Romancing the Alpha: An Action-Adventure Romance Boxed Set

by Zoe York

  She’d already taken into account all the issues Honeycunt and Owen were concerned about. She’d thought long and hard about her decision, and she hadn’t been bullshitting when she told them she would be staying out of trouble.

  Risk of injury or a criminal record weren’t the only things she’d be worried about. She’d struggled long and hard over whether to out herself. Biddy valued her privacy above all else, and she worked very hard to keep her band persona separate from who she was in real life. Boots was loud, flamboyant, and had a serious boot fetish—hence the nickname. Biddy was quiet, shy, and did her best not to stand out in a crowd.

  In the end, she’d chosen to maintain her privacy. She was no different from any other volunteer who had a job to return to, and she didn’t want to be singled out for special treatment. Besides, she didn’t want REN to exploit her minor celebrity status. Yes, Boots could probably do a lot of good for the organisation by publicly endorsing it, but that wasn’t what she was looking to achieve. Boots was taking a break and Biddy was going to use this time to be herself.

  She checked her watch as she walked to her car. Running behind as usual. She mentally reorganised the tasks she still had to take care of before she flew out the next evening. Her ability to procrastinate was legendary, and no matter how hard she tried to get shit done well ahead of schedule, she always, always ended up banging hard up against deadlines. Oh well, like the saying goes, if you leave it until the last minute, it only takes a minute. By her calculations, laundry was her number one priority—she wasn’t going to risk being pulled aside by customs with a day-pack full of dirty underwear.

  It was ridiculous that she had at least three loads of laundry to do before she could pack, but recording exhausted her and she was doing well if she managed to make it to her bed before falling asleep after each session.

  At least she could handle most of her pre-trip business while her clothes were being washed and dried.

  Fuck, if she were organised, she’d have just dropped it all off at a local laundromat and paid to have someone there do it while she was at the studio.

  No. If she were organised, she’d have taken care of her laundry earlier. The last thing she needed was the laundry person figuring out who she was and selling her dirty panties online. Eew.

  — TWO —

  Doug Fraser checked the arrivals board again. The flight status had finally changed to landed. People should be filtering through to collect their luggage any minute. He held up the sign with her name on it—Biddy O’Mara.

  What the fuck kind of name was Biddy anyway? She was probably some newly retired, grey-haired old spinster who’d taught kindergarten for the last thirty years and was looking for a bit of adventure.

  He was feeling more than a little resentful about having to come to the airport to pick up one person. Everyone else had arrived on Saturday, but this special snowflake not only had to wait until fucking Monday to arrive, she’d missed her fucking connecting flight, too. So, he ended up missing out on a great filming opportunity because Karen sent him to be the fucking welcoming committee. Twice. If this Biddy person had just booked herself on this flight in the first place, he could have filmed the local festival and still managed to get to the airport in plenty of time to meet her plane.

  “Excuse me, I’m Biddy O’Mara.”

  The sing-song voice made him look down. He’d been so focused on watching the area around the baggage carousel for grey-haired passengers, he hadn’t noticed the woman standing in front of him arrive. She was a tiny little thing. He’d be surprised if she was even a full five-foot-two without her footwear, and he highly doubted she’d break a hundred pounds soaking wet. His cock didn’t give a shit either way. She had curves in all the right places, and her nose and cheeks had a sprinkling of pale freckles. He’d always been a sucker for freckles. He willed his cock to settle down.

  Something didn’t look quite right. Then it hit him. “Where’s your luggage? Did it go missing?”

  She laughed and pointed to the day-pack hanging off her shoulder. “This is it. If it can’t fit in this, I don’t need it.”

  “You’re kidding me, right?”

  “Nope. This is everything. I hate waiting, so I rarely check a bag.”

  A light traveller. He appreciated that. As a free-lance camera operator, he always travelled with a lot of equipment, so when it came to his personal gear, he kept it to the bare essentials. If he were the settling down kind and he wasn’t so sure she’d break the first time he fucked her, she could almost be his perfect woman.

