I'm the Alpha's Crush

Chapter 58

Kneeling on the rough, woven blanket, I dug my fork into the brightly colored salad, "I knew you could do it."

The sweeping vista before me was a verdant, shimmering green as distant trees swayed in the slight breeze. The small park we'd chosen for lunch sat near the top of one of the hills that overlooked Syracuse, and the view of the valley below was so distracting in its splendor that I kept forgetting to eat.

Next to me, Malcolm leaned back, suit jacket discarded and sipping water. As he screwed the lid back on, he looked at me, "It wouldn't have worked without you."

I shook my head, popping a speared blueberry into my mouth, "Blake was too sloppy. He screwed himself over - getting caught was just a matter of time."

"Maybe." Malcolm sighed, "I'm just worried about his next move."

"I'm not."

He glanced up, frowning slightly, "Why?"

Setting the plastic take away bowl aside, I shrugged, "Because you Challenged him."

"Just because of that?"

Nodding, I explained, "He was maneuvering to try and take your position, and you cut him off at the knees - he only has one move left, and he'll never take it."

"You're sure?"

"He's a coward. He'll bluster and bluff and pull strings from the shadows, but he'll never answer your Challenge."

"You seem really certain."

Turning away from the view, I asked him, "When you guys were younger, did he ever get in trouble, or did he get other people to do his dirty work for him?"

"He always had a fall guy," Malcolm admitted.

"Exactly. He's never had his own ass on the line. He put on a good show, but when it came time to back up his words, what did he do? He ran. He tucked his tail between his legs and scurried away, because he knows that you will follow through, and he doesn't stand a chance."

"I'm still a little uneasy."

The worry on his face cut through my confidence, "Malcolm-"

"Maybe I should stay over at your place for a while? Or you should stay over at mine?" His serious demeanor faded as he grinned, "Just in case he tries something?"

"Oh," I leaned over him, catching the humor in his dark eyes, "is that so?"

Malcolm reached up, tracing the edge of my chin, "Better safe than sorry."

"Right. Because concern for my safety is your only motivation here?"

"Sophie, I like being around you, and I will take any excuse I can get."

Reaching up, he wound an arm around my waist and pulled me down onto him.

I collapsed with a giggle, savoring the sturdy warmth of his body against mine.

In the back of my mind, though, I could faintly hear the clock counting down the seconds left to us.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

In the coming days, the fallout from the meeting became clearer. Callahan tried to back out of the sale, but he'd built the contract to be airtight, anticipating issues from the other end of the deal.

Blake went radio silent. Malcolm heard that Callahan was out for blood, but even he couldn't find the slimy broker who'd lost him millions.

Finally, rumors began circulating that he'd hired a realtor to sell his house.