The Loneliest Alpha (The MacKellen Alphas)

by T. A. Grey

Eyebrows dipping low in confusion, mouth twisted into a frown. “What?”

  She crossed her arms like she was about to win a debate. “I like you just fine.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  She thought about it for a second, nodded. “It means that I like you. I don’t care what your face looks like. Besides, it’s not that bad.”

  “Not that bad,” he said slowly.

  She nodded.

  Baffled, and he looked cute when he was baffled, he shook his head. Then he started toward her. Her heart rate kicked up, breath hitched and she backed up into the counter one hand held out in front of her as if to ward him off. The alpha had a way of making her feel scared and excited all at the same time.

  He looked down at her hand and made a sound like he thought her defense was laughable. It was. He grabbed her hand and pushed it down to her side as his other hand reached up to cup her jaw.

  Oh. My.

  While her insides turned to hot mush and her lungs worked to breathe normally, their eyes were locked on each other. And his…Gavin MacKellen’s deep-set blue eyes were something she hadn’t seen before. Who knew, maybe this is how he looked when he’d kissed her before. This was the first time she’d been this close to him without anything obscuring her vision and…with her bandaged face and his scarred one—she felt a connection, an understanding.

  “Now that I’m up close, you really gonna tell me it’s ‘not that bad’?”

  Her eyes traced over the scars. Sure they were there, many of them, but it wasn’t as if his face made up his entire person. She’d felt his kiss firsthand and knew it was exceptional; she’d been witness and the recipient of his kindness and in rare cases, his laughter. He’d helped her after the terrifying car accident. He was someone she could trust with her thoughts, which was no easy decision for her seeing as her ex had destroyed that ability in her. Or so she had thought.

  “Yes, I am saying that.”

  His eyes narrowed as one arm sneaked around her waist, holding her, wrapping her up in his fresh scent and warm body. She swore if he didn’t kiss her right now, she might die.

  “Lady, you got some real bad eyesight if you think that.”

  Somehow she managed not to stutter. “I’ll have you know I have perfectly good eyesight. No glasses needed here.”

  Heat grew where their bodies touched.

  “I think you’re wrong about that, sweetheart.”

  Her eyes softened at the endearment, not thrown at her in that mean way, but like this, when he said it as if she meant something to him. “Gavin…” her voice trailed off.

  Then he bent his head down and their lips met.

  Neither of them moved, both afraid to break the spell. Soft lips pressing against soft lips, barely touching yet feeling so strongly.

  Buzzzzz!

  She jolted back at the sound of the kitchen buzzer. He let go of her but not before she noticed the MacKellen smirk gracing his mouth. She didn’t have time to figure out what that smirk was about because she had dinner to prepare.

  “Sit down.”

  Trying to force her heart rate to slow down, she filled their plates while keeping an eye on him.

  This whole situation felt odd yet familiar.

  So strange. She was eating with a man that she’d technically eaten with before, albeit he’d been sitting in shadows. She was also about to eat with a man that she’d kissed and who’d seen her near naked in lingerie, yet she’d never seen his face before.

  It was odd that she was seeing him for the first time in a way, yet the situation felt achingly familiar as if she’d known what he looked like this whole time. As if she’d erected an image in her mind of his face like a plate setter and her image aligned perfectly with his. So it wasn’t a huge shock anymore.

  And did she care about his face? No, although she did feel bad that something terrible had happened to him. True, the damage would never go away could probably never be fixed even with extensive plastic surgery, but the face didn’t make up the man.

  Her curious natured yearned to ask him about it but she knew he’d clam up. She’d probably do that same if their situations were reversed.

  She set down their plates and bowls of salad then took a seat.

  He eyed the food with part-longing, part-hesitance. “You cooked for me.”

  She nodded.

  “Why?”

