Happily Ever Alpha: Until Leo (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read online

  “My dad didn’t put up much of a fight, but it meant he had to figure out how to do my hair in the mornings so it didn’t look like a rat’s nest after I slept on it. One of the ladies at the salon where he finally broke down to take me took pity on him and scheduled me for her last appointment of the day. After cutting my hair, she spent about an hour showing him how to do pretty much everything.”

  “Nice! I’m sure he appreciated it as much as I did with your class.”

  “He sure did,” I snorted.

  “It sounds like there’s a story there,” Leo drawled.

  Spotting the waiter coming towards us with a tray lifted in the air, I leaned in closer and lowered my voice. “One that’ll have to wait until your favorite person is done dropping off our food. I think you scared him so much that he begged the kitchen to get us out of here as fast as possible.”

  Chapter 5

  Leo

  It turned out Carrie was right; the damn waiter did his best to rush us out the door. And I’d picked that particular Italian restaurant because it was known for its romantic atmosphere and slow service. It was supposed to be perfect for a lengthy date, giving me hours with Carrie. Instead, we got stuck with a leering waiter and drinks, meals, and dessert that were each served at the speed of light. The guy interrupted us often enough that Carrie had barely been able to tell me about how her dad had fallen for the hair stylist who’d helped him out and married her.

  He’d circled back around to our table three times to pick up the check before we’d even been there for an hour. By the fourth time, it was beyond awkward so I paid the damn thing and led Carrie out with my hand on her lower back.

  We reached her car, and I wanted to curse myself for agreeing to her idea of driving separate. I wasn’t ready for the night to be over. She was slow to unlock her driver’s side door, which made me think she was feeling the same reluctance. When she turned back towards me and tilted her head back, I was unable to stop myself from bending low and claiming her lips. I’d been waiting for the right moment since she’d bumped into me on Friday, and I wasn’t going to let that damn waiter ruin the whole night for me.

  I took the opportunity Carrie gave me, starting with a few light brushes of my lips over hers. But when her lips parted, my tongue swept inside to tangle with hers and the kiss quickly spiraled out of control. With her taste in my mouth and her body pressed against mine, I growled low in my throat. Her answering moan made my already-hard cock press against my zipper to the point that I wondered if it’d leave a permanent mark. Since I was close to losing control and dragging her into the back seat of her car, I tore my lips away.

  My chest heaved as I tried to convince myself to let her go. It didn’t work. I was starting to think nothing would. But she was holding on to me just as tightly, so I decided to go after what I wanted, full speed ahead.

  “Come home with me,” I urged, figuring she would say no since Carrie didn’t seem like the kind of girl who rushed into bed with a guy. But I had to give it a shot anyway because my desire for her was stronger than anything I’d ever felt before. If there was even the slightest chance she might say yes, I had to take it.

  I could hardly wait to get her into my bed. My house. My life. I no longer had any doubts the boom was real, and I’d been hit by it. But if it worked out for me even half as well as it had Nico, I’d be a happy man.

  “I’m not sure,” she sighed. “This is only our first date, and—”

  “Second,” I corrected her.

  She cocked her head to the side. “Did we have another date I don’t remember?”

  “We spent more than an hour together at the daddy daughter hair class. That makes it date number one in my eyes.”

  “Hmm. I might give you that one, but isn’t the rule that I’m not supposed to go home with you until the third date?”

  “If you want to play it that way, let me take you for an ice cream,” I offered. “We can call it our third date.”

  A startled giggle slipped past her lips, and I felt her body relax against mine. “Do you have any ice cream at your place?”

  “Do popsicles count as ice cream?”

  “Yeah.” She nodded. “I think tonight they do.”

  Grabbing her hand, I tugged her away from her car and slammed the driver’s side door shut. “Click the locks, darlin’.”

  “But—”

  “I want you ridin’ in my truck. I’ll bring you back in the morning for your car.” Or better yet, I’d have one of the guys pick it up so it was safe in my driveway.

