Alpha Bully (Wolf Ridge High 1)

“What the fuck are you wearing?” I growl in her ear.

She turns her face to the side, but not far enough to make eye contact. Just enough to let me see her. “What’s it to you?” she sasses.

I press in a little tighter, letting the bulge of my swollen cock contact the back of the shorts. “You don’t wear shorts that short at school. Especially not those shorts.”

She frowns. “What’s wrong with these shorts?”

“Don’t play dumb, Bailey. Last time you were in those shorts, I took them off you. You fucking know what you’re doing to me. I’m going to smack your ass twice this shade.” I tug the streak of pale pink hair framing her face.

Her laugh is low and husky. A little nervous. The scent of her arousal drifts up between us, making my nostrils flare.

She glances past me, though, where my friends are standing by the lockers eyeing us. “You’d better go.”

“Don’t want to.” I mean, I really don’t want to. My need for her seems to be getting stronger and stronger. It must be because we’re approaching the full moon. It’s nuts because she’s not even a she-wolf. I shouldn’t have such a hard-on to get with her. It’s like my wolf wants to mate already. “Fuck,” I mutter out loud. This means I’d better stay away from her over the weekend. I might lose control, which would have devastating consequences. It’s bad enough I might need Austin to fucking babysit me to make sure I don’t go seek her out.

“Meet me after practice,” I blurt, even though any of my friends could overhear with their shifter hearing. Even though meeting her anywhere public is a bad idea and we sure as hell can’t meet near our houses, either.

Her eyes dilate like she’s excited. “Where?”

I think fast. “Here. At the school. Six p.m. I’ll wait for you by the locker rooms. You can get in through the door on that side of the building.”

Pink is driving regularly and has a car now—a used VW bug that sent my dad into a fury about the “spoiled human bitch” when he saw it.

“Okay.” She ducks her head to hide a smile. She’s been super cool about not letting on we’re an item, which I’m grateful for.

“Spank you later,” I murmur and wink, resisting the overwhelming urge to smack her ass before I walk away.

Practice is a total fucking blur. I don’t even know which drills we worked on or if I did what I was supposed to. My head was stuffed with Bailey the whole time.

After practice, I send Casey home with Austin and take a long, thorough shower. When six o’clock rolls around, everyone’s cleared out. I had this idea of pulling her into the locker room and ravishing her over a bench, but it occurs to me that every fucking member of the team will smell human in here tomorrow if I do.

Football field is no better because anyone could see us.

I step outside to wait for Bailey by the back door, still trying to figure out where to take her. She shows up with a big In-N-Out Burger bag, which she holds out to me. “I thought you might be hungry.”

The scent of food hits me hard. I’m fucking starved. Casey and I have been living on ramen noodles and frozen burritos since our dad lost his job—shit I can buy with the money I earn working at Winslow’s auto shop. Even so, if any other person tried to offer me food, I might have beaten them to a pulp.

But from Bailey? I don’t know, from her it means something different.

And the thoughtfulness of it knocks me on my ass.

I grab the bag and look inside at the two burgers and two fries and two shakes. Cute. She doesn’t know how much a shifter eats. “These are all for me, right?” I flash her a grin. The stars in her eyes when she looks at me make me feel like some kind of hero.

The guy I’ve never been.

And that’s when I realize: the In-N-Out Burger food will cover all scents. That shit can make the cab of my truck stink for a week. If I bring it into the locker room, no one’s gonna smell human. Just meat and fries.

I take Bailey’s hand and tug her inside. My stomach’s growling, but I drop the bag of food on the bench. “This deserves a reward.” I slide my hands under her skirt to contact skin.

Her breath quickens, eyes dilate. I glide my lips over hers. Not the mean, demanding kisses I’ve given before, but something more sultry. More exploratory. I let my palms roam, over her ass, up her sides underneath the shirt. She’s trembling already. There’s something in her scent, though. I try to distinguish it from the food.