Aric (The Boundarylands #7) - Callie Rhodes Page 0,3

was go inside and pick a girl—any girl—drive her a few miles down the Central Road to a spot where they could have a little privacy, and then hammer her like hot iron on an anvil until his blood cooled down.

He had just convinced himself to go inside and make it happen when he heard another engine coming down the road.

Apparently, one of the cars in the caravan had fallen behind, making his task easier. All he had to do was make an arrangement with whoever had come late.

Aric leaned back against the wall to wait and see who it was. Sure enough, a couple minutes later, a dark sedan rolled in with four beta ladies and a shit ton of perfume.

He watched them file out, wondering how he could have forgotten about Traci, Hannah, Courtney, and…

Intrigued, Aric pushed off the wall.

The crew had brought a new girl with them. He couldn't see her clearly in the back of the car, but he was intrigued nonetheless. Long, shiny black hair covered much of her face, obscuring her features, but that didn't worry him—Nicky only brought her best to the Boundarylands, every one of them a beauty.

What really caught Aric's attention was the woman's scent—deep and lush, like a mossy riverbank on a summer day. He filled his lungs, wanting to breathe that scent for hours, to let it seep into his pores and cloud his mind, to lose himself in its rich pleasures.

But it wasn't just the bloom of the woman's natural scent that beckoned Aric. It was also the emotion that sliced through it like a vein of sparkling quartz in a split boulder.

The new girl was afraid.

And why wouldn't she be? Aric thought as his heavy cock stirred to life. This was probably the first time she'd worked with alphas.

The thought of being the first of his kind to touch her—something that had never crossed his mind before—made Aric hard in seconds flat. His mind raced as he imagined taking all that fear and turning it around, breaking her in properly. He imagined touching her and tasting her and making her beg for more.

Aric was completely confident he could do her justice. Three flicks of his tongue and her scent would reflect a host of entirely different emotions.

He couldn't help grinning as he realized Fate had delivered exactly what he hadn't known he wanted. The whole time he'd been standing out here letting the rest of the ladies pass him by, craving a different kind of experience tonight, the cure for what ailed him was on its way.

He waited for her to get out of the car, thinking about how he'd show her what it meant to take an alpha all night long. He'd drink in her fear and give her hours of screaming orgasms in return.

"Come on, Jo," Courtney shouted. The other three women were already halfway to the door, but the new girl was still in the car.

"Give her a break," Hannah said, always the considerate one. "She's nervous."

"I don't care if she's having a damn panic attack. I'm getting my ass to work." Courtney flipped her hair over her shoulder as she started up the steps. Her face lit up when she spotted Aric. "Hey there! Looks like my luck just changed, if you're still free."

"Try inside," Aric said, keeping his eyes on the car. "I'm off the menu."

"Maybe next time, then," Courtney said, shrugging off her disappointment. Aric didn't feel too badly for her; there was plenty of work waiting for her just inside the door. As usual, Nicky's girls were outnumbered by would-be clients.

Aric started down the stairs.

Hannah had gone back to the car and was leaning down, talking to the new girl. Jo had rolled the window down only a couple of inches.

"Sweetie, you're gonna have to come out sooner or later," Hannah cajoled. "Let's you and me go in together, how's that?"

"I got this, Hannah," Aric called, taking the porch steps two at a time.

Hannah straightened to face him, giving him an uneasy smile. The girls were naturally hesitant to tell any alpha no, but Aric could tell that Hannah was particularly uncomfortable with the idea of leaving them alone.

"It's just that she's new," Hannah began.

"I know."

"And scared."

"Got it."

"And—"

"Hannah," Aric interrupted. "Have I ever treated you or any other of the other girls badly?"

Hannah shook her head.

"Then how about you trust me on this?"

Hannah hesitated only a moment longer before nodding and walking away.

Aric waited until Hannah was inside the bar