Page 34 of Alpha Brock
Brock glances at his watch, sipping from his own cup. “About ten minutes.”
I walk around the island to deposit my coffee mug in the sink, making a beeline for the hallway to my room and calling to Brock over my shoulder on the way. “I’ll be quick!”
Fifteen minutes later- because one of my gym shoes was hiding from me under the bed- Brock and I are in the Escalade and on our way to the squad complex for the morning training session. I’m wearing a pair of black leggings and a heather grey zip-up long sleeve, while Brock is once again in a pair of athletic shorts and a hoodie. How the hell does he make workout attire look so damn appealing? We’ve both got our hair tied back, though his is neat and mine’s a bit of a mess. The perils of naturally curly hair.
We’re both quiet as we pull out of the town of Riverton and onto the forest road that connects the six-pack territories, and I can’t stand silence- I have to fill it. So of course I jump to the first thing on my mind; the only thing on my mind.
“Are we going to talk about last night?”
I look over at Brock, gauging his reaction, but he has none. He just stares out the windshield at the road ahead with a blank expression on his face.
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Bullshit,” I laugh. “There is absolutely something to talk about! You can’t just kiss me like that and then…”
“It was a one-off,” Brock interrupts. “I shouldn’t…” he trails off and heaves a sigh, scowling. “I can’t.”
So this is the game we’re playing.I watch him curiously, wondering who the hell hurt him so badly to make him this closed off. I know from what Quinn told me that some ex-girlfriend did a number on him, but this guy’s damage seems deeper than that.
“Can’twhat?” I press, because that’s just what I do.
He darts a glance in my direction before returning his gaze to the road and I watch as his knuckles tighten around the steering wheel. “I can’t go there with you.”
“Why not?”
“Because like I said, you don’t want this,” he grumbles.
I roll my eyes, hard. “Ohhhkay, so now you’re gonna try to tell me what I want?”
Brock may be able to hide from most people, but he can’t hide from me. His gruff attitude scares others away, but I’m an intuitive- I know that underneath the front he puts on, there’s a good guy with a good heart in there. I canfeelit. Maybe that’s what my intuition has been trying to tell me; what Brock and I are supposed to be to one another. Maybe I’m supposed to help tear down some of the walls he’s erected to keep people out and help him feel again. Maybe his resistance is supposed to teach me patience.
“I’m a big girl, I can make my own decisions,” I say, folding my arms over my chest indignantly.
He arches a brow, the hint of a smirk tugging at his lips. “Big?”
I snap my head to look his way, a smile creeping across my face.Holy shit, did mister broody actually just make a joke?
“Hey,” I protest, watching his smirk deepen. “I may be little, but I’m fierce.”
Brock pulls into the parking lot of the squad complex a few minutes later, taking his usual spot and sliding the gear into park and cutting the engine. He wastes no time in removing his seatbelt and throwing his door open, ready to head into practice without another word.
I decide to poke the bear one more time, though, because the female blue balls he left me with last night have me feeling a little feisty this morning.
“I guess if you can’t go there with me, I could always take Reid up on his offer to take me out sometime,” I say flippantly, unbuckling my seatbelt.
I open the door and slide out of the passenger seat, hopping down from the Escalade and turning to close the door behind me. When I spin around and go to take a step, though, I slam into a hard chest, letting out a little squeak in surprise. I look up and my breath catches in my throat- I don’t know how he got over here so quickly, but Brock is standing right in front of me, trapping me between the vehicle and his body. Staring down at me with a feral look in his eyes. I instinctively back up, meeting the cool exterior of the passenger side door.
Brock leans in toward me, bracing himself with an elbow on the side of the Escalade, caging me in. He quickly brings his other hand to my throat, gripping it loosely as he leans his face in beside mine and I feel his warm breath against my ear.
“Are you trying to test me, Astrid?”
The deep, raspy tenor of his voice has butterflies scattering in my belly. His body is so close to my own that I can feel the heat radiating from it. He draws back just enough to look into my eyes- that raw, carnal hunger evident in his gaze. I’m sure my own eyes are reflecting the same thing back at him, because suddenly there’s only one thing on my mind.
I grab at the front of his hoodie with my hands, fisting the fabric, trying to pull him in closer. Staring up at him wildly. “Kiss me,” I whisper.
He slams his lips down over mine, his hand tightening around my throat as he kisses the life out of me. A strong arm comes around my back, lifting me to my tiptoes as I return his kiss urgently- all tongues and lips and teeth. My legs part, wrapping around his waist as he lifts me higher, pinning me against the Escalade. His grip around my waist tightens, pushing the air from my lungs as he deepens the kiss, my arms winding around his neck.
It's primal and desperate and uninhibited, our wildfire chemistry combusting between our lips. For several glorious moments, the world around us just falls away- we’re so wrapped up in one another that nothing else matters. I moan in protest as he pulls back, nipping my lips, staring at me savagely like a man possessed.