  He liked his sex rough with a great big helping of kink. Even if she didn’t splinter from the fucking, she looked so bloody innocent, she’d probably swoon when he got all pervy on her ass. He stole another glance at her. Damn, he sure would like a piece of that.

  “Can I carry your pack for you, then? You’ve got to be tired.”

  “Completely shattered, but it’s okay, I prefer to handle my own gear. Thank you for meeting me, by the way. I did try to arrange to arrive on Saturday with the rest of the volunteers, but I had a work commitment I couldn’t change. Then my second flight got delayed which made me miss—Shit. I supposed this is your second trip to pick me up today, isn’t it?”

  He’d been so caught up in that sing-song voice of hers, the jump-shift caught him a little off guard. “Uh, yeah, it is. But it’s no big deal.”

  “I’m so sorry. I hate it when people get jerked around because of me.”

  “Biddy, unless you’re the reason the flight was delayed, it’s not your fault, and there was nothing you could have done. Nobody’s dead or seriously maimed, so let’s keep it in perspective.” What the hell was wrong with him? Not a half-hour ago he’d been cursing her out left and right for being selfish and wasting his time. Of course, that was before his cock hijacked his brain.

  “Yeah, I get that it was out of my control, but that doesn’t make me feel any less guilty, I’m afraid. Right now, all I want is a bed and a good eighteen hours of uninterrupted sleep. With the lay-overs, changes in time zones, and everything else, I can’t begin to guess how many hours I’ve been awake. Hell, I’m not even sure what day it is.”

  “Well, by the time we get to REN House and settle you in, it’ll be a good time for you to go to sleep.” Poor thing. He’d almost forgotten her journey had started on the other side of the planet.

  They hadn’t even made it out of the airport parking lot before she was out. He tried to ignore the twinges of guilt he felt from his earlier grumpiness. Of course it wasn’t her fault, and for someone who, apparently, hates to wait, she got stuck doing a lot of it during her trip. He glanced sideways at the sleeping woman beside him. Mistake. The sight of those adorable freckles and those plump, red lips had his cock swollen, twitchy, and ready to rock.

  He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had him so tempted to let his dick run the show. It’s not like he was desperate to get laid. While he was picky—and he could afford to be—he had plenty of opportunities for some choice ass. He peeked over at her again. Her chin had dropped and her mouth was slightly open.

  He thought about what it would feel like to slide his cock between those gorgeous lips and wondered if she was as innocent as she looked, or whether she had mad deep throating skills.

  He needed to focus his thoughts elsewhere because his jeans were pretty much strangling his cock and he couldn’t do anything to fix the situation until after he got Biddy settled in at REN House.

  He considered her name again. What kind of parents name their kid Biddy in this day and age? Given her size and the name she was saddled with, he wondered how badly she’d been teased growing up.

  Mmm, he could think of more than a few ways to tease sweet little Biddy. And there he was, back to a mind brimming with inappropriate thoughts. A decent man would declare her off-limits and move on to more casual company. Perhaps he should consider hooking up with one of the other volunteers. There were one or two that looked like they might be good for some
no strings fun in the sack.

  He pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine. Biddy didn’t stir. He wanted to pick her up and carry her to her bed, but his brain managed to overrule his dick. If he got anywhere near a bed with her in his arms, he was going to be sorely tempted to join her in it. He reached over and gently shook her shoulder.

  “Biddy, we’re here. It’s time to wake up.” She didn’t move, so he stroked a finger down her cheek—Fuck. It was even softer than it looked. He wondered if her lips were too. Not the best time to find out. “Biddy, come on, darlin’, wake up.”

  Still no response. Fuck it. He was just going to have to act like a grown-up instead of a horny teenager with a life-threatening boner.

  He got out of the vehicle, went around to her side and opened her door. Even when he accidentally brushed her arm as reached across her to undo the seat belt, she didn’t budge. She really was done. He slid his arms beneath her and easily lifted her from the truck. She weighed next to nothing. He held her tight to his body out of pure selfishness and his cock throbbed and twitched as she snuggled her face into his chest. She was soft, and even after all those hours of travel, her hair smelled faintly of some fruity shampoo.

