by T. A. Grey
“A friend.”
His smile said he didn’t believe it for a second. “A rather beautiful friend at that.”
Gag. A blush stole over her, not at the compliment but from embarrassment and shame. He made her feel so uncomfortable that in this moment she wished she looked like a hag so he wouldn’t look at her like that. Like he was picturing doing things to her that made bile rise in her throat.
“Well, Gavin’s not here right now and I have to get to work. So if you don’t mind…” She started to close the door, not caring how rude it might be.
But a hard palm slapped against it, nearly making her jump out of her skin. Her eyes flew open as he stopped her from closing the door. For a moment, just a moment so brief she might have imagined it, she saw rage flash in his eyes. So quickly it was gone, vanished. He had himself back under control and he smiled that Grinch smile again.
Her hand curled around the doorframe, squeezing tight and applying pressure back as if he might shove it open and stride inside.
“Yeah, yeah. I know he’s working on the house over at the lake.” He scrubbed a hand over his mouth. “I’ll be going now. I see I have lots of gossip to spread to the pack,” he said, his smile slowing dying like a fire being put out until all that was left was cold. That icy look narrowed on her and he took a step forward causing her to brace her foot against the door to keep him from opening it. He leaned it putting more and more pressure until her arm shook to hold the door and her foot skidded on the floor with a screech. His head dipped low. “You’ll be sure to tell him I stopped by, won’t you?”
Her heart was racing, chest rising and falling like a pumping piston, every muscle in her body coiled tight, ready to flee or fight. This man terrified her. Deep down to her core. Words wouldn’t come to her. All she could do was nod.
Another one of those smiles of his came and he nodded as if pleased with the results of this little interaction. Tipping his head to her, he backed away then left in his truck, spewing dust and gravel in his wake.
Pressing a hand over her heart to steady it, Alicia closed and locked the door, leaning her back against it until she calmed down enough to move. It took her longer than she’d want to admit aloud. When she finally moved, she decided that since she hadn’t found a table to work with earlier, she’d just have to move her supplies into the basement.
She pushed away the dark thoughts that her visitor had brought her. She got back to work, carrying her boxes down into the basement and shoving all his tools into the workbench’s drawers. If the tools didn’t fit then she made a pile of them on the floor. She couldn’t help but grin at the sight. It felt like she was getting her own personal little payback at him.
Sweat matted her hair by time she finished lugging the boxes downstairs, from her sewing machine, and all her beautiful little supplies. She organized the workbench as close to possible to how she had it at home.
The sewing machine on the left, fabrics on the bench, and her current work in progress—the black feathered number—took up the rest of the workbench.
She picked up the raven-feathered bra and gave it a critical eye. The next step was human testing. A laugh bubbled out of her. Human testing, she cracked herself up.
Her lips pursed as she thought about how to do this. Usually she used her mannequin, but seeing as they hadn’t shipped that up here that wasn’t an option. That left herself, which was fine, since she always made her first pieces in her size. However, first she’d need a mirror down here and definitely some tunes.
With that mission in mind, Alicia set off to search Gavin’s house.
CHAPTER 10
Gavin entered his house like a robber sneaking in to do a job. He closed the door as quietly as possible and stopped, listening. He set the bag of goods he’d bought for Alicia next to the front door. Where was she and what was she up to?
One thing he’d learned about her so far was that things were never as he expected with her.
He wouldn’t let her surprise him like she did yesterday. She’d come too close to seeing his face. Way too close. Hell, she’d touch the disgusting flesh, her soft, feminine hands feeling the distortions and scar tissue.
He’d misjudged her fearless determination to see his damned face. Curse the fucking thing. Since he became alpha, his face had become the bane of his existence; the nightmare that haunted his sleep. Now worse than ever.
He was acting like a damned coward and he knew it. He didn’t care though, not when it meant keeping Alicia here for a few more weeks.
She didn’t seem to mind him either, but he couldn’t be sure if her interest was in him or the curiosity about his face. Damn, he wished he knew. It was torture not knowing. If it wasn’t just curiosity, then…hell. She might actually like him.
If that didn’t just twist the nerves in his stomach. Gavin scrubbed a hand over his face. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had made him nervous like this. Probably because it’d never happened. A woman had never affected him like this. Ever.
Alicia was different, something special. Creative, resourceful, and strong. Her alpha, Josiah, had called and told him he was sending another girl and when Gavin asked why, he’d said because she had a smart mouth. That had piqued Gavin’s interest and when he first sat down to speak to Sarah she’d spilled the beans about how Alicia had stood up for her.
It took a lot of balls to stand up to pack’s lieutenants and then your own alpha like Alicia did, and it had been a selfless act. If that didn’t just cinch the deal for his admiration for her, then he didn’t know what would.
Time to find out what his resourceful, intelligent, little woman was up to tonight.
He took the stairs quietly, unsure what she might wrought on him. Would she be waiting at the top of the hall with a flashlight ready to spring on him?
His lips twitched at the thought. He could almost see her doing that, too.
Never had he felt so conflicted before. Under his own roof he had a gorgeous and virtuous female actually giving him a chance, of sorts, and he couldn’t man up to show her his face.
