Alphas Confess All, Page 2

  Her whisper spreads sparks through my blood. It seems like she’s saying so much with those three words. That’s got to be my wishful thinking.

  “I’ll miss you, too, princess.”

  After another few hours under the sweltering summer sun and a Tempest marathon in the arcade, I guide an exhausted Perrie through the dark parking lot.

  As I start my truck, she smiles over at me, holding up one of the arcade’s tokens. “One left over!”

  “Save it for next time we’re together. We’ll play again then, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  “Promise?”

  “I promise. You know I never break those.”

  She doesn’t. I can always count on Perrie.

  Her little smile turns wistful. “Today was great. Thanks for everything.”

  “Always a pleasure. Ice cream?” I offer simply to prolong our last few minutes together. If she’d let me eat it off her body, I’d love it even more.

  For the first time ever, she turns down her favorite dessert. “Would you mind just taking me home? I…need to talk to you about something.”

  “Sure.”

  I wrack my brain to figure out what’s bothering her and why she hasn’t already told me. It doesn’t help that she’s unusually silent or that the closer we get to her house, the more pensive she becomes.

  When I pull into the driveway and park the truck, I turn to her with a frown. “Perrie?”

  She looks toward the house. All the windows are dark. Dan still isn’t home. Since he’s a workaholic, it’s no surprise.

  “Can you come in? I might need help getting my suitcases down the stairs.”

  “No problem.”

  I jump out of my vehicle and usher her through the front door. Inside the house, lots of Perrie’s things are already missing, like her ever-present Bluetooth speaker, her car keys, the random bottle of nail polish… Somehow, the place already seems emptier and she’s not even gone.

  Her leaving is going to be rough.

  I drag in a deep breath as I follow her up the stairs, grateful that she’s put on shorts. They’re so tiny that the curve of her ass hangs out under the hem, but they cover more than her bikini bottoms. I’ve got to be grateful for small favors.

  Inside her room, I spot two big suitcases near the door and reach for them. “Both of these?”

  “Yeah. Wait.” She wraps a tentative hand around my arm, looking downright nervous.

  “You okay?”

  She bites her lip again, seemingly hesitant and agitated. “You like me, right?”

  As a person? Or as a woman?

  “Sure. We’re been friends for years,” I say carefully.

  She sighs. “What if I don’t want to be friends?”

  My heart stutters. “I don’t understand.”

  But I think I do.

  “I’m not making sense.” She raises her chin and pins me with an unblinking stare. “Hayden, I’m in love with you. I always have been. I want you to spend tonight with me. Please.”

  Perrie Atkins just propositioned me. Holy shit.

  I swallow, struck mute. My mouth hangs open. My heart revs. My cock… Well, it’s predictable.

  Before I can say a word, she launches herself against me, winds her arms around my neck, and slants her lips over mine.

  All thoughts freeze under an onslaught of oh, hell yes.

  Her kiss is wholly unpracticed, but I’m aroused as fuck because I’m finally feeling Perrie.

  My brain screams that I need to push her away…but the rest of me has a totally different scheme. It’s irresponsible and will lead me straight to Hades, but I’m voting in favor of sin.

  With a groan, I grip her ass in my hands, then turn to push her against the wall, plunging into her mouth and devouring her like I’m starved because I am.

  Her little whimper as she wraps her legs around my hips goes straight to my dick. She clings to me with her whole body, parting her lips wider to accommodate the insistent stab of my tongue and spilling more of her candy flavor for me to consume.

  As I recklessly inhale her, I shove aside every thought except this moment.

  A million images of us together in her bed—me rooting through her virgin flesh and rutting on top of her without clothing or anything as practical as a condom between us—bombards my brain. My patience goes up in flames. After one kiss, I’m more aroused than I’ve ever been in my life.

  Fuck, I have to stop. Now. If I don’t, I won’t be able to. Then every filthy fantasy swimming in my brain will become a reality.

  And all of Perrie’s grand plans for the future will come to a halt. Her life will be over.

  I can’t be responsible for that.

