, but he’s good enough for my sister?”

  “Hey, hold your horses, Mister All-Righteous!” I take a deep breath to calm myself. I feel insulted that he questioned my friendship with his sister. Without thinking, I have fisted his T-shirt. “I never said he wasn’t good enough for me. I said he wasn’t my type. That’s not the same thing at all. You and Prince are both Dominants. I don’t like Doms—I never have and I never will. I want a partner, not a Master.”

  “And you think my sister’s different?” Everest’s curiosity seems genuine, as if he’s considering his sister as a sexual being for the first time ever. It seems even a bright man with a degree in psychology can’t see a thing when it’s too close to home.

  I let go of his shirt and press my hands flat on his chest in a comforting gesture. “Oh, Everest, I’m sorry. I know she’s your sister and you want to protect her, but surely you of all people can understand what she craves. I mean, seriously, look at her male role models. I understand your father is the very epitome of a big bad Dom, and then she has you and your brother. What type of man did you expect her to be attracted to?”

  He turns his head and brings one of my palms to his lips. He softly kisses it and puts it back on his chest. “I take it back, Sally. You’re a good friend to Juliya. I appreciate you defending her, but you have to understand that I don’t have an issue with the fact that he’s a Dom—well, actually I do, but that’s beside the point. What bothers me is that he’s a Category Five Knight—”

  “And the Knights and the Tornadoes have bad blood. I’ve heard about that. But first I’m ready to bet you have no clue how it all started. Second, I also know that behind his rough-around-the-edges appearance, Prince is a good, loyal man—”

  “I don’t care! Do you see the way he’s looking at her?” Everest says.

  Oh yes, I do. Prince doesn’t just have the look of a man who wants to eat a woman alive. I’ve seen literally hundreds of hungry looks from men watching me undress on stage, and I can tell that this is different. There’s so much more in Prince’s eyes when he looks at Juliya. I thought I’d caught the same expression in Slider’s eyes a few times … but I’m not about to say that to Everest.

  “Oh, come on, it’s just one dance, or maybe two. No need to get your boxers in a bunch.”

  “No chance, I always go commando,” he snaps back with a smile.

  I laugh and say, “You know what I mean.”

  “Right, and the chances of them meeting again are slim,” he mutters.

  “Absolutely. Non-existent,” I add.

  Well, unless Juliya comes to the Bush Fire this week to watch me dance like she said she wanted to. Prince replaced David as our bouncer, and he’s been nothing less than a gentleman with the strippers. I’m not sure he would be as gentle and hands off with Juliya. That’s not a bad thing though—I don’t think she would want him to.

  As we sway in rhythm to the music, Everest glares at Prince, who ignores him. The man seems enthralled. He’s talking softly to Juliya, who seems fascinated by whatever he’s telling her. Everest has stopped talking to me, seemingly lost in his thoughts. I look around for Slider, but he’s nowhere to be seen. I can’t believe the bastard left without giving me a chance to give him a piece of my mind.

  “What’s the matter, sweetheart?” Everest asks. He answers the silent question in my eyes. “One second you were all relaxed, almost cuddly, and suddenly you’re all tense. Something happened.”

  I guess I did tense up. I try to force my body to relax. “I’m sorry. It’s that guy—”

  “The one who’s not your boyfriend?” he winks, and I have to laugh.

  “Yeah, that stinking rat left without saying good-bye.” I try to growl the way Everest did a few minutes ago, but I just sound like a Chihuahua with a bad case of strep throat.

  Ever
est looks at me strangely. Suddenly he seems to understand what I was trying to do because he laughs so hard, he cries. We stop dancing, and watching him be so merry puts me in stitches. I hang on to him for support as we laugh. Everyone stares at us as Everest pulls me away from the dance floor and walks me back to the now empty table.

  We sit, and when I finally catch my breath, I say, “Thank you, I needed that.”

  “Anytime, baby, anytime!” he says. “Now tell me, who’s this guy who has you all riled up?”

  “No one you would approve of or like. It’s Slider, the Knight’s VP.”

  Everest looks behind me. “Will you trust me with a little experiment?”

