Her Alpha Male

by Lillith Payne

  The front elevation was deceptive to the rear, the mountains in the far horizon, and the town below them in the distance. “Royce, it’s a beautiful view. I couldn’t imagine from the front the house was set on a cliff.”

  She took only two steps farther before her world flashed in front of her eyes, and she didn’t like what she saw. He was beside her without warning, pulling her back roughly. His breathing was fragmented, and he’d used more force was necessary. But in that flash of time, she saw her future with him and knew, then and there, she was meant for him alone.

  “The retaining wall is rotted, Angela, be careful.” His voice was tense, his body rigid. The way he was staring down made her antsy in his arms.

  A peculiar heat worked its way through her body, from the strange static in her belly to her heated lips, now engorged and wanting attention and in the back of her brain where it all jelled into the same realization. This was the man she loved and wanted to spend her life with. His same intense look reinforced that it wasn’t going to happen. She drew a deep breath and, pushing the idea aside, reminded herself that she’d promised to take what he gave her and let him go without a fuss. He turned her back against him, showing her the view.

  “All right,” she said as her heart finally steadied, but she didn’t move from his warmth. “What would you do here, Royce? How would you spend your time? What would you do for a living?” She felt him tense more behind her and quickly added, “Never mind, it’s none of my business.” While she didn’t pull away, she held herself taut.

  “Angela, the house would have to be rebuilt. I’d like to save some of the woodwork and molding details and incorporate them into the new building, but it’s not structurally sound. None of the building on the site are. It would take a lot of work and time to turn it into something livable.”

  “Do you have the time and more importantly do you have the want?”

  “I have both.”

  “But yesterday you said you couldn’t buy it, that it’s too close to me. I’m not moving again, Royce. I just got my house finished.”

  “I know, Angela. I’m not asking you to move.”

  She could take his statement several ways and she didn’t like any of the directions. “You’re being very evasive. I’m not sure why, but I won’t pressure you. Somehow, I get the feeling that’s what you want, for me to pressure you so you can retreat and tell yourself you were right about what ever excuses you summon.”

  Angela stood tall and waited for an answer. When none came, she moved away from his warmth and wandered across a barren field toward an old barn, the attached silo now missing its metal roof. Her emotions were on full tilt, and she was hurt by his words. The dog was still running in haphazard patterns around the acreage.

  Royce waited a long time before finally following her. She’d stopped in the doorway and let her eyes adjust to the darkness before entering. There

  were bales of stale hay and dust motes circulating through the space in the daylight coming through several openings, the largest one where a roof should rest.

  “I never had a real home, Angela. We were always living on a base someplace or were moving to another. I want something substantial in my life, a place I can unpack my life and never move from again.”

  “So it’s a matter of finding the right place for you and making a commitment to it.”

  “Yes.”

  “I can understand that perspective, Royce. I searched for over a year before I found Woodstock. And months longer before I found my little house. But I was doing it on the sly, and it was difficult to get away to explore.” She smiled but didn’t share the reason with him. He already knew why.

  “Why here? Why this town?”

  “Several reasons. I liked the quaintness about it, but it’s a thriving place. I see the potential for its future. It has all the amenities within a reasonable driving distance and I can still get back to Brooklyn if I want to. But it’s not like I’m living on Queens or Long Island where Vito would expect me to attend every Sunday supper. And I can drive into Manhattan when I need to for work. I like the feel of a tourist town because it stays current with the rest of the world and I can still drive a few miles and be locked away on my four acres where nobody calls the shots but me.”

  “You’re an amazingly strong woman, Angela.”

  “No more than you, you survived twenty years in the Air Force.”

  “And I’m regimented and hardheaded and stubborn at times, basically jaded.”

  “Yeah, tell me something I don’t know.” She laughed, and they both relaxed.

  “The sun’s going down, and it’s getting colder. We should head back.”

  “You mean you’re not going to make love to me in the barn?”

  “Not in the middle of March. Ask me again in June or July.”

  Neither addressed their last comments and let it drop.

  “All right,” Angela whistled for Prima who took a long time to find her way back, looking pathetic and relieved when she spotted Angela in the distance.

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d say that dog got lost.”

  “Probably just turned around a bit,” Angela defended.

  “Yeah, just turned around. She’s a dog. She’s supposed to have an innate sense of direction.” He was laughing as the dog slinked back beside Angela. “Give her time. She’s never been here before.”

  “All right, I won’t pick on her. Come on, it’s getting late.” He reached for her hand and she automatically took his. Their walk back to the vehicle was quiet.

  ———

  Royce insisted on stopping in town and having an early supper at the burger place and on bringing back ice cream for later. Prima was fed and walked in the fading daylight, and finally, they were settled in for the night, a glass of wine near each of them. Royce was finishing volume two of Evangeline while Angela scanned the newspaper.

  Chapter Ten

  Angela had gone upstairs ahead of him, just after she’d walked Prima one last time. He told her he’d be up in a few minutes. He only had a chapter left in volume two. Closing the novel, he held it in his hands for a long time before placing it on the table. He walked to the glass wall and shook his head. He’d never given her credit for the depth of her creative side. He’d never allowed himself to really see her as a woman other than Tony’s little sister.