  Heaving in a ragged breath, I shove her away from me. “No.”

  Still panting, she sends me a pleading stare. Tears swim in her big green eyes. Her lips look so goddamn red and lush from our rough kiss, it’s all I can do not to grab her again.

  “Hayden…”

  Somewhere, I find the will to put more distance between us. “I said no, Perrie. I won’t spend the night with you. I don’t see you like that.”

  “Bullshit.” She looks down at the hard length beneath the fly of my shorts. “You’re lying.”

  No matter what my mouth says, my dick gives me away.

  “I want a woman. You’re just a kid.”

  “I’m not adult enough because I’m a virgin?” She looks hurt.

  “Sexual experience has nothing to do with it.” The last thing I want to do is encourage her to find the first hard prick to take her innocence. “But you’ve never paid a bill or spent a night under a roof you’ve had to earn. Hell, last month, you were still venting about high school.” Since she’s been running the household in her mom’s absence for nearly eight years, accusing her of immaturity is a low blow. But I can’t feel bad about saying whatever will put a stop to her ruination. “We’re at different places in our lives, Perrie.”

  “You love me,” she hurls. “I know it. The way you kissed me proved it.”

  Shit. “The way I kissed you proves I’m a guy who likes pussy. And if you weren’t Dan’s daughter, I’d probably take it. But you are, and I don’t want to fuck up a friendship. So I’m going now.”

  I turn to leave her room before I do whatever it takes to wipe that crestfallen look off her face and replace it with a sated smile.

  “Wait!” she calls out.

  The desperate catch in her voice nearly does me in.

  “Take this.” She marches in front of me and slaps her last game token in my hand, then sends me a determined stare. “Save it. Every day I’m gone, I want you to look at it, feel it, and remember me. Know that I’ll be saving myself for you. One day, Hayden Hughes, you’ll want me. Not just my pussy. Me. When that day comes, return the token to me. Anytime, anywhere, I’ll be yours for the night. Then I’ll prove I’m all the woman you need.”

  The little metal disc burns my palm as she sidles past me, toward her adjoining bathroom.

  As she slams the door, I shove the token in my pocket with a curse. Of course she wouldn’t give up easily. Persistence is one of Perrie’s qualities I usually admire. Tonight, it makes me fucking afraid that she really will wait until the memory of that blistering kiss breaks me down and I’m unable to resist her anymore.

  “That day isn’t coming,” I yell through the door to her, but they’re empty words. “I’ll see you during Christmas break. And we won’t talk about this then—or ever.”

  When I shove my way out of the house and drive off into the night, I’m not relieved. In fact, I can’t help but wonder if I’ve just made the worst mistake of my life.

  1

  Four years later

  Perrie didn’t come home for Christmas that year. Or visit at all the following summer. There was always an amazing trip with a roommate, a really important internship she couldn’t miss, or another class to take. I knew Dan talked to Perrie regularly. He even flew back East a few times to visit her
. A couple months ago he attended her graduation. But she never returned to Phoenix. Worse, she never spoke to me in those long four years, even the time I broke down and called a few weeks after her departure.

  I’ve missed her like hell and spent years second-guessing the way I acted that final, terrible night. A million times, I wondered what would have happened if I had taken her to bed, plucked her innocence, and made her promises for the future I wish we were planning together even now. I’ll never know.

  Tonight, she’s finally coming home.

  “Thanks for being here.” Dan claps me on the shoulder with one hand while slipping me a cold beer with the other.

  I tried to beg off this family reunion to save my sanity by pointing out that Perrie is his only child and they should spend this precious time together. He merely insisted that I’m like family and that he wants us all together.

  “My pleasure.” As lies go, it’s a whopper.

  “I’m excited Perrie is on her way home. I can’t wait to hear her big announcement.”

  I’ve got a bad feeling about it. She was always the kind of girl who shouted good things from the rooftops. Her social media should be loaded with this stuff. So not even giving her father a hint makes me nervous as hell.

