Page 52 of The Denver Alpha
He's not the only one I haven’t heard a peep from. Since fooling around with Cole on the ride home, I haven’t seen or heard fromhim, either. It’s not unusual for the man to be busy- he’s Alpha of the largest pack in the state, after all- but considering how things have been escalating between us lately, the last thing I expected was radio silence. Especially after he had his dick shoved down my throat, I meancome on! At least make an effort to make a girl feel special.
I’m not the type to sit around and wait and I have no problem being the one to make the first move, so I decide to pop by his office at the packhouse to see if I can catch him. I don’t even have a good excuse- I’m just a horny devil when it comes to Cole Bauer and I’m sick of speculating as to whether he’s avoiding me after swooping in with the rescue the other day. As I wind through the corridors of the packhouse, I start to daydream a scenario in my head where I turn up at his office and he has me lock the door and bend over his desk, scolding me for being a bad, bad girl. Then he roughly takes me right there until I’m screaming, begging for him to stop- except I don’t want him to stop, not really- I want him to go harder, faster, lose all sense of control and show me who he really is when nobody’s looking.
I giggle inwardly and fan myself, getting all hot and bothered at the images I’m conjuring up in my mind. Only when I turn down the hallway that houses Cole’s office and see who’s walking out, it’s basically the equivalent of getting doused with a bucket of ice water.
My stomach turns as Tayla’s gaze lifts to meet mine. She appears startled to see me for a split second, then glances back toward the office doorway, putting two and two together as to why I’m here. She doesn’t get mad, though- instead, her lips tip into an arrogant smirk, her hands smoothing her hair and adjusting the hem of her dress.
My heart sinks, my throat tightening. There’s no way I can maintain a poker face. I freeze in my tracks, blood rushing to my ears. Tayla shoots me a sideways glance, passing by me without saying a word, but she doesn’t have to. Just seeing her like this tells me everything I need to know. She’s still hooking up with Cole, and I’m a damn fool for thinking whatever we had was something different or special.
I could turn around. I could run back to my room, throw myself on the bed, and cry into my pillow like a lovesick teenager lamenting her first heartbreak. I don’t feel desperately sad, though, or even regretful. Mostly I’m just angry.
How fuckingdarehe?
It’s about respect. Tobias has tried to come onto me several times since I started hooking up with his alpha, but I knocked his ass into the friend zone out of respect for Cole. Is it too much to expect for him to do the same when it comes to his rotating door of women?
I think not.
So no, I don’t turn around, run back to my room, and cry about it. I take a deep breath. I force my feet to move. And I storm right into his office, intent on letting him have a piece of my mind.
Cole looks up from his spot behind his desk when I enter, his dark-eyed stare slamming into me and stealing my breath. I try not to let it disarm me, but it’s hard when my body seems to naturally react to his. The sight and scent of him knocks me off balance momentarily, but I quickly recover, shoving the door closed behind me to keep this conversation private and pointing an accusatory finger in his direction.
“I’m not joining your roster.”
He raises a brow slowly, his lips quirking in amusement. “Roster?”
“Yeah, that’s what Shay called it,” I say, waving a hand in annoyance. “Your lineup of girls or whatever. How many do you have, anyways? Is it just the whole damn pack at this point?”
Cole’s smile drops. He leans forward, sliding his elbows onto the desk and folding his hands. “Three,” he deadpans.
I flinch, a little jarred that he actually answered. And without thinking, I ask another question I don’t want the answer to, holding a hand in front of me and counting off on my fingers. “So me, Tayla, and who?”
He pushes back in his chair, heaving a sigh. “Tayla, Rosie, and sometimes Mara.”
Each name he rattles off feels like a bullet to the chest. I swallow past the lump forming in my throat, chuckling wryly as I shake my head. “Oh, I see, so I don’t even make the cut,” I say, still all attitude even though it feels like my chest is splitting open and my heart’s about to drop out onto the floor.
“It’s not like that between us,” Cole murmurs.
Any retort I might’ve had dies on my lips when I feel the sting of tears forming behind my eyes.Damnit.I refuse to cry. I bite down on the inside of my cheek, staring Cole down defiantly, trying my best to keep it together while it feels like I could fall apart.
I won’t fall apart; I’m stronger than that.
Just breathe.
“Look, I’ve never claimed to be a saint,” he sighs.
“And you should know better than to think I’d be interested in joining your lineup.”
“I’d never ask you to.”
Ouch.
I throw my hands on my hips, rolling my eyes exaggeratedly. “Right, because I don’t make the cut,” I rasp, my voice nearly breaking. “I guess I should’ve known that after I gave you road head and then you ghosted me for two days, but then again, that was back when I thought you were actually a decent guy, not a complete dick.”
Cole heaves an exhausted sigh, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Are you about done?”
I stare at him, blinking.
He leans back and pats his thigh. “Come here.”