  It had worked for twenty years, despite the few instances when his dick overruled his brain. But he’d known for years she was different, and the way she wrote was overpowering, especially now that he knew he’d been a model for Heath. A deer wandered from the woods and halted in the corner of the yard. It reminded him of Prima, skittish and on guard.

  The sight brought tears to his eyes, and he laughed at himself. His emotions were on overload. When he’d thought to make this quick stop to check on her, he hadn’t been prepared to come to terms with his feelings, to accept that he’d been in love with her for years. And he never gave her credit for the passion she kept locked away.

  Volume two had Evangeline and Heath finally joining in the physical sense. She’d managed to turn the two inexperienced lovers into a finely tuned unit, each learning to play the other like a fine instrument. Angela ended the novel with Evangeline presenting Heath with a present. The silver and blue wrapping was described with great detail as was the look on his face when he open’s the box to find an antique wooden paddle.

  Royce had read the pages and found it hard to breath, found himself shifting his instant erection for comfort. He almost choked when in the last passage of the novel, Heath was on his knees before Evangeline, with his hands raised and the paddle waiting her touch. This was a twist he hadn’t seen coming, but he remembered her feelings about trust and control.

  The instance reinforced his feelings. He did trust her to control him. While he’d thought about giving a woman a light spanking in the moment, and had enjoyed the experience with one long-ago partner, he had never given thought to being on the receiving end. His alpha p
ersonality shone through with an amazing chauvinistic flair.

  He didn’t want to think about how Angela might hold that paddle against him. The idea terrified and embarrassed him, yet in the back of his mind, he knew that if he wanted to spank Angela, and the want was overwhelming for too many reasons, sexual excitement only one of them, he’d ultimately have to trust her if she decided to turn the paddle on him.

  Royce didn’t like the way his erection was throbbing and decided this was the end. He’d leave her tomorrow and never look back. It was rude but necessary for survival, and he’d become a survivalist over the last twenty years. The deer was gone when he looked up. Only a few tiny hoof prints in the fresh snow left evidence it had been there.

  He wondered what Tony would think and say if he ever found out about Royce’s time with his baby sister. He knew instantly the friendship wouldn’t survive his defiling of Angela and tossing her aside. What would Vito do? Visions of a shotgun being held to his head and Angela walking down the aisle toward him in her mother’s wedding gown materialized, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

  The photograph of her parents’ wedding had stood on the sideboard, with one of Nonnie and her husband beside it, for as long as he could remember. He easily pictured Angela in Nonnie’s simple gown as opposed mother’s frilly one, filling it out better than her grandmother had, but definitely something similar. She’d make a beautiful bride, he mused, and realized the direction his mind had taken. No, he wasn’t getting married. He was going to settle down and find himself. Maybe someday, when he was older and tired, he’d find a woman and make her his wife. But that was a long time away. Now he just had to remember it.

  He took some time to control his feeling before heading up for one last night. One last span, during which he could touch her and love her, could make her his own before he walked out of her life for good. Angela was lying on the bed, naked except for a black silky slip. As he approached, she moved to the foot and reached toward him while lying on her belly.

  “Royce,” she whispered as he neared. When he was close enough, she pulled him to her, her fingers using his belt loops to pull him closer. There was no conversation or playful banter. Angela took what she wanted from him. She pushed the denim from him with ease, and she swallowed his rising erection with an enthusiasm that only made him want her more.

  “Angela, we need to talk.”

  He’d pulled from her mouth and tugged his jeans back up his hips. When she finally pulled back from him, she rolled onto her back, and stared up at him as he knelt beside the bed.

  “You have the worst timing for conversation, Royce, unless it’s to tell me what you want on your last night here.”

  Her gaze held his, and he smiled, shaking his head. Angela rolled back onto her stomach and propped her head on her hands.

  “Well?”

  Suddenly he was tongue tied, his entire well thought out words gone from his mind with the simple touch of her lips. Her slip had gotten tangled when she moved and had ridden up her back. Her tight butt glowed in the soft pink light. She watched him intently before speaking, and he knew she could read him like no other woman ever had.

  “If you’re looking for absolution, you have it. I know you’re leaving, and in all likelihood, I’ll probably never see you again, or at least not for a long time. I knew that going into this and I accept responsibility for any guilt or hurt either of us feels. But damn it, just once in my life I wanted what I wanted, just for me. Can you understand? That for just this weekend, I wanted to know what it would feel like to be loved by you.”

  “Angela, I can’t.”

  “You can’t what? I haven’t asked you for anything, have I?” He gave her a strained frown, and she laughed. “All right, aside from sex and silence, I’ve not asked you for anything. No commitment, no false promises. I simply asked for your attention.”

  “You deserve more,” he said, his words a mere whisper.

  “Yes, but it’s not going to happen, and we both know it.” Angela held his look and refused to blink first. “Royce, I’ve always loved you to some degree, first a childhood crush then more. But I’ve always accepted you didn’t see me in a sexual way. This weekend, I still didn’t think you did, but somehow, we managed to get this far. Let’s not spoil it. Can’t we just have this time to ourselves without regret?”

