Alpha Hero - Hope Ford Page 0,54

better about her staying here. I always feel better when she’s near. I clear my throat before I decide to do something stupid and tell her.

6

Brian

I should have asked her if her partner was a male or female. It would have saved me a lot of time and effort, because I would have just told her to get a new partner.

When he walked in, she introduced me and I could tell she was nervous. She stood there pulling on the hem of her tank top and her too-short shorts, and he was practically salivating.

“Brian, this is Luke. Luke, this is Brian.”

Luke holds his hand out and I take it firmly in mine. He flinches slightly but then covers it up and smiles at me. “So you’re a policeman?” I nod at the logo on his jacket.

He nods his head at me. “Yes sir. But I want to be a detective and a bachelor’s degree is a requirement.”

I open my mouth to ask him something else, but Kendall puts her hand on his shoulder and tells him to come on. She tells me to holler at her if I need anything and it takes everything I have to let her leave the room with him.

I go to the edge of the kitchen and watch them. Luke’s eyes never leave Kendall and when they sit down, I can see her cleavage and I know he can too. Instead of walking in there and punching the guy in the face, I hobble to my bedroom and pull a sweatshirt out of the closet. I bypass the kitchen, because I know if I go in there, I’ll embarrass her.

When I’m standing next to the couch, I holler for her.

She comes into the room, smiling at me. “Miss me already?”

Fuck, she has no idea. I hold my hand out and wave my finger at her, beckoning her closer.

She comes to me then and when she stops, I motion for her to come closer. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

I lean my head down until I’m so close to her I can smell her strawberry scented shampoo. “That little fuck in there can’t keep his eyes off you. That’s what’s wrong.”

I put the sweatshirt over her head and when her face peaks out of the opening, she’s looking at me, stunned.

I help her slide her arms into the shirt and tug it down. It’s almost indecent. It’s longer than her shorts and she looks like she’s only got the shirt on. “Don’t you have any pants?”

She looks down at herself and then back up to me, rolling her eyes. “Brian, he’s not into me like that.”

“The fuck you say,” I say to her angrily. I couldn’t hide my emotions if I had to right now. “The little fuck has drool running out his mouth. How long is this study session?”

She looks so confused, I’m sure my reaction is upsetting her. “We just have to write a one-page paper. It won’t take long.”

I hold my index finger up at her. “One hour, Kendall. You have one hour and then he’s out of here and you’ll be getting a new partner next time.”

Kendall

My whole body heats up. I don’t know whether to slap him or wrap my arms around him. The conflicting emotions are raging through my body and I can’t tamp them down. Never in all this time has Brian ever talked to me this way. Never. He’s given me advice or helped lead me in the right direction, but he’s never told me I’m going to do something.

But I don’t back down. Quietly but firmly, I tell him, “You’re not my father.”

He growls at me. Literally growls, and then takes a step forward until his chest is pressed against mine and I’m praying he doesn’t feel the hard peaks of my nipples. His voice is low and I feel myself leaning in to hear him. “And I don’t want to be.”

His nostrils are flared and his breaths are coming out ragged. His hands go to my shoulders and he grips them tightly. “I don’t want to embarrass you, Kendall, but if he touches you, I’ll kill him.”

And then he releases me. I start to argue with him, but I decide against it. I’ve never seen Brian out of control like this and it’s a little scary, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t turned on right now. I slide my thighs together, back and forth, and I swear I can feel the stickiness between them.