  Forcing a smile, I clap him on the back. “She’s probably landed an amazing job. No surprise, right? She went to a top-notch school, graduated summa cum laude, and has made a million connections, I’m sure.”

  “I’m really proud of her.” His smile falters into something melancholy. “Sometimes, I look back and regret all the time I spent working instead of being with her, especially after her mother left. But she always had you. That meant the world to both of us.”

  “She’s a special girl.” It’s one of the few things I can say that won’t give away how horribly I’ve missed Perrie and how the hole she left in my heart has just about killed me.

  From the family room, we both hear the slam of a car door. I drag in a breath and clutch my beer can so tightly it nearly crumples in my fist. I have no idea what I’ll say to her.

  Dan turns and marches for the front door. “That should be Perrie.”

  Fuck, I have to keep it together. I can’t grab her, jerk her into my arms, and kiss her. I can’t confess how fucking much I’ve missed her in my life. I especially don’t dare whisper that she’s still number one in my spank bank, which I frequent because real sex with random women is always a disappointment.

  None of them is Perrie.

  But if there’s any hope for us, I won’t find out how she feels by hiding out with my cold one in the next room, so I follow Dan.

  When I walk into the foyer, it isn’t Dan’s daughter coming through the door, suitcase in hand. Instead, I see a man in his mid-twenties wearing a charcoal business suit that clearly costs a small fortune. His slight build, pale skin, and smooth, manicured hands tell me he’s a well-paid desk jockey.

  “Who are you?” He definitely doesn’t resemble any rideshare driver I’ve ever had.

  The guy sets a black suitcase aside and thrusts his hand in my direction. “Derek Kingston. You must be Hayden.”

  “Yeah.” Should I know this guy? “Good to meet you.”

  As he shakes my hand, he smiles. “I’ve heard all about you.”

  His raised brow tells me not all of it is good.

  I scowl. “I’m sorry. How do you know Perrie?”

  “Are you her boyfriend?” a beaming Dan asks.

  “She didn’t tell you?”

  An instant later, Perrie comes through the door and wraps her hand around Derek’s arm. It’s impossible to miss the giant teardrop-shaped diamond on the ring finger of her left hand.

  She’s engaged?

  “We’re getting married. I wanted to surprise everyone.” She sends her father a too-cheery smile and presses a kiss to his cheek.

  She hasn’t once looked my way.

  “I’m definitely surprised.” Dan nods, seeming to take it all in.

  Join the club. Less than sixty seconds ago, I was bracing to set eyes on Perrie again…and trying to figure out what to do about her stranglehold on my heart. This new development makes it obvious that worry is moot.

  “I didn’t know you were even dating anyone,” Dan adds.

  Perrie laughs too quickly. I know her sounds and expressions. She’s a bundle of nerves. “Now you do. Honestly, it happened quickly. We met three months ago through mutual friends and…one thing led to another.”

  Three months ago?

  “That seems fast,” I remark.

  She finally looks my way. “In my experience, when you wait on love, it usually passes you by.”

  Clearly, Perrie can still deliver a zinger.

  She’s also more beautiful—and fuckable—than ever. The pixie cut she once had is a long-distant memory, replaced by dark waves that flow to the middle of her back. The sheer pink shade on her full lips and the dusting of brown shadow on her eyes only accent her stunning features. Her cheeks still have a hint of girlish fullness that makes her look oh so sweet. But she’s got this new air of confidence that’s alluring as hell.

  Lust seizes my breath. My blood courses. My skin feels tight and hot. It takes everything I’ve got not to grab her, hold her, kiss her, and remind her how close we were and how much closer we could be—if she weren’t planning to marry someone else.

  Derek wraps his arm around Perrie’s waist possessively. “Well said, darling.”

  It takes all my restraint not to beat the shit out of him.

  Dan smiles proudly. “Why don’t you two come in and sit? We’ll have a drink and you can tell Hayden and me all about your wedding plans.”

  I’d rather have all my teeth ripped out with pliers, but as everyone adjourns to the living room, I maneuver myself between Perrie and her fiancé. “I didn’t get to say hello.”