  I raise my eyebrows. He takes that as a yes, because he leans over and pulls me from my chair onto his lap. His hand is on my butt, and the other slides from my waist to very close to my breast—oh, now on my breast. As I reach for his neck so I don’t lose my balance, he pulls me even closer with a malicious twinkle in his eyes.

  “Now look at me as if you want to kiss me,” he says, his mouth hovering very close to mine.

  Oh. My. God. Slider must be back, and Everest is taunting him. How deliciously devious! It’s official, I adore the three Hatcher siblings.

  I hold his face. “Right this instant, I really do want to kiss you.”

  “I sure hope so,” he whispers. “If that idiot doesn’t invite you to dance or whisk you away within the next thirty seconds, I’m going to show you how serious kissing is done. Who knows, maybe I’ll change your mind and make you crave a Master instead of a partner.”

  I caress his cheek. “I doubt it, but I’m ready and willing to try.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Slider

  “Go upstairs. She’s waiting for you in Captain Williams’s office,” Catherine tells me when I enter the house. “I’ll make sure no one comes up while you’re talking.”

  “Thank you, Catherine.”

  I climb the stairs to a small landing where two of four doors are open. One is obviously Lisa’s room. On her tiny bed are a pile of clothes and Sally’s bag. The other one is about the same size. It must have been David’s room, but now it’s Steven Williams’s office.

  I guess the captain getting to meet Betty at the funeral is one good thing that came out of David’s “death.” Who would have thought they would hit it off and decide to get married so quickly?

  There’re a small desk, a couple of chairs, and shelves with various mementos, including some wrestling trophies that are a quarter of a century old. I’m not surprised. Steven Williams has the build and walk of a wrestler.

  Captain Black is examining the trophies and looking at an assortment of framed pictures. In a recent one, Captain Williams is in full uniform and standing next to his wife and Lisa. Captain Black smiles at me. “It’s always interesting to see what’s in a man’s private study.”

  “Yes, it gives you an insight to their real personality. Anything surprise you in here?”

  “No, he’s a pretty straightforward man,” she says.

  “Good.” I dig my hands in my pockets and wait for her to tell me why she wanted this meet.

  She studies my expression. “How are you doing, Paul?”

  It’s been so long since anyone has called me by my real name that her doing so takes me by surprise. “Not well, Martha.” I don’t usually call her by her first name, but she doesn’t seem to mind me using it in private. “I want out.”

  “Then you’ll be happy to know we’re all wrapped up and we’re pulling you out.”

  “How soon?”

  “The Feds will close the club Tuesday night. I’m giving you a head’s up in case you have loose ends to tie up. Your mandatory psych evaluation is on Wednesday. You’ll meet the shrink at the Point Lookout Hospital, and if she gives us a green light, you’ll take a well-deserved vacation.”

  “Fine. But I may not just want out of the mission….” I look at her to see her reaction when I add, “I may also want out of the force.”

  “I was afraid of that,” she says as she slumps into one of the chairs. “I get it, truly I do, but don’t say that to anybody else.”

  “Why not?” I feel my temper rising. I’ve kept it in check for so long, I’m not sure I can control myself anymore if the mission is over.

  “The brass will question your loyalty if you do.” Her tone is caring.

  I take a deep breath and listen. Captain Black has the reputation of being a straight shooter. “A captain who stands by her men and never throws anyone under the bus” was the way a friend described her when she took over the task force.

  “My suggestion,” she says, “is to take all the vacation time you’ve accumulated. When it’s time to come back, ask for a leave of absence. You’ve been undercover for so long that they won’t say no. If you can afford it, take six months, take a year, and then you can revisit the issue.”

  I process what she’s telling me while I look at the books on the shelves. Captain Williams is an eclectic reader. He has poetry, biographies of American politicians, The Art of War, and a leather-bound edition of the Kama sutra.

  Captain Black remains silent for a moment then continues her explanation. “At the end of your leave of absence, if you decide to resign, then no one will pay any attention to you. No one will care. If you do it now, brass will always have doubts about you. They won’t let you go without giving you a hard time about why you’re leaving.”

