The Alpha Won't Be Denied (3 page)

* * *

Jab. Jab. Carver slammed his fist into the punching bag so hard that he rocked it with every blow. Sweat plastered his hair to his scalp and trickled down his forehead. He blinked it out of his eyes and kept punching.

He’d hung up a punching bag in the living room of the in-law apartment he was renting. It was attached to the main house of a couple who lived in a suburb of Timber Valley. He did handyman work on the property to pay his rent, and worked as an auxiliary deputy for the sheriff’s department.

He’d taken a cold shower and indulged himself in a very unsatisfying jerk-off session, during which he’d pictured Virginia the whole time. Oh, how he’d been tempted to accept her offer. Just thinking about it sent the blood rushing to his crotch again.

His front door opened; like most shifters, he didn’t bother to lock his doors. For an Alpha, that would be a sign of weakness.

His landlord, Bert Thompson, stood there yawning and rubbing his eyes.

Carver stopped punching and took a step back, breathing heavily. He grabbed a towel from a side table and mopped his forehead.

“It’s three a.m.,” Bert, a cougar shifter, noted. He walked in and settled himself on the old leather couch.  He was wearing a T-shirt and boxers.

“Oh, sorry. Was I keeping you up?” Carver walked over to the reclining chair and took a seat.

“Nahh, the cub woke me up. I changed her diaper, put her back to bed, and saw that your light was still on.” Bert yawned again. “Babies. God bless them. And their complete disrespect for anyone else’s sleep schedules. Oh well, sleep’s over-rated. Speaking of which, what did that punching bag do to piss you off so bad?”

“Nothing.” Carver shrugged. “Just maintaining my god-like physique. I didn’t wake up your wife, did I?”

“Nah, she’s fine. She gets the next diaper change. So, any progress with the lady?”

“What lady?”  He leaned back in his chair and pretended ignorance. He’d never discussed Virginia with anyone. His feelings were his own, and he wasn’t the type to cry on anyone’s shoulder. An Alpha didn’t have that luxury.

“Whatever lady’s got your head so wrapped up that you always come home from the Zoo by yourself. Rumor has it that when you lived over in Greenville you were quite the player.  And yet here you are, living the life of a monk. An angry monk who’s gone through half a dozen punching bags since he moved here three months ago.”

Carver managed a smile. “Rumors, eh? Gotta love the shifter universe. I’m hours away from my old stomping grounds, but my reputation precedes me.”

“Don’t wanna talk about it? That’s fine.”

Carver stood up. “Want a drink? I’ve got whiskey, and…whiskey.”

“Sure, why not? I’ll have one before I toddle off to bed.”

Carver walked over to the cupboard, pulled out a bottle, and poured whiskey into two tumblers. He gave one to Bert and sat down on the couch with him, taking a long sip. The whiskey burned pleasantly, and he savored its smoky flavor.

Bert downed half his tumbler and set the glass down. “Have you thought about where you’re going to start your new pack? Thinking of going back to Greenville, or will you stay here?”

Carver shrugged. “I’ve got various ideas. Probably not near Greenville. Almost got in a fight with my former Alpha before I left.  Maddox is a good guy, but he can be a stubborn, opinionated ass with a hair-trigger temper.”

“Huh. Doesn’t remind me of anyone I know at all.” Bert grinned at him and finished the rest of his whiskey.  His chin was stubbled with two days of beard growth, and he had circles under his eyes, but he looked happy.  For all his grumbling about the cub and how he never slept any more, he was the proudest dad Carver had ever seen.

Would that ever be him? Carver wondered. Up until a year ago, he had never even pictured it. He’d picked good-time girls who had no more desire for a relationship than he did. Now he felt an odd stirring in his chest every time he saw Bert carrying his daughter around the kitchen, with her little head resting on his shoulder as Bert’s wife hovered over the stove making dinner.