  I drop my hand on her shoulder. That single touch pings need through me as her soft gasp reaches my ears. Then she zips her stare to me, sharp and startled.

  There’s the awareness we shared four years ago. Perrie still feels it.

  “Hi, Hayden.” She backs away from me with a tight smile and sticks out her hand.

  Oh, princess. We’re way past a handshake…

  But I slide my palm against hers because I need to feel her out. Not up—though I’m dying to do that, too. But I’ve got to decide if I’m going to let Perrie be the one who got away…or if I’m going to fight to win her back.

  I give her hand a tug, sending her tumbling against me. Our chests collide. I encircle her waist with an unyielding arm. When our gazes meet, she blinks, turns tense, holds her breath. Her nipples turn so hard they’re impossible not to notice.

  Yeah, she’s not immune to me—not even a little.

  Repressing a smile, I reach under her hair, wrap my fingers around her nape, and press my lips to the shell of her ear. “I’ve missed you.”

  She shivers and softens against me. “Missed you, too.”

  I hate to let her go after Perrie’s gratifying whisper, but I have to—at least for now. As much as I want her, I also want what’s best for her. Is there any chance that’s Derek?

  “Come sit with me, darling.” Her fiancé grabs her hand and leads her to the sofa, setting her in the corner, as far from me as possible.

  I can’t fault his instincts…

  When Dan sits in the recliner closest to them, I take the love seat on the other side of the room. From here, I can study Perrie’s face, Derek’s behavior, and their interaction.

  She settles stiffly next to the man she intends to marry. They don’t touch…until Derek grabs her hand.

  “I wanted to meet you in person, Mr. Atkins, and officially ask you for Perrie’s hand first.” He gives us an aw-shucks smile. “But I just couldn’t wait. This girl is one of a kind.”

  Dan looks pleased by Derek’s praise. I’m not. He’s only stating the obvious.

  “I understand,” my friend and business partner says. “Tell me mor
e about you.”

  He’s not going to grill this guy about why he’s rushing Perrie to the altar?

  “Well, I’m co-CEO of an environmental tech company. A buddy of mine and I started the firm, and we’re moving our headquarters to Seattle next month…”

  As Derek drones on, I get irritated. Not only does he sound like a self-important asshole, but I realize he intends to take Perrie far away again. Deep down, I’d held out hope that she’d come back to Phoenix after graduation…

  “What do you think of Seattle?” I ask her.

  She shrugs. “I haven’t been yet. Derek says it’s amazing…”

  So he doesn’t care if she likes where they’ll live?

  “What will you do there?”

  “I’m sure she’ll find a job,” Derek answers for her. “She’s so smart and charming. There are lots of great start-ups and little women-owned businesses where she could make a difference.”

  Maybe he doesn’t mean it, but the douche sounds condescending. Perrie will make a splash wherever she’s employed, not just in “little” corners of the workplace. Besides, none of that sounds like they’ll fulfill the dreams Perrie expressed before she left for school. “Princess?”

  She shrugs. “I’ll figure it out. It’s a big city with a healthy economy…”

  And a lot of rain. She’s always loved the desert’s heat, sun, and stark beauty. To her, storms ruin a gorgeous blue sky. And Derek wants to take her to one of the rainiest cities in the country.

  Does he know her at all?

  Sure, she might be willing to make that sacrifice if she really loves him. But the way she seems reluctant to look at the guy, much less touch him, leads me to wonder if she does.

  “Well, that all sounds wonderful,” Dan says when Derek finally shuts up. “Are you excited, Perrie?”

  “Thrilled.”

  She doesn’t sound like it. I’m calling bullshit.

  “So was your engagement your big announcement, princess?” I ask her directly because I don’t want Asshole thinking I’m talking to him.

  “Part of it.” She swallows nervously, then finally cuts me a sidelong stare. The flare of awareness when our eyes meet shows all over her face. Then she turns to Dan and squeezes his hand. “We’d actually like to get married here, with your permission.”