Shaw (Alpha Geek #6) - Milly Taiden Page 0,10

date with you.” Poppy had to keep from reaching out to touch the smooth skin of his arm. Only when his hand closed around hers did she noticed that she had extended her hand in greeting. “I’m Poppy, by the way.”

He closed his fingers around hers in a gentle shake. It was a very innocent touch, but it felt so very dirty. Poppy’s senses were radiating all kinds of lusty thoughts. His flesh was warm against hers. His adam’s apple bobbed, and she tracked the movement, wanting to bite his long, elegant neck. Now that she was close to him, he looked like a prince from old legends. Not a warrior, but a poetic prince. One who was gentle but could seriously fog up his own glasses with sex-fueled ideas.

Oh. Fucking fuck. She was in serious trouble if merely touching his hand sent her into a tailspin of lust and want.

“I’m Shaw.” The sound of his voice made her shiver appreciatively.

Shaw, now that was a sensual name she would love to moan.

“Coffee?” He was still holding her hand as he spoke to her.

Poppy nodded because what else could she do? She had completely forgotten how to be human. She forgot about her uncle and cousins, the fact that she was slightly homeless and definitely penniless. For a moment, Poppy forgot to worry.

And she definitely didn’t want to let go of Shaw’s hand.

Chapter Six

Shaw

Whoa.

That was all his brain was capable of thinking at that moment.

The woman was just that much of a stunner. Honestly, Shaw had only ever seen women who looked like her in the movies or on the cover of magazines. She had tanned skin that made her hazel eyes pop out with a hypnotizing pull. Her long brown hair was dark, but not enough to be called black. It fell in soft waves around her shoulders. Her delicate fingers went up to fluff the hair of her bangs that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

If Shaw didn’t know any better, he would have thought that the woman was nervous. Was she undressing him with her thoughts? It definitely felt that way. He could do two things. He could ignore the magnetic force and pretend it was all in his head. Or, and this was a big or, he could pretend he was already a shifter and just go for it.

“I think you and I should go on a date,” he said.

Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought to ask out a solid ten with such confidence. But he was days away from being a shifter. He might as well try out the attitude that came with it.

A rosy blush adorably tinted the woman’s cheeks. It was then that the bottom fell out of his stomach. What the hell had he just done? He wasn’t a muscled shifter yet. He was his gawky self, complete with a beanie and baggy tee. Women like her didn’t agree to dates with men like him. He knew that from personal experience.

“I’d like that.”

Those three little words were loud. He heard them clearly, yet Shaw couldn’t quite believe them.

“Excuse me?” he heard himself say with a squeak that was nothing short of dorktastic.

“I would like to go out on a date with you.” She held out her hand. “I’m Poppy, by the way.”

He closed his fingers around hers in a gentle shake. Sparks of something—lust, love, pure bliss—went flying through his bloodstream. Particularly south of the border.

“I’m Shaw.” At least his voice had been the usual, deep timber as he introduced himself. “Coffee?” he asked, still holding onto her hand.

Her eyes were shining, reminding him of a computer monitor’s brightness turned all the way up. It was blinding, but he didn’t want to look away. Not even to blink.

Even as they made plans to meet at a coffee shop in the next town over in the afternoon, Shaw couldn’t quite believe that he had not only asked Poppy out but that she had said yes. It would remain to be seen if she actually showed up.

That was a shitty thing to think, but worse things had happened to him after asking out girls who were categorically out of his league. In some of those instances, girls from his high school had pretended to be into him only to make the Cain brothers laugh when they unceremoniously ditched him. That had been a favored game for the Cains. Their skills as manipulators had been honed and perfected even back then.

Shaw and Poppy exchanged