  Karen, the resident Red Earth Ninjas coordinator and unofficial house-mother, met them part-way along the path to the house. “Poor thing is exhausted. You take her to her room. I’ll meet you there after I get her luggage and lock the truck.”

  “Thanks, Karen.” What a relief. Having her around would help him keep his demanding libido in check. He headed into the house, zipping up the stairs and down the hall to Biddy’s room. The door was open, so he walked in and gently laid her on the bed. Karen arrived just as he was removing her second shoe.

  She set Biddy’s things on the floor beside the bed. “I’ll be back,” she whispered before she slipped out of the room. A few minutes later, she returned with a glass of water and a granola bar and set them on the bedside table.

  “In case she wakes up thirsty or hungry. The last thing she’s going to want to do is hunt down food or a drink in a strange place in the middle of the night. It might be better to leave the lamp on for her along with a note.”

  “You’re a good woman.” Doug said.

  “I try to be.” She chuckled. “For a man who has probably had more than his fair share of practice relieving pretty girls of their clothing, you look a little lost. How about you write the note and I’ll help her out of her jacket. It won’t hurt her to sleep in her clothes tonight, and I’m sure she’ll feel better about that than wondering who got her out of them while she was sleeping.”

  ***

  It took Biddy a few minutes to figure out where she was when she woke up. The room was filled with shadows thrown from the light on the bedside table, and it was more than a little creepy. Her throat was dry and she was grateful for the tall glass of water someone had thoughtfully left for her. She gulped more than half the contents before she remembered she needed to pee. She put the glass down and picked up the note it had been sitting on.

  Hi Biddy,

  You fell asleep on the way from the airport, so Karen and I put you to bed and brought your things in for you. The bathroom is to your right and at the end of the hall. Here’s a flashlight in case it’s still dark when you wake up. If you need more water or food, the kitchen is downstairs. The stairs are at the end of the hallway to your left. At the bottom, do a one-eighty and walk to the back of the house. You can’t miss it. Someone will come and wake you at seven for breakfast. I know you’ll want to sleep longer, but you’ll get over your jet-lag faster if you start into a regular schedule. We’ll see you in the morning.

  Doug.

  Aw, he’d even drawn a little map to help her find her way to the kitchen. She wasn’t going to need it. Even if she were starving, there was no way she was going to wander around in the middle of the night through a strange house filled with people she didn’t know. If her need to pee didn’t override her fear, she wouldn’t even brave a trip down the hall to the bathroom.

  She grabbed the flashlight and padded across the room. At least she was fully dressed. Thank fuck nobody had decided to really put her to bed.

  She eased the door open, relieved it didn’t make any noise. Yeah, she was scared of the dark and things that creak and bump in the night, so it was an even bigger relief that there had been a light on when she woke up. She pointed the flashlight down the hall towards the bathroom and focused on her mission.

  By the time she returned to her bed, her heart was pounding and her knees were shaking. Her irrational fear of the dark was a closely guarded secret. There were only a handful of people outside of the band who she trusted with it. To be a grown woman who needed a nightlight for no good reason was embarrassing and made her feel vulnerable.

  She checked the time. It was only three-thirty. She could still get a couple more hours sleep before it was time to get up. She thought about changing into her pyjamas. They’d be more comfortable to sleep in, but until she’d met her house-mates, she preferred the idea of being able to make a quick getaway. Damn, she was being ridiculous.

  She ate the granola bar and finished the rest of the water. Doug seemed nice, and the yet-to-be-met Karen was obviously thoughtful. She lay down and closed her eyes as she wondered what the next four weeks held in store for her.

  — THREE —

  She was positive she’d only just closed her eyes when she was woken by a knock on her door. “Biddy, it’s Karen. Can I come in?”

  “Sure.”

  The door swung open and a pleasant looking middle-aged woman walked in. She was pleasantly plump with long salt and pepper hair. “Welcome aboard. Did you sleep okay?”