You know what will happen if you do, Gav.
Yeah, yeah. He knew and that’s why he wasn’t fuckin’ this up so soon. His fingers rubbed at his lips. Damn, but he wanted to kiss her. Maybe even taste her, learn what she liked and didn’t like, feel her naked skin against his. Wishful thinking.
He couldn’t make it through the day without her popping into his thoughts. He’d tried to figure out his latest problem as he hammered in nails and sweated under the gentle heat of the sun.
How could he kiss her without showing her his face?
The answer had finally come while he’d been sawing some boards to size.
He had to blindfold her and tie her arms up.
Fuck.
How the hell was he supposed to get her to agree to that?
It wasn’t gonna happen. He knew it, his gut knew it, and his dick knew it. No matter how erotic an image that painted, he knew it was impossible.
His mind had even run through all the possibilities of how he’d get her to do it—bribery, coercion, threats, warnings, asking very, very nicely with flowers, a box of chocolates and a cherry on top.
It wouldn’t work because she was too smart and he was still practically a stranger to her. Damn it, but he’d have to figure out something and soon, ’cause she was killin’ him.
Bracing himself, he headed upstairs and peered down the hallway—empty. Cautiously, he pushed his bedroom door open but only his empty room was there.
“Alicia?” he called out, looking in the direction of her room. It was only seven, she shouldn’t be in bed yet.
When he didn’t get an answer a trickle of alarm raced through his blood. He stood before her closed door. Before he knew it, he had his fist raised and knocking hard.
“Alicia?” he said, louder. Damn, but his fucked voice couldn’t get that loud; he just sounded like a killer from a horror movie.
Without a care to whether t
his was all a joke or a game, he turned the door handle and swung it open. Empty. It was empty.
Boots pounding the floor, he was jogging down the staircase a second later, searching the whole house—the kitchen, the dining room, the living room. His pulse was spiking like a runner’s. She wasn’t napping on the couch, hadn’t made any dinner. If she had left the house then one of the guards would have notified him immediately.
He had his cell unclipped from his belt and to his ear when he stepped in front of the basement door. He froze.
Was that…singing?
“Hello?” Jo’s voice said in his ear.
“I couldn’t find Alicia, but never mind,” Gav said and flipped the phone shut.
It never occurred to him. He only used the basement once every two weeks or so to do a quick load of laundry. Opening the door, his head cocked to the side as he listened.
Her voice became louder. A screeching of a classic rock song by Journey. He winced. She sang way too loud and as she continued on, messing up the next line of the song.
Grinning, he found himself stifling a laugh as he started down the stairs. Adorable, she was adorable too. You’re screwed, Gav.
He kept his steps quiet. Just what the hell was she doing down here, anyway?
The overhead lights were on so he had to sneak carefully, not wanting her to hear him. Not that she could over her singing.
When he passed the midway part of the stairs, he froze. Absolutely froze, his lips parting and eyes widening at what he saw. The sight hit him like a punch to the gut.
Mother of God.
Save me.
Skin, so much naked, tawny skin. Smooth, shapely legs, a lean back and, ah fuck, she had those two little dimples above her ass. His cock saluted with the power of a jackhammer.
Fuck, he was screwed.
He’d never seen a sexier woman and his card wasn’t exactly empty of players. But never had he felt this instantaneous craving to touch someone, to taste them from head to fucking toe. Sure, he’d sidled up to a damn good-looking woman, or two, but he’d never had the yearning to savor that woman. Until Alicia Clarkson.
She was wearing…hell, he didn’t know what it was. A lingerie outfit thing. He didn’t give a shit what it was because it was the hottest thing he’d ever seen in his life. None of them could hold a candle to Alicia in a black-feathered matching bra and panty set.
Heat blasted him from the inside out making him break into a sweat. His legs spread to make room for his growing shaft.
Her hips were wiggling in a little dance, her firm, heart-shaped ass jiggling and bopping in a way created by women to bring a man to his knees.
White ear buds hung from her ears and were attached to a music player in her hand. She kept looking down at a small oval mirror that he recognized from his bathroom. She danced, and every now and then turned side-to-side. If she turned around she’d see him. He knew he needed to break away, to turn his dumb ass around and go back upstairs. Hell, even he knew how impossible that was. He’d sooner be able to have a baby then look away from the sight of Alicia in next to nothing.
How could anyone be so beautiful? With her bronzed skin and black hair, he could make out the light fuzz of hair across her lower back. She had thicker thighs and a slightly rounded stomach proving her womanhood.
And those breasts…he swallowed over the lump in his throat. He’d always loved large, full breasts, the kind that he could sleep on like they were pillows, but now he was rethinking his likes and dislikes. Hell, this woman had him rethinking his whole fucking life.
Because she had small ones. Small tits, perky and soft with only a little weight to them. These weren’t breasts or boobs or some other stupid word, these were tits. Hot, sexy, mouthwatering tits covered in black feathers.
His breaths came hard and it took more effort than it should for him to rein it in so he wouldn’t blow his cover.
You perverted son of a bitch. Look what you’ve succumbed to.