  When she nodded and her horn beeped after she pressed a button on her key fob, I quickly unlocked my truck and helped her up onto the passenger seat. As I rounded it to the other side, I tapped out a quick message to a friend to ask him to stop by my house and grab her keys out of the mailbox so he could come grab her car. Then I got us to my house as quickly as I could, the chemistry between us thick in the cab of the truck.

  I didn’t let go of Carrie’s hand after I parked the truck and helped her out. I gave serious consideration to just tossing her over my shoulder but decided against it since I was lucky to have gotten her to agree to coming home with me. The last thing I needed to do was scare her off before I even got her into the house. I barely managed to slow my pace so I wasn’t dragging her behind me. By the time the door shut behind us, I was out of patience and crashed my mouth down over hers.

  “You want that popsicle now?” I panted against her lips. Backing her against the closed door, I ground my cock into the heat between her thighs. “Or later?”

  “Later,” she cried out as I pressed against her. “Definitely later.”

  “Thank fuck,” I breathed, sweeping her into my arms and carrying her through the living room, down the hall, and into my bedroom. I lowered us both down onto the mattress, and I shoved my hands under her shirt to rip it over her head. I groaned at the sight of her perfect tits wrapped in a white bra. The hard, pink tips were visible through the material, poking against the lace. Sliding an arm around her back, I flicked the catch of her bra open and slid it off her shoulders.

  “So fuckin’ perfect,” I rasped against her skin as I leaned down to suck a nipple into my mouth. Switching from side to side, I nibbled and sucked until she was writhing beneath me. Then I made my way down her body, tracing a path over her curves with my tongue. I needed the taste of her pussy in my mouth before I took her. I tugged her pants down her legs, and the only thing left on her hot-as-fuck body was a pair of lacy white panties that matched the bra she’d been wearing. “You better lift up, or else I’m gonna have to take a trip to the mall to buy you a new pair after I rip these off you.”

  “I have the feeling that’s supposed to be a warning, but it sounds hot enough that I’m willing to sacrifice a pair of panties I went out and bought this morning, even though I didn’t think there was a chance anyone but me would see them.”

  What little bit of control I had left disappeared. Boom. Gone as quickly as I ripped her panties away.

  Then I dove right in, using two fingers to separate her pussy lips while I licked up the center. She tasted better than I’d imagined, and I’d done a hell of a lot of fantasizing about her over the past three days. “I’d better buy you a fuck ton of new panties because I have a feeling none of them are gonna last long around me. One taste, and I’m already addicted.”

  She reached down and ran her nails along my scalp, her fingers clenching tight as her hips lifted off the mattress. “Again with the threats of a good time.”

  If my woman wanted a good time, I was damn sure gonna give it to her. And then some. I trailed my tongue up and down her pussy, circling her clit until she was pleading with me before I sucked it into my mouth and she screamed my name. But I didn’t stop there, as soon as she came down from the first orgasm, I stiffened my tongue and drove it inside her. Holding her in place by her hips, I tongue-fucked her until she came a second time. I licked her through it, waiting for her fall back against the pillows befo
re I lifted my head and crawled up her body.

  Her brown eyes were heavy-lidded as she looked up at me. “You’re way over-dressed for the occasion.”

  “That’s easily fixed.” I whipped my shirt over my head and practically tore my pants off, taking my boxers with them. “Better?”

  “Much, much better,” she murmured, running her fingertips down my back.

  I settled over her, and her nails dug into my ass when my cock nudged against her heat. “Fuck, please tell me I can take you bare, darlin’. It’s been a long time since I’ve been with anyone, and I had to get tested a few months ago at work so I know I’m clean.”

  Her brown eyes locked with mine, and my breath froze in my chest as she seemed to weigh her decision. I let it out in a rush when she answered, “Yeah. It’s been a while for me too, and I’m on birth control.”

