Alpha

2

2

Ransom

Ten Minutes Earlier

“What the hell’s wrong with the coffee here? Why do you have to go out to get it?”

I glanced over at my boss, Reece. He sat on the edge of his wooden desk, his heavy brows drawn together as he examined an old Harley carburetor. The desk behind him held an assortment of tools, rags, and other motorcycle parts in various stages of disassembly. I wondered if Reece ever did any work in the shop. Every time I’d gone looking for him, I’d find the guy in his office, tinkering with stuff.

I held up the glass coffee pot, swirling with inky liquid. As usual, the smell of burned coffee, mingled with years of accumulated oil, grease and sweat, permeated throughout the shop “I go out for coffee because... this stuff is s**t. We have motor oil that’s thinner than this.” I set the pot back on the burner.

His eyes narrowed and he shook his head. “You know, Ransom, if you weren’t such a good mechanic...”

I grunted. “If I weren’t such a good mechanic, what? You’d throw me out?”

He gave me a rueful smile. “Yeah, I know, it would be a waste of time. I’d still be stuck with you. You’re family.”

“Which is the only reason I put up with your s**t,” I countered, smirking.

Used to my cocky replies, Reece waved a grease-stained hand in my general direction. “Go, then. Get your fancy swill so you can get your a*s back and do some work. We have three new work orders that came in. One of them is for Malone, and I don’t want that slacker Grady working on his bike. It will never get done.”

Fancy swill?

It honestly wasn’t much better than the coffee Reece offered. But, the server seemed to make it taste so much better. “Got it.”

I left the shop and strode down the sidewalk. It was a nice day already and only supposed to get better. The mid-morning sun was warm and the breeze carried just a hint of spring flowery scents from the nearby lilac bushes.

I drew a deep breath, wishing that the diner was far enough away to ride my motorcycle. But a half-block didn’t warrant taking it out, as much as I wanted to. I’d done it once and had felt foolish. It had taken longer to park the damn thing than it had to ride it over. Knowing there was no rain in sight, I decided I would take it for a spin after work, before the sun set. It would have to do.

Betty’s wasn’t the only diner within walking distance, and the coffee certainly wasn’t the reason I went there each day. Hell, I could have even done without it, but wasn’t about to give up my daily fix of the waitress, who worked the breakfast shift. Coffee was just the only excuse I could give Reece for going there.

It all started one day, after arguing about something with Reece. Although we were family, we were always butting heads. Hell, maybe it was because we were family. Anyway, that morning I’d needed to leave the shop to calm down and had wandered in to Betty’s for the hell of it. After taking a spot at the counter, I’d grabbed a menu at had been checking out the specials, when a female voice drew my attention. Looking up from the menu, I’d locked eyes with a woman so gorgeous, I’d had to do a double-take. Blonde hair and curves in the right areas. The kind that belonged in a Sports Illustrated centerfold.

As hot as she was, however, her eyes had taken it up another level. They were gray, a shade bordering on silver, and like nothing I’d seen before. She was the entire package, if not more. For the first time in my life, I’d found myself completely mesmerized. Not to mention, painfully aroused.

“Hi. Are you ready to order?”

“Coffee, please,” I’d croaked. “Black.”

“Okay.”

Then she was off to fetch it and even her back view was worth the price of a crappy cup of coffee. Although her a*s had been hidden under the uniform, she had lean, strong calves and hips that swayed provocatively as she walked away.

Coffee, please. Black...

I’d kicked myself for not coming up with something more original on that first day. Or the next few. But, here it was, a week later, and no other words had really been spoken between us. I was way off my game and it was frustrating.

What in the hell was wrong with me?

Women—and motorcycles—were my vice. Having either of them under me was the ultimate thrill. Reece always gave me s**t about being a player, and admittedly, I never committed to anyone. But, I wasn’t a liar, either. I never promised anything other than a night of fun, maybe two at the most. But this girl, Jillian, according to her nametag, haunted me. She was the first thing I thought about in the morning and the last before falling asleep. My obsession with her was driving me up a wall.

Of course, it was the same today. The breathless anticipation. The buildup, as I watched her work behind the counter. As usual, I felt wound up and couldn’t take my eyes off her. I loved the feminine, graceful slant of her neck and the profile of her full lips and high cheekbones. Not to mention she always seemed to be blushing and lowering her long eyelashes after taking my order. She was either really shy or into me as well.

I need to find out...

Enough was enough. I wasn’t a young punk. I was a man and needed to act like one. No screwing around.

Determined to walk out of the diner with her number, I sat down in my usual spot and picked up the menu. A few seconds later, she walked over and took my order again.

“Coffee, please. Black.” I groaned inwardly after the words left my lips. “Shocker, huh?”

She smiled. “Yes. I mean, no. Uh, you said black?”

I chuckled. “Yeah.”

“Okay.”

I noticed something on her cheek and told her about it.

“Ketchup. I, um, I was refilling the bottles. Some were hard to open.”

“No worries. I just thought you’d want to know.” Hell, maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. Now she looked embarrassed.

Good going, dumbass.

“Yes. Thank you.”

“No problem.”

I reached forward to put the menu back, but it slipped out of the metal holder on the counter. She tried helping and our fingers brushed together.

“You okay?” I asked, pulling my hand back quickly, trying to suppress my shock.

She was Lycan.

A shifter.

A young one, but clearly capable of masking herself, and doing a pretty damned good job.

But, not... good enough.

Now I knew why I was so drawn to her. Having been intimate with so many females, mostly human, I was keen on both species, and the waitress was definitely one of my own. Which made me even more aroused.

She’d noticed something, too. I’d seen the shock in her eyes. Not to mention the way she’d left the counter, almost falling in the process. We’d connected in a way that only our kind could, and it had freaked the hell out of her.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she murmured before taking off.

When she finally made it back with my coffee, I watched her pour it, the silence between us deafening.

“Sorry,” she said, spilling a little of it into the saucer.

“No problem.”

Our eyes met and I could tell that she was about to say something, when the door jingled and someone walked in.

Jillian looked toward the doorway and her eyes widened in alarm.

Seeing the fear in her face, I turned to look and wondered who the man in the expensive monkey-suit and Ray-Bans was.