  “Thanks for your honesty. I’ll think about what you said,” I say and I should. This woman knows how to navigate the shark-infested waters of the department, otherwise she wouldn’t be where she is today.

  “Good, then we’re all set. Wednesday after ten a.m., you’ll be your own man,” she says. “Be safe.”

  “Thanks, Captain.” I walk down the steps slowly, the captain right behind me.

  Catherine is standing guard by the landing. “Everything good?” Her look of concern makes me realize I’m frowning.

  I try to relax my face when I answer. “Fine and dandy.” My cheery answer seems to worry her more than reassure her. “You go back first. I need a minute.”

  I let them return to the party, and I pace in the kitchen. I need a beer, or two, and maybe some tequila. I walk through the kitchen door into the yard while deciding whether I’ll go back to the Bush Fire or not. I probably won’t. I probably won’t stay long when I do. Aside from my shield and my service weapon, there’s nothing there that I want. I don’t really need to go back to my room at the MC’s clubhouse, but I will anyway. The Knights have been good to me. I’ll leave properly. I’ll resign as VP and—what the fuck!

  Sally’s on Everest’s knees, and the asshole looks as if he’s about to kiss her. She’s all smiles, holding his face, and before I realize what I’m doing, I’ve crossed the yard and jerked her from his embrace. She stands in front of me, tilting her head as if she’s surprised to see me.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” The question comes out a lot more aggressive than I intended.

  “What’s it to you?” she snaps back.

  “Are you going to let her talk to you like that, brother?” Everest asks. “No sub of mine would get away with that tone without a good spanking.”

  For the first time in my life, I’m considering a spanking as an appropriate answer to a woman’s behavior. Except—if I understand what I’ve been told about D/s relationships—a Dom should never react in anger, and right now, I’m more than angry. I’m mad as hell. I’m not really sure whom I’m mad at. I can’t be mad at Sally because I’ve been pushing her away forever. I can’t be mad at Everest, ’cause as far as he knew, she was free game. I guess I’m mad at myself for being in this stupid situation.

  “Come with me,” I say, taking her hand and walking toward the house.

  I’m almost surprised when, without hesitation, she follows me all the way up to Lisa’s room. I close the door behind her and press the button to lock it. I lay my hands flat on Sally’s shoulders and pin her to
the wall. She’s a little out of breath, and her pupils are dilated. She looks at me with that damning gaze she’s been torturing me with for way too long, the one that clearly states that she’s mine for the taking. I love that look. I want to keep it on her face forever.

  I’m not sure what she’ll think when I tell her who I really am. Will it change anything for her? I don’t know. So I stare at her for a minute to burn that expression into my memory. Who can figure out where this is going? Fuck, I want her and I’m going to take her now.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Sally

  My heart is beating so hard I think I’ll die soon if he doesn’t do anything. He’s staring at my face as if he’s looking at me for the last time, and it scares the hell out of me. I’ve never cared for someone the way I care for him. When I’m honest with myself, I admit that it’s more than a simple infatuation. I’m nothing less than in love with this man. I may tell myself that I’ll be fine if I never see him again after I quit, but I know that’s not true.

  I pray that what I read in his onyx eyes isn’t an illusion. My gaze falls to his mouth, and my entire life is reduced to what those lips will do next. With my back to the wall, I stare at him, savoring the pressure of his hands on my shoulders.

  Time is suspended. I don’t know if we’ve been standing here for a minute or more. Does it really matter? I’m turning a page and I have my whole life ahead of me, and I so want him to be a part of it. How long will it take him to see how right we are together?

  Just the touch of his hand is enough to take my breath away. Wrapping my arms around him when we ride together is absolute bliss. Yet I want more, so much more.

  Loving this man has forced me to learn patience.

  I close my eyes and pull in a deep breath. There’s no rush. We’re together, everything is fine. I breathe him in. He smells like leather, sandalwood, and maybe beer, too. When he finally makes a move, I’m startled. His lips reach mine, just a caress, sweet and light as a feather. I moan in frustration.