  If my brain hadn’t been hazy with lust, I might’ve questioned why I was thrilled with the first part of her answer but disappointed by the second. But I couldn't think. Not when she’d given me the go-ahead for exactly what I wanted—for there to be nothing between us when I took her.

  I pushed inside. Inch by inch. Slow and steady until I was buried to the hilt in her wet heat. Her pussy was so fucking tight, it felt like it was strangling my cock. “You okay, darlin’?”

  “Mmm. More than okay.” Her walls clenched around me. “But I’ll be even better once you start moving.”

  I began to move, slowly at first, picking up the pace until her cries of pleasure rang in my ears. Her legs were wrapped around my waist, and the headboard banged against the wall with each of my thrusts. She hadn’t come a third time before I started to feel the tell-tale tingling at my spine, so I slipped a hand between us to pinch her clit. The added stimulation had her flying apart in no time, and I quickly followed.

  “Carrie! Darlin’! Fuuuuuck!” I roared as I came harder than I ever had before. When I was done filling her with my come, I wrapped my arms around her back and dragged her on top of me as I rolled over.

  “Wow.” She’d said it a couple of times earlier in the night, but never like she did right then. Like a satisfied purr I was determined to hear. As often as I could.

  Chapter 6

  Carrie

  Four nights later, I still hadn’t returned to my apartment for longer than it took to pack a bag, water my plants, and load up some of the groceries from my fridge so they wouldn’t go to waste. I spent my days in the office, and my nights with Leo. We’d quickly fallen into a rhythm with each other, fitting together as though we’d been a couple forever. As though we were meant to be.

  I hadn’t really second-guessed how easily we slid into a relationship until today—when Lynn was coming home to her dad for the weekend. Leo had insisted on me coming over for dinner and hinted at me spending the night again, but now that I was only half an hour away from seeing them I wasn’t so sure it was a good idea. I tossed my purse onto the passenger seat of my car, turned on the engine, and then sat in the parking lot at work for about ten minutes while I stared off into space. The ringing of my phone startled me out of my daze.

  “Hello?”

  “You might beat us to my place since I’m running a little bit behind. I’m about two minutes out from the school. Another ten from the house. I clipped a clicker for the garage on your passenger side visor. You see it?” Leo asked.

  I hadn’t noticed the opener earlier but when I glanced up and to the side, I found it right where he said. “Yeah.”

  “Go ahead and park in the garage. I’ll take the spot in the driveway.”

  That’d leave me blocked in by his truck, and I had a feeling that was part of why he was suggesting it. Although I had my doubts about it being a suggestion since it sounded more like an order. “It’ll be easier if I just park on the street in front of the house. Then you won’t have to worry about moving the truck if I end up heading home after dinner.”

  “We already discussed it this morning, darlin’. Lynn’s bedtime is early and she sleeps in on the weekends. We’ll both be up, showered, and dressed before she wakes up so there’s no reason you can’t spend the night.”

  “You don’t know that it won’t be a big deal,” I argued. “What if she doesn’t like me having dinner with you guys?”

  “You’re worryin’ for no reason.”

  “I’m—”

  “Amazing.” His interruption stunned me. “That’s the word my baby girl used to describe you no less than a hundred times last weekend. After I did her hair Monday morning in the braid you taught me, she beamed at me and skipped her way into kindergarten.”

  “Okay, so maybe she won’t mind me having dinner with you guys,” I conceded. “But that doesn’t mean she’ll be happy about me sitting down at the breakfast table the next morning.”

  “I think you’re seriously underestimating Lynn’s fascination with all things Carrie.”

  “What?” I gasped. “Why would you think that?”

  “’Cause her mother called me to rant this morning about how she’d had enough and didn’t want to hear your name from her daughter’s lips ever again.” I could practically hear the satisfied smirk he must have had on his face. “It was ‘bout damn time for her to get the smallest taste of the shit I’ve had to deal with over the past couple of years, hearing my baby girl talk about that douchebag and having to pretend like he isn’t a piece of shit.”

