Fated An Alpha Male Romance - K. Alex Walker Page 0,48

airport. The warmth and mirth from earlier hadn’t disappeared, and he hugged me so genuinely that I felt as though, while he was gone, he would miss me. I had absolutely no idea what was happening.

I crept back into the car and waited until he was out of sight before reaching for my phone to call Gia to tell her about Roderick’s sudden one-eighty. As I went to dial, Ethan called. My hand trembled as my finger extended to press the accept button. “Hey, E,” I greeted.

The person on the other line giggled. “Oh hi. This isn’t Ethan. It’s his friend, Tayler. I just used his phone to call you.”

I quickly recalled that Ethan had mentioned that he was having dinner with his two good friends, Tayler and Kellen, also physicians.

“Oh, hi,” I answered. “Is everything okay?”

“Well, I was wondering if you were busy.”

I paused. “Not really. What did Ethan do?”

She broke out in laughter. “I like you already. But, we had dinner and a couple of rounds at Chophouse, and he and Kellen got into some kind of drinking match. They’re both a bit wasted, but I can only handle one at a time. I’ve managed to get them back to Ethan’s place, but I need some help.”

I checked my mirror, thanked the car behind me, and pulled into the terminal’s exiting lane. “I’ll be there in a bit. Thanks for calling Tayler.”

“You’re welcome, Alexandra. I look forward to meeting you.”

I USED THE key that Ethan gave me shortly after our Colorado trip to open the front door, and found who I presumed to be Kellen lying on his side next to the coffee table in the living room. The woman kneeling over him had a beautiful head of wavy dreadlocks that hung down her back. When she turned to look at me, I was caught off-guard by how stunning she was. Her complexion, eye color, and the way her hair streamed around her face were a lethal combination.

“Hi Alexandra.” She walked over and gave me a tight squeeze. “I’m Tayler.”

“Oh hi,” I replied. “It’s finally nice to put a face to the name.”

She pointed to the man by the coffee table. “Same here. By the way, that lump on the floor is Kellen. One-half of the hazardous duo.”

An attractive, yet flushed face looked up at me. His hazel eyes looked nearly lime green due to his drunken state, along with the last bit of evening light filtering through the picture windows that opened to the backyard.

“Ah, I remember you,” I said with a slight laugh.

“And I remember you,” he mimicked, pointing. “You broke my heart…‘cause I couldn’t dance —”

“Who needs kids when you have these two?” Taylor asked, shaking her head and covering her face.

I pointed between her and Kellen. “Are you two…?”

“Oh no.” She frantically shook her head to cement her point. “I see him more as a little brother even though we’re only a couple of months apart.”

“Oh, okay. So, where’s my little one?”

She caught her locs in a ponytail and her eyes roamed over Kellen on the floor in a motherly fashion. “Ethan’s upstairs. I actually got him to go up there because I promised him that you were coming. He’s pretty vulnerable so if you have any personal questions, I’d ask them now.”

I laughed. “Got it.”

I rushed up the stairs and found Ethan lying on the bed face down with his hands extended over his head. His bedroom was masculine with dark colors, floor to ceiling window dressings, a seating area beneath the window, a king-sized bed, and a padded leather headboard. It had taken me a while to notice any of the furnishings as each time we’d ended up in the room, we’d been completely preoccupied with each other.

I set my things down, climbed onto the bed next to him, and he rolled onto his back when he felt my impression.

“Hey you,” I greeted, kissing his temple.

“I don’t know what made me think that I could do that many shots,” he groaned. “I’m never drinking again.”

“You’ll drink again, baby,” I assured. “Trust me.”

“Nope.” He made a twisting key motion over his lips. “Never. Never again.” He then tossed away his imaginary key.

I stifled a laugh. “Okay. Let me help you get out of your clothes.”

I stripped him, bit back the urge to kiss every ridge and valley outlining his abs, helped him into a pair of shorts and black tee, and then pressed my back against the headboard. I pulled his head into