  This was the difficult part. “Well, for a few reasons. For one, I wanted to say I’m sorry for what I did last night. I could lie and say that I was out of it from the car accident, which, don’t get me wrong, I was, but not enough to not know that looking into that box was wrong. I knew what I was doing and I let my curiosity get the better of me.”

  She studied his face for reaction only to find him staring at her with unreadable eyes. Sucking in a breath, she continued.

  “So, I’m sorry. Like…really sorry. I messed up and I feel terrible about it. God, the words don’t even do it justice.”

  He leaned back in his seat, draping one arm across the back of his chair. Her eyes devoured the sight. He had such an air of cowboy about him, that hardworking air that just made things inside her pull taut.

  “Let me see if I get this straight. Because you invaded my privacy and did something you know was wrong, you decided to make me some steak and potatoes as way of apology?”

  She bit her lip. “You make it sound so stupid.” He arched an eyebrow. “But I made strawberry shortcake too,” she rushed to say.

  He started nodding then settled in over her food. “I guess that does make everything better.”

  She stared at him as he dug into his steak, mixing it with mashed potatoes before taking a bite.

  “Really, do you mean that?”

  Chewing, he glanced up at her, nodded, then went back to eating.

  “Wait, that can’t be it. I did something terrible. A stupid dinner and dessert doesn’t make up for that.”

  He swallowed looking torn between laughing and swallowing. “You want me to be mad at you?”

  She thought about it, then shrugged. “I don’t know what I want, to be honest. I just know I messed up and I want to make it better.”

  “You apologized, you meant it, and you made me dinner. From where I’m sitting, you accomplished your duty, sweetheart.”

  Oh lord. There it was again. And the pressure came back in her chest at the sound of that endearment and she clamped her mouth shut and got busy on her food.

  She found that the companionable silence nice. For a little while.

  “You really forgive me?”

  He slammed his fork down and started to laugh, his whole body shaking. “You don’t give up, do you?”

  “I just want to be sure.”

  “Woman, I don’t lie, so when I say I forgive you, I do.”

  “Okay, it’s just that I did something really bad and I know I really upset you and I want to make it up to you.”

  His mouth opened and closed; he was shaking his head. Next thing she knew, he was standing up beside her chair looking down at her with an expression that made her hands clench and stomach start doing cartwheels.

  “What?” she asked in a small voice.

  “Stand up.”

  Gulp. “Why?”

  “Because you want a real punishment and I’m going to give you one.”

  What on earth did that mean? Her body shuddered with erotic heat.

  When she didn’t say anything, that deep raspy voice of his lowered to a threat. “I said stand up, sweetheart.”

  Holy hell, she started chanting on in her head. She stood on weak legs.

  His eyes trailed down her body in a look that could only be described as assessing and satisfied.

  She became very conscious of what she’d chosen to wear for dinner tonight. A pair of nice jeans, the kind that hugged her figure well, and a spaghetti-strapped tank top with a T-shirt over it in dual layers. Nothing extraordinary, nothing even remotely sexy, yet his look said the exact opposite.r />
  “Bend over and grab hold the table.”

  “What did you say?”

  He leaned into her. “Bend over and grab hold of the table, Alicia. I’m going to give you your punishment now.”

  She turned and grabbed the edge of the table as raw emotion swamped her, a primal mixture of arousal and excitement. Just what would he do to her and how much would she like it?

  He stepped behind her and she closed her eyes, struggling to get her own ragged breathing under control.

  “Gavin…”

  “Quiet now, it’s my turn to do the talking, only I won’t be doing it with my mouth.”

  An ache grew hot and wet between her legs. “What do you mean?”

  Suddenly a hard swat landed on her bottom making her jump in surprise.

  “Be quiet before you make this worse for yourself.”

  So she shut her mouth and waited.

  She had no idea what to expect, what he was going to do, but, when he finally moved to touch her, her body sighed with pleasure.