  When we’d started to get to know each other over our phone calls before our first date, Leo had told me about how his ex was with her old high school sweetheart—the same guy she’d cheated on Leo with before he realized what was going on. The woman had to be a complete idiot, throwing away a man like Leo and messing up the life they were supposed to build with Lynn. I hated women like that; probably because I had mommy issues after the way mine had abandoned me.

  After hearing about the crap Leo’s ex had pulled, I felt a sense of connection to Leo’s daughter. We both had great dads but horrible moms, and it was something we’d each discovered when we were only three. I also couldn’t help but notice the similarities between how Leo and I had met and the way my dad and step-mom had gotten together since they were eerily similar—but in the best way possible. It gave me hope that this thing between us was as real as it felt. And that it’d last as long as my dad and step-mom’s marriage, which was still going strong after all these years.

  As petty as it might have made me, what that all boiled down to was that I was all in if it meant pissing off Leo’s ex. “I’ll park in the garage, and I’ll pull out the ingredients for us to do build-your-own pizzas for dinner so it’s ready to go when you guys get there.”

  “I have ingredients for build-your-own pizzas in my fridge?”

  “Yeah, I brought it over last night thinking we’d have them for dinner, but I got a little distracted and forgot to tell you.” A little distracted was a heck of an understatement. Leo had pulled into the driveway about three minutes after I had, and I’d barely finished putting the groceries I’d grabbed away before he’d tossed me over his shoulder and carried me into the bedroom. We hadn’t made it out again until it was already dark outside. By then, the only dinner I had enough energy for was the kind that was delivered to the door. So the pizza makings stayed where I’d put them without Leo even knowing about them, and we had Chinese instead.

  “I don’t think Lynn’s ever had homemade pizza before, but I know she’ll love pickin’ out her own toppings and bakin’ it in the oven with us.”

  And I loved the idea of giving her something she’d never had before. “Then I guess we have a plan.”

  “That we do, darlin’.” His voice dropped a notch as he continued, “I knew my baby girl was sharp as a tack, and this just proved it. She called it on day one. You really are amazing, Carrie.”

  If making a dinner as easy as build-your-own pizzas made the two of them that happy, I couldn’t wait to do something a little more complicated. Like a homemade chocolate fudge cake. Or my world-famous caramel
swirl brownies.

  As I pulled out of the parking lot, I gave serious consideration to a quick stop at the grocery store for baking supplies. But I decided it could wait since I wanted to beat Leo and Lynn home. The pizzas would take a little while to make, and it was already going to be almost six o’clock before we even started making them. It looked like baking was going to have to wait until at least tomorrow if I wanted Lynn to be able to help me, which meant I could do a run to the grocery store in the morning—after I slept over like Leo wanted me to do. And if I was being completely honest with myself, exactly like I wanted to do too. Because after spending four nights in Leo’s bed, there wasn’t anywhere else I wanted to be.

  It was a good thing I’d decided against the extra stop on my way to Leo’s house because I’d only gotten the crust dough, sauce, and cheese out of the fridge when he and Lynn came barreling into the kitchen.

  “Carrie! You’re really here!” Lynn cried out. She twirled around and smiled up at Leo. “I thought you was pullin’ my leg when you said we got to have dinner with Carrie.”

  “Were, baby girl.”

  Lynn’s nose scrunched up. “Huh?”

  “You should have said ‘I thought you were’ instead of ‘was,’” he explained.

  “Oh! Right.” She patted him on the arm before climbing up on one of the stools lined up at the counter. “What’re you making?”

  “We’re making build-your-own pizzas.” I grabbed the containers filled with pepperoni, chopped onions and green peppers, sliced olives, crumbled bacon, and sausage out of the fridge. “Everyone gets their own pizza, so they can choose whatever they want to put on it without worrying if anyone else will like it.”

  Her blue eyes went round and filled with excitement. “Really? A whole pizza just for me?”

  “Yup, one for you, one for me, and two for your daddy because I think he’ll still be hungry if he only gets one like us.”