“I know the Wardens were interested in offering you a job,” Bert pointed out. “Are you interested in that? Travel, adventure…”

The Wardens were the law enforcement body who oversaw matters affecting shifters across the nation. They rarely involved themselves in local disputes, leaving that to the individual packs or local law enforcement.  They dealt with matters like drug dealing, or shifters who risked exposing their existence to humans, or hunting down shifter fugitives.

“Maybe. I’m not ready to move just yet.”

Bert nodded and stood up. “So there is a woman, and you’re hanging around here until you can seduce her with your charm.  And you don’t want to talk about it because you’re a big, tough wolf. I’m off to catch up on some sleep before her Royal Hiney needs her diaper changed again. Good luck with your future mate. She must be some woman, if she’s tamed your roving wolf.”

Carver merely flashed him an enigmatic smile, but after Bert left, he poured himself one more tumbler full of whiskey and held it up in a silent toast. “To Virginia,” he said, and drained the glass.

The scent of sizzling bacon and rich, dark coffee swirled in the air, and Virginia’s stomach rumbled as she jabbed her fork into her stack of pancakes.  She hadn’t grabbed anything to eat before heading out to meet Sally.  Henny Penny’s, a small diner smack dab in the middle of Timber Valley, was packed as usual.

              “Can you believe I got fired from another job?” Sally moaned. She’d been working as a secretary and she’d been called up before work and notified that she didn’t need to show up on Monday.

              Virginia crammed a big forkful of pancakes in her mouth so she wouldn’t have to answer, then smiled and shook her head sympathetically. It had been her family who’d just laid Sally off – after trying really hard to put up with her for several months now.

              Sally was a great person, but her mind was never on her job, so she was fairly awful at whatever she tried. In her little apartment she was a domestic goddess, but put her in a work environment and she was a disaster.  Every person who’d called the office where she worked got cut off; Virginia had experienced this numerous times.  The letters she’d typed up had been riddled with errors; she’d accidentally erased emails. She’d sent the wrong emails to the wrong people. She’d kept putting faxes the wrong way up, so she ended up faxing blank sheets of paper.

              Virginia washed her pancakes down with coffee and wiped syrup off her mouth.  She was on her third cup already. She’d barely slept last night, tossing and turning and dreaming up ways to utterly humiliate Carver Lawrence.

              “At least they gave me a month’s severance,” Sally sighed. She glanced down at her plate; she’d barely touched her scrambled eggs. “Is it too early to start drinking?”

              “At eight a.m.? Gee, kinda. Why are you even upset? It wasn’t your dream job anyway,” Virginia pointed out. 

              “I know, I know. I just don’t want to run out of money and have to go home to my parents and hear my mother nag me about why I’m not married yet.”

              Speaking of which…maybe today wasn’t the best day for Sally to tell Pierce that she had the hots for him, Virginia realized. Not when he was certain to shoot her down.

              “Remember what we were talking about last night? Maybe today’s not the best day for it,” Virginia suggested kindly.

              “Probably not. Since I’m the world’s biggest loser.” Sally pushed her eggs around the plate with her fork, picked up a forkful, then set it back down again.

              “Oh, quit. Listen, I don’t work today – we can go shopping. My treat. And breakfast is on me.” Out of the corner of her eye, Virginia saw someone approaching the table – slowly, hesitantly.

              “For God’s sake. Speaking of losers.” Virginia set her coffee cup down with a bang. Edward. Of course.

              “Argh! I’m leaving now. Thank you for breakfast, and I’m actually just going to go home and sulk for the day.” Sally rushed off as Edward sidled up to the table with a hopeful smile on his face. He was holding something behind his back.

              “Is that a bunch of flowers?” Virginia asked before he could say hello to her.

              “Well, I, ah…”

              “And you’ve been leaving flowers and love poems at the clinic for me. I know it was you.”

              His face flamed red with embarrassment. “Not necessarily. It could have been anybody.”