  “Yes, except when I woke up thirsty and needing to pee. Thank you for the middle of the night care-package, by the way. It came in very handy.”

  “I’ve seen more than a few jet-lagged volunteer arrivals in my time. If you’re quick, you’ve got time for a shower. Breakfast will be ready at seven-thirty. We’ll go over schedules and overload you with information while we eat.”

  “Thanks. After all that travelling and then sleeping in my clothes, I’ll be doing everyone a favour if I wash up before I come to the table.”

  “Sounds good. Head downstairs when you’re done.” Karen pointed at the note on the bedside table. “You won’t need Doug’s map. Follow your nose and the noise when you get to the bottom of the stairs and you’ll have no problem finding the kitchen. I’ll leave you to it, then.”

  Karen wasn’t kidding about the noise. The kitchen sounded like it was full of boisterous teenagers. She stood in the doorway and waited. There were a number of empty spots at the table, but she didn’t want to sit down until she was invited—she didn’t want to risk the embarrassment of sitting in someone’s chair.

  She’d been questioning her sanity about embarking on this whole adventure from the moment she boarded her first flight, but this was the first time she was truly tempted to turn-tail and run. She absolutely hated going into social situations where she didn’t know anyone. She was evaluating whether she was hungry enough to walk through the door when Doug caught her eye.

  “Biddy, come on in.” Doug smiled and pointed to the empty chair next to him. “I saved you a seat.”

  She’d been so tired the night before, she hadn’t really appreciated how gorgeous and sexy this man was. For a rock musician in a relatively successful band, she didn’t get much action. Of course with her crazy schedule, the only available cock options tended to be either groupie or roadie. She rarely found either variety more appealing than her Magic Wand.

  She stomped on her libido. She was here to support a cause, not get laid.

  She gave Doug a friendly smile as she sat in the chair. “I assume I have you to thank for my night in a comfortable bed instead of in the front seat of a car?”

  “Yes, and you’re welcome. I did try to wake you, but you were completely out of it.”

  “I usually handle jet-lag b
etter than that, but I don’t often have multiple lay-overs.”

  “Oh, you travel a lot, then?”

  Shit. She needed to be more careful or she’d end up outing herself, and that would really suck. Keeping it simple and deflecting the question back was usually a good avoidance technique. “I get around, I suppose. How about you? Do you travel much?”

  “Yeah, I do. Mostly for work.”

  So much for steering the conversation away from careers. This was going to take some finesse. She should have expected work to be a topic of conversation and planned for it. She’d just have to wing it. “And what do you do?”

  Biddy sat mesmerised as Doug told her about his job as a freelance camera operator. So many men wouldn’t hesitate to brag about their military service as a combat cameraman. Doug treated it like a career footnote instead giving it the full chapter it deserved. If he hadn’t kept reaching for the dog tags around his neck when he got to the harrowing parts, she might have been convinced his time in the military was barely a blip on his radar.

  He had a quiet understated way of telling his stories and she was disappointed when he had to stop so Karen could discuss scheduling, chore rotations, and the hundred-and-one other details that kept the operation running relatively smoothly.

  By the time they were finished with breakfast, Biddy was dying to go back to bed. Her brain was full and she was still exhausted.

  Apparently, Karen had other plans. “I’ve buddied you up with Doug while you’re here. Since this is your first campaign, it’s safest for all concerned if you’re paired with a highly experienced volunteer. Today, he’ll give you a tour of the island. We’ll take the rest of the week to gradually ease you into the routine.”

  “Go grab your gear and I’ll meet you outside in ten minutes.” Doug drained his mug and rose from the table.

  By the time Biddy left the house, Doug was waiting in the truck and looking irritated. She checked her watch. Nope, even after taking the time to double check she had all her equipment, she wasn’t late. In fact, she was a good four minutes early. She studied his face as she approached the vehicle—irritated was a ridiculously sexy look on him. How was she supposed to spend the entire morning alone with him without wanting to fuck him silly?