Fuck that, he told his self-conscious. He didn’t give a shit that he was spying on an almost-naked woman. He didn’t feel an ounce of guilt over it. Not an ounce. Because inside him he knew she was his, that the gift he was seeing right now would one day be in his arms. One day soon, even if he had to tie her up and blindfold those pretty eyes. Because he was going to have her. Had to have her. Like dying grass needed rain, like a dying man needed to say his final goodbye. He ached with it.
The song must be coming to a crescendo because her voice got louder. Her arms started to rise in a sweeping move as her voice carried, terribly. “Whaaaaa-aaaa-oooooo!”
On the final note, her arms were raised in the air like she was hailing the almighty in one dramatic moment. Then she started laughing.
His muscles tightened, brain locked onto that sound, learning it for the first time and memorizing it. He’d never heard her laugh. It was a giggly sound, light and happy. It made him smile.
And it was as he was smiling like a creeping perv that she turned around. His stomach nearly dropped out from him but she didn’t spot him. She eyed her ass in the mirror, moving it this way and that, dipping her knees down and humming as some new song started to play.
No one had to tell him when his time was up. He started to move carefully, one step up the stairs, then another. The wood creaked and he winced but she didn’t start screaming so he figured he was good.
That was until he heard a soft gasp followed by a definite squeal. He had only one second for that sound to register before the full extent of his screwedness hit him.
Idiot that he was, instead of charging up the stairs, he found his head turning.
Their eyes met.
One hand covered her heart like it as trying to bounce out of her ribcage. Her breaths came fast, straining those little tits against the bra.
It was like fire blazing between them, connecting them by some electric tether that only they could feel vibrating between them.
He broke the connection. It had lasted maybe two seconds but felt so much longer.
“Gavin!”
He charged up the stairs like he should have done from the get-go, slamming the basement door after him.
Oh fuck, his heart beat like horses galloping at full speed.
Fuck, fuck, fuck…the words repeating in his mind as he heard a clatter downstairs then soft, determined footsteps barreling up the stairs after him.
Once again, he was the coward and she was chasing him.
CHAPTER 11
The next song started to play on Alicia’s iPod.
She hadn’t realized just how much she missed having something to do until she got back to work. What made it all the more fun was her latest design. Each time she looked at it she got that special little tingle at the base of her neck. This was it; this was the design that would drive all the ladies to grab their wallets and make a purchase.
It was that good. Sexy, beautiful, and elegant at the same time. If a lady wanted to feel naughty, then this lingerie set would do it for her; or if she wanted to look kinky but cute it could work for that too. It was Alicia’s first multi-purpose lingerie set, she realized, smiling.
God, it felt so good. Excitement pumped in her veins, a smile wouldn’t leave her lips, and good tunes blared in her ears. She could do this for the next month, no problem.
Without a mannequin, she tested the lingerie on herself. She needed to make an adjustment to the underwire to strengthen it, she noted, and she needed to add more of the ruffling feathers under the left cup of the breast to fill it out.
As her hips caught into the rhythm of the song she hummed and sang along to it. She’d grabbed the mirror off the bathroom wall. It hadn’t been easy; she’d had to unscrew it, but Gavin literally had no spare mirrors in his house. Only two with one in each bathroom.
She bit her lip as she lifted her arms and checked out the lingerie at all different angles. She squatted to test the feel of it around her thighs and bottom, swung her arms around, lifted her knees. It was
like a little workout.
What would Gavin think, she wondered, eyeing her body in the reflection.
Did he like small women? She couldn’t imagine she would as a man. Cupping her breasts, she frowned at the image she presented. Small, almost boyish. Too short to be sexy, which meant her legs didn’t have that ‘all the way up’ quality that men liked. In fact, she’d always thought they were rather stumpy looking. Neither did she have wide hips like curvy women did or a nice hard butt like some athletes. No, she was small everywhere, except for the small Buddha belly she sported and fat thighs.
A frown brought down her smile and she stopped dancing. God, couldn’t she ever be happy with herself? One part of her rejoiced at her body in the lingerie. The clothes made her feel free and happy, like she could bring any man down to his knees. The other, darker part, was ugly and hideous, casting doubts.
What if Gavin liked curvy, bigger, taller, women? He said she was beautiful, but hiding behind clothes was a whole other thing entirely. Every woman knew that.
Maybe that’s how Gavin felt about his face in a way. Maybe he couldn’t stand to look at himself because all he saw was the flaws and none of the good.
God, was that what it was like? Her eyes welled and she started blinking fast. She couldn’t even imagine. She only had bursts of self-consciousness every now and then when she looked at herself naked. What if it was her own face that she had to look at every single day?
Oh god… Her heart ached for him.
Turning around, she eyed the backside of the piece. Some of the feathers needed trimming to keep them more even at the top. The bottom needed a little more ruffling to make it stick out more and to even out the grandness of the bra. Proportions were everything in her line of work.
She wiggled her butt, laughing at bit.
That’s when the hairs on the back of her neck stood up like grass reaching toward the sun.
The muscles in her body tensed as she recognized a change she had missed. The shift in atmosphere that only occurred when another person stood in the room.
