“Thank you.” Emma replied.
“You will be living in Alex’s home. This is under the guise of become better acquainted.” He said. “For this to work, Alex must believe you are here for marriage and nothing more. Is that understood?”
“Yes. I understand.” she said. “I…”
But, before Emma could get the next word out the office door opened.
Theodore bit his lower lip and shook his head as his nephew walked through it.
“How many times have I told you, Alex? Knock, first!” Theodore said.
Alexander bristled at his uncle’s admonition and instead slammed the door shut. Alexander stood in silence for a moment and glared in their direction.
“And how many times have I told you… dearest Uncle… my name is Alexander.” He said.
Alexander turned his attention to Emma and scoffed. A sarcastic smile darkened his face.
“Is this her? Emma?” he asked with disbelief in his tone.
Incensed, Emma replied, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. What’s your problem?” Alexander said.
“My problem? I am looking at it! Jerk!” she exclaimed.
“Hey, hey, hey! Now stop it, the both of you.” Theodore said. He motioned towards Alexander and said, “Sit down for God’s sake.”
As he took a seat next to Emma on the couch, she crossed her legs and arms and turned away.
“Bitch.” Alexander muttered as he sat.
“What!?” she yelled as she turned back in his direction.
“Hey! Enough!” Theodore shouted. “Now look… this…” he said as pointed and moved his finger back and forth from one to the other. “this bickering ends now. We have a lot of things to discuss and we don’t have time for any of this. Is that clear?”
Neither one responded. Theodore pushed his wire framed glasses up the bridge of his nose and took a seat in one of the chairs.
He repeated himself.
“Is. That. Clear?” he said.
After a few more seconds of silence, both Alexander and Emma nodded their heads.
“Good.” Theodore said. “Alright then, let’s get started.”
Theodore began to talk about what was expected of them in the weeks ahead which led up to the wedding. Emma already knew the plan, the details and so forth, the wedding conversation was for Alexander’s benefit. As a result, disinterest set in and before long, Emma found herself lost in thought.
Emma was as sweet as they came but she was nobody’s to intimidate. And, he had another thing coming if he thought for one second she was going to let anyone treat her that way. Never was she in the presence of anyone that made her feel the way he did in that instant. The guy was everything she thought he was and more. This looked to be a terrible mistake.
Emma wondered how she was going to endure this.
He was horrible.
Worst of all, Alexander was a hundred, no, a thousand times better looking than she’d remembered.
Without a turn of her head, she cast a subtle sideways glance in Alexander’s direction.
Look at him. Smug bastard. Like he’s God’s gift or something.
Yeah, sure, okay. He was totally gorgeous or whatever, but no big deal. Good looking wolves were common where she lived. Emma’s own pack teemed with them but, still…
Take his eyes, for example. Of course they had to be a shade of blue she’d never seen, right? It would make sense the only thing which even came close to that sort of brilliance was the still, deep waters of the ancient glacial lake outside Troubled Fork.
And like, could he be any more handsome? Emma doubted it. Wouldn’t you know that he had a strong angular jaw line, dimples to die for and a rugged five o’clock shadow? Shit, Alexander probably had facial hair at birth.
And on the subject of hair, let’s not leave that out! What else could it be but a thick, lustrous mop of jet black yumminess? As she looked at it, she cursed herself that she wanted to run her fingers through it.
Emma rolled her eyes in disbelief, adjusted her position and pressed her thighs together in as tight, but inconspicuous, way as possible. His presence started to cause other problems… down there.
Damn him. He was perfect.
As she turned her attention back to the men, she noticed Alexander stared right at her.
“Emma, are we in agreement here?” Theodore asked.
“I’m sorry, what?” she replied as she averted Alexander’s gaze and turned her head to Theodore.
“I asked you if we were in agreement with what’s to happen next?”
“Yes. I mean, I’m not sure,” she said. “What’s happening next?”
Alexander groaned in disapproval.
Emma scowled at him.
“You are leaving and going to my nephew’s home - to live. Remember?” Theodore said.
“Oh yes. Of course. Right. I’m in agreement with that.”
“Are you okay, Emma?” Theodore asked.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
He looked in Alexander’s direction. “And you… Remember what I said. Keep your hands off of her until the wedding night. Understood?”
“Yeah, I got it. Loud and clear. That… won’t be a problem.”
Won’t be a problem?
“Now, I need to speak with Emma alone. Please excuse us.” Theodore said.
Wordless, Alexander got up and left the room.
What a fucking jerk.
Emma felt bad for Theodore. He seemed like such a nice person. Why did bad things always seem to happen to good people? Of all the nephews in the world a person might have to be concerned about, Emma couldn’t imagine one much worse than Alexander.
Theodore leaned forward in his chair and said, “Emma, I am sorry about his behavior. My only hope is that we can get this matter taken care of soon.”
Emma shook her head. Despite what she thought at first, she now realized how complicated this was.
“That’s okay. Really.” Emma said. That was a lie. It wasn’t.
“I don’t know what happened to Alex. Ever since his father died he…” Theodore said. His voice trailed off.
“Is there anything I can do?” she asked.
