I'm the Alpha's Crush

Chapter 6

Oh sweet Jesus-

On the other side of the door, Alpha Malcolm stood under the porch light, more than six feet of muscled, powerful male.

And he's...

My eyes trailed downward, widening as they went.

...completely naked.

For a moment, I couldn't breathe.

I mean, yes; we were in the same Pack – we'd shifted near each other to go on runs, but that was like being in a locker room; it was common courtesy not to look...

But I was looking now.

There was a pulse of pure, undiluted lust between my legs that almost sent me swooning to the ground.

Oh, fuck me-

"Hey."

My gaze shot up, a white-hot flush scorching every inch of my skin.

"Hi," I squeaked, my throat too tight for normal speech.

"Hey," he repeated, and I caught the scent of liquor wafting off of his breath, "so, I'm sorry to, like, drop by like this..."

Oh, shit – he's drunk.

Glancing around, I took in the sight of my quiet, sleepy neighborhood.

Fuck.

Breathing in the sharp, musky notes of wolf, I realized:

He shifted and ran here...

How did no one see him?

Suddenly aware of exactly how exposed we were, I spoke without thinking:

"Wh- why don't you come inside?"

He shook his head, slurring, "No- no, I don't want to be a bother-"

Oh, shit – he is DRUNK.

Knowing that every second brought us closer to discovery, I reached out, pulling on his shoulder, "Please, I insist."

He didn't fight me, following my guidance and walking inside.

As I closed the door behind him, I thanked the Goddess that River was out tonight.

Then, I turned, my treacherous eyes catching sight of his exquisite backside-

Oh, god help me-

Striding over to the couch, I snatched the blanket I'd been curled up with.

Holding it out to him, I tried my best to keep my eyes above his waist.

Tried.

"Here, you're a little... underdressed."

Please, just let the ground swallow me right now...

He didn't take the blanket, or the hint.

Shaking his head, he glanced around him. "I'm not going to be staying long," He paused, swaying on his feet, "I j-" His brow furrowed as he struggled to get the words out, "I just wanted to apologize."

I frowned, "'Apologize'?" Cocking an eyebrow, I asked, "For what?"

"For being too much of a coward to tell you I like you."

My hand dropped as my brain went blank, failing to process his words.

He likes me?

Stunned, I stammered nonsense syllables.

He continued, not noticing my utter bewilderment.

"I've sort of had a crush on you ever since you were an intern – and I never did anything about it 'cuz I convinced myself that you couldn't possibly want me like that-"

I froze in place, not believing what I was hearing.

"-but then I realized that I was making assumptions about you, and that it really is your choice in the end-"

His gaze sharpened, and his hypnotic stare fixed on me, "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for that."

Nothing in my entire life had prepared me for this situation.

My incredibly drunk, incredibly naked Alpha just confessed his feelings to me.

Dumbstruck, I responded, "Um, thank you?"

His lips curved in a wide smile. "You're just like, really pretty, and your laugh is adorable, and you're ridiculously cute when you smile."

Oh, boy.

We are going to deal with that information later.

"Why don't I make you a cup of tea?" I offered, desperate to change the subject.

"Nah."

"Coffee?"

He shook his head, "I need to get back to Will's; he'll wonder where the hell I got to."

A sudden panic hit me-

-I can't let him go outside like this.

It was a goddamned miracle that nobody had seen him running over here – he was in absolutely no state to be left alone right now.

"Tell you what, I'll call Will and let him know you're over here." I coaxed, lying my ass off. I recognized Will as one of Malcolm's inner circle, but I only knew him in passing – I certainly didn't have his phone number.

Holding out the blanket, I continued, "You just look kind of tired-" With a flash of inspiration, I added, "Why don't you take a nap?"

He paused, blinking slowly. After a moment's consideration, he shrugged, "Sleep does sound good."

Nodding, I rolled with it, putting a hand on his back and leading him toward the hallway. "Here, just rest for a bit in my room, then you can head back to Will's."

"You're sure?" His warm eyes stared into mine.

My heart skipped a beat, and I was suddenly very aware that I was chest to chest with my devastatingly attractive, gloriously nude Alpha.

He's drunk, he's drunk, he's drunk...

The thought repeated, beating back the involuntary cloud of feral need taking over me.

It's been way too long...

It hadn't felt that way an hour ago.

An hour ago, Malcolm hadn't been standing naked in my living room...

Swallowing, I nodded, "Yep – go ahead. I was just going to read for a bit longer."

"But you'll call Will?" Malcolm asked.

"Absolutely," I lied. "I'll wake you up in a bit," I added, intending nothing of the sort. The longer he slept this off, the safer it would be to send him on his way.

You're going to have to face him when he sobers up.

Panic crept up my spine at the thought, but I refused to let it take hold.

I watched as he crawled between my sheets, seeming to pass out the moment his head hit my pillow.

Closing the door quietly, I tiptoed back into the living room.

That's a problem for the morning...

In the meantime, I'd be spending the night on the couch, trying to get the image of Malcolm's stunning physique out of my mind.