Page 42 of Brutal Alpha Bully

“I was five when my grandma died,” Nora says, reaching forward to run her hand over the buttons on the dash. “But I didn’t really know her.”

I remember that day, too. The day I found out about her death, and about the fact that she left her home to me. My brother was pissed, but the lawyers made it clear that she was of sound mind when she made the decision.

My wards—and the general neighborhood watch feeling—of the area managed to keep him away. It’s one thing that my nosy neighbors did well, making sure my home wasn’t an easy target for my brother.

Xeran turns into the parking lot of averynice hotel, bumping over the cobblestones without a care. My eyes widen as I turn and take it in—the large marble columns, the man standing outside in an honest-to-God suit and tie.

“Good afternoon,” he says when Xeran hops out of the truck and gestures for us to bring our bags.

“Hey, checking in,” Xeran says. “We won’t need the valet—we’re heading out again here in five minutes.”

The man in the suit nods, and we follow Xeran inside, then upstairs to a pair of suites on the top floor. I knew that the Sorels were wealthy, but I never imagined they werethiswealthy.

Nora squeals and runs between the two rooms, lying on each bed to assess the softness. It’s one of the rare moments I see her actually acting her age, which is happening more and more now that she’s around Xeran.

“Xeran,” I whisper when Nora races into the adjoining room. “This is…”

He turns to me, shrugging, but there’s a satisfied smile on his face. “I’ve been working for years in Chicago, only paying for myself. Plus, I have the inheritance from my dad. Been a long time since I did something just for the heck of it.”

I hum, and he glances into the other room. Seeing the bathroom door closed, and Nora apparently closed up inside, he wraps an arm around my lower back and hauls me into him, kissing me thoroughly.

Like always, I melt into him, hands going to his chest. A sigh escapes my body, tension fizzling out.

For the first time in my life, I wish that Nora wasn’t here. I wish my grandmother was alive, and we could have leftmy daughter with her so Xeran and I would have this entire hotel room to ourselves. So we could be loud and reckless and touch each other without worrying about how quiet we were, or whether or not we could be heard from down the hallway.

When the door to the bathroom clicks, Xeran releases me, but those dark blue eyes stay fixed on me, hungry, seeking, clearly wanting more. Clearly thinking the same as me.

“Come on,” he says, voice thick as he jerks his head toward the door. “We’ve got a lot more to do tonight.”

Chapter 21 - Xeran

Taking the girls to Denver turns out to be one of the best ideas I’ve ever had. Of course, I worry about Silverville, but Kalen has promised to let me know if anything happens in the two days we’re gone. Kalen and Felix are tailing Declan, trying to see if he has anything to do with the fires back home.

Kalen insisted that it would be best for me to get out of town—Declan might let down his defenses if I was away. Besides, we needed to pick up more ash to make the extinguisher for our packs, which we usually get from a source in the city.

Nora’s face lights up when we walk into the mall, and I take her store to store, buying her whatever she wants while Phina looks worried and runs her hand over her mouth each time I swipe my card.

For years, I’ve had all this money sitting in my accounts, and I’ve finally found something worthwhile to do with it.

When we hit the first store that’s not just for little girls, I touch a hand to Phina’s lower back and gesture for her to go in with Nora, who is already looking thoughtfully at some of the heels as if she would ever be able to wear any of them.

“Go on,” I say, indicating she should go into the store and look at some of the dresses. “You’ll need something to wear to dinner.”

“Xeran,” Phina whispers, turning her head to the side and glancing at me. Even under fluorescent lighting, she looks immaculate. Her blond hair is loose around her shoulders today in loose, bouncing curls. I resist the urge to reach out and tug on one as she says, “This is too much.”

“It’s not,” I say. “If you don’t pick something out, Phina, I’ll choose for you. Then we’ll both be hurting.”

She laughs and rubs her hands up and down her arms. She tentatively takes a step into the store, glancing back at me once more as if I might change my mind.

“Fine,” she relents. “But I am only getting one thing.”

Eleven more bags and the rest of the mall later, Phina and Nora each have a drink in their hands—some sort of tea with little balls at the bottom that I skipped in favor of a black coffee. We’re heading back to the truck as they laugh and talk, Phina wearing one of the dresses she tried on straight out of the store.

I love the dress.

But I love the idea of taking it off her more.

Back at the truck, I throw their bags in the bed and pull the cover over, locking it up and sliding into the driver’s seat.

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