“No. It’s quite alright. But, thank you.”
“I don’t mind.” She said. “After all, I’ve come all this way.”
“I appreciate that.” He said. “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. My nephew is not a bad person. He’s foolish. I’ve always done the best I could. By that, I mean to offer the guidance and leadership which vanished from his life after my brother died. But, it’s never good enough for him.”
Emma nodded. “I’m sorry to hear that.” She said.
Theodore stood and waived his right hand in a casual way. “No matter… Our family squabbles are of no consequence to you. I wanted you to understand that what I do comes from a place of love for my family and leadership for the pack.”
“Yes, I understand.” She said.
“Very well. I won’t burden you with the heaviness of this any longer. Your time here will be brief, Emma. I have no doubt Alex’s true colors will show before long and when they do, I’ll be able to bring much needed order to the pack once again.”
***
By the time they’d gotten into Alexander’s car, the sky was dark and Emma was outraged.
How could anyone be so rude and well… mean? As far as he knew, Emma was to be his wife and that’s what he thought about her? That it ‘wouldn’t be a problem’ to not have physical contact?
Really?
Oblivious to her inner dialog, Alexander turned the key in the ignition and as he shifted it into gear he said, “You hungry?”
Why? Am I supposed to eat now because I am upset?
Disgusted, Emma replied, “No, no thanks. I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? There’s not much to eat at my place. You know, bachelor pad and all.”
“Yes, I’m sure. Can we just go? I’m tired.”
“Y
ep. No problem.”
The pair drove along in silence for about five minutes. The car rolled to a stop at a traffic light just outside town.
“So, what did you chat about before I arrived?” Alexander asked.
“I don’t see how that’s any of your business. I don’t feel like talking about that… or anything else for that matter.”
“Hey, what is the problem, lady?”
“Uh!” Emma swiveled to face him. “What’s the problem? What’s the problem!??! You need to ask what the problem is right now?”
“Yeah, for starters.” Alexander replied.
Emma glared at him. “I…” she said. “No! You know what? Nothing. It’s nothing. Will you please drive?”
The light turned green.
Alexander shifted the car into gear and said, “Well, it’s something. That much is obvious. Why are you so pissed?”
Emma shook her head.
She had nothing to say.
On second thought, yes she did…
“Fine.” she said. “Look, let’s not mince words here, okay? The only reason I am here is to repay a debt my pack owes to yours. You want to be alpha someday, right? As things stand, that means that you must either find your true mate or be wed to a woman of the current alpha’s choosing. And, in case you’ve forgotten, that girl looks just like me. And unless your true mate is hiding behind a bottle of ketchup in what I am quite certain is an empty fridge, then we are stuck together!”
Alexander grunted and nodded but didn’t speak.
Okay, if he hadn’t tried to make Emma angry before, he did a helluva job with it now.
Emma continued, “I am also not an idiot. It’s obvious that you aren’t attracted to me at all. I’m sure that there are plenty of other females here in Silver Gulch you’d much rather be with than me. I am quite certain that the last woman you ever imagined being in this situation with is a woman with a shape like mine. So the way I see things is that this arrangement is not something that either of us wanted, but it’s something that both of us are going to have to learn to live with.”
After she’d finished, Alexander nodded a few times but again, didn’t say anything.
Emma’s blood boiled. “Wow, okay so you’ve got nothing to say to all of that?” she exclaimed. “Really? Absolutely nothing?”
“Yeah. I do.” Alexander replied.
“Well, what is it? I would looooove to hear it!” she said.
He turned and looked at her. “You finished?”
Emma bristled at the question and glared at him once more. She crossed her arms at her chest and turned away. Never had she been so angry at someone she’d just met.
Either he didn’t care or was oblivious to her rage, but in either case Alexander leaned across the center console of the car. Emma could smell his scent as he moved close. Angry as she was, the aroma was delightful, not to mention sexy beyond imagination.
This of course further aggravated Emma.
“Hey, there’s a great burger joint at the next corner.” Alexander said as he nudged her and pointed towards it. “You see it up there? I’ll go in and grab a couple for us to take back to the house. How does that sound?”
Emma fumed. Hadn’t he heard a single word? Or was he content to ignore her for fun now? Emma had worn her heart on her sleeve the past thirty seconds. Now, he wanted to know if she wanted a friggin’ burger?
Seriously?
He interrupted her thoughts. “Well, you want one or not? I’m stopping either way.”
Emma could feel Alexander’s eyes upon her as he waited for a reply. After a few seconds, she exhaled.
“Fine.” she mumbled.
“Sorry? What was that?”
“I said fine!” Emma exclaimed.
He chuckled and moments later pulled into the parking lot. Alexander turned off the car and said, “Oh hey, get it rare. It’s the only way to go.”
“No, no way. Medium well or don’t bother.”
“Wait, wait… A wolf that eats medium burgers?”
“Yes. So what?”
Alexander raised both hands. “No, no, that’s fine. Hey, it’s your loss.” He smiled, got out of the car and headed inside the restaurant.
