Page 57 of The Denver Alpha
I flick Juliet a sideways glance to find her looking at me expectantly, eyebrow raised.
“Just take my word for it,” I mutter.
She frowns. She clearly doesn’t like being shut out, and I can’t blame her for that. But I also don’t make a habit of mixing business with pleasure. As good as this night has been, that run-in with Gavin fucking Holley was all that it took to turn bad. I’m so irritated that I can hardly see straight, and if Juliet says something right now, she’s at risk of becoming collateral damage.
The worst part is, I know I’m fucking this up. I can tell she’s thrown off by my abrupt shift in demeanor. Still, I can’t un-ring the bell. I can’t just forget about Gavin and resume the night like that never happened.
Later, I’ll wish I did, because that was only the first domino to fall.
22
I stop short as I turn down the hallway toward my bedroom, my mood shifting from bad to worse when I see someone loitering outside my door. I guess it’s a good thing that Gavin Holley pissed me off so much that I didn’t invite Juliet to spend the night with me, because if she were here right now, she’d probably react poorly to seeing Tayla Bancroft waiting outside my bedroom.
Fuckinggreat.
Tayla has never been one for subtlety, and her intentions tonight are apparent from the way she’s dressed. She’s flaunting her best assets, scantily clad in a black mini skirt and a tiny crop top that ends right below her nipples, displaying an indecent amount of underboob. There was a time when her body drove me wild, but it just doesn’t do it for me anymore. Nothing about the girl does.
If she’s here to try to seduce me, she’s got another thing coming.
“What are you doing here?” I growl in annoyance, refusing to advance another step closer until she explains her unwelcome presence.
Tayla pushes off from the wall and raises her hands in surrender. “I just want to talk.”
“Now’s not a good time,” I grumble, shaking my head before continuing toward her. She’s planted herself right in front of my door, so I have to shoulder past her to reach it, not so gently nudging her out of the way.
“Alpha, please,” Tayla implores. Her voice breaks, and I pause with my hand on the door handle, turning to look at her over my shoulder. Her lower lip is quivering, tears shining in her eyes. I don’t exactly feel bad for her- not after learning what a conniving snake she turned out to be- but there’s something about seeing a female cry that triggers me. I blame my sister for making me soft for a woman’s tears.
“Just let me explain,” Tayla sniffles, hanging her head in humility. “I know you don’t want anything to do with me right now, and that’s fair, but you and me… we’ve got history. And I can’t just leave things the way we did. I need you to know why. I don’t expect you to forgive me, just…” She swipes a tear from the corner of her eye with her knuckle. “Please, just give me a chance to explain myself. I’m begging you.”
I heave a sigh, turning back toward my bedroom door and thumping both a fist and my forehead against it. This is the last fucking thing I need right now. I’m already wound tight from the run-in with Gavin, and nothing Tayla could say would make me reconsider the punishment I imposed for her role in the shoplifting debacle. Part of which she’s in violation of right now- she was specifically banned from the packhouse outside of all-pack gatherings.
Still, part of me wants to hear her out. The one thing she couldn’t offer me earlier was an explanation. It may not change things, but at least I’d have all the facts, and as someone who has an innate need to fully investigate and get to the bottom of things, having all the facts is important. That’s probably why she’s offering them up now in this last-ditch effort to talk to me; because she knows I’ll struggle to refuse.
I blow out a slow breath as I contemplate what to do. Then against my better judgment, I turn the knob and push the door open. “Come in,” I murmur as I step inside.
I don’t look back, but I hear Tayla’s feet shuffling against the floor as she follows me into the room. Then I hear the snick of the door latch as she pulls it closed and I whip around, narrowing my eyes on her, immediately suspicious that she’s up to something. The door doesn’t need to be closed for this conversation.
“You said you wanted to explain,” I say flatly, folding my arms across my chest. “You’ve got five minutes.”
Tayla nods sheepishly, taking a step toward me.
I raise a hand to stop her. “That’s far enough.”
She blows out a shaky breath, tucking her hair behind her ears and nodding again. “I’m sorry, Alpha, I really am. I’m not a bad person. I’m just protective over you and our pack, and the things that girl was saying…” Tayla trails off, shaking her head. “When we were out shopping, Juliet was bragging about how she’s got you wrapped around her finger, how she’s got you so whipped that you even let her drive your car. It wassoupsetting. I care about you and our pack so much that I couldn’t stand to hear you disrespected like that by anyone, especially an outsider. I couldn’t let her get away with making a fool out of you.”
I scrub a hand over my buzzed head, heaving an irritated sigh. While this revelation doesn’t sit well with me, it’s ultimately between me and Juliet. “My personal life is my own business,” I mutter. “It’s not your place to intervene.”
“You’re right,” she agrees. “I know I reacted rashly, I just panicked. I mean, if she’s saying that in front of me, knowing our relationship, then what’s she saying in front of the rest of the pack? How would they feel about you letting an outsider get so close? I would never want anything to come back on you or your authority to be called into question.”
My mind’s too busy turning over her words to notice that she’s moving toward me, closing the distance between us. “Like I said, I’m protective of you, Alpha,” she purrs, reaching up to straighten the collar of my shirt.
My eyes flicker down to find her gazing up at me earnestly, her hand lifting to cup my jaw. I catch her wrist before she can, moving it away. “Tayla…”
“Please, Alpha,” she whimpers, angling the lower half of her body closer to rub up against me. “You have to believe me. I did it because I care about you. Please don’t let things between us end like this…”
Ah. There it is.
I shake my head, pushing her away and taking a step backwards. “It’s already over.”