AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That was rude,” she concedes. “Sorry.”
“Maybe I’m into a little degradation. Could be a kink.”
Her blush grows darker at that, and she looks away. I just chuckle.
“Here. Start eating. It’ll be harder for you to insult me when your mouth is full.”
She pouts a little but grabs the food. “Are you not eating anything?” she asks, going for the salad first.
I already ate, but the idea of sharing food with her is dangerously appealing. I grab half the sandwich and take a big bite, pleased when she smiles.
“Okay, so obviously I can’t draw for shit. I’m pretty decent at the story arcs though. From what I saw in your sketchbook, I’m thinking you might be just the person to help me bring the whole package together.”
“You want me to teach you how to draw?” she asks, looking a little dubious. My “talent” tends to have that effect on people.
“No. I want you to be my illustrator. Mypartner,” I can’t help but add.Be cool, Micah.Jeez.
“I ... I’m not sure I know how to do that.” She frowns.
“I promise you’re gonna be great at it. Let me walk you through it a bit more.”
* * *
An hour goesby in a flash.
Somehow, I’ve ended up sitting next to her. Granted, we’re still sitting a good foot apart at least, but it’s close enough for me to bask in her delicious rose and vanilla scent. Shoot, maybe I will let Cabe sniff me tonight. I could feel the jealousy rolling off him and Mason when the two left about 45 minutes ago.
I’ve managed to walk Espy through the universe I’ve created in my comics. I only have the one with me right now, but she seems genuinely interested in listening to me talk about the series I’ve been working on. She has her sketchbook in front of her again, and she’s been making a few rough outlines for my main protagonist as I offer my input.
It’s mesmerizing to watch her in action. She has this cute little habit of biting her tongue when she concentrates, and I decide that I’ll spend the rest of the day sitting right here with her. My late afternoon class be damned.
What I don’t expect is the growl. Deep and threatening enough that I have to forcibly fight off my instinctual fight-flight-freeze response, instead curving my body around Espy’s as I turn to face the unknown threat.
“Get the fuck away from her.”
The alpha now standing a few feet from me is huge—about the size of my packmates, but with a lot more bulk. He looks vaguely familiar, but more than anything he looks pissed. Like he’s just barely keeping himself from attacking me. I turn my body fully toward him, making sure to tuck Espy further behind me and back into the booth.
“Lincoln!”
Okay, so Espy clearly knows this alpha. He doesn’t break eye contact with me though; he just continues with his low, terrifying growl.
“Move!” he barks.
Yeah, right.I scowl in response. “Back off! She’s not comfortable around alphas. You need to fucking step back right now.” I don’t have a true growl, but growing up with Mason, Cabe, and Cabe’s brothers has taught me how to hold my own against alphas.
“Micah, no! It’s okay! This is Lincoln. He’s in my brother’s pack.”
Ah, so that’s where the familiarity is from.I feel Espy push gently against my back, trying to get me to move out of my protective stance, but I’m not quite ready to budge. The alpha, Lincoln, is still looking murderous. Our standoff lasts another few seconds before he eventually steps back. Barely.
I get up cautiously, moving to stand close by, but without getting between the two of them. When he’s deemed I’m sufficiently out of the way, his glare turns to Espy.
“You forgot to check in.”
“Oh, shit.” She goes pale, and I see what looks like real regret in her eyes as she scrambles for her phone.
“Leo sent me after you. He’s losing his mind. We all were,” he adds, looking at her pointedly. He seems to have calmed down somewhat now that I’ve moved, but the guy’s still sending out major hostile vibes.
“I’m sorry, Lincoln. This is Micah! He’s Mason’s brother, one of Em’s—I mean Leo’s—teammates from swimming. We were just talking, and I ... I must have lost track of time.”