Emma narrowed her eyes as she watched him go toward the front door. Well in truth she watched his ass go to the front door while she shook her head at the injustice of it all.
After he came out from the restaurant, Alexander handed the bags to Emma and they drove back to his house. Once there, they brought her luggage and the food inside and Alexander said, “Just grab a seat wherever. I’ll get a couple of plates for the burgers.”
“Okay.” Emma replied as she wandered across the room and sat down on the sofa.
“Here you go, Emma.” Alexander said as he walked up and handed her a plate.
Did he just say Emma…?
“Thanks.” She replied.
Once they sat down, the aroma of the food hit her. It turned out that she was hungry after all and quite glad they’d stopped for something. Emma popped a couple of fries into her mouth as she unfolded the wrapper on the burger when all of a sudden, she made a horrific discovery.
“Oh no.” she groaned.
“What? Is something wrong?” he asked.
“The burger, it’s rare.” Emma said.
“What? Shit. Let me see.” Alexander said.
She turned it in his direction.
“Damn.” He said. “Hey, I’m sorry about that. The restaurant must have screwed up the order or something. Do you want me to drive back over and get you another one?”
“What? You’d do that?”
“Well, yeah I mean, sure. I stopped there because I know how good it is and how much you would enjoy it. I don’t want you to hate your meal.”
If the faintest hint of a breeze had blown at that moment, Emma figured she would have fallen right to the floor. She couldn’t believe it. Was he being nice? It was the first time he’d acted halfway decent towards her since they met.
Still stunned she replied, “Um, no you don’t need to go through all of that trouble. Thank you for offering though.”
“You sure? I don’t mind.”
“Yes, it’s fine.”
Alexander nodded his head, eyed the burger and then looked back in her direction. “Sooo, does that mean you’re gonna try it like that?”
“I don’t know.” She said. Emma lifted the bun and looked down at the patty. “I’ve never eaten a rare burger before in my life.”
“Oh man, you have no clue what you’re missing.” he said as he raised it towards his mouth and took a big bite.
Emma winced as he chewed it with unbridled avarice.
Alexander finished his first bite and said, “Go on. Give it a shot. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it.”
“I know, I know.” she moaned.
“I wouldn’t steer you wrong. Hey, you get it? Steer?” he said as he smiled and raised the half eaten bun upwards.
Emma rolled her eyes. “Ha, ha. Yes, I get it. Very funny.”
“Well? What’s it gonna be?” he asked as he held the burger in front of his mouth.
“Okay, okay. I’ll try it.”
“Alright good. Now look, make sure you get a nice, big bite. Don’t half ass it and just get a little nibble of bun or something.”
“I won’t.” Emma said. “Will you just leave me alone for a second?!”
Alexander chuckled and took another bite while Emma came face-to-face with one of her deepest culinary demons. She could swear that she felt her hand tremble as she raised the sandwich towards her face. Unable to look, she closed her eyes.
Alexander laughed. “Ha, ha! Oh, come on! Don’t be so dramatic.”
“Shh! Quiet!” Emma replied.
The burger drew closer. The moment was now or never and there was no way to turn back. And then, in a sudden bold move she plunged it into her mouth and ripped into it. As soon as she did her eyes flew open. The flavor, the texture… it was u
nlike anything she’d ever experienced. How could a burger taste like this?
It was absolute heaven.
“Well?” Alexander said. “What do you think?”
Emma finished her first bite and swallowed. “That was incredible. I never dreamed that a burger could be that good.”
“I tried to tell ya.” he replied.
“You were right. That was amazing.”
“Good, glad you liked it. I figured you would when I ordered it.”
Emma turned and looked at him only to see a huge grin on his face. His perfect dimples communicated a profound and deep satisfaction with himself.
“Wait a second… Are you telling me that you ordered it rare on purpose?” she said.
“Yeah.” He replied. “What? Are you mad?”
Emma wasn’t sure. She was. But, she kind of wasn’t. It was a damn good burger after all.
“You’re a jerk. You know that?” she said.
“Yeah, and you’re welcome.” He replied as he smiled and took another bite.
***
About ten minutes later, Alexander and Emma had finished their meals. Afterwards, Alexander stood and stretched.
“Oh man, I’m beat.” he said. “You must be pretty tired as well, huh?”
Emma nodded. “Yeah, it’s been a long day. Hell, a long week.”
“Okay, well. How do you want to do this?” Alexander asked.
“Do what?”
“The um… sleeping arrangements. I just have the one bed. You know a bachelor pad and all.”
Emma wrinkled her eyebrows at him. “Uh huh. Well, I can’t help it if all you’ve got is a bachelor pad.”
“What are you saying, Emma?”
“What I am saying is the fact that you only have one bed is not my problem. I get the bed. Figure the rest out for yourself.”
“Hey, hey…” Alexander said. “Where am I supposed to sleep?”
Emma stood up and put her hands on her hips. “I really don’t care. Anywhere except the bedroom.”
“Now, wait a second.” Alexander replied. “We just had a nice dinner and pleasant conversation. Isn't that worth something?”
Alpha's Arrangement (Troubled Fork Shifters (Book 2)) Page 3