              “Edward. This stops now. I told you a while ago that I didn’t return your feelings.  For you to keep pursuing me after I told you that is inappropriate and getting annoying. Stop asking me to dance. Stop bringing me flowers. This is never, ever going to go anywhere, and you’re wasting your time and mine.”

              He glanced around fearfully. “Are you…are you going to tell your brothers I’ve been bothering you? If you are, just let me know so I can say goodbye to my grammy. I’m all she’s got.”

              Irritation flared up inside her. “I do not need my brothers to protect me. I’m quite capable of standing up for myself, which is why I’m telling you to back off.” Her tone was harsh, and it finally seemed to do the trick.

His eyes widened with hurt and he took a step back, then turned around and walked away. He paused to toss a small bouquet of flowers into the wastebasket and let the door slam behind him without looking back.

              Virginia let out a groan of exasperation. She could see him through the window, slouching down the street like a whipped dog. Had she been too harsh? She was doing him a favor, really.  He was completely wasting his time with her when he could be out dating and at least have some hope of meeting the wolf of his dreams.

              She put money down to cover breakfast, and headed to the clinic, dreaming of this weekend and the casino. Carver’s face swam into her consciousness, as it had been all morning, and yet again she forced him out of her mind.

* * *

“You’re cancelling?” Virginia gripped her phone and tried not to sound upset, but her heart dropped to her stomach. She had been looking forward to this night all week long. She desperately needed the distraction.

“I’m sorry.” Sally’s voice was meek. “I just don’t feel up to it. I think I’ve got some kind of flu virus coming on.”

Yeah, right
. Virginia could have healed that in five seconds, and Sally knew it. However, if she really didn’t want to go, there was no point in trying to drag her out.

“All right then. Well, get some rest. See you soon.” She hung up the phone and flopped back on her bed with a huge sigh.

Sally had barely answered her phone this whole week. She’d clearly just given up on dating. Should Virginia do the same? She had her family hovering over her shoulder, she had the new obligation she’d taken on…it wasn’t as if she could have a real relationship.

Then again, she was a single, heterosexual female with hormones and needs and, damn it, she liked men.  She’d worked long hours all week and she wanted to let off some steam.

“The hell with it,” she said, sitting up. “I’m going by myself. And the fact that I’m talking to myself isn’t weird at all. I clearly need to get out more, and…my God, I’m still talking to myself.”

She quickly put together an overnight bag, with a sexy dress and high heels for that evening.

The thought of Carver going to the Zoo and waiting all night for her to show up made her smile. She hadn’t seen him all week, and it had rattled her nerves. She kept looking around, expecting him to pop out from behind every tree she passed, and he was never there. It wasn’t that she missed his constant presence, it was just that she’d gotten so used to it that she felt as if she had lost a limb or something.

Once she got out of Timber Valley, she sent a text message to her mother.

I’m spending the night at a friend’s house. Call you tomorrow. Love you, don’t work too hard!

Then she turned off her cell phone completely so there would be no way for them to track her. She was sure her parents would get on her case tomorrow, going on and on about her safety, but she didn’t care. Tonight was about forgetting Timber Valley, forgetting herself, and having the best damn time of her life.

She checked into the motel next to the casino under a fake name and paid in cash, just in case her family started calling around looking for her.

She changed into a slinky black dress with spaghetti straps, a low neckline and a ruffled hem. She took her time putting on her makeup, carefully drawing on cat eyes with a liquid eyeliner pencil, and hoop earrings and high heels completed the picture.

She left the room with a tiny black beaded clutch purse.

And that was the last thing she remembered about Saturday night.

* * *

Pound. Pound. Pound.

Her head was spinning; the room was spinning.  And her ring finger felt strange. Virginia opened one bleary eye; she was still in her motel room. So far, so good.

She had no memory of last night or how she’d gotten back to her room.  Not good.

The sun had come up and its rays blazed through the window. She didn’t even know what day it was. She hoped it was Sunday.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on healing herself. She evaporated the poisons in her body, and the pounding in her head quickly cleared. The dizziness subsided.