  He grabbed her hips, his touch strong and demanding, fingers gripping and kneading. Those hands stretched across her stomach as his rough voice started to speak softly. “You did something bad last night and it seems we can’t move past this until I make you.” His hands dipped over her stomach and tugged at the button of her jeans. A teasing whisper of what he might do.

  “How…” She swallowed hard. “How’s that?” Liquid heat pulsed inside her, teasing her panties with wetness.

  As if in answer, he stepped into her, pressing his hips against her bottom and showed her just how rock hard he was.

  “You ask an awful lot of questions for someone who’s been bad.”

  With those mind-numbing words, he opened the button to her jeans and her stomach clenched in response at the touch. He tugged her zipper down.

  “It looks like I need to help you move on from this,” he said gruffly.

  What had she gotten herself into, Alicia wondered. And did she even care?

  Her pulse leapt, and fire grew inside her making her body strain against him, rub back against the hardness digging into her.

  No, she didn’t care. Not at all.

  “Sometimes a bad girl needs a firm hand.”

  He started tugging down her jeans. The tight fit made him work for it yanking the left side then the right, down and down, until they bunched around her knees.

  Her lower half was bare for him save for the lacy thong she wore—made by her of course. It was comfortable and fit her body perfectly. The thong was cotton on the inside where it touched her skin so her skin could breathe and was covered in bright white lace on the outside. It looked great in contrast to her skin.

  She was bent over a table in the kitchen with Gavin MacKellen behind her, her cheeks bared for him and yet he didn’t touch her.

  A minute passed and then another one. Finally, she looked over her shoulder at him and found him gazing down at her derriere with primal, male hunger. His lips were parted, eyes ablaze, and cheeks dark with color.

  Those eyes lifted to gaze at her and then something happened. He smiled. Not a happy smile, but a predator’s grin that made hairs stand on end and her skin tingle.

  “Turn around.”

  She did.

  At his first touch, she let out a little yelp, her body twitching.

  Only all he did was touch the back of her neck with his fingertips and began trailing them down her spine ever so slowly.

  Anticipation started to build for the moment when he’d have no more shirt left to touch and would go straight to skin.

  And when it finally happened, the touch was so much sweeter than she could have expected.

  His palm flatted over her lower back, the touch reverent, before it slid down and smoothed over her cheek. His hand lingered, cupping her, palpitating the flesh and wringing erotic twinges from deep inside her.

  Yet, when the first slap came she still hadn’t been expecting it.

  A hoarse cry tore from her lips. A burning sensation exploded where he’d slapped.

  And the ache grew inside her like wildfire. All she knew was she wanted more of his touch, wanted more and more until she flew apart.

  Another slap came from his fierce palm right at the bottom of her cheek making her cry out and hang her head, hands clinging to the table for support.

  When he didn’t immediately touch her again, her hips arched toward him, beckoning. “Gavin.” She moaned. “Please.” She was wet and hot in her center, more than ready for him to fill her.

  His ragged breathing mingled with hers into erotic music. He liked this just as much as she did, perhaps even more.

  Then he curled his fingers around her shoulder to lock her into place and spanked her left cheek, stinging the flesh. Again and again. Stopping only to rub the stinging cheek and soothe, all the while her thighs trembling and her body aching to be filled.

  “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful, sweetheart. The things you make a man wanna do.”

  He massaged her cheeks with both hands now, lifting and spreading her, looking at her everywhere.

  Face flaming, she dropped her upper body into the table, giving him the weakest part of her. A submissive to her alpha.

  “Gavin.” All she could do was moan, words vanishing from her vocabulary.

  Need burned inside her. She needed him right then in that very moment to pull that thong down and enter her. She wanted it more than she could ever remember wanting anything—even seeing his face.

  “Makes me wanna do things I ain’t got no business doin’.”

  More hard spanks landed. He paddled her with his open palm in a quick patter: right, right, left, left, right, left, right, left. And then he stopped and caressed her so gently all she could do was breathe.