  “I never meant to hurt you.”

  “I know, and you haven’t. I’m a big girl now, and I knew what I was getting into. If anything, I pushed you further than you were willing to go. So, just between us, Royce, let’s just let loose for the next few hours and enjoy each other. Reality will intrude on us soon enough.”

  “Is that all I am, a way to let loose for a few hours?”

  Something had shifted, and Angela wasn’t sure what happened. She pulled herself up, sat back on her heels, and stared.

  “What would you prefer? I’ve already professed my undying love to a man who won’t accept it. Should I make a scene when you leave tomorrow? Will that make leaving easier?”

  “No!”

  “Well, tell me, Royce, what do you want?”

  “Damn it, Angela. I can’t give you a future.”

  “I know that, and I’m building one for myself. But it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t take advantage of you when I have you here, does it? Should you have not kissed me on my birthday? Was it wrong for you to touch me the day of the christening? Was it wrong that I let you? None of it matters, Royce. Tomorrow you’ll pack up your rental car and drive away. And wherever you decide to settle, I know it wouldn’t be here. And most of all, it won’t be with me. So, give me what you can for a few more hours and a few more memories to keep me warm on a cold winter night.”

  “You deserve more.”

  “Yes, but you’re not prepared to give it and I’m not prepared to turn into a puttana and force you into something you obviously don’t want.”

  “If I could, angel.” His eyes closed in defeat, and they both recognized the beginning of the end. She reached out to his chin and pulled his head closer.

  “You can’t, I accept that. What I won’t accept is wasting what little time we have left together. You promised me this time together would never leave this space and I’m holding you to that promise. So let’s just see where the night and our imaginations take us, and in the morning, I promise not to make a scene.”

  Angela closed her eyes and tried to take a deep breath while holding back the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. For long seconds, she stilled, and Royce watched her intently. When her lips twisted into a strange smile, she finally opened her eyes and openly surveyed him. “I could always call Tony and tell him how you took advantage of his poor, innocent little sister, unsuspecting in her invitation to an old family friend.”

  Royce stared for three heartbeats before laughing wildly at the notion of her being unsuspecting or innocent. “That’s what you’d tell him, huh?”

  “It’s one possibility, but I like my way better.”

  He stripped off his shirt and backed her toward the pillows as he advanced. The heavy air around them dissipated.

  “Be careful, Angela. I’d have to tell him about Evangeline.” His gaze held hers, and again, her laughter startled him.

  “I’d be forced to explain the dedication.”

  Royce stopped dead and stared. She was laughing as he twisted around the circular staircase. He made it to the table in record time, grabbed the book, and took it toward the fireplace for light. He fumbled to find the page. Royce stared at the simple words and finally laughed, at himself and at Angela. Her dedication was brief and to the point.

  For R. M., my inspiration.

  “Son of a bitch.” He hissed through his teeth and shook his head. Royce dropped the book on the sofa and headed back upstairs. Angela was sitting cross-legged in the center of the bed with an impish grin on her lips. “Next threat?” she asked, knowing she’d managed to throw him.

  He moved quickly, quicker she was prepared for. Bef
ore realizing how, he was sitting on the edge of her bed, with her spread across his lap, her slip bunched up around her waist. Heat from his hand reached her before the actual touch of his hand, soft at first and on the second pass, the third pass impacted with her skin a bit harder as did the one that followed. His cock jutted against her belly, and she jolted away without thought. Her cheeks were red, and he saw his imprint was be visible. Royce spanked her twice more, and she came, writhing over his legs while his cock nuzzled against her.

  Angela slipped off his lap and down between his thighs and freed his cock for her waiting lips. She licked his moist tip and savored his taste, no longer surprised when he pulled her up to kiss her.

  “No more threats, angel.” He moved her beside him on the bed and slipped the strap of her gown off her shoulder, exposing the rounded top of her breast.

  “I have a much better idea.”

  His fingers tugged her already hardened nipple and he felt it swell further. His cock twitched to life, and he moved to her other side.

  “And that would be,” he asked just before he latched onto her.

  “That you fuck me until the sun comes up.”

  Her request didn’t faze him. “How?”

  “Every way you can think of and a few I’ve thought about…”

  The look on Angela’s face made Royce straighten and back away. He saw the intensity in her expression and knew she meant what she said.

  “Royce, I want anything you can give me, and I’m going to take all I can.”

  Excitement between them all but sizzled in the air around them. He stripped off his jeans and tossed them aside before sliding beside her.

  “Never disappoint a lady,” he said as he pulled her against him and crushed her breasts against his chest as he lowered a finger to twist her belly ring.

  “Major?” she whispered, and he swallowed the rest of her words with a kiss.

  ———

  He was exhausted, physically and emotionally, after their night together. Sometime in the early morning, Angela had become insatiable. She took what he offered and pushed for more. Royce knew he couldn’t hold out much longer. She’d worked them both into a frenzy right from the start, and he’d come quickly. Angela had teased that she’d have some time to work on him and remained true to her word.