She glanced at her hand and realized why her finger felt odd. There was a plain gold band on her wedding finger.

Really, really not good. Thank God Carver was there, she could tell by the scent of him, and she could ask him—

Carver was there and she had a wedding ring on her finger?

She threw the blankets off her, panic racing through her body. She was wearing the pajamas she’d packed. Carver was sprawled out on the bed next to her, fast asleep. She peeled the blankets back; he was wearing boxers.

Oh my God,
she thought, horrified.
I got blackout drunk and that pervert took advantage of me?

She sniffed the air. If they’d had sex, she should have been able to smell it.  She patted down her body. No bites, no delicious ache…there was no way they’d had sex. He hadn’t touched her.

             
Oh my God,
she thought, furious.
I got blackout drunk and he didn’t even bother to take advantage of me?

              “Carver!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. She hoped he had a wicked hangover.

              He sat up, yawning, hair mussed, and smiled at her.  He looked gorgeous and smelled sexy, with a hint of cologne and his earthy animal musk. No hangover. Bastard.

              “Good morning, Mrs. Lawrence,” he said. “Did you sleep well?”

              “Did we actually, really get married last night?” she demanded furiously.

              “Yes ma’am. All-night wedding chapel. The wedding certificate’s on top of the dresser.”

              She stared at him, clutching at the bedspread as a sudden wave of dizziness washed over her.

              “Why did we get married?”

              “You proposed and I accepted.” He looked so smug, so self-satisfied, that she wanted to beat him to death with the nearest heavy object. “I mean, as proposals go, it wasn’t the greatest. You didn’t get down on one knee or anything…”

              “Aaaaah!” she screamed furiously, and launched herself at him, fists flailing.

              He caught her easily, and before she knew it he’d flipped her onto her back and pinned her wrists above her head. She tried to jerk them from his grasp, but his hands were like iron manacles. She tried to knee him in the groin, but he easily dodged it, and somehow ended up with her pinned under his body and his legs between hers.

              Obviously the self-defense training she’d been taking needed to be stepped up a notch. Then again, this was Carver. He was freaking huge and he worked out all the time and trained in fighting techniques constantly. That was what Alphas did.

              She glared up at him. “Did you take advantage of me?”

              He laughed at that. “You mean did we have sex? No, we did not. I like my women conscious and aware, not crawling across the floor asking which way is up.”

              “Such a gentleman. Let go of me or I’ll kill you.” She glared up at him.

              “Ask nicely.”

              She let out a stream of curses and thrashed underneath him, and the more she squirmed and struggled, the more turned on she got.  And clearly so did he. His cock was diamond-hard and his breathing was growing heavy, but he didn’t move a muscle or try to take advantage of the situation.

              Finally, exhausted, she glowered and muttered, “Please let go of me.”

              Instantly he released her and she sat up in bed. “And if you even think of spanking me…”

              He flashed that sexy smile at her again. “Oh, I think about spanking you all the time, Virginia. But the time’s not right.”

              She climbed out of bed and looked for her clothes.  They were neatly folded in her overnight bag. “Did you put me in my pajamas, or did I?” she asked.

              “That was me. I thought they would be more comfortable than your dress. Although that dress was as sexy as hell, might I add? You have no idea how many wolves I had to threaten to kill for looking at my woman.”

              “Your woman? Ha,” she scoffed as she grabbed her clothes and hurried into the bathroom. She dressed quickly and washed her face with ice-cold water.

              When she emerged, he’d gotten dressed. “Any thoughts about where you want to spend your honeymoon?” he asked. “I know a place.  Honeymoon Mountain.  About eight hours drive from here, nice and far from your family, which should make you happy. A few friends of mine have honeymooned there, they all gave it rave reviews.”

              “Seriously, quit pretending this is real. What time is it?” she asked him, rubbing her face with her hands.  Then she stared at the ring on her hand again.