  “Please.” She remembered another word in her vocabulary. Thank god. She spread her legs as far as she could, aching for him to slide his fingers where she needed him.

  “Please what?” he asked in that ragged voice of his. “Please touch you?”

  She nodded jerkily.

  Masculine laughter trickled over her making her shiver. Then his hand slid between her legs to stroke her over the thong.

  A strangled moan tore from her throat. He trailed his fingers over her cleft in a petting motion. She could almost come from just that sensation. That’s how close she stood on the precipice. She struggled to stifle her ragged moans and sobbing pleas.

  “Gavin, please.” There, a two-word combo. She really was getting better.

  His touch disappeared. Her eyes flew open as a protest formed at her lips, but then he was tucking his finger into the sides of her underwear and tugging it down, down, down to bunch atop her jeans.

  Bare, completely bare to him.

  Good god, if he didn’t fuck her right now she was going to scream.

  “Gavin!” she exclaimed, losing her patience.

  More of that delicious masculine laughter caressed her and then he spanked her hard making her suck in a breath.

  “Good things come to those who wait.”

  “They better not have to wait long.”

  He was right, she learned.

  Warm fingers slid across her wet pussy, feeling and caressing, learning her.

  “Don’t know if I’ve ever felt anything this good,” he said roughly.

  “Wait ’till you’re inside me.”

  He groaned and pushed a finger inside her as if he couldn’t wait to find out. Her jaw dropped, body tensed as she simply felt the erotic sensations. He pumped that digit in and out, working her body into a feverish rhythm that could only lead to one place.

  “I gotta taste you.”

  Her eyes flew open in shock. In a flash, his touch vanished and her jeans were yanked down to her ankles and her legs spread.

  “Bend over further.”

  She did. The position opened her legs to him and gave him that juicy center he asked for.

  The first touch made her breath cat
ch until she had no choice but to force herself to breathe. His soft, wet tongue passed over her sensitive folds, tasting her like one did an ice cream cone.

  He grabbed her hips and shoved his shoulders between her thighs, then got busy, focused. A man on a mission. A mission, she was excited to say, he was going to succeed in with flying colors.

  Because as he sank a finger back inside her, his tongue found her sweet clit and flicked across it with hungry strikes.

  Her entire body tensed as flames erupted across her skin, burning her at his touch. She wished their positions were different so she could wring his hair in her hands and watch him work her.

  But oh my, this was so naughty. So bad.

  And he was doing such a brilliant job of it that she couldn’t possibly interrupt him.

  Her body clenched around the moving finger and then he made it two, twirling that tongue faster making all her muscles pull tight as one big release built.

  The curling tension inside her built until it had no place else to go and it had to explode. His touch was taking her there, her delirious cries echoing in the kitchen.

  A low growl against her, a possessive, wicked sound. It set her off like a firecracker.

  Her climax tore through her, ripping her to shreds and melting her down into a whimpering pile of goo. It was so good. Too good. She needed more. Muscles squeezed tight around his fingers and released in a gush around him and he absorbed it all with a ravenous growl.

  Instantly, she wanted to do the Gavin ride all over again, only this time with his cock inside her.

  He rubbed his cheek along her thigh before sitting back down in his seat and pulling her into his lap. She wrapped her arms around him, burrowing her nose in his neck as she struggled to catch her breath.

  “Oh. My. God.”

  His chest rocked with a quiet laugh. “Yeah,” he agreed.

  She pressed a kiss to his neck, licked the warm skin there. Her body felt warm and relaxed. Languorous, like bathing in the warm sun on a hot day.

  “Let’s do it again.” Her teeth sank into his neck, a gentle bite of insistence.

  The arms around her squeezed. “That’s not a good idea right now.”

  She pulled back to look at him. “How is that not a good idea? I’m aching and wet, your cock must be about to explode, and my pants are already down. Sounds like a great idea to me.”