Page 9 of Alpha Brock
Uncomfortable with the tension building between us, Jared speaks up.
“Brock’s upstairs, and I’m down the other hall on the first floor across the way,” he supplies. “Towels are in the bathroom, and we’ve got a girl that comes in once a week to clean up and do the laundry, so just leave anything you want washed in the basket in the bathroom.”
I turn to Jared, nodding my head. “Got it. Thank you.”
“Sure thing.” He looks around for a moment awkwardly. “Well, you probably want to get unpacked and settled, so we’ll leave you to it.”
I smile, realizing that I’m blocking their access to the doorway and stepping aside.
Brent passes by me first, winking, followed by Jared, who offers me another warm, friendly grin. Brock’s last, and he’s averting his gaze. I’m still trying to figure out why the heck he’s so stand-offish.
“Hey,” I say softly, reaching out to touch his arm.
There’s that feeling again- the same one I got when I shook his hand on the field at the complex. A weird zing, followed by a rush that leaves me a little lightheaded. My intuition is trying to tell me something, but I still can’t quite put my finger on it…
Brock yanks his arm away, and as soon as the contact is broken, so is the connection. Strange.
He’s peering down at me curiously, and I realize that I must’ve had what my brother and Sam call ‘the look’- they say that when my ‘ability’ is at work and I get those feelings or intuitions about things, my eyes kinda glaze over for a minute.
“Sorry,” I breathe, shaking my head as if to scatter my thoughts. He towers over me as I look up at him, and damnit, thoseeyes… they’re moss green, with little flecks of honey brown and…gold?My wolf pushes forward as it dawns on me that his is peeking out.
Get it together, Astrid.
“I, uh, just wanted to thank you,” I stammer, bringing my hands together in front of me and wringing them as I shove my wolf back. “For your hospitality.”
“No problem,” Brock grunts. Then he bolts for the door, like he can’t get out of the room fast enough.
As soon as he’s gone, my brain is less scrambled and I can form a coherent thought again. I’m a little embarrassed that I was so thrown off by him and practically babbling.
I listen to the sound of the guys’ footsteps retreating down the hall as I push the door to my new bedroom closed.Seriously, what the hell was that?I’ve gotta make sense of what my intuition is trying to tell me about this Brock guy, stat.
I heave a sigh as I make my way over to the bed, sinking down onto the edge and pulling off my black leather ankle booties. As soon as I’ve tossed them to the floor, I flop backwards, my body bouncing against the springy mattress as I stare up at the ceiling.
I comb through my mind, seeking to identify another time that I had the same feeling I got today from Brock- but I keep coming up blank. It’s a new feeling, something that I can’t quite tap into. Not knowing what it is makes me feel a little bit uneasy. There’s one thing I do know, though- that there’s definitely something different about this guy. And I intend to figure out what it is.
CHAPTER FIVE
Brock
I slept like shit last night. Something about that girl being here under my roof has both me and my wolf on edge, and I woke up with the sunrise to let him out for a run this morning. I feel marginally better when I return, pulling on a pair of grey sweatpants that I left hanging off of a tree branch behind the packhouse and tugging them on.
When I walk into the packhouse through the door off the back patio, I immediately hear Astrid’s airy little giggle and I’m right back where I started.Annoyed. I take a couple of tentative steps forward so I can see into the kitchen, spotting her perched on a barstool at the kitchen island wearing a tiny pair of shorts, one bare leg crossed over the other. A baggy sweatshirt hides the rest of her slim physique, and her curly hair is piled on top of her head in a messy bun. She’s clutching a steaming cup of coffee in both hands, still giggling softly.
Brent and Jared are standing across from Astrid on the other side of the island, leaning toward her with obvious interest. The way these two are fawning over this girl is pathetic- she’s all they could talk about last night when we were hanging out. At present, Brent’s regaling Astrid with some sort of story or joke -which she must findhilarious, judging by her giggling- and Jared is just shaking his head with a big, goofy smile on his face. I can’t help but roll my eyes as I head toward them, Astrid being the first to notice my presence.
Her head whips in my direction, eyes wide like a baby deer caught in the headlights. They immediately drop to my bare chest, and I don’t miss the blush that forms on her cheeks as her gaze slides from my pecs to my eight-pack abs. By the time her eyes make their way back up to my own, I can’t stop a smirk from tugging at my lips.
For a moment, she seems a little flustered- but I’m quickly learning this girl is a pro at concealing her emotions. Within seconds, she’s got a bright smile on her face, any trace of unease buried. “Hi!” she chirps, way too fucking chipper for this early in the morning.
Jared immediately straightens when he sees me, setting his coffee cup down on the counter. “Morning, Alpha.”
Brent leans a hip against the kitchen island. “Good morning,Alpha,” he repeats mockingly. The guy thinks it’s funny to tease me about my title for some reason- I think it’s how he copes with his jealousy over the fact that I’m now technically his superior thanks to our birth order. “Out for a run?”
I nod, stepping closer as I comb through my hair with my fingers and pull it back, securing it with an elastic.
“Coffee?” Jared offers, nodding toward the pot.
I shake my head. “I’m good. Gotta get up to the complex.”